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The Fundamentals of Sound
- July 07, 2023
Here at ACME, we often talk about the “sound solutions” that we engineer and manufacture, and will use specific words to describe the different qualities of sound. For those who do not have a strong understanding of acoustics and the science of sound, these words can seem quite strange and arbitrary, but sound is a much more complex thing than you might think. When we talk about sound, we need to use certain words in order to accurately describe the differences in the sounds that our whistles produce.
These terms are good to know if you are in the market for whistles or other sound solutions because they can help you to decide which solution will work best for your needs. This is because the differences between the sounds that each whistle makes can mean they are more or less suited for a particular application.
For example, if you are looking for a dog training whistle and intend to work your dog over long distances, you will need a whistle that has a sound that carries well. If you are looking for a whistle that works well in areas with lots of background noise, you’ll need something with good projection and a clear tone.
Blow Rate
One of the most important things to consider when choosing a whistle is the blow rate needed to produce a good sound. Blow rate simply refers to the amount of air, the speed at which you exhale, and the pressure this creates within the whistle. A whistle with a high blow rate will need more air to produce a consistent, strong sound.
Our airfast whistles are a good example of this as they can achieve incredibly high decibels when used correctly, but are not as suited to producing quieter sounds. Essentially, airfast whistles like the ACME Tornado create two levels of sound: very loud or nothing at all.
On the other hand, a pea whistle can be operated with a low blow rate to produce a quieter sound. The ACME Thunderer demonstrates this very well; you can apply a softer breath with less air pressure within the whistle and it will produce a soft sound, or you can really give it some welly and produce a loud, attention-grabbing sound.
This quality makes pea whistles incredibly versatile and perfect for many different applications. They make it possible to convey subtle differences in each call of the whistle depending on the blower’s intent, and is part of the reason why they are so popular in the sporting world for coaches and referees.
Tone
Tone is an aspect of sound quality that many people will have heard of, but may not be certain on what it actually means. Simply put, the tone of a sound refers to the pitch and quality of a sound. The tone of a sound is produced by the frequency of the vibrations; after all, sound is simply wave patterns of vibrating air.
A sound with a smooth, even tone will be made by soundwaves that are consistent and even. A discordant sound is produced by irregular and inconsistent soundwaves. Tone is often described using words such as warm, bright, discordant, thin, or dark.
Pitch
Pitch refers to how high or low a sound is. To produce a sound with a high pitch, soundwaves will be close together and will have a high frequency. On the other hand, a low pitched sound is made by soundwaves that move more slowly and are more spaced out with a low frequency.
When sounds have a very high or very low pitch, they may be undetectable by human ears, but other animals may still be able to perceive them. For example, our silent dog whistle can produce sounds that are more high pitched than the average human adult can hear, but the sounds are incredibly distinct for canine ears.