Fundamentals of Sound

This lecture introduces the fundamentals of sound, exploring its physical properties, perception, and applications in music and audio technology.

• Acoustics and psychoacoustics
• Audio processing
• Digital and analog audio technology

Course description

Teaches the fundamental aspects of sound, its production, propagation, recording and reproduction by introducing the underlying laws and models of physics, physiology and psychology. A proper understanding of this material is essential for the development of profound artistic expression in the sound-related arts. The aim of the course is to provide a theoretical background in sound technology and relevant audio topics, which promotes independent problem-solving skills in the realization of creative ideas. This is useful in the areas of media art and moving image, including sound design, acoustic communication, and electronic music. Lectures are held weekly and sessions build on each other. Students are expected to spend 2 hours per week outside of class on reading and research projects. During the course, assignments such as acoustic measurements, multitrack editing, binaural rendering, field recordings, electronic sound creation, etc. will be distributed. In addition, students may prepare and give oral presentations on audio technology or acoustics that will stimulate further discussion on the topic. By successfully completing the examination requirements, students can earn the certificate of achievement (Leistungsnachweis) in media art. No prior knowledge is required and students from all departments are welcome. Please send an email to lschwarz(at)hfg-karlsruhe.de by October 20, 2024. The lecture will be held in English. The number of places is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Week	Date	Topic	Description
1	24.10.	Introduction	Introduction to sound-related arts and audio technology, summary of the course content and objectives
2	31.10.	Vibration and sound	Harmonic motion, sinusoids, sound wave propagation, acoustic measures
3	07.11.	Sound wave properties	Amplitude, effective value, period, phase, frequency, wavelength, speed of sound
4	14.11.	Wave analysis	Time and frequency domain, discrete-time Fourier transform, windowing, spectral representations of signals
5	21.11.	Types of waves and noise	Periodic, stochastic, and impulse signals
6	28.11.	Filter	Filter types and response characteristics, analog and digital filters
7	05.12.	Harmonics and overtone series	Fundamental and overtones, partials, scale of harmonics, tunings, ratios and intervals, formants
8	12.12.	The human hearing	Anatomy and physiology, auditory system, auditory perception, neural encoding,
9	19.12.	Room acoustics and measurements	Wave propagation in the room, modes, surfaces and room shapes, reflection, absorption, diffraction, diffusion
10	09.01.	Psychoacoustics	Speech perception, pitch and loudness, sensitivity and selectivity, masking, subjective elements of hearing, Auditory scene analysis (ASA), auditory illusions
11	16.01.	Sound localization	Binaural hearing, distance perception, stereophonic sound, dummy head recordings, HRTF, cocktail party effect
12	23.01.	Sound and Space	Reverberation time, echo, T60 measurement, reverb in audio production, artificial reverberation and room simulation
13	30.01.	Digital audio	Sampling and reconstruction, quantization, oversampling, dithering, delta-sigma modulation
14	06.02.	Oral presentations	15 minutes long in-class presentations, followed by a short question and answer period
15	13.02.	Discussion	Opportunity for students to engage in exploratory discussion and real-world implications of theory

Learning objectives

• The aim is to develop a basic understanding of the physical and psychophysiological foundations of the phenomenon of sound.

Workload and time investment

• Lectures are held weekly and sessions build on each other. Students are expected to spend 2 hours per week outside of class on reading and research projects.

Prerequisites

• Software install required. Install instructions will be provided during the course: Audacity
  

Further reading and selective bibliography

• Ballou, Glen M. Handbook for Sound Engineers. Elsevier, 2008.
• Beyer, Robert T. Sounds of Our Times: Two Hundred Years of Acoustics. Springer Press, 1998.
• Blauert, Jens. Spatial Hearing: The Psychophysics of Human Sound Localization. MIT Press, 1997.
• Bregman, Albert S. Auditory Scene Analysis. MIT Press, 1999.
• Brixen, Eddy B. Audio Metering: Measurements, Standards and Practice. Routledge, 2020.
• Dickreiter, Michael. Handbuch Der Tonstudiotechnik. Vol. 1 & 2, De Gruyter Saur, 2022.
• Görne, Thomas. Tontechnik. Carl Hanser Verlag, 2006.
• Hartmann, William M. Signals, Sound, and Sensation. Springer, 1998.
• Miranda, Eduardo Reck. Computer Sound Design: Synthesis Techniques and Programming. Focal Press, Elsevier, 2008.
• Morse, Philip M. Vibration and Sound. Acoustical Society of America, 1995.
• Puckette, Miller. The Theory and Technique of Electronic Music Miller Puckette. World Scientific, 2011.
• Roads, Curtis. Composing Electronic Music: a New Aesthetic. Oxford University Press, 2015.
• Siedenburg, Kai, et al. Timbre: Acoustics, Perception, and Cognition. Springer, 2019.
• Smith, Julius O. Spectral Audio Signal Processing. W3K, 2011.
• Valimaki, Vesa, et al. “Fifty Years of artificial reverberation.” IEEE Transactions on Audio, Speech, and Language Processing, vol. 20, no. 5, July 2012, pp. 1421–1448, https://doi.org/10.1109/tasl.2012.2189567.
• Weinzierl, Stefan. Handbuch der Audiotechnik. Springer, 2008.
• Wuttke, Jörg. Mikrofonaufsätze. Eigenverlag Schalltechnik Dr.-Ing. Schoeps GmbH. 2000.
• Yost, William A. Fundamentals of Hearing: An Introduction. Elsevier/Academic Press, 2007.

Academic Calendar Winter Semester 2024-2025

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
October	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu
November	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
December	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue
January	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri
February	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri

Semester start date: October 1, 2024
Introductory week: October 14 - 18, 2024
Instruction begins: October 21, 2024
Instruction ends: February 15, 2025
Semester ends: March 31, 2025
Academic/Administrative holidays: 10/3, 11/1, 12/25, 26/12, 1/1, 1/6,

Certificate guidelines

The table below provides an overview of the certificates outlined in the examination regulations of the Hochschule für Gestaltung. However, the specific certificates available for any given course, seminar, lecture, or workshop depend on the course structure and may vary. Details regarding the certificates applicable to a specific course can be found in the course catalog or should be clarified directly with the course instructor in advance.

	Anwesenheit Attendance	Künstl. Arbeit Artistic Work	Klausur Test	Mündliche Prüfung Oral Examination	Referat mit Folien Presentation with slides	Studien- arbeit Course assignment	Hausarbeit Term paper	Protokoll Essay	Arbeits- dokumentation Documentation of Work
Grundlagen- nachweis	X			(X)		(X)			(X)
Workshop- nachweis	X			(X)		(X)			(X)
Leistungs- nachweis Basislehr- veranstaltung	X		(X)	(X)	(X)	(X)		(X)	(X)
Leistungs- nachweis	X	X							X
Leistungs- nachweis für KIT- und Austausch- studierende	X	(X)	(X)	(X)	(X)	(X)	(X)	(X)	(X)
Fachspezifische Theorie der Medienkunst	X		((X))		X		X
ECTS	2	2-4	2-4	1	1-2	1-2	2-4	1-2	(1)

X: Mandatory for a course certificate.
(X): One or more options are required to fulfill the requirements for a course certificate. Please discuss options with the course instructor.
((X)): If an in-class test is offered at the end of the semester instead of a term paper and a presentation (depends on course design).
If you require more information, please contact your course instructor.

The format for an essay "Basisleistungsschein" and "Leistungsschein" for KIT students or exchange students is about 1200 words or around 5 pages.
The format for an essay "Leistungsschein Fachtheorie Medienkunst" (Term paper) is about 2000 - 2500 words or around 8 - 10 pages plus citations.
You can refer to MLA style, but this is not required.