Sound Essay
Basics of sound
Sound is transmitter mechanically through compression and expansion of air. This basically means sound is a vibration traveling through the air. Speaker’s work by recreating this by moving back and forth, manipulating the air around the speaker and creating the vibrations needed to create sound. Microphones record sound by means of a diaphragm whose motion are converted into electric currents, with variations in current corresponding to higher and lower compressions. The ear works in the same way, with the eardrum producing changes in currents that go into your brain. The sounds we hear, even a steady pitch, are rapidly changing areas of pressure. A steady pressure would not produce any sound.
Analogue vs Digital
nalogue sound is sound that comes directly from the speaker and is unchanged. Digital is like binary code (44,000 sample rate). The sound wave for an analogue is smooth and will stay the same as the original where as digital sound waves are changed. Analogue sounds are only on tapes and records. Digital sound's can be compressed and edited on the computer also you can add effects. Analogue sound takes up little space compared to digital.
Some people prefer analogue because they like their sounds or music to be the original way it was made. Like some people prefer the songs to be recorded live from a concert where you can hear the audience. But others prefer the processed digital sound. They don't want to hear the scratching noises that can get recorded when they are playing.
Lots of people have different opinions on this but Digital is now becoming more popular and is used for almost everything now.
Interactive media products
A common sound design principle used in interactive media formats are audio cues. Audio cues are sounds that people can recognize almost instantly without having to think what very hard about what the noise was. They are usually used to alert the user when something happens on screen, so the user is aware of it. An example of this is when you receive a message on Facebook, a short sound plays to alert you of a message. Another example of sound in interactive media would be the use of Acousmetre. Acousmetre is the sound of a narrator for a video game or film. The narrator speaks throughout the game or movie to tell the story, however they are never visible. This is called a non-diegetic sound, as it would not usually be there.
Functions of sound
There are many different principles for the functions of sound. One of the main purposes of sound functions, is expressing emotion and personalities in entertainment such as movies and games. A great example of this is when there is a sad and emotional scene in a movie. Sad and thoughtful music will be played to bring out the raw emotions of the viewers. In terms of interactive media there are two types of sound, diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegetic sounds are sounds that you would expect to be there, such as the sound of cheering at a race or the sound of planes at an airport. This type of sound is used to make any form of interactive media more realistic. Non-diegetic sounds are sounds that yo would not expect to usually be there such as music playing in the back of a scene. This type of sound is usually used to add depth and bring out the emotion of the scene. Both types of sound are used very often, but for completely different purposes.
Basics of sound
Sound is transmitter mechanically through compression and expansion of air. This basically means sound is a vibration traveling through the air. Speaker’s work by recreating this by moving back and forth, manipulating the air around the speaker and creating the vibrations needed to create sound. Microphones record sound by means of a diaphragm whose motion are converted into electric currents, with variations in current corresponding to higher and lower compressions. The ear works in the same way, with the eardrum producing changes in currents that go into your brain. The sounds we hear, even a steady pitch, are rapidly changing areas of pressure. A steady pressure would not produce any sound.
Analogue vs Digital
nalogue sound is sound that comes directly from the speaker and is unchanged. Digital is like binary code (44,000 sample rate). The sound wave for an analogue is smooth and will stay the same as the original where as digital sound waves are changed. Analogue sounds are only on tapes and records. Digital sound's can be compressed and edited on the computer also you can add effects. Analogue sound takes up little space compared to digital.
Some people prefer analogue because they like their sounds or music to be the original way it was made. Like some people prefer the songs to be recorded live from a concert where you can hear the audience. But others prefer the processed digital sound. They don't want to hear the scratching noises that can get recorded when they are playing.
Lots of people have different opinions on this but Digital is now becoming more popular and is used for almost everything now.
Interactive media products
A common sound design principle used in interactive media formats are audio cues. Audio cues are sounds that people can recognize almost instantly without having to think what very hard about what the noise was. They are usually used to alert the user when something happens on screen, so the user is aware of it. An example of this is when you receive a message on Facebook, a short sound plays to alert you of a message. Another example of sound in interactive media would be the use of Acousmetre. Acousmetre is the sound of a narrator for a video game or film. The narrator speaks throughout the game or movie to tell the story, however they are never visible. This is called a non-diegetic sound, as it would not usually be there.
Functions of sound
There are many different principles for the functions of sound. One of the main purposes of sound functions, is expressing emotion and personalities in entertainment such as movies and games. A great example of this is when there is a sad and emotional scene in a movie. Sad and thoughtful music will be played to bring out the raw emotions of the viewers. In terms of interactive media there are two types of sound, diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegetic sounds are sounds that you would expect to be there, such as the sound of cheering at a race or the sound of planes at an airport. This type of sound is used to make any form of interactive media more realistic. Non-diegetic sounds are sounds that yo would not expect to usually be there such as music playing in the back of a scene. This type of sound is usually used to add depth and bring out the emotion of the scene. Both types of sound are used very often, but for completely different purposes.
