Acoustics ARCH 255 - Liapu Wasif 8 10

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4. Acoustical Measurement
Sound Level Meter SLM
a. Construction of Sound Level Meter
• An example of a sound level meter is shown in Fig. 2.1. An omnidirectional

microphone converts the sound
pressure into an electrical voltage,
which is amplified, passes through a
frequency-weighting network that
approximates to the ear's
characteristics, and causes an indicator
to respond.
• The measured value is obtained by
summing the coarse value set by the
attenuator and the value of the meter
deflection shown in Fig. 2.1.
b. Frequency Weighting
• Frequency-weighting networks approximate the frequency response of the ear. 'A' and
'C weighting responses are shown in Fig. 2.2; a flat response is added in precision
sound level meters. Frequency-weightings 'A' and 'C’ are internationally standardized
to approximate the 40 and 100-phon curves.
• The measured value dBA using frequency-weighting 'A' is regarded as a close
approximation to the noise level perceived by human ears.
• The value dBC using frequency-weighting 'C' is taken as an approximate value of the
sound pressure level based on the flat weighting characteristic.
‘A’- close to perception of human ear. dBA ‘C’-

flat weighting characteristics. dBC
c. Time Weighting
• The detector-indicator gives the r.m.s.value of the signal, with 'F' (fast) and 'S' (slow)
time-weighting characteristics.
• The averaging circuit has two time constants: 125 ms for 'F' and 1000 ms for 'S' (see
Section 10.2E).
‘F’- Fast response time 125 ms
‘S’- Slow response time 1000 ms
d. Frequency Analysis
Performed by band filter, which passes only a particular frequency range.
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Fig. Acoustic spectrogram. Note G played on piano. The vertical axis represents frequency
linearly, from 0 to 10 kHz. The horizontal axis represents time over an interval of 1.5 s.
5. Fundamentals of sound perception
• Psycho-acoustics deals with the physical structure of the ear, the sound pathway, the
perception of sound, and their interrelationships
A) Range of human perception (Frequency and intensity)
Hearing, or audition, depends on the presence of sound waves, which travel much more
slowly than light waves. Sound Waves are changes in pressure generated by vibrating
molecules. The physical characteristics of sound waves influence the three psychological
features of sound: loudness, pitch, and timbre.
➢ Loudness
o Depends on the Amplitude, or height, of sound waves.
o The greater the amplitude, the louder the sound perceived.
o Amplitude is measured in decibels.
o The absolute threshold of human hearing is defined as 0 decibels.
o Loudness doubles with every 10-decibel increase in amplitude.
o The loudness of normal human conversation is about sixty decibels. A
whisper is about twenty decibels. A shout right into someone’s ear is about
115 decibels. Being exposed to sounds that are over 120 decibels, even for
brief periods, can damage the auditory system.
➢ Pitch,
o Though influenced by amplitude, depends most on the frequency of sound
waves. Frequency is the number of times per second a sound wave
cycles from the highest to the lowest point.
o The higher the frequency, the higher the pitch.
o Frequency is measured in hertz, or cycles per second
o Frequency also affects loudness, with higher-pitched sounds being
perceived as louder.
o Amplitude and frequency of sound waves interact to produce the
experiences of loudness and pitch.
➢ Timbre,
o Or the particular quality of a sound,
o depends on the Complexity of a sound wave.
o A pure tone has sound waves of only one frequency.
o Most sound waves are a mixture of different frequencies.
• The human auditory field corresponds to a specific band of frequencies and a

specific range of intensities, perceived by our ear.
• Acoustic vibrations outside of this field are not considered as "sounds", even if
they can be perceived by other animals.
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• Frequency Range:
➢ Human ear perceives frequencies between 20 Hz (lowest pitch) to 20 kHz
(highest pitch).
➢ All sounds below 20 Hz are qualified as infrasound’s, although some
animals (ex. mole-rat, or elephant) are hearing them
➢ All sounds above 20 Hz are qualified as ultrasounds
• Intensity Range:
➢ The human ear has a dynamic range of intensity from 0dB (threshold) to 120-
130 dB.
➢ This is true for the middle frequency range (1-2 kHz).
➢ For lower or higher frequencies, the dynamic is narrowed.
➢ However, all sounds above 90 dB are damaging the inner ear and even
doing irreversible damage above 120 dB.
• Summary
➢ Sound Pressure Level: 0 dB - 120 dB
➢ Frequency: 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz (20 kHz)
B) Human Auditory Field
• The human auditory field (green) is limited by the threshold curve (frequency) and
a curve giving the upper limit of sound perception (intensity).
• At each frequency, between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, the threshold of our sensitivity is
different.
o The best threshold (at around 2 kHz) is close to 0 dB.
o It is also in this middle range of frequencies that the sensation dynamics is
the best (120 dB).
• The conversation area (dark green) demonstrates the range of sounds most
commonly used in human voice perception
o When hearing loss affects this area, communication is altered.
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Sound Level Meter SLM

a. Construction of Sound Level Meter

• An example of a sound level meter is shown in Fig. 2.1. An omnidirectional

‘A’- close to perception of human ear. dBA ‘C’-

Performed by band filter, which passes only a particular frequency range.

5. Fundamentals of sound perception

A) Range of human perception (Frequency and intensity)

• The human auditory field corresponds to a specific band of frequencies and a

B) Human Auditory Field

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