1. Objective Sound and Psychoacoustics1

2. Viers, Sound Effects “Know the tools, so you can break the rules”
Dialogue, music, SFX (simulation of “event”)
Wilhelm Scream
5 Types of effects
Hard effects: sound/picture association (punch)
Foley: perform sounds with picture (footsteps)
Background/BG: ambience/atmos (room tone, city)
Electronic SFX/Production Elements
Sound design effects: unnaturally recorded sounds
Other sound on screens? 2

3. Sound Propagation / Psychoacoutics
1) Sound is generated and “objective” world acts on it
2) That world is then represented in our “subjective” mind (pyschoacoustics...study of sound perception)
Remember...we are both scientists and artists!!!
Practice hearing...practice listening!!!
Learn to hear visually (image, and what sound)
To to visualize sonically (sound, and what image) 3

4. Sound is... Changes in atmospheric pressure Vibrations Acoustic energy
Produces a moving sound wave (propagation) 4

5. Sound Waves Sound decreases over distance; loss of energy
Sound waves travel to our ears; our ears are an instrument!!!
Can travel through matter: air, water, solid
Slowest through the air!
Sound is absorbed (weakened) through matter
Sound travels slower than light
Reality is out of sync 5

6. 6

7. Compression/Rarefaction
Compression: upward movement, tight air molecules
Rarefaction: downward movement, loose molecules
Wave cycle: full comp/rarefaction 7

8. Frequency Number of complete wave cycles in one second
Think of as vibrations per second
Measured in hertz (Hz)
A sound with 100 cycles per second=100Hz; per second 1KHz
We hear/feel frequency as low (bass), mids, and highs (treble)
Associate frequency (objective) with pitch (sub) 8

9. Amplitude and Frequency Cont'd
Highs (5KHz-20KHz): perceived as louder, weaker, thinner, seems to travel faster; close distance to source of sound
Lows (20Hz-200Hz): felt before heard, hear through solids (walls), greater distance from source we hear bass
Human hearing range= 20Hz to 20KHz
But, response is 40Hz-18KHz
Women can hear better than men!!!
Amplitude aka LEVEL (sound energy) is interpreted by our ears as volume
Amplitude is measured in decibels (dB)
+3dB=double power; +6dB= double volume 9

10. Sound v. Audio Sound is ACOUSTIC energy
Audio is acoustic energy that is TRANSDUCED into ELECTRICAL energy through???
Audio is the analog/digital representation of sound 10

11. Acoustics
Sonic characteristics of space and the study thereof...clap in a room!
Acoustic guitars, theaters, etc. work as “amplifiers”
Recording and Foley studios seek to be acoustically “dead” to not alter sound
Acoustics affect how we hear
Acoustics affect how we record and what is recorded 11

12. Reverberation Sound is movement through matter
When sound hits surfaces it is reflected (reverberated) and will continue to reflect until it loses all energy
Reverb creates an “echo”
Sound reverberates off of opposite surface
Concrete creates tons of reverb; wood absorbs it well; foam/cork/fabric absorbs it better; blankies
Avoid reverb in recording; ADD in post 12

13. Noise
Airborne noise
Structure-borne 13