Here are some facts about the sound spectrum. To begin with, a sound spectrum is the representation of a sound regarding the amount of vibration that happens at each individual frequency. The spectrum expresses the frequency composition of the sound. You obtain it by analyzing said sound. Experts show this spectrum as a graph of power or pressure and as a function of frequency. Moreover, they measure it this power or pressure in decibels, while they measure the frequency in Hertz.
Facts About the Sound Spectrum: Measurement Tools
One can measure the sound spectrum with different tools, such as an analog-digital converter, a microphone, or a computer. Since people create most sounds by mixing up complex vibrations, the sound spectrum shows the different frequencies they contain. The audio spectrum is the audible frequency range at which human beings can hear. In addition, each frequency band has a different impact on the total sound.
Back to Basics
The sound spectrum is a set of simple harmonic waves into which you can fix a sound wave. A musical sound’s timbre depends on the sound spectrum. However, keep in mind that a better frequency response doesn’t always translate into better sound quality.
Going back to basics, let’s remember that sounds emerge when something vibrates. When this vibration occurs, it travel through the air. As sound waves and the human ear receives these vibrations, they produce vibration of the eardrums. Because sound is absent in outer space, it needs a medium to travel. When sound is absent, nothing can carry the sound’s vibrations.
Facts About the Sound Spectrum: Types of Sound
There are three types of sounds: inaudible, ultrasonic, and infrasonic. Firstly, inaudible ones are those that aren’t perceivable by the human ear. Secondly, ultrasonic are higher in frequency than audible sounds. Lastly, infrasonic are low-frequency sounds.
The frequency response defines the range of musical tones that a component can reproduce. This response measures if and how well a specific audio element reproduces the audible frequencies while altering the sound signal. In an ideal world, every component in the signal chain should have a flat frequency response. However, this is not always the case. All things said, frequency response has a great impact on how the output sounds.
