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JEM Audio Exam 2

Key Concepts:

Terms in this set (77)

Sound
vibrations that set in to motion longitudinal waves of compression and rarefaction propagated through molecular structures such as gases, liquids, and solids.
sound
sound has both physical (technical) psychological (aesthetic qualities. often depicted as sound waves
sound characteristics
frequency
amplitude
velocity
sound envelope
direct sound
indirect sound
frequency
the number or cycles (one complete up and down motion from compression to rarefaction) per second. expressed in hertz (Hz) also known as pitch
amplitude
the amount of molecule displacement from equilibrium to the sound wave's height (crest) and depth (trough). known as sounds loudness. measured in decibles (dB)
Sound Envelope
a sound's shape, or change in loudness over time.

four stages:ADSR
attack
initial decay
sustain
release
direct sound
sound that reaches the listener first
indirect sound
sound that reaches the listener shortly after direct sound. comprised of early reflections and reverberation
The Ear and Hearing
the ear is comprised of: outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear
Outer ear
focusing the sound into the middle ear
middle ear
protects from loudness and produces vibration for the inner ear
inner ear
converts sound to electrical signal (cochlea) that is sent to the brain via the auditory nerve
acoustic sound
measured by sound-pressure level (dB-SPL)
threshold of hearing
0 dB-SPL
threshold of feeling
120 dB-SPL
threshold of pain
140dB-SPL
Psych Characteristics of Sound
its important to remember that sound, like other creative foundations, has both technical and aesthetic qualities.
psychologically, sound affects listeners through
pitch
loudness
timbre
tempo
rhythm
attack
duration
decay
pitch
the highness or lowness of sound
high pitches
delicate, bright, elevated
low pitches
sinister, strong, peaceful
loudness
dynamic range, identified as the relative volume of a sound
loud sounds
closeness (proximity), strength, importance
soft sound
distant (proximity), weakness, tranquility
timbre
characteristic tonal quality of sound. often how sound is described.
reedy tones
wistful, lonely, sweet
brassy tones
cold, harsh, fierce, bitter, big
Tempo
speed or pace of sound
fast tempo
agitate, excite, accelerate
slow temp
monotony, dignity, control
rhythm
a sonic time pattern
simple rhythm
deliberateness, regularity, lack of complication
constant rhythm
dullness, depression, uniformity
complex rhythm
intricacy, elaborateness
changing rhythms
uncertainty, vigor, erratic
attack
the way sound begins
hard/crisp attack
sharpness, excitement, or danger
soft/gradual attack
gentle, muted, blase
duration
how long sound lasts
short duration
restlessness, nervousness, excitation
decay
how fast a sound fades out
quick decay
confinement, closeness, definiteness
slow decay
distance, smoothness, uncertainty
does no one characteristic of sound exist exclusively?
no
types of sounds
nonverbal speech
sound effects
music
nonverbal speech
its not what you say, but how you say it.

emphasis
inflection
speech patterns
pace
mood
accent
sound effects (sfx)
anything that is not speech or music
contextual sound (diegetic sound)
sound that comes with the story space (what you see is what you hear)
narrative sound
adds more to a scene that what is apparent
descriptive sound
sonic aspects of a scene not directly connected with the main action (the sound of the environment/setting)
commentative sound
descriptive sound that adds an additional statement (the wind blows and with it comes the sound of a memory)
functions of sound effects
breaking the scene plane, defining space, focusing attention, establishing locale, creating environment, emphasizing/intensifying action, depicting identity, setting pace, providing counterpoint (the wind, again), creating humor, symbolized meaning/creating metaphor
music
generally thought of as an art form that evokes emotion
underscore music
original or library music, nondiegetic sound.
music characteristics
include all of the basic structural elements of sound (pitch, loudness, temp, tone color, envelope), but involves other elements that increase meaningful naunce
meaningful naunce
melody
harmony
tempo
dynamic range
style
functions of music
establishing locale, emphasizing/intensifying action, depicting identity, setting pace, providing counterpoint (high action w/ballet music), creating humor, fixing time, recalling/foretelling events, evoking atmosphere/feeling/mood
silence
space between sounds, musical notes, speech, etc. provides rhythm, contrast and power. where sound is expected can be extremely powerful
the more attention paid to producing quality audio at the onset, the less you have to pay it during post-production
true
microphones transduce sound into an electronic signal
true
impedance
the amount of resistance present for the flow of energy (electricity). measured in ohms. the lower the impedance, the less noisy the microphone
sensitivity
the efficiency or ability to create an output level. the higher the sensitivity, the better the output signal
Mics are classified by
how well they hear, how they are made,
how they are generally used
how well mics hear is based on
pickup pattern and polar patten
pickup pattern
the direction from which sound is obtained
Polar pattern
the two-dimensional representation of the pickup pattern
sound pickup is typically classified as being
omnidirectional, unidirectional, and hypercardioid
omnidirectional
picks up sound from all directions equally well
unidirectional
picks up sound predominantly from in front of it; cardioid
hypercardioid
picks up sound from long distances away; shotgun
how mics are made
dynamic, condenser, and ribbon
dynamic
rugged microphones that include a pop filter to reduce breath pops; no external power needed
condenser
physically and audibly sensitive mic; require extremal power--either battery or phantom
ribbon
highly sensitive and delicate
Lavalier mic
typically used for on-camera human
hand mics
check the action radius of the mic cable, scratch (don't hit) during mic check
types of mics
lavalier (lav), hand, boom, desk and stand, headset, and wireless/radio
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