Principles Of sound

When it comes to under standing sound it can get extremely complicated and scientific, but most common elements to consider are Pitch, volume, tone and duration.

Pitch refers to how high or low your sound is it is measured in hertz (Hz) and is determined by how fast the object making the sound vibrates for example, bees wings flap extremely fast giving a high pitched buzzing noise, but the wings of a bird move much slower giving a much lower flapping sound.

Volume is possibly the most commonly used element, but is actually quite complicated; unlike pitch volume has nothing to do with the speed of a sound wave or object but the power behind it. Some variables to consider are distance, obstructions and environment.

Tone refers to qualities given to the sound by the object making it for example the sound from a double bass will be much lower that that of an acoustic guitar.

The simplest one of these to grasp is duration literally focusing on how long a not/sound lasts or is played for. This is measured using BPM (beats per minuet), frames (in animation). Or for more exact timing using milliseconds is advised.

Sound envelopes are a way of picking apart a sound they are separated into three different sections, the first being Attack (this is the moment the sound is created) for example when a guitar string is first plucked. The second phase is sustain, this is the duration of the note lasting, then finally decay is when the note fades out to nothing.

To take is a step further its is important to understand the difference between the old and the new, the old being analogue and the new being digital.

On a basic level analogue signals rely on magnetic fields, and works/moves in smooth waves the problem with this is that it is a lot easier to pick up interference especially when using radio.

Digital on the other hand is done electronically and moves in far more rigid and controlled this gives a much cleaner sound whether it be through a mixing desk in a recording studio or a DAB digital radio.

Now iv told you about the nerdy tech side of things its probably time to think about how sound is actually used and the rolls they play. Again the principles are separated into four; the fist being emotion, creating fear or happiness in the audience for example low frequency’s and minor notes are often used to create a sense of fear and tension generally before a scary bit in a film or game. On the other hand major notes are used to make a viewer feel content and happy. 

Ambiance is also an important part to consider especially with the latest craze of surround sound and home theatres giving the film a lot more room to play with atmosphere setting sounds, for example bird song or traffic sounds add a sense of realism.

Much like ambiance folly is being used more and more in films and games, put simply it is the sounds that you don’t always consciously take notice of but add to the realism for example empty bullet cases ejecting from a gun or the gear change on a driving game.

Finally the most obvious being dialogue used to bring charters to life, set the scene, tell the story and give you essential information.

Multimedia believe it or not uses a fair amount of sound, some of these are: web sites, games, tv shows, films and even mobiles!

With web being one of the fastest growing media platforms sound is becoming extremely important for example band web pages are becoming very popular so need ways of adding music! Also sounds used for button clicks ect file types include: MIDI, REALAUDIO, AIFF, WAV, MP3 and WMA.

Computer games all use vast amounts of sound to set mood mix up emotions and to add realism. This is much the same in TV and film as explained in the earlier sections.