Digital Sound Processing

for Music & Multimedia

Andy Hunt & Ross Kirk

CHAPTER 2 Sound & Signals in music technology and Digital Audio

Chapter 2 explains the nature of sound signals and how they may be represented by corresponding electrical signals. The links below provide further explanation, a range of examples and web-based tutorials and articles on this subject.

2.1 The electrical analogue of acoustic signals

Tutorial on sound. 'What is sound?' An informal sound wave tutorial.
The propogation of sound.
'How does a microphone work?'. Microphone tutorial. A thorough Introduction to Microphones. More info.
'How does a loudspeaker work?' Speaker design tutorials.
Oscillating systems eg tuning forks.
A tutorial on Musical Acoustics and another.
'Musical acoutics on the threshold of the 21st century' - a thorough article with diagrams.

2.2 The nature and content of signals

Mini-lecture on basic electronics and another. Links to much more detailed electronics information.
Lecture course on electronic circuits and principles.
Synthesis techniques.
Tutorial on time & frequency representations.
Tutorial on sound spectra.
Visual representations of timbre.
Maths involved in the superposition of sinewaves.
Stanford's detailed tutorial on waves and FFTs (Fast Fourier Transforms).
Fourier Transform tutorial.
Another Fourier series tutorial.
An article on the frequency spectra of bells.

2.3 The effect of linearity and gain on the transmission of signals

How audio amplifiers work.
Questions about Musical Amplifiers.
What is total harmonic distortion?
Maths for waveshaping, and a brief overview.

2.4 The effect of frequency response on the transmission of signals

'What is a decibel?' and another overview.
Introduction to Frequency Domain representation & filters.
Tutorials on Filters.
Circuits for low and high-pass filters.

2.5 Summary

Links to Internet 'Audio' topics.
A tutorial on Synthesis methods.
An overview of sound (for television engineers).
Slides describing analogue & digital signals.
An on-line lecture course on Digital Sound Modelling.

Digital Sound Processing

for Music & Multimedia

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