For this project we were tasked with recording and providing 4-5 sounds using any recorder we saw fit. Once the sounds were recorded we had to analyze and explain them using the terms we had covered during the previous sessions of this module. These terms were also to be collated and listed in as a "Glossary of Terms" in a subpage from our Project 1 page. My partner for this project was Mushin.

The recorders, DAWs & analyzers used:

• Ableton 10 Live

• Spectrum (Ableton 10 Live factory plug-in)

• iPhone 12 Mini

The sounds that were record:

This sound was recorded in the SAE foyer room which has some pretty impressive reverb. The transient for this sound hits around the 1,000 hz mark on the frequency graph and has a weak reverb after. It's unclear to tell exactly where the fundamental frequency is due to how diverse the sound spreads across the frequency graph, but I feel there are two different sounds that are at play.
There is the thud from the shoe which hits around 1000 hz mark so it is a little difficult to single out the fundamental frequency of the thud, as it doesn't necessarily have much harmonic content.
The screech on the other hand has a lot of harmonic data that is displayed on the frequency graph. On the graph it's showing that the fundamental frequency is around 4,200 hz (C8 is the closest note) which is at such a high pitch that the first and second harmonic that follow at 8,400 hz and at 12,600 hz are not really recognizable due to the limitations of our dynamic range.

There is a reverb that is present in both sounds, though the amplitude is in different frequencies. The amplitude of the sound varies but usually stays between 48 db and 78 db throughout the length of the sound. When the thud hits the amplitude rises to around 48-50 db whereas, the amplitude of the screech jolts up to 25 db. Due to the coeffiecies in the room the reflections of the reverb are quite imposing. The screech has a reverb that carries into the high frequencies and the thud has a very low end frequency for it's reverb. These are all due to the tiles which the shoes are contacting with having a very reflective surface.

Regarding the acoustic envelope of the sound, the screech transient has the highest amplitude with the fastest attack and decay. The sustain of the screech is mostly due to the room giving it a very prominent reverb that if not for the other subsequent screech's it would have taken a long time for the tail end of the reverb to release. The thud has a quick attack however, it's got a longer decay and you can really hear the low end of the reverb.

We recorded a strike against the metal cylinder tank of the fire extinguisher in the SAE foyer. The amplitude of the transient is very loud, hot and has quite bright characteristics to it. On the frequency graph you can see that there are two parts to this sound that share similarities in amplitude and frequency but, they behave quite differently.

Starting with the fundamental frequency ,that comes in at around 1,300 hz, it's a very acute, bright and sharp peak which gives way to complex harmonics. The first harmonic comes in around 2,600 to 2,700 hz (E7) and the second harmonic 3,900 hz (B7). The harmonic content is mostly in the higher frequencies past 1,000 hz.

Compared to the previous sound the reverb isn't as noticeable and that is probably due to the fact that the sound is situated on one side of the room therefore the reflections travel longer and are weaker when they return back to the microphone. In saying that, the reverb is still a main characteristic of this sound as the room does amplify the reverb on the higher end of the frequency spectrum.

Probably the most interesting part of this sound would be the co-efficients of the metal cylinder tank of the fire extinguisher. Due to the metal cylinder tank being hollow and metal it doesn't absorb the sound waves but instead trapping the sound, and transmitting it through the cylinder emitting a very resonant and sustained peak in frequency. The fact that the object does not have much volume would attribute to why this sound reacted and sounded the way it did.

The attack time for when the sound goes to it's first full peak of amplitude is a very fast one but due to the acoustics in the room coupled with the sustained peak from the vibrating of the metal cylinder the decay time is longer. As the wave form below shows, you can see that the sound has a very long sustained part. If the sound didn't have continuous knocks in it, it would probably have a longer release as well.

The recording is of Mushin knocking on the shipping container in Yagan Square. There is a somewhat of an even distribution of amplitude across the mid lows, mids and mid high frequencies. The sound is not as bright and sharp as some of the other sounds.

After analyzing it, I have determined that the fundamental frequency is at 170hz (E3), the first harmonic is around 340 hz (E4) and the third harmonic being 510 hz (E5) so on so fourth. The harmonics are in the higher frequencies I think due to the metal not being thick. The sound isn't as complex as the others as there is very little reflections being reflected compared to the Foyer room the others were in due to the co-efficient properties. The volume of this object is very large there for the timbre or tonal color of it is different to the fire extinguisher for example which has a much smaller volume and thicker metal.

The entire acoustic envelope has a very high quick attack, decay, sustain and release. amplitude in the low ends, transient in the mid lows

The sound we recorded here was someone in one of the SAE hallways rolling up a cellophane like material. This sound is hard to analyze and describe as it is very complex and there isn't a strike or hit of direct energy to measure. When analyzing this sound, I would ague that there is a a transient at all as there isn't an initial peak in amplitude at the beginning of the sound.

There are a lot of different elements to this sound so it is difficult to determine the fundamental frequency of this continuous sound, even though there is a lot going on in the 1,000 hz to 10,000 hz frequency range. The sound is quite aggressive and distorted in the mids to the high frequency range giving it a very bright and metallic texture. There is no reverb that I can hear due to the reflections being absorbed by the carpet of the hallway and possibly the walls (I am unsure of their co-efficient characteristic). There are also open door ways to which the reflected sound waves can transfer through. This sound was the most difficult for me to analyze. Talk about the room and reflections

This final sound was recorded at the garage door just outside the SAE foyer. After listening to the sound I've determined that this is a piece of audio that also has two different sounds together just like the shoe screech. The first part of this piece would be the initial knock on the garage door which is in the lower end of the frequencies at 152 hz. The second part to the audio would be the transient that hits around the 2,300 hz range in the frequency table.

The fundamental frequency for the initial hit of the door (the thud) is sitting around 80 hz (E2), the second harmonic following in at 160hz and, the third harmonic at around at 240 hz. Like the screech it is a little harder to identify the fundamental frequency along with it's harmonics. There is a peak at the frequency level of 177 hz which I had initially thought was part of the harmonics, but after closer inspection I can hear it is most likely the slow attack of a sound in the distance.

For the fundamental frequency of the some what metal sound hitting in the higher frequencies, it was a little easier to identify. Sitting around 2,400 hz (C7), it has a harmonic content of 4,800 hz for the second harmonic and 7,200 hz for the third harmonic.

As the material is quite reflective but wasn't exactly sturdy when the strike hit the door the energy was completely reflected off the surface and through the air. As this was outside there was not a measurable reverb that came back. The thud seemed to be partially absorbed by the material of the door and spread through out the mass of the door, giving it a very punchy character to it.

For the sound that's in the higher frequencies the material seemed to have very reflective and transmittable co-efficients/attributes. The sound of the metal vibrating in the high frequencies is just noticeable and if it were in an environment with other reflective surfaces the reverb would be quite noticeable. It has a very short decay.

Finally regarding the acoustic envelope the transient has a very quick attack time, a short decay and sustain time and very long release time.