Midterm 1 Content: Comprehensive Summary

John Cage

A 20th-century American composer known for his experimental music and incorporation of non-traditional sounds.

Prepared Piano

Technique where a piano is altered with objects to create unconventional sounds, famously used by John Cage.

4'33"

John Cage's controversial piece consisting of four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence, highlighting ambient sounds.

Deep Listening

A concept by Pauline Oliveros encouraging mindful awareness of all surrounding sounds.

Soundscape

The acoustic environment as perceived by humans, including both natural and human-made sounds.

Geophony

Sounds produced by non-biological natural sources.

Biophony

Collective sounds generated by living organisms in a habitat.

Anthrophony

Sounds generated by humans, either coherent or incoherent.

Acoustics

The branch of physics that studies sound, including its production, transmission, and effects.

Psychoacoustics

The study of how humans perceive and interpret sounds.

Threshold of Hearing

The quietest sound a human ear can detect, typically around 0 dB SPL.

Decibel (dB)

A logarithmic unit used to express sound intensity.

Wavelength

The spatial period of a wave; the distance over which a wave's shape repeats.

Amplitude

The magnitude of displacement of a sound wave, determining perceived loudness.

Harmonics

Integer multiples of the fundamental frequency that contribute to the timbre of a sound.

Reverberation

The persistence of sound in a space after the original sound is produced.

Echo

A distinct reflection of sound arriving at the listener's ear after a delay.

Cymatics

The study of visible sound and vibration patterns formed by sound waves.

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

Software for recording, editing, mixing, and mastering audio.

Dynamic Range

The difference between the loudest and quietest sounds a system can reproduce.

Phantom Words

An auditory illusion where listeners perceive words in non-speech sounds.

Sampling

The technique of taking a portion of one sound recording to reuse in another.

Binaural Beats

An auditory illusion created when two slightly different frequency tones are played in each ear.