Instructor

Prof. Robert C. Maher

Office:

529 Cobleigh Hall (southwest corner of 5th floor)
Phone:

Office:  994-7759
Home:  587-5925 (but please do not call me at home)
Email:

rob.maher@montana.edu
Class Page:

/rmaher/ee417
Office hours:

Monday 10-11AM
Thursday 9-10AM
Drop-in questions at other times are always OK if my office door is open.

Prerequisite:

PHYS 212  GENERAL AND MODERN PHYSICS II Textbooks and Materials

  1. Ballou, Glen, Handbook for Sound Engineers, 3rd ed., Focal Press/Elsevier, 2002.
  2. Kinsler, Lawrence E., Frey, Austin R., Coppens, Alan B., and Sanders, James V., Fundamentals of Acoustics, 4th ed., Wiley & Sons, 1999.

Class Objective

The students obtain sufficient background and technical knowledge to understand contemporary issues in audio engineering.

Course Outcomes

At the conclusion of EE 417, students will be able to:

  • Understand the linear acoustic wave equation and explain the relationship between pressure and particle velocity for plane waves and spherical waves.
  • Calculate and interpret the near-field and far-field response of a circular piston radiator mounted in an infinite baffle.
  • Explain the basic physiology of the human hearing system and elementary psychoacoustical principles (e.g., sensitivity as a function of frequency, simultaneous masking, and difference limens).
  • Use geometrical measurements and material properties to calculate Sabine reverberation time for a room.
  • Explain the basic operation of dynamic (moving-coil) loudspeakers and condenser (capacitive) microphones.
  • Understand the principles of recording studio signal flow.
  • Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of modern perceptual audio coders such as MP3.
  • Describe the attributes of CD, DVD, and DAT storage media.

Class Outline (subject to change)

Week 1:

Intro, audio and acoustics subdisciplines, survey

Fundamental quantities, Fourier review, mass and vibration

Damping, complex exponential solutions, forced oscillation

Week 2:

Resonance, electrical circuit analogies

Acoustic wave equation

Week 3:

Harmonic plane waves, intensity, impedance

Spherical waves, sound level, dB examples

Radiation from small sources

Week 4:

Baffled simple source, piston radiation

Near field, far field

Radiation impedance

Week 5:

Recap and review

Demos, speed of sound measurement

EXAM #1

Return exam, continue ear/hearing

Week 6:

The ear, hearing, etc.

Demos, hearing and detection

Week 7:

Environmental acoustics and noise criteria

OSHA, architectural isolation

Guest Lecture TBD

Week 8:

Example calculations

Architectural acoustics, reverb

Absorbing materials, direct-reverberant ratio

Week 9:

Relationships among music, audio, acoustics, and electronics

Audio engineering introduction

Audio engineering, units, concepts

Week 10:

Microphones

Studio electronics

Week 11:

Studio electronics

Analog storage history (tape, LP disc history)

Loudspeakers

Week 12:

Loudspeakers

EXAM #2

Week 13:

Digital audio

Week 14:

Digital audio

THANKSGIVING

Week 15:

CD and DVD principles

Audio DSP

Multimedia audio, MP3, etc.

Week 16:

SMPTE and synchronization

MIDI

Final review

Course Grading:
 

Homework, Concerts, and Written Report: 25%

→ Homework will be required periodically.  Homework is due on the due date at the BEGINNING of class.  No late homework will be accepted.
→ Students must attend FIVE music concerts, with verification, during the semester.
→ A WRITTEN REPORT will also be assigned during the semester.
Exam 1: 25%

→ Written in-class exam given late in September.
Exam 2: 25%

→ Written in-class exam given in mid November.
Final Exam:      25%

→ The final exam is:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2006 (6:00-7:50PM).
 
100%
  

Grade guarantee:  course letter grades may be higher (but will not be lower) than indicated by the following scale:A- = 90%
B- = 80%
C- = 70%
D = 60%
F = 59%A grade of F will also be given automatically if a midterm and/or final exam is not taken, regardless of the student's aggregate score total.

Policies

  • All students must have an electronic mail address listed with the MSU My Info system.  Announcements and reminders for EE417 will be sent occasionally via email.
  • You are responsible for all material covered in class and in the textbook reading assignments.
  • Homework problems will sometimes require Matlab or an equivalent computer tool.  Matlab is available in the ECE computer labs.
  • There will probably be several field trips scheduled during the semester.  Although it is not reasonable for me to make the field trips mandatory, I do expect the students to take advantage of all learning opportunities provided in the course.
  • Homework and exams must be prepared individually. Submitting the work of others without clear attribution is dishonest and grounds for dismissal from the course.
  • Late submissions of assignments (homework and reports) will not be accepted. Plan ahead and notify the instructor prior to justifiable absences, or if a bona fide emergency prevented you from attending class.