Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Montana State University

EE480:  Acoustics and Audio

Fall Semester 2004
LECTURE: 
Section 1 (CRN 74596), MWF 4:10PM-5:00PM, CobH 632
 

Topics and Notes Summary (12/13/2004; updated frequently):


DATE COMMENT
Dec. 13 (Mon)

Final Exam 8:00AM-9:50AM CobH 632

 

Dec. 10 (Fri)

Last day of class!

Meet at Unit 21 Faculty Court:  quick tour of audio research lab;  final exam review topics

Dec. 8 (Wed)

Introduction to musical acoustics concepts (handout)

Written reports are DUE this day, but I will accept them without penalty on Friday.

Montana Audio group meeting:  7:00PM, Room 275 SUB. Topic:  Eric Burge will speak about on-location recording.

 

Dec. 6 (Mon)

Data storage:  DAT and CD;  fill out course evaluations

Dec. 3 (Fri)

Digital effects basics (handout);  Listening examples of effects and synthesizers in a variety of music

Dec. 1 (Wed)

Compressor/limiter, expander, noise gates, basic delay effects (delay, flanger, phaser, reverb simulation)

Nov. 29 (Mon)

XLR and TRS connectors; patchbays; signal processing devices:  Equalizer/filter, gain compressor

Assigned:  Please read Eargle Section 3 and Section 5 material on transmission and signal processing.

Nov. 26 (Fri)

No class--Thanksgiving Holiday

Nov. 24 (Wed)

(class dismissed after only three students showed up)

Nov. 22 (Mon)

Basic audio mixer concepts.

Nov. 19 (Fri)

Microphone construction and directional patterns.

Handout:  directional pattern summary.

Nov. 17 (Wed)

Reviewed exam 2 results (hi=40/40, lo=21/40, avg.=32.3/40, std=4.8)

Continued microphone discussion: condenser microphone principles.

Assigned:  Please read Eargle Section 2 material on microphones.

Nov. 15 (Mon)

Exam #2 in class

Here is the exam solution key.

 

Nov. 12 (Fri) Discuss self test #2.  Balanced interconnects.  Begin microphone discussion.

Self test #2 solutions.

 

Nov. 10 (Wed) Unbalanced electrical connections and power system wiring:  cost vs. signal integrity.

ASSIGNED:  written report (summary due 11/17/04, final report due 12/8/04)

HANDOUT:  Matlab code for two-driver homework assignment solution.

HANDOUT:  Self test #2

 

Nov. 8 (Mon) Audio connections, standard signal levels (consumer and pro), and dynamic range.

 

Nov. 5 (Fri) Room modes and standing waves.

Begin discussion of audio engineering:  basic audio chain, signals, and reference levels.

NOTE:  Exam #2 will be held in class on Monday, November 15.  Coverage up through today (11/5).

Nov. 3 (Wed) Homework due at the start of class.

Lecture on sound absorbers using panels, perforated panels, and Helmholtz resonators. 

Nov. 1 (Mon) Discuss homework problem:  delayed due date until Wednesday.

Just for fun:  here is a picture of a portion of the AES Exhibition hall.

Oct. 29 (Fri)

No EE480 class this day (instructor out of town).

 

Oct. 27 (Wed)

Presentation by Jerry Gregoire on sound source classification and separation.

 

Oct. 25 (Mon)

Architectural considerations:  reverberation and surface absorption.  T60 and critical distance rules of thumb.

HW#3 ASSIGNED:  A piston radiator problem (handout).
Your solutions are due at the START of class on Monday 11/1/2004.

Oct. 22 (Fri)

Completed environmental acoustics introduction and started architectural discussion.

Assigned:  Please read Chapter 12 material.

 

Oct. 20 (Wed)

Environmental Acoustics introduction (Chapter 13 material).

 

Oct. 18 (Mon)

Audio examples of psychoacoustical effects (cont.)

 

Oct. 15 (Fri)

Audio examples of psychoacoustical effects.

Finish reading Chapter 11 material.

Oct. 13 (Wed)

The ear:  physiology and psychology overview.

Reading assignment:  Material from Chapter 11 starting at page 312.

Oct. 11 (Mon)

Complete baffled piston analysis:  near field on axis, far field, and radiation impedance.

Oct. 8 (Fri)

Reviewed exam results.  Continued baffled plane circular piston analysis. 

Here is REVISED version of the decibel notes handed out in class.  NOTE that the graph of A and C weighting filters was INCORRECT in the original handout.

Oct. 6 (Wed)

Exam #1 in class

Here is the exam solution key.

 

Oct. 4 (Mon)

Review self-test.  Continue baffled plane circular piston analysis.

 

Oct. 1 (Fri)

Simple sources.  Begin calculation of radiation from a baffled plane circular piston.

Self-test over key course material.

 

Sept. 29 (Wed)

Spherical radiation from a small source; lead into Simple Source concept.

Review solution procedure for the homework problems.

NOTE:  Exam #1 will be held during class time on Wednesday, October 6, 2004.  The exam will cover material from the lectures and homework assignments up through this week.  Open book and notes (but no collaboration).

Remember:  KGLT-FM studios tour, 7:00PM.

Sept. 27 (Mon)

Finish comments regarding sound pressure level; start sound radiation discussion from Chapter 7.

NOTE:  There will be a tour of KGLT-FM studios on Wednesday, September 29, at 7:00PM.  The studios are located on the third floor of the SUB.  Use the stairway on the NORTH side of the building.  We will meet in the hallway outside the studio door.

Sept. 24 (Fri)

IL and SPL.  Listening session with various measurements.

 

Sept. 22 (Wed)

Spherical waves:  specific acoustic impedance, relationship between pressure and particle velocity.  Intensity level and dB scale.

HW#2 ASSIGNED:  Four problems from the K&F text:
1.5.2,  1.5.3,  1.10.2,   5.7.3
Your solutions are due at the START of class on Friday 10/1/2004.

Sept. 20 (Mon)

Harmonic plane waves:  specific acoustic impedance, intensity, and power relationships (still Chapter 5).

Homework #1 was returned:  please remember that you are to work on the problems individually, not in groups or teams.  You may discuss the method of solution among your peers, but when it comes time to complete the assignment you must do the work yourself.

Sept. 17 (Fri)

Plane waves:  harmonic pressure disturbance in one dimension.

Homework #1 is due at the start of class.

Sept. 15 (Wed)

Acoustic waves:  pressure, speed, condensation.

Sept. 13 (Mon)

Acoustic wave equation:  the derivation continues!

Sept. 10 (Fri)

Complete Chapter 1, start Chapter 5 material.

HW#1 ASSIGNED:  Three problems from the K&F text:
1.3.2,  1.5.11.6.1
Your solutions are due at the START of class on Friday 9/17/2004.

Sept. 8 (Wed)

Damping and forced oscillation (cont.)

Sept. 6 (Mon)

No class this day (Labor Day holiday; MSU offices and classrooms closed)

Sept. 3 (Fri)

Damping and forced oscillation.

Sept. 1 (Wed)

Basic units and acoustical quantities.  Review of simple oscillators (Read Chapter 1 of Kinsler and Frey).

Aug. 30 (Mon)

First class meeting at 4:10PM in Cobleigh Hall 632.

Course introduction and some listening experiments.