Audio, the Sound
Audio refers to the human audio range, which covers the acoustic wave range from 20 cycles per second to 20 kHz. This range is subject to the human hearing characteristic and is strongly age-dependent at the top of the range. The audible upper frequency boarder can sink to 10 kHz and even below for elderly people. Audio contains in general noise, languages and music.
We do not know, what kind of specialized knowledge you have in audio however:
- If you want to know more about audio recording;
- You look for specialized information within the audio sector;
- You look for offers around fully equiped audio systems;
- You look for a partner for an electroacoustic installations;
- or you would like to convince yourselves simply, what audio specialist could offer you.
This is the best address to get an overview of:
- Dealership and supplier within the accustic industry;
- Devices and knowledge for sound recording;
- Devices and knowledge sound publishing;
- Solutions for electroacoustic installations and -systems.
The sound, audio engineering (audio technology)
Audio engineering is the generic term for all techniques of the recording, treatment, rendition and reinforcement of acoustic events. For example language, music and noises under the use of analog and digital sound signals.
We divide the audio engineering into two areas.
Recording technology:
Recording of music, singing or language for direct transmissions (Life events, radio or television) or for the recording on audio carriers for a later use. Thus for example on CD, DVD, hard disk or flash memories.
Reproduction technique, acoustic irradiation technology, PA(Public Adress) technology:
Amplification of music, singing or language with smaller or larger audience, public or private meetings. For example music concerts, road shows, conference, meetings and many more.
Basics, a short overview
In order to be able to work with sound, it is converted first with a transducer (microphone or pick-up) into an electrical sound signal. Pulsating DC voltage delivered by the transducer can be transferred, electro-dynamic recorded or converted.
Typical devices of the audio engineering are microphone, A/D transducer for the digitalization, sound controller (equalizer), dynamic processors and amplifier (compressor, Limiter, expander), fader (delay), resounding equipment and/or space simulators (reverberation), as well as D/A transducers, amplifiers and loudspeakers for the reverse transformation of the worked on digital or analog signals into sound.
The digital or analog mixing console is used for the signal adjustment, mixing, acoustic control and conversion into a target format such as stereo or 5.1-Surround. The mixing console is an electronic device for combining routing and changing the level, and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer. The modified signals (voltages or digital samples) are summed to produce the combined output signals.
For the sound recording, traditionally tape machine (tape or compact cartridge), later also digital magnetic tapes (DAT, DCC and other formats) and magnetooptic digital memories are used. Today however harddisk recorder have replaced most of the previous used equipement.
- If the audio engineering overlaps with other areas such as image technology, still further devices are needed.
The virtual digital tone studio on a PC exists of the mixing console, dynamic and sounds treatment and a HD-recorder. If necessary that equipement is expanded with a sound synthesis and MIDI-sequencer which is called digital audio workstation (DAW). For the notebook with DAW software there is only a need for a multi-chanel A/D and D/A transducers with appropriate amplifiers as well as microphones and loudspeakers connected with USB or FireWire. The by far largest part of modern music production is done with the DAW.
The audio engineering requires, apart from the knowledge of the different devices, fundamental knowledge within the ranges electro-technology, digital technique and acoustics (in particular psychoakustik, room acoustics, electroacoustics). A trained hearing, despite of existing measuring instruments such as a level measurement or correlation criterion, the hearing is in the long run the most crucial instance for quality control.