Definitions Flashcards
Loudness -
Perceived loudness
How loud the sound is perceived. Scale: Soft – Loud
Dynamics -
Attack
Transient response.
Specifies whether the drum beats and percussion, etc. are accurate and clear i.e. if you can hear the actual strokes from drumstick, the plucking of the strings etc. it is also expressed as the ability to reproduce each audio source transients cleanly and separated from the rest of the sound image.
Imprecise Attack is understood as unclear or a muted impact.
Scale: Imprecise – Precise
Dynamics -
Bass Precision
Are instrument impacts from the bass drum and bass precise, crisp and without distortion, are the impacts tight and well defined?
Bass precision may be defined as Attack in the bass region. Imprecise means that the attack speeds in time and the peak of the impact is softened.
Scale: Imprecise – Precise
Dynamics -
Punch
Specifies whether the strokes on drums and bass are reproduced with clout, almost as if you can feel the blow.
The ability to effortlessly handle large volume excursions without compression (compression is heard as level variations that are smaller than one would expect from the perceived original sound).
Scale: A little – A lot
Dynamics -
Powerful
The ability to handle high sound levels, especially when striking the drums and bass. Indicates whether the Punch, Attack and Bass precision are maintained at high volume.
Scale: A little – A lot
Spatial -
Spatial extent -
Balance
Is the soundstage skewed to one side (left or right) or is it centred in the middle?
Spatial -
Spatial extent -
Envelopment
Degree of being surrounded by a source, scene or ensemble. Typically, envelopment is associated with a scene.
Scale: Not enveloping – Completely enveloping
Being surrounded by reverberation would be considered highly enveloping. Being surrounded by a large number of dry sources may also be highly enveloping. This may be heard when standing and listening to the rain hitting the pavement. Envelopment may occur with reverberation or other aspects of the scene such as applause in a concert hall, atmosphere or air conditioning (room tone). Holes (an absence of sound from a certain directions) in the reproduction would normally reduce envelopment.
Envelopment may be subdivided in horizontal and vertical envelopment
Spatial -
Spatial extent -
Width
The perceived extent of a sound source, ensemble or scene from side to side. A narrow (or a wide) source may be perceived in any direction seen from the listener, i.e. in front of the listener, or to their side, above them or anywhere around them.
Scale: Narrow – wide
A single talker in a dry environment might be perceived as narrow. An organ in a church may be perceived as wide.
Spatial -
Spatial extent -
Depth
The radial extent of source, scene or ensemble from the listener (in any direction away from the listener).
Scale: Shallow- Deep
A talker in a dry acoustic environment may be perceived as having no or little depth. A crowd in a stadium has depth. The sounds of the crowd are simultaneously occurring close to and far from the listener.
Spatial -
Localization -
Distance
How far a sound source, ensemble or scene is perceived from the listener.
Scale: Near – Far
Hearing a person talking close to a listener in a park may be perceived as near, whereas a person at a large distance may be perceived as far.
Spatial -
Localization -
Internality
The distinctness to which a sound source, ensemble or scene is perceived in-side the head. Distinctly internal means that a sound is unambiguous perceived within the head. Distinctly external means that a sound is unambiguous perceived outside the head. If it is ambiguous whether the sound is perceived to be inside or outside of the head, the internality is Indistinct.
Scale: Distinctly internal- Indistinct- Distinctly external
A dry sample played equally to both ears over headphone may be perceived inside the head Naturally occurring sounds are generally perceived externally.
Spatial -
Localization -
Localizability
The degree of precision to which the position and extent of a source or ensemble can be identified. This attribute is typically associated with sources or ensembles, rather than scenes. For a spatially imprecise sound the listener may be unable to identify the position (and extend) of the source or ensemble For a spatially precise sound, the listener can confidently state the position and extend of the source or ensemble.
Scale: Imprecise – Precise
A clap in a dry environment may be spatially precise. Listening to rain fall in a forest maybe spatially imprecise.
Spatial -
Environment -
Reverberance
Reverberance is the percept of reverberation. The sound that persists after the source has stopped. May be caused by environmental reflections and scattering or artificially generated. Reverberance is most noticeable when a short impulsive sounds stop. However this will also be perceived with continuous sources, such as an orchestra playing in a concert hall or a cathedral.
Scale: Dry – Highly reverberant
Highly reverberant sounds can be experienced in large spaced such as cathedrals, caves, etc. Dry spaces are often small furnished spaces such as living rooms or spaces outdoor without reflecting objects.
Reverberance may be subdivided into “Level of reverberance” and “Duration of reverberance”
Level of reverberance:
The level of the sound that persists after the source has stopped relative to the level of the source. Scale: Low – high
Reverberance is most noticeable when a short impulsive sounds stop. This will also be perceived with continuous sources, such as an orchestra playing in a concert hall or a cathedral.
If a singer is close to the listener in a church the level of reverberance would be low. If the listener is far from the singer in a church, the level of reverberance would be high. Furthermore, in a dry room the level of reverberance would also be low.
Duration of reverberance:
Describes the length of time the sounds takes to decay to an imperceptible level, after the source has stopped. Duration of reverberance is most easily judged when a short impulsive sound stops. Duration of reverberance may also be judged with continuous sources, such as an orchestra playing in a concert hall or a cathedral. Scale: Short – long
A short reverberation duration may be experienced in a small room. A long reverberation decay can be experienced in a cathedral.
