The sound of music and voices in space part 2: modelling and simulation

Leighton, Timothy G. and Petculescu, Andi (2009) The sound of music and voices in space part 2: modelling and simulation. Acoustics Today, 5 (3), 27-29. (doi:10.1121/1.3238123).

Record type: Article

Abstract

As is shown in the paper, atmospheres affect both the generation and the propagation of sound. The effect on sound generation, depending on the actual source mechanisms that we exemplify by organ music and speech is two-pronged—the acoustic characteristics are altered not only by the nature of the gas but also by mass loading of the source. For the propagation of sound, the atmospheres act as frequency-dependent “filters,” characteristic of the composition and ambient conditions of each planet. The media files associated with the article are organized as follows. Table 1 sets the stage. Table 1 contains a calibration tone at 97 dB re 20 µPa. A short clip of the organ solo (played on the organ in St. Margaret's Church, East Wellow, Hampshire, United Kingdom), the words, Earth, Mars, Titan and Venus are then spoken and are used in the next three tables to illustrate how each might sound at the distances indicated and on each of the locations. The last example in Table 2 illustrates how all the organ clips would sound if played together. Note: If the sound becomes inaudible, it is due to the attenuation of the particular atmosphere. Do not continually adjust the volume to hear the sound.

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