Sound for music technology: An introduction
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Contents

  • Introduction
  • Learning outcomes
  • 1 Sound basics
    • 1.1 Music and technology
    • 1.2 What is sound?
    • 1.3 Describing sound
    • 1.4 Summary
  • 2 Sinusoidal pressure waves
    • 2.1 The importance of sine waves
    • 2.2 Pressure in the atmosphere
    • 2.3 Pressure waves and cycles
    • 2.4 Period
    • 2.5 Wavelength
    • 2.6 Pressure variations in one place
    • 2.7 Summary
  • 3 Frequency
    • 3.1 Frequency and period
    • 3.2 Summary
  • 4 The speed of sound
    • 4.1 The experimental result
    • 4.2 Frequency, wavelength and the speed of sound
    • 4.3 Summary
  • 5 Phase
    • 5.1 Phase and phase difference
    • 5.2 Cancellation and reinforcement
    • 5.3 Summary
  • 6 Amplitude
    • 6.1 Defining amplitude
    • 6.2 Practical units of amplitude
    • 6.3 Root-mean-square amplitude
    • 6.4 Summary
  • 7 Pitch and loudness
    • 7.1 The subjective experience
    • 7.2 Summary
  • 8 The octave
    • 8.1 The octave sound
    • 8.2 Octave pitch and frequency increments
    • 8.3 Summary
  • 9 The ranges of human hearing
    • 9.1 Frequency range
    • 9.2 Dynamic range
    • 9.3 Summary
  • 10 The decibel
    • 10.1 Introduction
    • 10.2 Adding decibels
    • 10.3 The decibel as a measure of sound amplitude
    • 10.4 Summary
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements

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