Tag: sound

How and with Which Instruments Is the Pitch of a Non-Musical Sound Measured?
Sound refers to the aural impression produced by an acoustic wave. Understanding the nuances of music is essential for telling it apart from “non-musical” noise. The term “music” refers to any sequence of sounds that has been arranged in a certain way. It may be described in terms of pitch, duration, and timbre. If you can’t identify the pitch, what you’re hearing isn’t sound; it’s just noise.
It’s possible to make a noise by hitting any item, but it’s usually not the same as a musical instrument’s sound since the pitch of the noise can’t be pinpointed to a certain note on the musical scale.
Noise is a very intricate frequency combination in which no one frequency can be isolated as the dominant force. This is true of percussion instruments such as drums, bass drums, and cymbals.
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Xylophones, timpani, and bells are all examples of instruments in which a single frequency predominates while nevertheless producing a distinct pitch. The percussion instruments all have this characteristic manner of emission.
The term “percussion instruments” refers to a broad class of musical instruments that produce audible vibrations when hit, shaken, or rubbed. The sound is produced by the entire item vibrating and releasing air molecules. Musicologists have given them the label “idiophones” because of their unique abilities.
There are musical instruments here whose sounds cannot be placed on a musical scale. They might emphasize the music’s rhythm by highlighting its prominent beats, or they can provide a distinct hue to certain sections of the score.
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In contrast, some may be identified by their pitch note and have a melodic function.
Common noise-measuring tools include the sound level meter, audio meter, and integrated sound level meter.
In terms of its “pitch,” a sound wave is what we hear. Scientists use the term “compression wave” to describe the phenomenon of air vibration. This wave travels through the air at a pace of around 1080 feet (330 meters) per second, therefore conveying audible vibrations.
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The frequency of an object is defined as the rate of vibration in cycles per second. Frequency is measured in hertz, often abbreviated Hz. The frequency of a sound wave is what gives it its pitch. On a tuning fork, the A note has a frequency of 440 hertz. This translates to a frequency of 440 oscillations per second for the blades.
In the same way that decibels can be measured using a sound level meter, “pitch” may also be quantified in this way. There is a sweet spot for human hearing somewhere between 500 Hz and 6 kHz, and your sensitivity drops off significantly outside of that range. Sound level meters and dosimeters rely on frequency weightings to accurately record and report the decibels we’re exposed to. There are built-in electronic filters that can be employed to modify the sensitivity of the instrument’s noise measurements.
The frequency and intensity of a sound are two different things. Low-pitched sounds have a low frequency, whereas high-pitched ones have a high frequency. Thus, hertz (Hz) is the unit of frequency measurement.
The louder the sound, the greater the amplitude of the vibration; conversely, the weaker the sound, the smaller the amplitude. It is commonly expressed in decibels (dB).
November 10, 2022
Why Can You Hear the Ocean in a Seashell?
Large, coiled shells of sea snails are a common memento brought back from beach vacations because they bring to mind the sun, the sea, and the sand. These shells can be found in both freshwater and saltwater environments. However, the shells of these marine animals do more than just bring the aesthetic beauty of the ocean into our homes through their acoustic properties. Even when you are located thousands of miles away from the closest body of water, if you hold the shell’s enlarged aperture up to your ears, you may be able to hear a soft murmur that is reminiscent of the ocean. But what exactly is it that’s causing all of this oddity?
According to seasoned beachcombers, the best noise-makers are not mussel shells but rather the enormous shells of sea snails. This is because sea snail shells are hollow inside. This is due to the fact that its cavity, in contrast to those of other shells, is sufficiently large enough to produce this noise effect. On the other hand, if we put our ear to the bottom of a cup or glass that is empty, we might hear the same thing again. But how could something like a cup or a seashell sound like this?
Is it the beat of your heart, or the sound of the wind coming in?
A good number of people believe that the noise they were hearing was actually their own blood pulsing through their veins. It was said that the shell made the faint pulsing that normally occurs in the veins of our skull significantly more audible. This is not the case at all, as demonstrated by the fact that a microphone, when placed in close proximity to the opening of a seashell that is resting on a table, will pick up the same sound as when the microphone is placed elsewhere in the room. Despite the fact that none of our blood vessels are located near the ear, which is the typical spot for a seashell.
If it wasn’t the blood, then what could it be? Is it possible that the noise is caused by air moving around inside the shell, similar to the way that the wind makes a sound in the trees? An experiment can be used to disprove this hypothesis as well. Just placing the seashell or jar on your ear in a soundproof room results in the listener hearing… nothing. However, if the noise was caused by air movement, you would still be able to hear it since air flows even in a soundproof environment.
Shell serves as a resonance chamber
But where does the noise come from? The answer that you are looking for is “our surroundings”. This is because we are constantly subjected to a variety of different kinds of background noise in our daily lives. The seashell can be used as a resonating chamber by placing it near your ear and then holding it there. When sound waves from the outside are reflected again and again by the shell’s walls, the air inside the shell begins to vibrate and resonate.
This is causing some frequencies of the background noise to become louder while simultaneously causing others to become quieter. The overall effect of the higher frequencies makes a noise that is reminiscent of waves crashing against the shore.
However, the volume of the noise made by shells of varying sizes and shapes is quite distinct from one another. This is because the acoustic frequencies at which the air resonates have a relationship that can be positive or negative depending on the size of the cavity inside the seashell. When compared with their smaller counterparts, larger seashells have the effect of magnifying a more specific frequency range. This provides an explanation for why their noise sounds muffled.
September 18, 2022
Why Nails Scratching a Blackboard Is So Unbearable?
The sound of fingernails on unpainted clay, chalk on a chalkboard, or a knife on a porcelain plate causes the majority of people to irk, cringe, or squirm, and for many, the sound is almost intolerable. It scratches, scrapes, screeches, and squeals, and it is certain to provide goosebumps. Why are we so sensitive to this sound in particular since the contributing factors to these discords are, in most cases, not harmful?
Multiple hypotheses
Quite a few researchers in the scientific community have already attempted to answer this question and have produced multiple hypotheses as a result. An Ig Nobel Prize was even given for the research that was conducted by the team at Vanderbilt University that was led by psychologist Randolph Blake. The sound of a rake being used to scrape a chalkboard was captured by Blake and his colleagues, who did the scraping in a school. Then, they broke the sound into its different frequency ranges and tried to figure out which frequencies seemed to hurt their ears the most.
Most painful are the middle-frequency bands
Surprisingly, it’s not the high, shrill frequencies that are the problem, but rather the frequencies in the middle range. When the researchers eliminated this frequency range from the noise, the majority of the individuals stated that it appeared far less disturbing. On the other hand, Blake and his colleagues heard a striking resemblance between the screaming sound and another sound, which they identified as the alarm call of chimpanzees. This ear-splitting shriek sounds very similar to fingernails scratching over a chalkboard.
Ancient roots
Is it possible that our natural reaction to these noises is a holdover from the time when early humans made sounds very similar to those as a kind of warning? In yet another piece of research, researchers from Newcastle University, led by Sukhbinder Kumar, revealed that screeching causes a normal anxiety reaction in the brain. This finding shows, at the very least, the potential. The more irritating the sound of scratching is, the more active the amygdala becomes. The amygdala is the part of the brain that is responsible for the sensation of fear.
Experiencing a resonance in the ear canal
Musicologists Michael Oehler and Christoph Reuter were even able to exactly calculate the disagreeable frequency range. According to their research, the frequency range between 2,000 and 4,000 hertz is where it screeches in a really eerie manner. They hypothesize that the form of the human ear, namely the ear canal, may be to blame for this. Resonance effects make the corresponding frequencies louder, and they also make the ear more sensitive in this area than it would be otherwise. This can make the squealing sound so painful that it hurts to hear it.
However, the relationship between cause and effect is not completely known. For example, did our ears develop to be more sensitive to alarm calls, or do apes and potentially early humans employ the frequency range that is most sensitive to communicate their warnings?
September 10, 2022
History of Sound Recording: The Inventors and the Devices
What is the story of the invention of sound recording and the first sound devices? Until just over a century ago, the only music people listened to was live performances. The development of technology for recording and replaying sound has not only changed the way we listen to music but has also made broadcasting, filming, and audio archiving applications possible.
The Invention of Audio Recording
Frenchman Edouard-Leon Scott’s phonautograph of 1857 was the first instrument capable of recording sound. It recorded sound with a moving needle on a carbon-coated surface. In 1877, the American Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. This was the first instrument that could record and play back sound. Primitive sound recorders worked mechanically. Sound vibrations collected by a tube moved a needle to make scratches on a disc or cylinder.
In the 1920s, the invention of the microphone ushered in the electrical age of sound recording. Soon after, sound was reproduced in high quality and volume through powerful loudspeakers driven by electromagnets.
After 1945, music was recorded on vinyl records that rotated at 33 or 45 revolutions per minute (rpm) (earlier records were played at 78 rpm). Magnetic instruments were also developed that recorded sound by creating different magnetic patterns, rather than physical pits on a disc.
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The next milestone was digital sound recording. This type of recording was made for more powerful and functional systems. Later, the first compact discs and digital audio formats such as MP3 were introduced for storing large amounts of music on small devices and for unlimited music downloads via the internet.
From the Music Box to Digital Audio
1815 – Multi-Cylinder Music Box
First produced in Switzerland in 1815, this music box contains a rotating cylinder with spikes on it, which enter the teeth on a steel honeycomb. In 1862, a system with interchangeable cylinders was invented to play different models.
A music box.
1857 – Phonautograph
Edouard-Leon Scott invented the first instrument capable of recording sound, but it could not play it back.
1876 – Automatic Piano
The automatic piano became famous when it was shown at an exhibition. This instrument contained an electromagnet and a paper music roll.
1877 – Edison’s Phonograph
Thomas Edison’s phonograph was the first instrument that could both record and playback sound. Sound vibrations are picked up by a tube and recorded on a cylinder covered with tin foil.
1888 – Gramophone
The gramophone, invented by Emile Berliner, uses shellac discs. These discs can be copied many times over in a brass container.
An early gramophone.
1898 – Magnetic Voice Recorder
Danish engineer Valdemar Poulsen invented the telegraph. It was the first instrument to record and playback sound magnetically. With a cable wound around a cylinder, it records the changes in the magnetic field caused by sound vibrations.
1925 – First Microphone
Microphones that pick up vibrations have replaced the tubes. In these microphones, vibrations are transmitted to electromagnets and changes in the electrical signals move the needle.
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1931 – Cassette Recorder
German Fritz Pfleumer invented the magnetic tape for recording sound which is a cassette recorder. This device records fluctuations in the electrical signal on the magnetic coating of a moving tape. The AEG company turned this into the Magnetophone.
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1948 – Vinyl Records
Vinyl records are introduced that can play longer sound records. Spinning 33 and 45 revolutions per minute instead of 78, these recordings offer much longer playing time and better sound quality.
1978 – Cassette Player
German-Brazilian Andreas Pavel’s 1972 Stereobelt is a small, portable, battery-powered player with headphones and a cassette player. In 1978, Sony introduces the Sony Walkman, a portable music player.
1982 – Compact Disc (CD)
CDs store large amounts of audio data and can be read back with a laser. They soon replaced vinyl records, which could be easily scratched.
1999 – MP3 Player
This device uses digital recordings stored as computer data. Music can thus be transferred or changed instantly from a personal player on a computer.
September 5, 2022