Topics and Notes Summary (last update 12/16/2010):

DATE

COMMENT

Dec. 16 (Th)

Final exam has been graded and final course grades are posted.

I will be holding onto your final exam papers--stop by next semester if you would like to look over your exam. 

Thank you all for your hard work and dedication this semester.  I enjoyed teaching all of you very much.  Best wishes for a fine winter break.  -- R.C. Maher

 

Dec. 10 (Fri)

Last day of class!  Congratulations!  Good luck with all of your end-of-semester activities!

Review for Final Exam.

Exam will be held in the regular classroom on Tuesday, December 14, 8:00AM-9:50AM.  Open book and notes.  Bring a calculator and a pencil (but no consultants!)

Complimentary bagels and donuts will be available.

 

Dec. 8 (Wed)

Digital sampling, oversampling, and perceptual audio coding.

 

Dec. 6 (Mon)

Audio effects and signal processing (with sound examples)

 

Dec. 3 (Fri)

Course term papers due at the start of class.

Basic analog audio circuits and audio processing effects.

 

Dec. 1 (Wed)

Electrical wiring summary, and issues for audio engineering systems.

Reminder:  the final exam will be held on Tuesday, December 14, 8AM-9:50AM, in the regular classroom.

 

Nov. 29 (Mon)

Transducers:  loudspeaker principles (dynamic drivers, sealed box and vented box enclosures)

Stereophile microphone text

Microphone pattern summary

Transducer summary

Just for fun:  photos of acoustic listening systems intended to hear enemy aircraft in the era before the invention and deployment of radar.

 

Nov. 26 (Fri)

 No MSU classes:  Thanksgiving holiday.
 

Nov. 24 (Wed)

 No MSU classes:  Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving holiday
The Thanksgiving Day holiday in the United States comes from the harvest festival tradition of 16th century agrarian Europe.

The traditional "first Thanksgiving" was held in 17th century America by the Pilgrims (1621).

George Washington instituted a national day of Thanksgiving in 1789, but the event did not gain widespread official acceptance until Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation on October 3, 1863, setting aside the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving.  Incidentally, this proclamation was issued just a few weeks before Lincoln gave his famous address at Gettysburg (November 19, 1863). 

Every president after Lincoln continued the Thanksgiving Day tradition, and Congress adopted the fourth Thursday of November as a national holiday in 1941.

The fourth Thursday can be as early as Nov. 22 (like 2007), and as late as Nov. 28. Look ahead formula: to determine the date of Thanksgiving next year: subtract one from the day of the month this year; then if next year is a leap year, subtract 1 more. If that result is less than 22, add 7.  Example:  in 2009 the date is 26, so in 2010 (not a leap year) Thanksgiving will be on the 25th.

 

Nov. 22 (Mon)

Return and discuss Exam #2 (results were generally quite good)

Transducers:  microphone principles (diaphragm and generating element)

 

Nov. 19 (Fri)

Meet at Montana PBS studio (Visual Communications Building)
(do NOT go to regular classroom first!)

 

Nov. 17 (Wed)

Midterm Exam #2 (in class, open book and notes; bring a calculator and a pencil)

 

Nov. 15 (Mon)

Interconnections and signal levels (cont.)

Exam review.

 

Nov. 12 (Fri)

Audio engineering (cont.)

Homework due at the start of class.

Review measurement results; interconnections; begin transducers.

 NOTE:  Midterm Exam #2 will be held in class on Wednesday, November 17.  Coverage up through Nov. 12.  Open book and notes.

 

Nov. 10 (Wed)

Meet in Procrastinator Theater for acoustical measurement demonstration(do NOT go to regular classroom first!)

 

Nov. 8 (Mon)

No EE 417 class this day (sorry, class cancelled due to airport delay)

 

Nov. 5 (Fri)

No EE 417 class this day (instructor out of town)

 

Nov. 3 (Wed)

Audio engineering (cont.)

Signal levels, studio electronics, electrical levels, basic signal behavior, unbalanced vs. balanced connections.

A homework assignment on architectural acoustics, due Wednesday, November 10 (due date delayed until Friday, 11/12).

 

Nov. 1 (Mon)

 Start Audio Engineering section:  basic system concepts.


Assigned:  Course term paper project.  Topic summary due on Monday 8 November (due date delayed until Wednesday, 11/10), final paper due on Friday 3 December.

Handout regarding authoritative references.

NOTE:  Midterm Exam #2 is scheduled for Wednesday 17 November during class time.  The exam will be open book and notes.  Coverage will be at least up through the material on architectural acoustics.

Oct. 29 (Fri)

HW#3 due at the start of class.

Architectural acoustics (cont.)

Room modes and noise mitigation.

Begin course section on audio engineering topics.

Oct. 27 (Wed)

Architectural acoustics (cont.)

Absorption, reflection, diffusion.

 

Oct. 25 (Mon)

 Architectural acoustics.

Basic reverberation estimates using the Sabine Equation.

 

Oct. 22 (Fri)

Conclude material on environmental acoustics; start architectural acoustics.

Reading assignment:  Material from K&F Chapter 12, primarily pp. 333-343. 
 

Oct. 20 (Wed)

Environmental acoustics (cont.)

Noise and hearing loss.  OSHA rules.  Design and characterization of panels and partitions to limit sound transmission.

Assignment: HW#3, handout sheet.  Due at the start of class on Friday 10/29/10.

 

Oct. 18 (Mon)

 Environmental acoustics.

Reading assignment:  Material from K&F Chapter 13, primarily pp. 359-365, 375-388.

 

Oct. 15 (Fri)

No EE 417 class this day (instructor at ECE Advisory Council meeting)
 

Oct. 13 (Wed)

Listening examples:  loudness, masking, and other auditory phenomena.

 

Oct. 11 (Mon)

 Psychology and physiology of the ear (cont.).  Listening examples.

Reminder:  Acoustics presentation on Tuesday, 10/12/10, at Hope Lutheran Church, S. 19th at Graf, 7:00PM.

 

Oct. 8 (Fri)

Exam results and discussion.

Begin physiology and psychology of human hearing system.
 

Oct. 6 (Wed)

Midterm Exam #1 (in class, open book and notes; bring a calculator and a pencil)
 

Oct. 4 (Mon)

Piston radiator:  radiation impedance

Review for midterm exam.

 

Oct. 1 (Fri)

Piston radiator:  far field characteristics (cont.)

HW#2 due at the start of class.
 

Sept. 29 (Wed)

Piston radiator:  near field and far field characteristics.
 

Sept. 27 (Mon)

Simple sources, baffles, and the circular plane piston radiator model.

 

Sept. 24 (Fri)

Start Chapter 7 (radiation and reception of acoustic waves). Pulsating sphere model for "simple sources."

 Assignment: HW#2, three problems from the K&F text:
5.11.2
5.11.3
and
5.12.2
Due at the start of class on Friday, October 1, 2010.

NOTE:  Midterm Exam #1 will be held in class on Wednesday, October 6.

Sept. 22 (Wed)

Finish Chapter 5.  Sound pressure level and sound intensity level.  Handout on decibels.
 

Sept. 20 (Mon)

Plane wave and spherical waves:  impedance (relationships between pressure and particle speed)

Sept. 17 (Fri)

Chapter 5 (cont.):  spherical wave propagation and complex specific acoustic impedance. 

Sept. 15 (Wed)

Chapter 5 (cont.):  the linear acoustic wave equation.  Plane wave propagation, particle speed, and specific acoustic impedance.
 

Sept. 13 (Mon)

Chapter 5:  the linear acoustic wave equation.

Assignment:  remember that you are required to go to four formal recitals or concerts during the semester, and turn in a program with your name on it.  Music department events are listed on this schedule.

Sept. 10 (Fri)

HW#1 due at the start of class.

Conclude Chapter 1 material, begin Chapter 5 (linear acoustic wave equation).

Assignment: Take a look at Chapter 5 in the K&F textbook.

Sept. 8 (Wed)

Damped oscillators and analytical solutions.

Sept. 6 (Mon)

Labor Day (no class)

University Holiday.

Sept. 3 (Fri)

Continue basic units and acoustical quantities.  Review of simple oscillators.

Assignment: HW#1, three problems from the K&F text:  1.3.2, 1.3.3C, 1.6.1 .  Due at the start of class on Friday, Sept. 10, 2010.

Sept. 1 (Wed)

Basic units and acoustical quantities.  Review of simple oscillators.

Assignment: Read Chapter 1 of Kinsler and Frey.

Aug. 30 (Mon)

First class meeting at Noon in Wilson 1-126.

Course introduction and some listening experiments.  Go over the syllabus and course expectations/goals/policies.