Audio Technology

Dirty little secrets. Secret weapons. Trade secrets. Phrases so
ubiquitous in music and audio technology culture that, in the
twenty-first century, they serve as powerful mechanisms in the
production and consumption of music and audio technologies and
skillsets. Secrets and revelatory discourse serves to historicize, imagine,
and commodify skillsets whilst amplifying technological fetishisation.
Grounded in historical and psychology scholarship, this Element
examines secrets and revelation as part of a continuum of the
protection of tacit knowledge. Packed with examples and qualitative
data drawn from trade shows, online fora, industry associations, retail,
textbooks, and education, this large-scale study elucidates the
mechanism of secret holders, secrets, revelation, and listeners as being
intrinsic to music and audio technology cultures. The results of this
research illustrate how, in the potent distillation of music and audio
technology knowledge and skillsets into commodified secrets, little to
nothing is revealed.

ÖZET Bu çalışma, ses işleme ve müzik prodüksiyonunda dinamik işlemcilerin rolünü ve farklı tasarım türlerinin ses sinyali üzerindeki etkilerini araştırmıştır. Dinamik işlemcilerin tasarımları ve parametreleri hakkında bilgi verilmeye çalışılmıştır. Çalışma kapsamında analiz edilen ses örneğinin oluşturulması için sanal enstrüman eklentisinden mono örnek kaydı alınmıştır. Bir ses sinyalinin genel zarf yapısı özelliklerinin tümünü barındırması bakımından basgitar modellemesinden alınan ses örneği tercih edilmiştir. Bu doğrultuda ses örneğinin kayıt aşamalarındaki dış etkenlerden uzak tutulmuş olması ve çalışmanın tekrarlanabilir ve geliştirilebilir olması bakımından sanal enstrümandan seçilmiştir. Dinamik işlemcilerin ses sinyallerini kontrol etme, dengeleme ve duyusal etkiler oluşturma açısından temel araçlar olarak kullanılır. Bu bağlamda dinamik işlemciler sınıfında yer alan kompresörlerin ve temel parametreleri ve farklı tasarım türlerinin ses sinyali üzerindeki etkileri incelenmiştir. Farklı kompresör tasarımlarının tonal karakteristikler ve dinamik değişimler üzerindeki farklılıkları gözlemlenmiştir. Bu kapsamda FET, VCA, Vari-Mu, Optik ve Dijital kompresör eklentilerin ses sinyali üzerindeki etkileri analiz edilmiş ve sonuçları sunulmuştur. Bu analizler, müzik teknolojisi alanında çalışan öğretim elemanlarına, öğrencilere, bu alana ilgi duyanlar ve çalışmalar yapanlar için farklı kompresör tasarımlarının seçimine yönelik rehberlik sağlayabilir. Gelecekteki çalışmalarda farklı müzik türleri, enstrümanlar ve kayıt koşullarının kompresör tasarımlarının etkileri üzerindeki rolü daha derinlemesine araştırılabilir, deneysel veri toplanarak ve makine öğrenimi teknikleri kullanılarak daha kapsamlı sonuçlara ulaşılabilir.

In this article, listening is addressed in the context of the moments of composition: before, while and after. Specialized forms of listening are identified, discussed, and classified according to their relationship to a nascent piece and in terms of their contemplative/analytical or productive/creative nature. Poietic listening, the most specific to composition, is theorized, defined, and subcategorized. As a complement to the listening modes paradigm, a different phenomenological perspective is outlined and discussed in terms of sound-listener-experience couplings. The listening experience can depend on, or be independent of, the sound and/or the listener. Finally, listening modes and attention can be framed inside a listener-state dependency.

A conexao entre imagem e som e uma questao fundamental para o entendimento da  producao audiovisual de hoje. De forma qualitativa este artigo pretende colocar algumas questoes acerca do estudo da sincronicidade e suas conexoes, e quais os resultados oriundos deste encontro entre linguagens, para a partir dai reconhecer analogias e inferir sobre alguns exemplos selecionados por serem um otimo exemplar acerca do assunto. A pergunta que se faz e como sincronizar imagens e sons distintos, que por serem distintos, pressupoe outra forma de organizacao e conexao e tomamos isto como o nosso objeto de pesquisa a investigar e confirmar nossas suposicoes. Como resultados foi possivel delinear e assim classificar as formas de sincronicidade possiveis (  a partir da imagem, a partir da imagem performatica e a partir do som). Nossas consideracoes recai sobre o fato de que imagem e som caminham juntas e cada vez mais.

The relevance of the research topic. The issue of the spatial dimension of an audiovisual work has not lost its relevance since the emergence of sound recording and sound engineering, that is, since the beginning of the XX century. It is the study of the historical development of sound recording of musical texts that has become the basis for the analysis of the spatial sound field of screen works. The development of modern surround sound systems opens up new opportunities for the implementation of the authorial idea for authors of audiovisual works due to the expansion of the visual and expressive capabilities of the spatial sound field, which must be taken into account in modern audiovisual production.
The purpose of the article is to perform a retrospective analysis of spatial sound solutions, starting from the period of the emergence of cinema to the current possibilities of using multi-channel systems in modern screen works, focusing on the role of sound in creating the spatial field of an audiovisual work.
The research methodology is based on a systemic approach, which involves a holistic, comprehensive formation of a picture of the development of spatial sound solutions in screen works. Retrospective analysis of the development of the spatial sound field of a screen work led to the use of a historical approach to highlight the process of development of technical sound solutions in audiovisual art and their awareness of the impact on the audiovisual industry. In addition, the article uses such general scientific methods as synthesis, generalization, explanation.
The results. It is confirmed that the spatial sound field of a screen work is an important visual and expressive means of audiovisual art, the transformations of which are associated with the development of modern technologies and the digitalization of the production of art works. The implementation of sound in cinema not only led to a revolution in editing techniques, but also dramatically changed the visual and expressive means of artists, and enhanced the emotional impact of audiovisual works on viewers.
The scientific novelty of the research is the implementation of a comprehensive retrospective analysis of spatial sound solutions of audiovisual art, which has not previously been carried out in scientific research. It is the retrospective analysis of the formation and development of the spatial sound field in screen works that allows us to understand the general trends of sound solutions in audiovisual art and to highlight the role of sound in the construction of screen images.
The practical significance. The results of the study can be used in teaching courses on the history of cinema, sound engineering and sound design of audiovisual works, as well as in the creative activities of audiovisual production practitioners.
Conclusions. Sound technologies influence the way films are created and perceived no less actively than image technologies. It is the spatial sound field of a screen work in artistic unity with the dramaturgy of the film that provides impressive results in terms of the power of its influence on the audience. Spatial sound systems and technological achievements in this area are quite actively discussed in the information field, a retrospective analysis of the development of the spatial sound field of a screen work allows us to create a holistic picture of its perception as an important visual and expressive means of audiovisual art.

This paper studies some recent methods for the calculation of room impulse responses: a 3D waveguide method and a method based on edge diffraction. A simple model of an auditorium is used to study wavefront propagation with these methods and it is shown that they can both predict the correct wave front propagation at low frequencies.

Аудіообладнання відіграло вирішальну роль у поширенні музики по всьому світу. Записи, радіо та інші аудіоносії дозволили людям з різних куточків світу слухати музику інших культур, що мало вплив на культуру одягу, харчування, відпочинку, цінностей у суспільстві. Радіо, яке стало масовим явищем у 20-х роках XX ст., дало змогу розповсюджувати музику на масову аудиторію. Це сприяло популяризації різних музичних стилів та жанрів, зокрема джазу, блюзу, рок-н-ролу. Відбувся злам поділу на елітарне та масове музичні мистецтва – усе стало доступним усім, а масова «примусова» радіофікація населення прискорила цю зміну. Аудіообладнання допомогло поширювати культурні та музичні впливи по всьому світу. Аудіообладнання стає впливовим соціально-економічним, маркетинговим і культуротворчим засобом. Наприклад, західна поп-музика стала глобальним феноменом, а музичні жанри, такі як реггі, афробіт, латиноамериканська музика, також отримали міжнародне визнання завдяки аудіозаписам і радіо. Розвиток аудіообладнання, зокрема студій звукозапису, мікрофонів, мікшерних пультів, дав змогу музикантам створювати складніші музичні композиції в простіших умовах, що було неможливим при живих виступах. Прагнули бути артистами і ставали ними ті, хто не мав музичної освіти, достатньої професійної підготовки, але мав непереборне бажання творити та базові уміння користуватися аудіообладнанням, із попереднім його придбанням, внаслідок чого з’явилася професія музичних звукорежисерів і продюсерів як культуротворчих елементів, з новими цінностями, пріоритетами та можливостями.

The relevance of the research is due to the unceasing development of bioengineering technologies and robotics, which not only give reason to talk about a new scientific and technological revolution, but also become the subject of reflection in philosophical discussions and works of art, in particular in the genres of science fiction, utopias
and dystopias, neo-noir, etc. The authors of such works reflect the main trends that are manifested in the development of these technologies, and try to predict the further steps of mankind in these directions. The purpose of the research is to identify and socio-philosophically analyze the works of science fiction, in the plots of which the scientific and technical perspectives and social consequences of the creation of a post-human by means of bioengineering technologies are understood. The hypothesis of the research consists in treating the works of science fiction as imaginary experiments that can be included in the prognostic analysis of the possible consequences of the introduction of certain technologies. Those works that talk about technologies aimed at “improvement”, “improvement” of human nature (according to the ideas of transhumanism), in particular, through bioengineering technologies or cyborgization, deserve special attention. The results of the study showed that the peculiarity of such works is that their authors always try to show that, having received an “improved” body, a person does not become happier, more self-confident, more capable of self-realization. New opportunities and abilities appear in a person, but they do not give a feeling of a full life. Therefore, a number of questions arise: Do such technologies need to be widely distributed? Does everyone need them? And if not to everyone, then to whom and in what cases? Is it necessary to aim for a complete replacement of the human biological body with an artificial one? The search for answers to these questions should be carried out in accordance with the basic values of the socio-cultural existence of humanity, the existential and mental foundations that have allowed humanity to survive and develop for thousands of years.
Key words: man, society, values, biotechnology, transhumanism, cyborg, imaginary experiment, scientific forecasting.
Актуальність дослідження зумовлена неспинним розвитком біоінженерних технологій та робототехніки, які не лише дають підстави говорити про нову науково-технічну революцію, але й стають предметом осмислення у філософських дискусіях та творах мистецтва, зокрема в жанрах наукової фантастики, утопіях та антиутопіях, неонуар тощо. Автори таких творів відображають основні тенденції, які проявляються в процесі розвитку цих технологій, та намагаються передбачити подальші кроки людства в цих напрямках. Мета дослідження – виявлення та соціально-філософський аналіз творів наукової фантастики, в сюжетах яких осмислюються науково-технічні перспективи та соціальні наслідки створення постлюдини засобами біоінженерних технологій. Робоча гіпотеза дослідження полягає у ставленні до творів наукової фантастики як до уявних експериментів, які можна долучати до прогностичного аналізу можливих наслідків упровадження певних технологій. На особливу увагу заслуговують ті твори, в яких йдеться про технології, що націлені на «покращення», «вдосконалення» людської природи (відповідно до ідей трансгуманізму), зокрема, шляхом біоінженерних технологій або кіборгизації. Результати дослідження показали, що особливістю таких творів є те, що їх автори завжди намагаються показати, що, отримавши «вдосконалене» тіло, людина не стає більш щасливою, більш упевненою в собі, більш здатною до самореалізації. У людини з’являються нові можливості та здібності, але вони не дають відчуття повноцінного життя. Тому постає низка питань: Чи потрібно таким технологіям надавати масового поширення? Чи всім вони потрібні? А якщо не всім, то кому і в яких випадках? Чи потрібно націлюватися на повну заміну біологічного тіла людини штучним? Пошуки відповідей на ці запитання мають здійснюватися у відповідності до базових цінностей соціокультурного буття людства, екзистенційно-ментальних засад, які протягом тисячоліть дозволяли людству виживати і розвиватись.
Ключові слова: людина, суспільство, цінності, біотехнології, трансгуманізм, кіборг, уявний експери
мент, наукове прогнозування

A critical examination of the twenty-first century fetishization of professional audio technologies, and how it led to a new social formation: gear cultures.

Gear: mixing consoles, outboard effects processors, microphones. These are professional studio recording-related technological objects—the tools of the recording industry—yet their omnipresence in the broader music industries and prosumer markets transcends the entrenched pro audio engineer guild. In Gear: Cultures of Audio and Music Technologies, authors Eliot Bates and Samantha Bennett ask: How does gear become gear? Why is it fetishized? And how is it even relevant in the predominantly digital twenty-first-century music technology landscape?

This multisited, multicountry, multiplatform, and multiscalar study focuses on gear in the present day. The authors trace the life of gear from its underlying materialities, components, and interfaces to its manufacturing processes, its staging in sites including trade shows and message fora, and its reception through (gear) canons, heritage, and obdurance. This book implements a meticulous multimode methodology drawing upon more than twenty-five firsthand long-form interviews with audio industry professionals—including gear designers, users, and publishers—as well as new findings drawn from multisited fieldwork, online discourse analysis, and visual ethnography.

Gear examines the present-day prevalence of gear and the existence of its surrounding passionate, competitive, and sometimes bizarre gear cultures.

Endorsements:

“A smart and adventurous journey into the material and cultural forces that shape music today by two of the field’s most insightful critics, Gear is a must-read for tinkerers and theorists alike."
~Kyle Devine, University of Winnipeg; author of Decomposed

“This deep dive into the social and cultural meanings surrounding audio technologies reorients our thinking about gear as more than mere hardware that conveys sound. A fascinating read!”
~Susan Schmidt Horning, St. John’s University, New York; author of Chasing Sound

Why do we fetishize high-end audio technology? Read Gear to find out. Prepare to be surprised, unsettled, even alarmed by this brilliant, fascinating, myth-busting book.
~Mark Katz, author of Music and Technology: A Very Short Introduction and Capturing Sound

“A powerful contribution to feminist sound studies that amplifies new voices and methods, Gear is a guide to the dismantling of ‘gear cultures’ and to envisioning more equitable sonic futures.”
~Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, aka SAMMUS, Producer and Professor of Music, Brown University

Resumo: O presente artigo traz uma análise sobre os processos de criação e construção da trilha sonora no cinema de guerrilha, com filmes de baixo ou nenhum orçamento, a partir do estudo de obras audiovisuais desenvolvidas pelo coletivo Transformar, tendo como objeto de estudo principal a produção prática do desenho sonoro da cena na produção Jogo da vida, com a orientação de elenco para produção do som diegético, pesquisa de processos e tecnologias para composição da ambientação cênica e pós-produção sonora. A produção teve seu texto criado inicialmente para o teatro, passando por um processo de adaptação e transformação em roteiro para a linguagem cinematográfica. A estética adotada na ambientação do filme se inspirou em referências lúdicas e ao mesmo tempo tecnológicas, impactando assim, na produção sonora da obra, que é criada a partir da observação gestual do elenco em cena, ao mesmo tempo em que propõe materialidades sonoras para construção de sons diegéticos, e traz uma pesquisa para pós-produção. A metodologia deste trabalho se pauta na pesquisa de referências teóricas, criativas, fílmicas, trabalhos de experimentação sonora. Os principais referenciais teóricos que fundamentam esta pesquisa são: Michel Chion, Irineu Guerrini, Claudiney Carrasco e Eugênio Matos. Esta pesquisa traz em sua conclusão os registros e documentação da criação sonora para o filme Jogo da Vida, apresentando as dificuldades e soluções encontradas e adotadas, entre gambiarras e experimentações nos processos de desenvolvimento no cinema de guerrilha.
Palavras-chave: Trilha sonora. Cinema de guerrilha. Materialidades. Gambiarras. Experimentações.

The article outlines a psychoacoustically founded method to describe the acoustic performance of earphones in two dimensions, Spectral Shape and Stereo Image Coherence. In a test set of 14 typical earphones, these dimensions explained 66.2% of total variability in 11 acoustic features based on Bark band energy distribution. We designed an interactive Earphone Simulator software that allows smooth interpolation between measured earphones, and employed it in a controlled experiment (N=30). Results showed that the preferred 'virtual earphone' sound was different between two test conditions, silence and commuter noise, both in terms of gain level and spectral shape. We discuss possible development of the simulator design for use in perceptual research as well as in commercial applications. 1.

We report results from an investigation into the relationships between acoustic performance, price, and perceived quality of earphones. In Singapore today, the most common situation where people listen to music is while commuting, however such environments have generally high ambient noise levels. A survey (N=94) of listener habits on buses and trains was conducted. Results showed that people use a wide range of earphones, both in terms of price and measurable acoustic performance. Five typical earphone models were identified and employed in a perceptual experiment (N=15). Volunteers rated various aspects of earphone quality while listening to music under two conditions: studio silence and a reproduced commuter environment. Results showed that participants displayed a strong preference towards in-ear earphones and this can be attributed to these having better acoustic isolation than on-ear earphones. People tend to describe the music listening experiences in terms of sonic clarity and noise isolation. We believe that these results can inform development of an ecologically valid model of how noisy environments affect people's perception of audio quality, and through that, of music experience. Such a model could inform consumers as well as manufacturers.

A linear and time-invariant system can be considered as a "black-box", characterized by its impulse response h(t), that is the relationship between the output and the input signals of the system. The method of impulse response is based on this concept. In this paper are showed the results obtained applying the impulse response method for the determination of sound insulation of building elements and of sound absorption coefficient of objects and materials. The influence on the results of some parameters used in the determination of the impulse response has been analysed, in particular: number of measurement points, number of signal sequences, signal type, signal power. The measurements of sound insulation have been carried out in two ways: first with the traditional technique indicated in EN ISO 140-3, using two continuously moving microphones, and then with the impulse response method in some stationary microphone positions. Also the sound absorption coefficient measurements have been carried out in two ways: interrupted noise method and impulse response method in the same microphone positions. All results have been and some conclusions of interest are drawn concerning the respective uncertainties of measurements.

A linear and time-invariant system can be considered as a “black-box”, characterized by its impulse response h(t), that is the relationship between the output and the input signals of the system. The method of impulse response is based on this concept. In this paper are showed the results obtained applying the impulse response method for the determination of sound insulation of building elements and of sound absorption coefficient of objects and materials. The influence on the results of some parameters used in the determination of the impulse response has been analysed, in particular: number of measurement points, number of signal sequences, signal type, signal power. The measurements of sound insulation have been carried out in two ways: first with the traditional technique indicated in EN ISO 140-3, using two continuously moving microphones, and then with the impulse response method in some stationary microphone positions. Also the sound absorption coefficient measurements have b...

Memristors, which are nonlinear circuit elements, have a
big potential to design analog circuits that can not be made
using linear time-invariant circuit elements. In literature, some
analog circuit applications such as memristor based filter and
amplifier circuits have already been examined. Opamp based
amplifiers has either negative or positive gains. Memristorbased inverting and non-inverting amplifiers have also
been inspected in literature. In this study, for the first time in
literature, it is shown how to make a new memristor-based
amplifier which can give not only positive but also negative
gains.

Cough is a prevailing symptom in most lung diseases. While cough sounds themselves can be very instrumental in the diagnosis of certain diseases, their intensity and frequency also infers the intensity of the particular illness. There is an imperative need for a robust system for identifying and analyzing cough sounds. In implementing such systems, researchers are confronted with technical challenges such as the choice of sensors and methods of signal acquisition, the real time analysis of the acquired signals, and the accurate identification of cough events, distinguishing them from similar sounds such as speech, laughing, throat clearing and sneezing. Previous approaches have employed external environmental sensing methods to achieve more accurate detections at the expense of mobility, scalability and real-time cough sensing. Alternative approaches have proposed wearable cough sensing methods, which, while mobile, can often face challenges in terms of robustness and obtrusiveness. In this paper, we explore the strengths and shortcomings of the various techniques that have been proposed for automatic detection and analysis of cough sounds. We also suggest the next steps in furthering the state of the art.

This paper explores the use of a computer model to study the acoustics of Stonegate, a street in central York (UK) used as a performance site of the York Mystery Plays in the Middle Ages. A computer model was designed to resemble modern Stonegate due to the state of conservation of many of its fourteenth-and fifteenth-century buildings as well as its dimensions. The virtual model was evaluated objectively by comparing the results for different acoustical parameters obtained through acoustic measurements on site with those derived from the virtual model. The objective comparison showed a high level of accuracy for all parameters studied with the exception of EDT and IACC L. Future work will involve using this initial computer model to study the acoustics of the space in the sixteenth century.