Broadcast Sound Technology
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Broadcast Sound Technology provides an explanation of the underlying principles of modern audio technology. Organized into 21 chapters, the book first describes the basic sound; behavior of sound waves; aspects of hearing, harming, and charming the ear; room acoustics; reverberation; microphones; phantom power; loudspeakers; basic stereo; and monitoring of audio signal. Subsequent chapters explore the processing of audio signal, sockets, sound desks, and digital audio. Analogue and digital tape recording and reproduction, as well as noise reduction, are also explained.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 Basic Sound
What are Sound Waves?
The Velocity of Sound Waves
Wavelength
2 The Behavior of Sound Waves
Reflection and Diffraction
The Inverse Square Law
Decibels
Measuring Sound Pressure
3 Aspects of Hearing
The Ear and the Hearing Process
The Ear's Response to Different Frequencies
Loudness and the Phone
4 Harming and Charming the Ear
Hearing Impairment
Pitch
Harmonics
Timbre
The Fallibility of the Ear
5 Room Acoustics
Sound Insulation
Room Resonances
6 Reverberation
Reverberation Time
Sabine's Formula
Optimum Reverberation Times
Sound Absorbers
7 Microphones
Transducers
Moving-Coil Microphones
Ribbon Microphones
Electrostatic Microphones
Electret and RF Electrostatic Microphones
Directional Characteristics
8 Phantom Power
'Standard Phantom', '48 V Phantom'
'Ά-Β Powering', 'Modulation Lead Powering'
9 Loudspeakers
The Radiating Surface
The Transducer
The Enclosure
Multiple Unit Loudspeakers
Specialized Loudspeakers
Listening Tests
10 Basic Stereo
How We Locate Sounds
Creating Artificial Time-of-Arrival Differences
Phase of Stereo Signals
Production of Stereo Signals
Coincident Pair Arrangements
Coincident Pairs and Panpots-Applications
Spaced Microphones
Compatibility: the M and S Signals
M/S Microphones
Headphones and Stereo
Transmission of Stereo (Radio)
11 Monitoring the Audio Signal
The Dynamic Range of an Audio Signal
Zero Level
The VU (Volume Unit) Meter
The PPM (Peak Program Meter)
Other Types of Program Measuring Device
Stereo PPMs
Interpreting Stereo PPM Readings
12 Processing the Audio Signal
Equalization
Compressor/Limiters
Noise Gates
13 Sockets and Symbols
Jacks and Sockets
Symbols
14 Sound Desks (Mixing Consoles)
The Basic Functions of a Sound Desk
A Typical Channel
Groups
Output Stages
'Echo'
PA and Foldback
Pre-Fade Listen (PFL) and after-Fade Listen (AFL)
Clean Feed
Multiway Working
Deriving Mono from Stereo
Communications
Computer Assisted Mixing (CAM)
Assignable Facilities
15 Digital Audio
Sampling
Quantizing
Bits (Binary Digits)
Bit-Rate (Bits Per Second)
Error Detection
16 Further Digits
Time Division Multiplex (TDM)
Bit-Rate Reduction
Basic Sound-in-Syncs (SiS)
NICAM 728
17 Analogue Tape Recording and Reproduction
The Recording Process
The Replay Process
Record and Replay Equalization
Azimuth
Full-Size Professional Machines
Cassette Machines
Cartridge Machines
Track Formats
18 Digital Recording and Reproduction
Principles of Digital Tape Recording and Replay
The DASH System
R-DAT
The Future of Tape Recording?
Compact Discs
Oversampling
19 Noise Reduction
Dolby A
Dolby B
Dolby C
Dolby SR ('Spectral Recording')
dbx
Telecom c4
20 Public Address
Public Address or Sound Reinforcement?
Requirements of PA
The Problem of Howlround
The Choice and Siting of Loudspeakers
Choice of Microphones
Electrical Processing of The Audio Signal
The PA Mixer
21 More Uses of Digits
Reverberation or Echo?
Artificial Reverberation
Digital Delay
Pitch Change
Digital Sound Desks (Digital Mixing)
Sampling
Digital Editing
Time Code
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
Further Reading
Index
Product details
- No. of pages: 224
- Language: English
- Copyright: © Butterworth-Heinemann 1990
- Published: June 29, 1990
- Imprint: Butterworth-Heinemann
- eBook ISBN: 9781483161518
About the Author
Michael Talbot-Smith
Affiliations and Expertise
Freelance audio consultant and technical writer. Formerly an audio engineer trainer at BBC Wood Norton.