John

Kallen 3 October 11 Fundamentals of Technology Langdon Crawford Procedure 1. Obtain the following materials - A to XLR cable - JBL Eon monitor and power cable - RadioShack Sound Pressure Meter - Mackie mixer - Max/MSP

2. Connect the Mackie mixer to the JBL monitor via the to XLR cable using the phono output on the mixer and turn the speaker on 3. Run a pure sine wave from Max/MSP to the speaker via the mixer. 4. An example of a sine wave generator in Max/MSP:

5. Place the JBL speaker in directly in front of the wall (approximately 9 ft away from the ceiling, but no more than 1 inch away from the closest wall) 6. Place the SPL meter on a chair 12 inches from the ground and 1.5 feet from the JBL speaker. 7. Send a sine wave at 220 Hz from Max to the speaker and observe the SPL meter. 8. Record the SPL at 220 Hz and 1.5 feet away from the speaker. 9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 at 3ft away from the speaker and 6ft away from the speaker. 10. Repeat steps 7-9 at 440 Hz and 783 Hz.

Kallen 2 Analysis, Discussion, and Questions We encounter sound pressure every moment of every day. The fluctuations

in air pressure are a key component of acoustical waveforms. Knowledge of the relationship between sound pressure level (SPL) and the distance from the source can be incredibly helpful in a studio. Ideally, sound pressure is inversely proportional to the radius of a sound source. However, this is only accurate in anechoic sound fields in which zero reverberation takes place. In a realistic space, such as Studio E, an SPL meter will receive the original wave as well as constructive and destructive interference of the reflections off of the surrounding walls, floor and ceiling. This poses a dilemma for a studio engineer hoping to choose a microphone placement ideal for capturing the highest sound pressure possible. The engineer must avoid dead spots in the room in which high phase cancelation occurs and might also want to avoid places in which positive wave construction takes place that alters the wave in an undesirable manner. Charlie (Charlie Danner and I worked together on the SPL experiment. He ran max and recorded the data while I set up the speaker and moved the SPL meter) and I discovered, that in studio B the rate at which sound pressure decreased as distance increased varied with frequency. At a higher frequency, we saw the most dramatic decrease in SPL (5dB to -5dB over 5.5 feet). At the lower frequency we saw the least dramatic decrease in SPL (1.5dB to - 9dB over 5.5 feet). Thus, according to our findings, in studio E, the higher the frequency, the larger the SPL dynamic range when varying distance. Our findings are backed with limited knowledge as the results of our testing provide us limited evidence. Our tests are also limited to the space in which we performed them,

Kallen 3 because there may have been resonant frequencies in the room. All these factors affect the results and limit the confidence of our findings. Data Records Distance of SPL meter from JBL Eon Speaker Frequency (Hz) 220 Hz 440 Hz 783 Hz 1.5 ft away -4 dB 1.5 dB 5 dB 3 ft away -5 dB -1 dB -2 dB 6 ft away -9 dB -4 dB -5 dB

Comparing Distance (1) and SPL (dB) at Variable Frequencies

6 Sound Pressure Level (dB) 4 2 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 -10 Distance (ft) 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 220 Hz 440 Hz 783 Hz

Conclusion Sound pressure plays an integral role in the recording process and a well-

versed knowledge of its behavior is highly advantageous to an aspiring engineer or studio technician. SPL is often related to loudness in the recording process.

Kallen 4 Loudness and input level are commonplace factors dealt with on a daily basis in a studio. Basic knowledge of SPL behavior will help one choose microphone placement in the live room and aid in avoiding peaks in a performance. The experiment showed that ideal formulas for relationships in acoustics dont always apply in real life situations. For example, the addition of unwanted sound in studio E, such as sounds outside of the studio (coming mostly from the surrounding studios) and our own voices affected the sound pressure level. Also, reverberation of the sine waves in the room caused resonant frequencies and phase cancelation. These are all important factors to isolate, study, and observe because one will most certainly encounter them in the studio. Acknowledgements: I worked with Charlie Danner on the experiment in studio E.