Blog What is Sound?
The scientific explanation would be something like:
Changes in atmospheric pressure which causes air molecules to move.
Our ears register this molecular movement or vibration, and our brains interpret it as "sound".
"Sound waves decrease over distance due to a loss of energy."
The one thing we're not going to do is math. As a direct quote from Tony, "I suck at math, so anything that involves math, I'll give you like really basic stuff and I'll be like, that's about as far as we're going with math, because me and math we don't get along!" — and he'll tell you that math isn't really required for this kind of thing, anyway! Besides, different factors determine the size and shape of the sound wave.
For example: when an object is dropped into a body of water, the water is displaced in waves that radiate outwards from the source of impact, moving in an up and down pattern.
Louder sounds can travel farther than quiet sounds, for example, as the factors involved in creating the sounds can have an impact on the size of the sound waves and thus how far those sounds can travel.
Anatomy of a Wave
The picture above shows us both a Longitudinal Wave and a Transverse or Sine Wave (pronounced “sign”). This is essentially the ‘anatomy’ of a sine wave as far as our ears perceive it, and it is made up of four fundamental factors:
In the example shown above, the Longitudinal Wave shows the spread of sound particles as they are emitted from a speaker and are picked up by our ears, and it gives us a visual representation of the molecules within a sound wave as they undergo both compression and rarefaction. Once this wave hits our ears, it is perceived in the order of how the molecules arrive, thus we hear the particles (or wave) alternately at both its most compressed and dispersed states.
The Transverse or Sine Wave provides an alternate or “side view” of this same phenomenon, and this is also a mechanical point-of-view as this is how sounds are displayed in our computer programs and on devices like oscilloscopes, etc.
The term Hertz (Hz) is the unit of frequency that is most commonly used to measure sine waves and musical tones, and is defined as being “one cycle per second”. You will have likely heard the terms “kilohertz” or “megahertz” at some stage, and it is quite likely that this is what-and-why the term was being used.
A “cycle” consists of a single Peak and single Trough, making up 1Hz. Therefore 1,000 cycles = 1kHz (1 kilohertz). We’ll touch on Hertz and frequency again shortly to provide some practical context for the terms.
The Phase of a sound wave is basically “how far along a waveform is in its current cycle”. The scope of this course doesn’t require an in-depth study of the various aspect of an audio phase, but you can find some excellent further reading here. However, to provide a visual aid to support the above definition, please refer to the below graph (found at the same link):
Amplitude – this will be defined in-depth shortly.
When sound waves are combined, we get more complex waves: Phase Amplification - When two waves of equal amplitude and frequency are combined, we get a wave that is DOUBLE in amplitude.
However, if we combine sound waves of equal amplitude and frequency but have opposite states of pressure (compression vs rarefaction) the waves can cancel each other out - Phase Cancellation. This may mean you might get a ‘weak’ or ‘thin’ sound, or no sound at all.
This is more often seen when recording instruments, especially when using two microphones (for example, when recording a guitar or drums). When it comes to voiceover, however, it’s not likely to be something that you’d need to be too vigilant for, but that’s not to say that it cannot happen!
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Voice Acting
Voice Acting 101
As with any profession or trade, it takes time for people to master their craft; voice acting included. A weekend seminar at a famous studio or a week long boot camp ...
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Voice Acting
Voice Acting 201
Over the next 12 classes we will take you on the ride of a lifetime as we put you in the front seat of your emotional rollercoaster. You will work on techniques ...
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Voice Acting
Voice Acting 301
Now that you’ve discovered how to use your instrument properly and how to bring emotional context into your words, it’s time to learn how to put it all together and learn how to act.
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Voice Acting
Narration
There are many forms of narration from corporate, e-learning, tutorials, Documentary, Podcasting, In-Show (Series VO) and more. This course was designed to advance your skills in this lucrative genre.
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Voice Acting
Authentic Commmerical Voiceover
In this course, you will learn how to approach any Commercial script and, by answering a few simple questions, find a voice that is authentic, conversational, friendly, & confident – without having to do any research on power saws.
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Voice Acting
Becoming a VO Solopreneur
Core training of how to's of becoming a solo-preneur in the voice over industry and learn the tools, tricks and techniques of building a solid foundation as a DBA/LLC business in the first year. ...
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Voice Acting
Mastering Characters
Build a recreatable catalog of characters with the ability to perform and sustain them. Gain specialized insights in the animation genre of voiceover along with strategies and tactics to advance your craft ...
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Voice Acting
Business for Voice Actors
The side of voice acting that is seldom taught but is just as important is the business. What price should you charge? What are the advantages you can promote locally, online, and in foreign markets?
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Voice Acting
Audiobook Voice Acting
One of (if not) the fastest growing market segments for voice acting is audio books. It requires you to take on the role both of actor (a full cast!) as well as director, and oftentimes sound editor and proofer!
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Voice Acting
Applied ADR
ADR/Dubbing is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production in which additional or supplementary recordings are synced and mixed with original production sound to create a finished product.
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Audio Engineering
Demo Engineering
This course is designed to assist you through technical production of your own voice over spots that showcase your brand and talents. This voice-specific audio engineering course takes you behind the scenes to lay out step ...
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Audio Engineering
Audio Engineering for Voice Actors
You will be given audio examples and practical projects that relate closely to real-world professional practice. This is a hands on course designed to guide you, step-by-step, along the path to possessing a strong
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Audio Engineering
Advanced Audio Engineering
Post Processing for Voice Actors. Train your ears and improve your mixes. Every voice actor’s home studio has a different acoustic profile, they all use different microphones and interfaces, and ...
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Acting
Improv!
Improvisation is life, literally. You will learn about the fundamentals of short-form improvisation. Through this curriculum, you will gain an abundance of self-confidence, empathy and kindness for ...
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Acting
Improv for Actors
Train your instincts! Improvising is a learnable skill, not just something you’re born with. We will explore beats and instincts and develop skills for listening and being active and reactive ...
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Video Editing
Video Editing For Voice Actors
Do you see video editing as a technical puzzle, form of art, or work of magic? From recording a vlog in your bedroom to the latest Marvel flick, modern storytelling lives and breathes through the audiovisual ...
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Writing
Intro to Writing Professionally
The course is designed to guide participants into creating a productive writing space and habit, develop strong characters, build a cohesive plot, and enter the publishing world with some ...
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Illustration
Creating Manga and Webcomics
Creating Manga and Webcomics will fine tune your art skills and knowledge in preparation for the creation of high quality manga and webcomics. We will go through the steps of understanding themes, building up a ...
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Music Composition 101
This course prepares the student to realize, express and create music for new media including Video Games and Film with a focus on real world skills. Students will prepare a wide variety of compositions in ...