Basic Acoustics

Acoustics is the science of sound and can help determine the quality of sound transmitted in a room or space. Understanding the sonic characteristics of a room or space will result in better decisions when recording or mixing. Surfaces and Materials

Different surfaces and materials can affect the acoustics in a room. Too much material applied to a wall or surface is generally destructive to a sound. Professional recording environments are typically constructed with many types of surfaces and materials. 1. Carpets 2. Wood Floors 3. Bricks or stone wall 4. Diffusers 5. Concave or convex walls

*Note: Professional recording spaces are rarely perfect squares with low ceilings, because parallel walls and surfaces create standing waves, or room modes.

Basic Acoustic Terms * Reflections: when sound strikes a wall, ceiling, or any object, the sound is reflected at an angle equal to, and opposite of, its initial angle of incidence.

* Absorption: is the process in which acoustic energy is reduced when a sound wave passes through a medium or strikes a surface. The amount of energy absorbed compared to the amount reflected is express as a ratio known as the absorption coefficient.

* Diffraction: the ability of sound to bend around an object and reform itself.

* Diffusion: is a way to control reflections and standing waves. A diffuser can be used to break up standing waves by reflecting sound at a wider angle than its initial angle of incidence. Dealing with Acoustics

Room modes or standing waves, are created by parallel surfaces. Acoustical problems may rise from standing waves such as a level boost or cut off frequencies, or creation of resonant frequencies in a room.
In diffraction, waves actually bend around objects that they encounter in their path or bend through openings in between