Music and Acoustics – From Instrument to Computer

Philippe Guillaume is a Professor at INSA Toulouse, France where he teaches applied mathematics and musical acoustics. He is a researcher within the Laboratory of Mathematics for Industry and Physics in the same Institute. He worked for many years in his youth as a piano tuner for famous pianists.

Foreword. Chapter1. Sounds. 1.1 Sound Propagation. 1.2 Music Theory Interlude. 1.3 Different Types of Sounds. 1.4 Representation of Sound. 1.5 Filtering. 1.6 Study Problems. 1.7 Practical Computer Applications. Chapter 2. Musical Instruments. 2.1 Strings. 2.2 Bars. 2.3 Membranes. 2.4 Tubes. 2.5 Timbre of Instruments. 2.6 Study Problems. 2.7 Practical Computer Applications. Chapter 3. Scales and Temperaments. 3.1 The Pythagorean Scale. 3.2 The Zarlino Scale. 3.3 The Tempered Scales. 3.4 A Brief History of A4. 3.5 Giving Names to Notes. 3.6 Other examples of Scales. 3.7 Study Problems. 3.8 Practical Computer Applications. Chapter 4. Psychoacoustics. 4.1 Sound Intensity and Loudness. 4.2 The Ear. 4.3 Frequency and Pitch. 4.4 Frequency Masking. 4.5 Study Problems. 4.6 Practical Computer Applications. Chapter 5. Digital Sound. 5.1 Sampling. 5.2 Audio Compression. 5.3 Digital Filtering and the Z-transform. 5.4 Study Problems. 5.5 Practical Computer Applications. Chapter 6. Synthesis and Sound Effects. 6.1 Synthesis of Musical Sounds. 6.2 Time Effects: Echo and Reverberation. 6.3 Effects Based on Spectrum Modification. 6.4 Study Problems. 6.5 Practical Computer Applications. Bibliography. Index.