Audio engineering
Summary
This lecture is oriented towards the study of audio engineering, room acoustics, sound propagation, and sound radiation from sources and acoustic antennas. The learning outcomes will be the techniques for microphones and loudspeaker design, as well as room acoustics.
Content
I Audition
- The human hearing system
- Introduction to psychoacoustics
- Basics on noise control engineering
II Room Acoustics
- Wave theory
- Geometrical room acoustics
- Statistical (Sabine) room acoustics
III Electroacoustics analogies: application to transducers and wind instruments
- A brief reminder on electroacoustics
- Electroacoustic transducers
- Application to wind instrument design
IV Microphones
- General properties
- Microphones theory
- Microphone realization
V Loudspeaker design
- The electrodynamic loudspeaker
- Loudspeaker system design (enclosures)
- Loudspeaker realization
VI Electroacoustic absorbers
Keywords
Auditory system
Psychoacoustics
Room acoustics
Electroacoustics
Electroacoustic transducers
Wind instruments
Microphones
Loudspeakers
Learning Prerequisites
Required courses
General physics
Circuits and systems
Recommended courses
Electroacoustics
Important concepts to start the course
Electrotechnics: transfer functions, impulse response, electric system characterization, filtering, bode representation
Transmission lines: wave propagation equations in 1D, circuit modeling, Kirchhoff theory
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, the student must be able to:
- Analyze the auditory system from the physical viewpoint
- the perceptive hearing phenomena through objective measures
- a room with respect to acoustic quality criteria
- room acoustics performance
- Synthesize microphones and loudspeaker systems out of specifications
- acoustic/electroacoustic specifications from room acoustics requirements
- Analyze microphone and loudspeaker systems
- Analyze sound propagation in wind instruments
Transversal skills
- Use a work methodology appropriate to the task.
- Set objectives and design an action plan to reach those objectives.
Teaching methods
Ex cathedra lectures
Specialized seminars on side topics
Exercises in groups
Practical work, including numerical simulations
Assessment methods
Final written exam.
Resources
Bibliography
M. Rossi, Audio, Presses Polytechniques Universitaires Romandes, 2007
H. Kutruff, Room Acoustics, Spon Press, 4th edition, 2003
Ressources en bibliothèque
Notes/Handbook
Available on the Lab website (upload on a weekly basis).
Websites
Moodle Link
Prerequisite for
Master projects, PhD thesis.
In the programs
- Semester: Fall
- Exam form: Written (winter session)
- Subject examined: Audio engineering
- Lecture: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Exercises: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Type: optional
- Semester: Fall
- Exam form: Written (winter session)
- Subject examined: Audio engineering
- Lecture: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Exercises: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Type: optional
- Semester: Fall
- Exam form: Written (winter session)
- Subject examined: Audio engineering
- Lecture: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Exercises: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Type: optional
- Semester: Fall
- Exam form: Written (winter session)
- Subject examined: Audio engineering
- Lecture: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Exercises: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Type: optional