Communication Acoustics

1st week:  Basic notions and quantities of acoustics: sound pressure, particle velocity, volume velocity, specific and acoustic impedance as ratio of pressure and velocity. The notion of the decibel: derivation, use, typical values and calculation for multiple sources.

2nd week:  Classification, generation, characteristics and propagation of sounds. Various types of sound waves: plane wave, spherical wave, cylindrical wave.

3rd week:  Basics of the human hearing: construction and operation of the human ear. Characteristics of the human hearing mechanism in frequency and time domain.

4th week:  Basic elements of psychoacoustics. Characteristics of binaural hearing, direction sensation, basics of stereo recording and reproduction. Basic psycho-acoustic quantities: loudness, sharpness and roughness.

5th week:  Characteristics of human speech, generation of speech as a physical process. The mechanisms and acoustics of speech production. Speech production models and computer techniques.

6th week:  Basics of musical acoustics: scales, objective and subjective quantities of pitch. Characteristics of musical sounds and instruments. Sound generation mechanisms of chordophone and wind instruments.

7th week:  Sounds in closed spaces: diffuse sound field, free field, transition from free to reflected sound field. The effect of various sound fields on sound recording and reproduction techniques as well as on noise control measures.

8th week:  Sound reflection from, and absorption on, surfaces. Sound transmission through solid structures. Notions, methods and description of sound insulation. Practical application of sound insulation techniques.

9th week:  Basic notions and elements of room acoustics. Optimal design of auditoria, recording and radio studios, auditoria, school rooms, concert halls, etc.

10th week:  Acoustic sensors: microphones. Operating mechanisms and construction of microphones, their characteristics and typical application. Selection of the best matching microphone  for practical purposes.

11th week:  Acoustic actuators: speakers and speaker boxes. Operating mechanisms and construction of speakers, their characteristics and typical application. Selection of the best matching speaker for practical purposes.

12th week:  Principles and practical tools of digital signal processing of acoustic signals.

13th week:  Basic elements of modern sound studio systems: mixing consoles, effect processors, processing units. Standards and standard interfaces for digital signal processing, data reduction, storage and retrieval.

14th week:  Aesthetic aspects of modern sound technologies, elements of sound culture.