Can someone explain what exactly acousticians, or anyone for that matter, listen to when they clap in a studio or control room?
I got the basics, such as flutter echos, too much ring or liveness but is there a way of knowing you are in a sweet room by the sound of the clap? Can you give details on how to train the ear aside from experience?
The effects of clap?
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knightfly
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lovecow
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Steve: A shorter flutter echo is usually heard as a "buzz" or "ring". According to Newell, parallel surfaces separated by less than about 25 feet will not "flutter," but will "ring" instead.
Studio: The main reason acousticians clap is because it's a very cheap impulse response. Granted, a hand clap does not (usually) contain a whole lot of low end. However, one can get a feel for how a space performs with simple handclap tests. This is particularly useful if one's intention is to measure the space. If you clap and hear a flutter echo, you will want to measure that effect to confirm the offending surfaces, range of frequencies, etc.
A "good sounding" handclap will produce either no decay (dead room) or a smooth, uniform decay (live room). I would suggest two ways to listen to a "good" handclap:
• Find a large, cathedral-like church in your neighborhood. Go in there and clap. If the surfaces are sufficiently non-parallel and/or broken up by ornate trim and decor, you should here a nice, smooth decay, free of flutter, ring, or other anomalies.
• Don your headphones, hook up a good dynamic mic through your favoritve digital reverb and listen to your claps on something like a "large room" setting. Digital reverbs are typically designed to specifically omit flutter and other anomalies. Repeating this procedure with other reverb settings is probably a great way to acclimate your ears to "good" reverb. One note of caution, though: If the room in which you are clapping has its own acoustical anomalies, they will be audible in your headphones as reverberated anomalies.
Best regards,
Jeff D. Szymanski
Chief Acoustical Engineer
Auralex Acoustics, Inc.
Studio: The main reason acousticians clap is because it's a very cheap impulse response. Granted, a hand clap does not (usually) contain a whole lot of low end. However, one can get a feel for how a space performs with simple handclap tests. This is particularly useful if one's intention is to measure the space. If you clap and hear a flutter echo, you will want to measure that effect to confirm the offending surfaces, range of frequencies, etc.
A "good sounding" handclap will produce either no decay (dead room) or a smooth, uniform decay (live room). I would suggest two ways to listen to a "good" handclap:
• Find a large, cathedral-like church in your neighborhood. Go in there and clap. If the surfaces are sufficiently non-parallel and/or broken up by ornate trim and decor, you should here a nice, smooth decay, free of flutter, ring, or other anomalies.
• Don your headphones, hook up a good dynamic mic through your favoritve digital reverb and listen to your claps on something like a "large room" setting. Digital reverbs are typically designed to specifically omit flutter and other anomalies. Repeating this procedure with other reverb settings is probably a great way to acclimate your ears to "good" reverb. One note of caution, though: If the room in which you are clapping has its own acoustical anomalies, they will be audible in your headphones as reverberated anomalies.
Best regards,
Jeff D. Szymanski
Chief Acoustical Engineer
Auralex Acoustics, Inc.
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StudioInProgress
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Interesting stuff, I've have to give it a try.
I'm not hearing any anomalies or echoes or anything but then again I have about 50 mineral wool panels sitting on my floor awaiting installation. I also have a bunch of "Auralex" Lenrds & foam pads sitting around too. Glad to see someone here from the big "A".
Now to perfect my clap. I have a rather good one!
I'm not hearing any anomalies or echoes or anything but then again I have about 50 mineral wool panels sitting on my floor awaiting installation. I also have a bunch of "Auralex" Lenrds & foam pads sitting around too. Glad to see someone here from the big "A".
Now to perfect my clap. I have a rather good one!
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knightfly
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Jeff, musta missed that jewel but not surprised - gotta lotta pages left to burn in Newell's books yet - Nice weather sorta gets in the way of reading time. Guess this may be a matter of semantics in a way, I've heard other acousticians refer to flutter between panes of glass, which were a lot closer than 25 feet apart.
Studio - Be sure to keep an ample supply of antibiotics around when perfecting your "clap"...
Studio - Be sure to keep an ample supply of antibiotics around when perfecting your "clap"...
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John Sayers
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I was wondering if "the clap" is a universal term -
knightfly
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Apparently it is, but I've no idea of the origin - here's what Am. Heritage says -
"clap2 (kl²p) n. Vulgar Slang. Gonorrhea. Often used with the. [Probably from obsolete French clapoir, bubo, from Old French clapier, brothel, from Old Provençal, rabbit warren, from clap, heap of stones, perhaps of Celtic origin.]"
Shoulda known it was French...
"clap2 (kl²p) n. Vulgar Slang. Gonorrhea. Often used with the. [Probably from obsolete French clapoir, bubo, from Old French clapier, brothel, from Old Provençal, rabbit warren, from clap, heap of stones, perhaps of Celtic origin.]"
Shoulda known it was French...
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giles117
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StudioInProgress
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Hey Guys,
Here's the definition I came up with and yes it is "Univeral" and has not bondaries. It's funny how like acoustics it has symptoms, is transmitted and can be tested and treated just like a room!
Here it is:
Gonorrhea/Clap
Gonorrhea also known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted bacterial disease, which differs in males and females.
Symptoms
The symptoms in males include a yellowish discharge from the penis, which causes painful, frequent urination. Symptoms can develop from two to thirty days after infection. A few percent of infected men have no symptoms. The infection may move into the prostate, seminal vesicles, and epididymis, causing pain and fever. Untreated, gonorrhea can lead to sterility.
Less than half the women with gonorrhea show any symptoms, or symptoms so mild they just ignore. Early symptoms include a discharge from the vagina, some discomfort in the lower abdomen, irritation of the genitals, pain or burning during urination and some abnormal bleeding. Women, who leave these symptoms untreated, develop severe complications. The infection will usually spread to the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, causing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). Gonorrhea is the most common cause of female infertility.
Some early symptoms of this infection are lower abdomen pain, fever, nausea, and pain during intercourse.
In both men and women if gonorrhea is left untreated, it may spread throughout the body, affecting joints and even heart valves.
Treatment
There is treatment for gonorrhea, since it is a bacterial infection, and the name of the drug is Ceftriaxone.
Transmission
The bacterium that causes gonorrhea can be passed through intercourse, anal sex, and cunnilingus. The transmission is by contact of fluids from mucous membranes of infected people and it usually is through sexual activity. Most frequently, these bacteria infect the man's urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen through the penis, and the woman's cervix, the canal into the uterus.
Testing
There are two types of testing to show if you have gonorrhea. One is called gram strain, which is usually more accurate for men then for women. The test consists of placing a smear of the discharge on a slide that has a dye in it and when examined under a microscope shows the presence of gonorrhea.
The next test is a culture test, this one is usually used to tell if women have gonorrhea or not. It involves taking a sample of the discharge and placing it on a culture plate to incubate for two days, to allow the bacteria to multiply. Cervical samples are more accurate, to tell if the woman has gonorrhea or not.
Here's the definition I came up with and yes it is "Univeral" and has not bondaries. It's funny how like acoustics it has symptoms, is transmitted and can be tested and treated just like a room!
Here it is:
Gonorrhea/Clap
Gonorrhea also known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted bacterial disease, which differs in males and females.
Symptoms
The symptoms in males include a yellowish discharge from the penis, which causes painful, frequent urination. Symptoms can develop from two to thirty days after infection. A few percent of infected men have no symptoms. The infection may move into the prostate, seminal vesicles, and epididymis, causing pain and fever. Untreated, gonorrhea can lead to sterility.
Less than half the women with gonorrhea show any symptoms, or symptoms so mild they just ignore. Early symptoms include a discharge from the vagina, some discomfort in the lower abdomen, irritation of the genitals, pain or burning during urination and some abnormal bleeding. Women, who leave these symptoms untreated, develop severe complications. The infection will usually spread to the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, causing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). Gonorrhea is the most common cause of female infertility.
Some early symptoms of this infection are lower abdomen pain, fever, nausea, and pain during intercourse.
In both men and women if gonorrhea is left untreated, it may spread throughout the body, affecting joints and even heart valves.
Treatment
There is treatment for gonorrhea, since it is a bacterial infection, and the name of the drug is Ceftriaxone.
Transmission
The bacterium that causes gonorrhea can be passed through intercourse, anal sex, and cunnilingus. The transmission is by contact of fluids from mucous membranes of infected people and it usually is through sexual activity. Most frequently, these bacteria infect the man's urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen through the penis, and the woman's cervix, the canal into the uterus.
Testing
There are two types of testing to show if you have gonorrhea. One is called gram strain, which is usually more accurate for men then for women. The test consists of placing a smear of the discharge on a slide that has a dye in it and when examined under a microscope shows the presence of gonorrhea.
The next test is a culture test, this one is usually used to tell if women have gonorrhea or not. It involves taking a sample of the discharge and placing it on a culture plate to incubate for two days, to allow the bacteria to multiply. Cervical samples are more accurate, to tell if the woman has gonorrhea or not.
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giles117
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