EELE 417/517 Acoustics and Audio Engineering Syllabus FL20

Fall Semester 2020
LECTURE:  Section 1 (CRN 25296/25297), MWF 12:00-12:50PM, Reid Hall 103

Instructor:  Prof. Robert C. Maher

Prerequisite:

PHSX 222 PHYSICS II (2nd semester calculus-based physics)

Textbooks and Materials

1. Kinsler, Lawrence E., Frey, Austin R., Coppens, Alan B., and Sanders, James V., Fundamentals of Acoustics, 4th ed., Wiley & Sons, 1999.
2. Handouts and reprints (in class)

Class Objective

The students obtain sufficient background and technical knowledge to understand contemporary issues in audio engineering.

Course Outcomes

At the conclusion of EELE 417/517, students will be able to:

• Understand the linear acoustic wave equation and explain the relationship between pressure and particle velocity for plane waves and spherical waves.
• Calculate and interpret the near-field and far-field response of a circular piston radiator mounted in an infinite baffle.
• Explain the basic physiology of the human hearing system and elementary psychoacoustical principles (e.g., sensitivity as a function of frequency, simultaneous masking, and difference limens).
• Use geometrical measurements and material properties to calculate Sabine reverberation time for a room.
• Explain the basic operation of dynamic (moving-coil) loudspeakers and condenser (capacitive) microphones.
• Understand the principles of recording studio signal flow.
• Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of modern perceptual audio coders such as MP3.
• Describe the attributes of CD, DVD, and Blu-ray, and the coding formats of downloadable media.

In addition to the outcomes of EELE 417, at the conclusion of EELE 517 students will also be able to:

• Describe one or more active areas of research in the acoustics and audio engineering field, and knowledgeably explain the applications and expectations of that work.

Class Outline (subject to change)

Week 1:

Intro, audio and acoustics subdisciplines, survey
Fundamental quantities, Fourier review, mass and vibration
Damping, complex exponential solutions, forced oscillation

Week 2:

Resonance, electrical circuit analogies
Acoustic wave equation

Week 3:

Harmonic plane waves, intensity, impedance
Spherical waves, sound level, dB examples
Radiation from small sources

Week 4:

Baffled simple source, piston radiation
Near field, far field
Radiation impedance

Week 5:

Recap and review
Demos, speed of sound measurement
EXAM #1
Return exam, continue ear/hearing

Week 6:

The ear, hearing, etc.
Demos, hearing and detection

Week 7:

Environmental acoustics and noise criteria
OSHA, architectural isolation

Week 8:

Example calculations
Architectural acoustics, reverb
Absorbing materials, direct-reverberant ratio

Week 9:

Relationships among music, audio, acoustics, and electronics
Audio engineering introduction
Audio engineering, units, concepts

Week 10:

Microphones
Studio electronics

Week 11:

Studio electronics
Analog storage history (tape, phonograph, LP)
Loudspeakers

Week 12:

Loudspeakers (cont.)
EXAM #2

Week 13:

Digital audio
Digital coding principles
Audio DSP

Week 14:

Multimedia audio, MP3, etc.

Week 15:

Final review

Course Grading for EELE 417:

Course Grading for EELE 517:

Grade guarantee:  course letter grade cutoffs will not be higher than indicated by the following scale:

A- = 90%

B- = 80%

C- = 70%

D = 60%

F = 59%

NOTE:  Regardless of the student's aggregate score total, a grade of F will be given automatically if a midterm exam or the final exam is not taken, or if an acceptable written report is not turned in.

Policies

• All students must have D2L (Desire To Learn) web access and an electronic mail address listed with the MyInfo system. Announcements and reminders for EELE 417/517 will be sent occasionally via email.
• Among other details, Section 310.00 in the MSU Conduct Guidelines states that students must be prompt and regular in attending classes, be well prepared for classes, take exams when scheduled, and act in a respectful manner toward other students and the instructor.
• Attendance at all lectures is mandatory. If you are ill, traveling, or otherwise unable to attend a lecture, you must notify the instructor IN ADVANCE via email. Treat your participation in this course just like it was a job: you wouldn’t miss work without notifying your manager, right?
• Homework problems will sometimes require Matlab or an equivalent computer tool. Matlab is available in the ECE computer labs and elsewhere on campus.
• Late submissions of assignments (homeworks, reports, and quizzes) will not be accepted. Plan ahead, and notify the instructor prior to justifiable absences, or if a bona fide emergency prevented you from finishing an assignment or attending class.
• You are responsible for all material covered in class and in the textbook reading assignments.
• There may be events or field trips scheduled during the semester. Although it is not reasonable for me to make these out-of-class events mandatory, I do expect the students to take advantage of all learning opportunities provided in the course.
• Academic Misconduct: Unless group work is explicitly assigned, quizzes, homework, reports, and exams must be prepared individually. Submitting the work of others is dishonest, constitutes academic misconduct, and is grounds for dismissal from the course.
• Collaboration
  University policy states that, unless otherwise specified, students may not collaborate on graded material. Any exceptions to this policy will be stated explicitly for individual assignments. If you have any questions about the limits of collaboration, you are expected to ask for clarification.
• Plagiarism
  Paraphrasing or quoting another’s work without citing the source is a form of academic misconduct. Submitting work for this course that you previously prepared for a different course is also misconduct. Even inadvertent or unintentional misuse or appropriation of your prior work or another's work (such as relying heavily on source material that is not expressly acknowledged) is considered plagiarism. Student work can and will be submitted to the TurnItIn online verification service. If you have any questions about using and citing sources, you are expected to ask for clarification.
• Consequences
  Section 420 of the Student Conduct Code describes academic misconduct as including but not limited to plagiarism, cheating, multiple submissions (e.g., re-using a report previously written for another purpose), or facilitating others’ misconduct. Possible sanctions for academic misconduct range from an oral reprimand to expulsion from the university. Section 430 of the Student Code allows the instructor to impose the following sanctions for academic misconduct: oral reprimand; written reprimand; an assignment to repeat the work or an alternate assignment; a lower or failing grade on the particular assignment or test; or a lower grade or failing grade in the course.
• If you have a documented disability for which you are or may be requesting accommodations, you are welcome and encouraged to participate fully in this class! Please contact the instructor and the MSU Office of Disability Services as soon as possible.
• All records related to this course are confidential and will not be shared with anyone, including parents, without a signed, written release from the MSU Dean of Students. For more information, contact the Dean of Students office at 994-2826.

Special remarks and policies for the COVID-19 Pandemic

We anticipate that individuals in our campus community will be unknowingly carrying the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Consequently, members of our community will have a risk of becoming ill with the disease, just like individuals anywhere else in the country.

Therefore, we expect all members of our community to treat each and every encounter with another person as a potential moment of virus transmission.

To minimize the likelihood of rapid spread, we are all required to take reasonable steps to reduce the prospect of virus infection at MSU.

• Each student in this course is expected to obtain and wear in the classroom a cloth facemask completely covering the nose and mouth. The face covering is to be put on before entering the classroom building, left in place for the entire duration of the class, and kept on until leaving the building after class. MSU requires the wearing of masks in physical classrooms to help mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The MSU community views the adoption of these practices as a mark of good citizenship and respectful care of fellow classmates, faculty, and staff.
• We recommend that you carry a personal disinfectant spray and cloth for your desk in the classroom. Do not share your cloth with others.

• We expect all members of our community to keep adequate distance from others and not meet in confined spaces like small offices, automobiles, and elevators. As members of the MSU community, we regularly disinfect surfaces we touch, frequently wash our hands with soapy water, and assist colleagues and co-workers in following these practices.

• We expect one another to stay home and self-isolate even with minor symptoms such as cough, headache, mild fever, or simply not feeling well. When feeling any symptoms, we avoid contact with others in our households, and call a healthcare provider by telephone to determine if we should be tested for COVID. We only return to campus after receiving the OK of our health provider.
• Compliance with the social distancing and mandatory face-covering protocol is expected. If you do not comply with these or any other classroom rule, you will be considered disruptive and you will be dismissed from the classroom. Section 460.00 of the MSU Code of Student Conduct covers “disruptive student behavior.”