Psychoacoustics
Psychoacoustics is the study of how humans perceive sound — the relationship between the physical properties of a sound wave and the subjective experience of hearing it.
Key Phenomena
Loudness — perceived volume does not scale linearly with amplitude. Small changes at low volumes are far more noticeable than the same changes at high volumes.
Pitch — perceived frequency is non-linear. A musical octave doubles frequency, but we hear each octave as an equal step.
Timbre — the quality that distinguishes two sounds at the same pitch and loudness. It is why a violin and a flute sound different.
Related
Linked from
- Foley ArtFoley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects added to film, video, and other media in post-production.
- ListeningHearing is the passive reception of sound waves by the auditory system — it happens automatically. Listening is an active, intentional act of directed attention.
- MappingMapping is the design decision of how one parameter space connects to another — how an input drives an output.
- SoundSound is a mechanical wave — a vibration that propagates through a medium (air, water, solid matter) as a series of compressions and rarefactions.
- GlossaryKey technical and conceptual terms used in this course.
- Week 2Audiocumentaries + Sound Taxonomy28 Apr