Topics and Notes Summary (last update 4/16/2014):

DATE COMMENT

Apr. 29 (Tues)

Final exam:  regular class room, noon-1:50PM. Closed book; bring pencil (and a calculator if you like).

 

Apr. 24 (Thurs)

Digital audio (cont.)

Last class day (woo hoo!):  wrap-up and review for final exam.

 

Apr. 22 (Tues)

Digital audio:  audio effects and perceptual audio coding

 

Apr. 17 (Thurs)

In class Quiz on notes and lecture material.

Digital audio:  sampling and quantization

 

Apr. 15 (Tues)

Audio signals:  standard levels, signal-to-noise ratio considerations, mixing and dynamic range

 

Apr. 10 (Thurs)

 Audio electronics (cont.)

 

Apr. 8 (Tues)

Audio electronics:  power system and interconnects for signals

Electrical wiring and interconnection principles

 

Apr. 3 (Thurs)

In class Quiz on notes and lecture material.

Finish transducer topics; begin audio electronics topics

 

Apr. 1 (Tues)

Audio transducers (cont.)

 

Mar. 27 (Thurs)

Begin audio transducers (microphones and loudspeakers)

Handout of lecture notes.

 

Mar. 25 (Tues)

Musical acoustics (cont.)

Handout of lecture notes.

 

Mar. 20 (Thurs)

Musical acoustics (cont.)

 

Mar. 18 (Tues)

Musical acoustics

 

Mar. 13 (Thurs)

No class (MSU spring break)

 

Mar. 11 (Tues)

No class (MSU spring break)

 

Mar. 6 (Thurs)

Finish sound isolation; begin discussion of musical acoustics.

Handout on sound isolation via architectural wall systems (excerpts from usg.com)

 

Mar. 4 (Tues)

Return and discuss midterm exams and homework.

Sound transmission and isolation:  architectural considerations for STC (sound transmission class), flanking paths, and general sound isolation principles.

Feb. 27 (Thurs)

Midterm Exam in class this day

Closed book; bring pencil (and a calculator if you like).

(HW due at the start of class) (example solution to homework)

 

Feb. 25 (Tues)

Reverb measurement and sound characteristics

Review for Midterm Exam

 

Feb. 20 (Thurs)

(no quiz this week)

Reverberation (cont.), room modes, sound diffusion.

Homework assignment reverb estimation (due at the start of class on 2/27/14).

 

Feb. 18 (Tues)

Sound in rooms:  direct sound, reflected sound, and reverberation.

Handout on Sabine reverberation estimation.

NOTE:  The midterm exam is tentatively scheduled for class time on Thursday, February 27, 2014.

 

Feb. 13 (Thurs)

In class Quiz on readings and lecture material.

More on physiology and psychology of hearing.

Article about noise exposure during 1986 9-day non-stop flight of the Voyager aircraft.

Start sound absorption, reflection, transmission.

Reading assignment:  Chapters 20-23 from the Strong textbook.

Feb. 11 (Tues)

Characteristics of hearing:  physiology and psychology.

Auditory demonstrations / listening.

 

Feb. 6 (Thurs)

In class Quiz on readings and lecture material.

Physiology of the ear.  Outer, middle, and inner ear structures and functions.

Reading assignment:  Chapters 13, 14, and 15 from the Strong textbook.

Feb. 4 (Tues)

Sound levels and the decibel  [handout].

Article about the atmospheric pressure disturbance caused around the world due to the Krakatoa eruption in 1883.

 

Jan. 30 (Thurs)

In class Quiz on readings and lecture material.

Standing waves and resonance; start harmonics and spectral concepts;  Audio demo of interference, beating, and harmonics. Start sound levels and the decibel.

Reading assignment:  Finish reading material from Section 1 of the Strong textbook.

Jan. 28 (Tues)

Sound propagation speed in various materials.

Wave phenomena: propagation, reflection, absorption, refraction, and diffraction.

 

Jan. 23 (Thurs)

In class Quiz on Chapter 4 and lecture material.

Wave phenomena; relationship between frequency and wavelength.

Speed of sound demonstration/measurement in class.

Reading assignment:  Read chapters 6 and 8 from the Strong textbook.

Jan. 21 (Tues)

Vibration in simple mass-spring systems and basic mass-spring-damper systems.  Stiffness and mass, and the effect upon natural frequency of vibration.

Begin waves and wave motion in the air.

 

Jan. 16 (Thurs)

In class Quiz on Chapter 3 and lecture material.

Power and energy discussion.

Vibration in simple mass-spring systems and basic mass-spring-damper systems (Chapter 4)

Reading assignment:  Read chapter 4 from the Strong textbook.

Jan. 14 (Tues)

Basic physical quantities and laws.  Measurement units for distance, time, mass, frequency, force, energy, power, etc.

Vibration in simple mass-spring systems and basic mass-spring-damper systems.

Jan. 9 (Thurs)

First class meeting at 1:40PM in Howard Hall Room 117.

Course introduction and some listening experiments.

Reading assignment:  Read chapter 3 from the Strong textbook .

For those of you who have not yet acquired the book, here is a temporary pdf for chapters 3 and 4.