Monday, May 16, 2016

The Physics of Sound Pt 2

A musical note has two meanings.  The first definition is a reference to the pitched sound itself.  The second is a reference to a symbol in musical notion that defines the pitch and duration of a note.  The pitch is the quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it.  The higher the frequency the higher the pitch; the lower the frequency the lower the pitch.

The next major characteristic of sound is the timbre.  Timbre defines the unique tonal characteristics that distinguishes it from another. Timbre has four primary characteristics; attack, decay, sustain, release.

The envelope of a sound has the following components and would look something like this:
  • Attack - The time it takes for the note to reach the maximum level.
  • Decay - The time it takes for the note to go from the maximum level to the sustain level 
  • Sustain - The level while the note is held.
  • Release - The time it takes for the note to fall from the sustain level to silence or zero dB.

Monday, May 9, 2016

The Physics of Sound Pt 1

There are a myriad of pathways that one can take toward becoming a musician.  Some of us learn from family members, friends, books, instructional videos, listening to other musicians and so on.  Very often however we begin our journey with a teacher in or outside of an educational facility.  We are often initially taught the fundamentals of reading standard music notation and taught the techniques to recreate the tones and sounds that we see on paper without actually understanding what sound is and how it works.

According to the Encyclopedia Britanica, sound is; a mechanical disturbance from a state of equilibrium that propagates through an elastic material medium.  

Sound is defined by ANSI/ASA S1.1-2013 as "(a) Oscillation in pressure, stress, particle displacement, particle velocity, etc., propagated in a medium with internal forces (e.g., elastic or viscous), or the superposition of such propagated oscillation. (b) Auditory sensation evoked by the oscillation described in."

To expound upon this concept further; sound is a disturbance in air pressure; a vibration, energy.  For example, our vocal chords vibrate and cause a disturbance, change or fluctuation in air pressure.  The vibration in the form of a wave propagates from the source at a speed of 343.2 meters per second (1,126 ft/s; 1,236 km/h; 768 mph; 667 kn). Sound waves travel through the outer ear, are modulated by the middle ear, and are transmitted to the vestibulocochlear nerve in the inner ear. This nerve transmits information to the temporal lobe of the brain, where it is registered as sound.

The frequency of the sound is directly correlated to the speed of the vibration.  This vibration or frequency is measured in a unit of measurement called Hertz(Hz).  1 Hertz is one cycle or vibration per second.  A human being with optimal hearing can detect or hear sounds with frequencies between 20Hz to 20,000Hz (20kHz).  However due to hearing damage generally caused by exposure to loud sounds which is measured in decibels; after childhood adults can generally hear up to about 15kHz.

Monday, May 2, 2016

New Studio Recordings and Setup

I finally have everything set up including a few new pieces of gear, primarily the Focusrite 18i20 which I am using as my primary preamp and recording interface.  I simply cannot say enough positive things about this piece of gear!  I also acquired a Presonus Audiobox for a simple portable studio set up that I used while recording down in the Gulf of Mexico remotely.  I am planning to write about that later. Other additions have been a Gretsch Broadkaster drum set and more gear by Nady, Shure, Alesis and ART.

I have been working with two great and longtime friends Mike Briggs on bass and Forrest Robinson on drums.  Mike and I have been alternating between his studio in NC and mine in Atlanta.  I have primarily been using previously recorded tracks from Forrest from an album we started for our old band OVid.

I am working on two different albums; one acoustic and one electric.  It is funny to me to think that Forrest and I play metal but really have never put out a truly heavy or metal record.  This is in no way intended to slight the punk rock, industrial or hardcore bands I played in such as OVid or Blackheadz or Forrest's work with Delta Deep, etc.  Although the electric record is very eclectic, there are some very heavy moments that I feel truly reflect my true nature as a guitarist.  The acoustic record is more of a reflection of all the solo acoustic gigs I have done to promote my own recordings as well as my interests in Afro-Cuban, Latin and Flamenco.

A majority of the music has been completed and I am planning to add vocals and leads over the next few months.