how can lots of different sounds like a band be recorded onto a single sound wave? Or is it actually lots of different sound waves and then “generalized” into one wave?

Question

I understand how a single sound wave works, but I’m picturing the track on a vinyl record. How is a needle riding a single soundwave playing back all of those uniquely different sounds?

In: 4

Answer 1

When two waves collide, they just add together. You just get one bigger more chaotic wave. No matter how many you add together you never get anything but *one* big chaotic wave.

So then if you reproduce that *one* wave, you’re reproducing all of those sounds. You’re not reproducing the direction they were traveling in, but that normally doesn’t matter – it sounds the same to your ear.