Fundamentals of Audio and Music Engineering: Part 1 Musical Sound & Electronics

Fundamentals of Audio and Music Engineering: Part 1 Musical Sound & Electronics

Instructors: Robert Clark

93,817 already enrolled

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6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

594 reviews

Intermediate level

Some related experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

594 reviews

Intermediate level

Some related experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Students will be able to explain basic concepts of acoustics.
Students will be able to apply the concepts of acoustics to the creation of music and sound.

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

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Assessments

3 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 6 modules in this course

In this course students learn the basic concepts of acoustics and electronics and how they can applied to understand musical sound and make music with electronic instruments. Topics include: sound waves, musical sound, basic electronics, and applications of these basic principles in amplifiers and speaker design.

Introduction to oscillations and sound waves, simple oscillating systems, sound pressure, sound waves, the speed of sound, wavelength, frequency and pitch, sound pressure level, loudness, making sound, properties of musical sound versus “noise”. Electronics fundamentals - charge, current, voltage, power, resistance, Ohm’s law, DC circuits, finding currents and voltages in simple circuits.

What's included

13 videos8 readings

13 videos Total 140 minutes

Rob Clark Introduction 11 minutes
Oscillations in Space and Time 12 minutes
Time and Frequency Domain Representations of Sound 7 minutes
Auditory Perception and Sound Localization 15 minutes
Acoustic Resonance: Helmholtz Resonators 16 minutes
Acoustic Resonance: Loudspeakers 3 minutes
Electrical Charge and Current 13 minutes
Electric Fields and Electric Potential 14 minutes
Electrical Circuits: Kirchoff's Voltage Law 8 minutes
Electrical Circuits: Voltage Dividers 6 minutes
Volume Control and Loudness Perception 7 minutes
Electrical Circuits: Kirchoff's Current Law 14 minutes
Electrical Circuits: Nodal Analysis 14 minutes

8 readings Total 80 minutes

About the Professors 10 minutes
About the Teaching Assistant 10 minutes
Syllabus 10 minutes
Grading and Logistics 10 minutes
Suggested Readings 10 minutes
Building the Amplifier and Ordering the Kit 10 minutes
Complex Number Proficiency Self-Assessment 10 minutes
General Overview 10 minutes

Reflection and absorption of sound, resonances in air columns, resonances in enclosures and rooms, diffraction and diffusion of sound, reverberation, principles of designing a good music studio. AC signals, phase and complex numbers, capacitors, inductors, transformers, impedance, AC circuits and AC circuit analysis, simple filters (high-pass, low-pass, band-pass)

What's included

13 videos1 assignment

13 videos Total 84 minutes

Resonant Modes of a String 6 minutes
Effects of String Parameters on Resonant Modes 7 minutes
Resonant Modes in a Room 5 minutes
Resonant Modes in a Duct 6 minutes
Reverberation and Room Acoustics 8 minutes
Power and Energy 7 minutes
Power and Energy Dissipation in Circuits 10 minutes
Real Voltage and Current Sources 6 minutes
Impedence Matching Derivation 4 minutes
Ideal and Real Current Sources 8 minutes
Operational Amplifiers 6 minutes
Using the OP AMP as a voltage follower 4 minutes
Inverting OP AMP Configuration 5 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Test for Weeks 1 and 2 30 minutes

Transistors, vacuum tubes, opamps, amplification, power gain, single-stage amplifiers. Converting sound to electrical signals –microphones and guitar pickups, converting electrical signals to sound – loudspeakers

What's included

18 videos

18 videos Total 148 minutes

Derivatives 7 minutes
Mathematics: Sample Derivatives and Rules? 5 minutes
The Number e; Derivatives of sin and cos 8 minutes
Simple Harmonic Oscillator 11 minutes
Complex Numbers and Arithmetic 10 minutes
Complex Exponentials and Eulers Formula 12 minutes
Phasors 9 minutes
Capacitors 10 minutes
Transient Analysis of an RC Circuit 9 minutes
Frequency Response of an RC Circuit 5 minutes
Inductors 8 minutes
Transient Response of an RL Circuit 6 minutes
RL Lowpass and Highpass Circuits 6 minutes
Phasors in AC Circuit Analysis 8 minutes
Generalized Impedance 10 minutes
Circuit Analysis Example 9 minutes
Impedance Analysis of RL Circuit 7 minutes
Filters as Frequency Dependant Voltage Dividers 7 minutes

Electric guitar electronics, pickup design, pickup placement and tone, volume control circuits, tone control circuits. Overview of a simple guitar amplifier, power supply, volume control, preamp, tone control, power amp section.

What's included

15 videos1 assignment

15 videos Total 127 minutes

Fourier Series of a Square Wave 12 minutes
Fourier Series of a Triangle Wave 4 minutes
Overtone Spectrums and Fourier Series 9 minutes
Graphical Interpretation of Fourier Series Integrals 7 minutes
Spectral Analysis 7 minutes
Spectral Analysis Examples 10 minutes
Filters applied to Frequency spectra 10 minutes
Construction of a Guitar Pickup 8 minutes
Electrical Model of a Guitar Pickup 9 minutes
Guitar Pickup Analysis Continued (wr Q) 7 minutes
Frequency Response of a Guitar Pickup 7 minutes
Loudspeaker Radiation and Directionality 11 minutes
Loudspeaker Radiation, Continued 8 minutes
Electromechanical Model of a Loudspeaker 9 minutes
Loudspeaker and Transducer Parameters 9 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Test for Weeks 3 and 4 30 minutes

Designing speaker enclosures, basic principles, interaction of speaker driver with the cabinet, why a cabinet at all? Speaker designs for home stereo, crossover networks, guitar amplifier (open) speaker enclosures, bass amplifier (closed and vented) speaker enclosures.

What's included

8 videos

Building the guitar amplifier, how to solder, getting the amp to work - systematic testing and troubleshooting. Visualizing sound waves, frequency content and tone, signal modification in electro-acoustic systems, tube amplifiers and distortion, wah pedal, talk box.

What's included

14 videos1 assignment

14 videos Total 128 minutes

Volume and Tone Control 10 minutes
Tone Control and Pickup Analysis 8 minutes
Tone Control and Pickup Analysis, Continued 8 minutes
RLC Bandpass Filters 9 minutes
Graphic Equalizers and Octave Filter Banks 6 minutes
Graphic Equalizer Simulation 10 minutes
Wah Pedal Circuit Analysis 9 minutes
Wah Pedal Circuit Analysis, Continued 12 minutes
Design Overview and Tone Control Analysis 12 minutes
Tone Control Analysis Continued 3 minutes
Distortion Stage Analysis 11 minutes
Distortion Stage Analysis, Continued 11 minutes
Cabinet Design for the Guitar Amplifier 7 minutes
Practical Considerations in Constructing the Amplifier 14 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Final Exam 30 minutes

Instructors

Instructor ratings

(107 ratings)

Robert Clark

University of Rochester

1 Course 93,817 learners

Mark Bocko

University of Rochester

1 Course 93,817 learners

Offered by

University of Rochester

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Reviewed on Jan 11, 2021

Really felt great to know many technical things about sound , mostly requuired to make and reproduce good quality music

Reviewed on Oct 20, 2016

Excellent Course. I can't wait for part 2 after this course. Thank you to instruction for sharing their experience and knowledge with us.

Reviewed on Nov 27, 2017

very nice course to learn new something about the fundamentals of audio and music engineering, musicalsounds and eloctronics

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