Recording Classical Music

CHAPTER 1 Soundwaves

Vibrating objects cause the compression and rarefaction of air molecules, and this alternating difference in pressure creates waves of sound (see Figure 1.1). All waveforms with pitch are periodic, which means they have shapes that repeat, and musical instruments generate these periodic soundwaves for every note in their range. A single wavelength consists of a peak (compression of the air molecules) and a trough (rarefaction), and physicists measure wavelength in degrees (as though the wave had been compressed into a circle). A complete cycle lasts 360°, with the peak at 90° and the trough at 270°. Scientists define the time a wave takes to complete one cycle as its period. The simplest waveform, the sine wave, has the ...