I’m not sure if iam explaining correctly but I was looking into vibrations, frequencies, soundwaves and how microphones work.
(Looking into doesn’t mean I know or understand any of it, nor do I pretend to lol)
If microphones worked as so “When sound waves hit the diaphragm, it vibrates. This causes the coil to move back and forth in the magnet’s field, generating an electrical current” am assuming the electrical current is then sent to the amp or speaker.
Let’s use the word “hello” for example.
When someone says hello it produces a sound wave / acoustic wave / electrical current?…. If so, is there a certain signature assigned/associated with your sound wave “hello” and if so is it measured in decibels frequencies? Tones? Volts? And can it be recreated without someone physically saying hello?
For example can someone make a vibration to mimic your sound wave of hello? By hitting a certain object, if they knew the exact tone/frequency? Also/or can you make an electrical current that mimics your hello sound wave?
I understand a little about a recorded player but can someone go onto the computer and reproduce a certain tone/frequency and it says “hello” I’m not sure if that makes sense lol.
In: Technology
Yes. If you capture all the harmonics.
This is basically where physics meets music theory.
If you pick up an old fashioned wall phone you will hear dial “tone” which is 2 frequencies, added together. Actually every key on the dial pad makes a different combination of 2 frequencies.
If you dig in the math, when you add 2 frequencies, x, and y hertz, it actually forms 4 frequencies, the two original ones and two more “beat frequencies” x+y hz and x-y hertz. And so on for several frequencies.
Now, consider a piano key, middle C. (440hz) that wire in the piano isn’t making just 440hz, it’s making many other frequencies. These harmonics altogether in different frequencies and phases, make that unique sound. Now we take a singer singing “aaaaaa” at middle c, or “eeee” or “oooooo” or playing trumpet or violin at middle c for that matter, the fundamental or strongest frequency is the same, but the harmonics make the “fingerprint” of that sound.
Electrical engineers call this “spectral content”, but a musician would call it “timbre” or tone quality.
Also this is how audio and video compression work, because not only can you reproduce it, as your asking, you can actually remove a lot of the “detail” in the harmonics that a human ear won’t miss.
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