ITElect2A – Fundamentals of

Digital Sound Production

King Alvin P. Grospe
Instructor
Module 1 – Basic Audio Production
King Alvin P. Grospe
Instructor
Objectives
At the end of this unit, students shall be able to:
1. Describe the term “Audio”
2. Explain how sound waves work
3. Discuss the propagation of sound waves.
4. Identify the properties of sound waves
5. Understand the concept of digital sound systems
6. Recognize the types of component used in digital sound systems
What is “Audio?”
• Audio means "of sound" or "of the reproduction of
sound.”

• Technical note: In physics, sound is a form of energy known as

acoustical energy.
How Sound Waves Work

• Sound waves exist as variations of

pressure in a medium such as gas,
liquid or solid.
How Sound Waves Work (cont.)

• Sound waves are created by the

vibration of an object, which
causes the surrounding it to
vibrate.
How Sound Waves Work (cont.)

• The vibrating gas, liquid or solid

then causes the human eardrum
to vibrate, which the brain
interprets as sound.
How Sound Waves Travel

Sound waves travel

through air in much the
same way as water
waves travel through
water.
How Sound Waves Travel (cont.)

[The black dots represent air molecules.]

As the loudspeaker vibrates, it causes the surrounding
molecules to vibrate in a particular pattern represented
by the waveform.
How Sound Waves Travel (cont.)

The vibrating air then causes the listener's

eardrum to vibrate in the same pattern. Voilà
— Sound!
How Sound Waves Travel (cont.)

Note that air molecules do not actually travel from the

loudspeaker to the ear (that would be wind). Each
individual molecule only moves a small distance as it
vibrates, but it causes the adjacent molecules to
vibrate in a rippling effect all the way to the ear.
How Sound Waves Travel (cont.)

Variations in Air Pressure and

Corresponding Waveform
Sound Wave Properties

• All waves have certain properties.

• The three most important ones for audio work are:

• Wavelength,
• Amplitude,
• Frequency
Sound Wave Properties (cont.)

• The distance between any point on a wave

and the equivalent point on the next phase.
Literally, the length of the wave.
Sound Wave Properties (cont.)

• The strength or power of a wave signal. The

"height" of a wave when viewed as a graph.
Sound Wave Properties (cont.)

• Higher amplitudes are interpreted as a

higher volume, hence the name "amplifier"
for a device which increases amplitude.
Sound Wave Properties (cont.)

• The number of times the wavelength occurs in one

second. Measured in kilohertz (Khz), or cycles per
second. The faster the sound source vibrates, the
higher the frequency.
Sound Wave Properties (cont.)

• Higher frequencies are interpreted as a higher

pitch. For example, when you sing in a high-pitched
voice you are forcing your vocal chords to vibrate
quickly.
Frequency Audible Range

• Human: 20 - 20,000 Hz
• Bat: 100 - 100,000 Hz
• Dog: 10 - 35,000 Hz
• Elephant: 1 - 20,000 Hz
• Frog: 100 - 2,500 Hz
Concept of Sound Systems
• All electronic audio systems are based around
one very simple concept:
• To take sound waves, convert them into an
electric current and manipulate them as
desired, then convert them back into sound
waves.
Simple Concept of Sound System

• It is made up of two types of component:

•Transducer
•Amplifier
Simple Concept of Sound System (cont.)

• Transducer: A device which converts energy from one

form into another. The two types of transducers we will
deal with are microphones (which convert acoustical
energy into electrical energy) and speakers (which
convert electrical energy into acoustical energy).
Simple Concept of Sound System (cont.)

• Amplifier: A device which takes a signal and

increases its power (i.e., it increases the
amplitude).
Simple Concept of Sound System (cont.)

• 1. The process begins with a sound source

(such as a human voice), which creates
waves of sound (acoustical energy).
Simple Concept of Sound System (cont.)

• 2. These waves are detected by a transducer

(microphone), which converts them to electrical
energy.
Simple Concept of Sound System (cont.)

• 3. The electrical signal from the

microphone is very weak, and must
be fed to an amplifier before
anything serious can be done with
it.
Simple Concept of Sound System (cont.)

• 4. The loudspeaker converts the

electrical signal back into sound
waves, which are heard by human
ears.
More Elaborate Sound System:

• Signal Processors - devices and software which

allow the manipulation of the signal in various
ways.
• The most common processors are tonal adjusters
such as bass and treble controls.
More Elaborate Sound System:

• Record and Playback - devices which convert a

signal to a storage format for later reproduction.
• Recorders are available in many different forms,
including magnetic tape, CD, computer hard drive,
etc.
More Elaborate Sound System:
• 1. The audio signal
from the transducer
(microphone) is
passed through one
or more processing
units, which prepare
it for recording (or
directly for
amplification).
More Elaborate Sound System:

• 2. The signal is fed to a recording

device for storage.
More Elaborate Sound System:

• 2. The signal is fed to a recording

device for storage.
More Elaborate Sound System:

• 3. The stored signal is played

back and fed to more
processors.
More Elaborate Sound System:

• 4. The signal is amplified and fed

to a loudspeaker.
3-Part Audio Model
• The Source is where the electronic
audio signal is generated. This could
be a "live" source such as a
microphone or electric musical
instrument, or a "playback" source
such as a tape deck, CD, flashdrive
or a Bluetooth device connected to
your smartphones.
3-Part Audio Model

• The Processing section is where the

signal is manipulated.
3-Part Audio Model

• The Output section is where the

signal is converted into sound
waves (by loudspeakers), so that it
can be heard by humans.