Task 1- Sound

Sound

Sounds are vibrations moving through the air and it is measured in decibels (dbu), In addition to that it is represented as a wave which may be either small( soft) or big (hard). They are small or loud to present whether the noises being produced are loud or quiet. Sound waves are longitudinal and travel in the same direction. These sounds can be produced through speakers, ear/headphones and your voice.

Acoustics are surfaces within a room which help the sound reflex in different ways (hard or soft). Acoustics are designed to absorb sound and control it for example, within a small room with hard walls you will be able to hear the sound almost ping off the wall and sound harsh. Acoustic treatments include acoustical absorbers, diffusors, sound barriers, construction materials, isolation platforms and complete room treatment systems. It helps the sound dead and not have this echo type sound as if you are in bathroom therefore the sound projects back and forth until it finally dies out. Whilst producing sound there may be noises in the background which may be irrelevant and not needed within your recording therefore people tend to use acoustic screening (soundproofing walls) to block noises whether you are outside (traffic) or inside (offices).

The acoustic aspects within a recording studio are opposite to an auditorium. Instead of reverberation, it is usually needed for the recording studio to be acoustically "dead". This is done by have a short reverb that makes it short and snappy. All though reverb in a small room is preferred as it’s shorter and doesn’t have an echo effect but soundproofing walls are also preferable to block noise that may be in the surroundings of the room from getting in. For soundproofing to work the main structure of the room will need to have double walls to prevent sound destroying the recordings. Having two walls will minimize the amount of noise that will usually be able to be heard if there was a single wall.

Sound bites are extracts from speech’s and music which are often used to be a preview version to the audience. Background Atmosphere is when you record within a scene which goes according to the storyboard. For example, if you want to record a scene within a family meeting you cannot record inside a bathroom as the background noise is entirely different to a family having a conversation in the living room. Unwanted noise is the noise within a scene that was not meant to be included. For example, if you were to record a YouTube video then you have children in the background screaming and shouting it was not intended to be included within the recording but unfortunately is was. Therefore to avoid this you must record somewhere where it is completely silent that you could almost hear a pin drop so that you will not have unwanted noises which could affect your recording. Unwanted Ambience Similar to unwanted noise however, it is busier noises for example rush hour when there’s plenty traffic and pedestrians may be rushing around causing arguments. Within unwanted ambience wind noise when recording with a microphone (especially outdoors) could also disrupt your recordings therefore, the usage of a wind shield is compulsory so it doesn’t affect the dialogue and everything can be heard. Simulated acoustics are effects and computer generated sounds.

There are many purposes to which acoustics are used within the modern day. For example, within an interview the interviewer will need to make sure that whatever microphone they decide to use for the interview whether it’s a dynamic microphone or anything else the wavelength mustn't past the peak otherwise the recording may come out as muffled and sometimes too loud creating an irritating noise for your ears. They also need to be well-aware of their atmosphere as microphones are very sensitive to sound therefore it will be able to pick up any noise from the background whether it’s just someone typing or heels down the corridor. To avoid this they may use sound barriers where the interview takes place to avoid and ambient noises.