Lesson 1: The Properties of Sound

What Is Sound?
Waves
Graphing Waves

Lesson 2: Modes and Harmonics

Vibration and Modes
Representing Waveforms with Equations
Harmonics and Complex Waveforms
Modes and Harmonics
Lesson 3: Decibels and Octaves

Review of Logarithms
Octaves and Octave Bands
Decibels
Sound Pressure Level
Lesson 4: Sound Level Measurement

Adding Decibels
Equal Loudness Contours
Frequency Weighting
Sound Level Meters
Lesson 5: Sound Outdoors

Inverse Square Law

Source Models
When Sound Hits Things
Sound Barriers
Lesson 6: Room Acoustics

Sound Absorption
Propagation Indoors
Impulse Response
Reverberation Time
Lesson 7: Room Acoustics (Continued)

Room Constant
Critical Distance
Converting Power to Pressure

Lesson 8: Sound IndoorsVirtual Field Trip

Theater Overview
Measurement Equipment
Measurements

 Data Analysis
Sound Reinforcement System

Lesson 9: Sound Isolation

Absorption vs. Isolation

Transmission Coefficient & Transmission Loss
Laboratory vs. Field Measurement
Mass Law and Coincidence Dip
Lesson 10: Sound Isolation Continued

Single-Number Descriptors
Composite TL
Decoupling & Damping
Practical Sound Isolation
Lesson 11: Small Room Acoustics

Standing Waves & Modes

Effect of Isolation on Standing Waves
Room Acoustics for Listening Environments

Lesson 12: Vibration and HVAC Noise

Vibration Isolation
HVAC Noise Sources
HVAC Noise Calculations
HVAC Noise Control

about acoustics + psychoacoustics

Become a better recording and live sound engineer, and improve your
editing and mixing environment by learning the ins and outs of
acoustics. Proper acoustics plays a major role in the success of any
musical performance, whether its in a recording studio, concert hall, or
outdoors. This course is designed to introduce the fundamentals of
acoustics, with a focus on spaces designed for recording music and live
performance. Through both theoretical study and practical
experimentation, you will learn the basics that contribute to good
acoustics, including control of noise, manipulation of sound
propagation, and isolation of sound. You will learn how to measure and
quantify these key components in existing spaces, and how to predict
acoustical behavior in new spaces.
The course begins with the basics of sound, sound sources, and human
perception. It then explores the relationship between the source of
sound and the listener in three different scenarios: source and listener

outdoors, source and listener in a room, and source and listener in

separate rooms. These scenarios provide comprehensive coverage of
the principles relevant to music performance, recording, and mixing.
Each week, you will be assigned acoustical problems to solve. Note
that the course explores a number of mathematical concepts. These
concepts will be reviewed before you are required to use them for the
first time. The goal of the course is to enable you to predict and
analyze the acoustical qualities of both indoor and outdoor
environments, so that you can make informed decisions about the use
or design of spaces in which to play, record, and mix.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
relate your experience of sound to the physical attributes of the

source and the propagation path between the source and your
ears
predict and quantify the behavior of sound in rooms, including the
effects of reflections and reverberation on the clarity of music
and the intelligibility of speech
predict and quantify the effects of outdoor environments on sound
propagation, including sound barrier walls and other obstacles
understand the challenges of small room acoustics and their effects
on recording and mixing environments
calculate change in sound pressure level relative to distance
understand the principles of sound isolation and be able to predict
and measure isolation between rooms
measure room acoustics parameters using both traditional and stateof-the-art techniques
use a handheld sound level meter
understand sound absorption
understand the basic principles and requirements of vibration
isolation and HVAC noise control
use your knowledge of these principles to improve the quality of your
recordings and the fidelity of your mixing environment