Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [sound]

Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through some medium (like air or water), composed of frequencies which are within the range of hearing.

Vibrations or pressure waves that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person's or animal's ear.

Generally considered to be between 20Hz and 20kHz.

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Why can't drums produce melody?

A note is a vibration at a certain frequency. A drum produces a tone with a certain pitch much like a string percussed with a mallet. Why is a drum unfit for playing a melody while a string inside a piano (or any other melodic instrument) is very…
Three Diag
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How necessary is a USB Audio Interface?

I'm currently recording songs on my computer and the quality of my microphone is awful and the microphone is very quiet. That doesn't surprise me, because it's a 20$ karaoke microphone... I got into a shop and wanted to look for a new microphone.…
muffin
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Why does violin sound differently after playing on it for some time?

I have heard from some of my friends that when you have "fresh" violin, they sound different(presumably, worse) than after playing on it for some time(e.g. half a year). Is this statement true? If so, how does it work? I would imagine that sound of…
MatthewRock
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Are sharp keys "bright" and flat keys "dark"?

I was reading this book and on the "Circle of Fifths" chapter, it claims that keys with sharp key signatures (C, G, D, ...) are "often thought by musicians" to be "bright" sounding, whereas those with flat key signatures (F, Bb, Eb, ...) sound…
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What is the difference between mono and stereo?

I've always wondered what the difference between the two is, and sometimes (games, movie players, etc), you are given a choice of mono or stereo sound. I toggle both but don't hear any difference. So, how do they actually differ?
Zaenille
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What are the advantages of WAV vs. MP3?

Being an electronic music producer, file format is something I have to consider at some point. I usually export my songs as .wavs and then convert them to .mp3s later (since they are smaller than .wavs). But can someone tell me which is better…
manejar
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How can I tell when music is live and not recorded?

I was walking past a bar the other day and heard music coming out. I could immediately tell that the music was live, being played in the bar at that moment. This is something I have often noticed, I can tell whether music is recorded or being played…
terdon
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Electronic drums in apartment

I'm a drummer and recently moved into an apartment with high ceilings and hardwood floors. I have a Roland TD-4. I've been researching for ways to be able to practice quietly without disturbing my neighbors. I'm sure if I used all mesh heads that…
wwwuser
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Why do two identical notes never cancel each other out?

If we consider a note as a sine function with a certain frequency (ignoring timbre), if you start playing another sine function, even with the same frequency but starting at a different offset, assuming the result is just a sum of the individual…
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What is the reason a given note can have different "sounds"

People, instruments, objects, etc. all are capable of producing "sounds" that sound different (not sure the proper term for this) but can produce the same note. Given that sound can be represented with an oscillating wave, and the wider the peaks…
Ryan Griffith
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Musical systems with more than 12 notes

From what I remember of music theory, all music (at least Western music) boils down to scales that revolve around the 12 notes (circle of fourths/fifths). I know there are scales in different regions that have different combinations of those notes…
Lance
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How can I hear what a mathematical function sounds like?

I'm working on differential equations homework right now, and I just came across a solution to a problem that has the form: I graphed the function with my computer and it has an interesting waveform that I want to hear. Is there a way I can do…
Matt D
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Why do F#6 and higher notes ring more than F6 and lower notes?

I learned Overworld Theme 2 from Super Mario Bros. 3 a few years ago, which features the nice bright high notes of A6, G6, and F6: I noticed on my 80 year old upright piano that the A and G rang out almost as if I was holding the pedal (they just…
user28
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How Can I Replicate The Sound Of An Instrument?

I have experience of basic music theory, guitar and piano. My current project involves creating a computer program that can replicate the sounds of any given instrument (starting with piano). I can quite easily play the correct notes and chords, but…
Shane Hudson
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How did baroque music sound at the time?

Historical context Let's for example consider Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 (click here to enjoy). It was composed at the very beginning of the 18th century in Germany. At that time: Architecture of concert rooms was not as sophisticated as…
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