Master Handbook of Acoustics [Paperback]

F. Alton Everest (Author), Ken Pohlmann (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071603328 | ISBN-13: 978-0071603324 | Publication Date: June 22, 2009 | Edition: 5

Practical Instruction on the Art and Science of Acoustic Design and Architecture

Build your own acoustic environments such as recording studios, control rooms, and home listening rooms with expert insights from two engineering professionals. Fully expanded to cover the latest methods and software tools, Master Handbook of Acoustics, Fifth Edition presents clear explanations of acoustic phenomena and provides a hands-on approach to room design. Learn how to perform acoustic measurements, choose room dimensions, assign speaker placement, analyze response curves, and design and install sound absorbers and diffusers. You will also find details on how to fine-tune room reverberation, minimize external noise, and apply psychoacoustic concepts.

Master Handbook of Acoustics, Fifth Edition explains how to:

• Determine how sound propagates in open and enclosed spaces
• Measure sound-pressure levels and work with decibels
• Analyze the characteristics of room modal resonances
• Treat rooms for optimal early reflections, reverberation, and diffusion
• Minimize acoustic distortion, comb-filter effects, and HVAC interference
• Construct high-quality stereo and surround-sound listening rooms
• Design personal and professional recording studios and control rooms
• Understand the acoustics of auditoriums and concert halls
• Optimize room designs using measurement, modeling, and auralization software

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

*2 complete chapters on acoustical software solutions

*Full chapter on acoustical measurements and calculations
*Added guidance on small recording and voice-over studios

No one can touch the Master ...No other book even comes close to legendary acoustical scientist F. Alton Everest's Master Handbook of Acoustics for a friendly, practice-oriented tour of acoustical principles. This readable yet authoritative guide tenderizes a tough subject so that audio buffs can apply leading-edge acoustical thought and design in their own home recording studios and listening rooms.Keeping his target audience of hobbyists, electronics enthusiasts, and audiophiles always in mind, the author makes the science of sound interesting and understandable. Only someone who understands acoustics as well as Everest – Senior Member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, the Acoustical Society of America, and the IEEE -- could explain these principles so simply, informally, and with such relevance to home projects.

Short on mathematical derivations and long on easy-reading translations of difficult technical subjects, F. Alton Everest's Master Handbook of Acoustics is a rewarding piece of prose that can help you elevate any audio project to a higher standard. An inexhaustible source of ideas, inspiration, and techniques, it's a classic work that every audiophile wants to own. This book is a true keeper.

TURN SCIENCE INTO ART
For the ultimate in custom sound

For those who love electronics and high-end listening and recording, this book is the key to the kingdom, unlocking the theory that lets you:
*Achieve professional recording results at home
*Customize the perfect listening chamber
*Build an audio/video tech room for state-of-the-art voice-over recording
*Create "quiet air" in your home recording studio
*Modify sound with adjustable acoustics
*Control reverberation, interference, and just plain noiseControl distortion in the air medium itself

WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM--Geoff Goacher, Acoustical Research AssociatesPeter D'Antonio, President & CEO, RPG Diffusor Systems --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

F. Alton Everest was a leading acoustics consultant. He was co-founder and director of the Science Film Production division of the Moody Institute of Science, and was also section chief of the Subsea Sound Research section of the University of California.

Ken C. Pohlmann is well known as an audio educator, consultant, and author. He is professor emeritus at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, consultant for many audio manufacturers and car makers, and author of numerous articles and books including Principles of Digital Audio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics; 5 edition (June 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071603328
• ISBN-13: 978-0071603324
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Acoustics & Sound
  • #12 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Recording & Sound

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an Outstanding Book, March 14, 2003

By 

F. W. Hoge "Skeptical Reader" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Master Handbook of Acoustics (Paperback)

This is an outstanding book for anyone interested in room acoustics. My motivation as an Audiophile for purchasing this book was to answer the basic question: "Should my next audio investment be in room acoustic treatments, and if so what are the considerations involved?" This book methodically breaks down every aspect of the behavior of sound, and how that behavior affects and is percieved by the listener. Reverberation, reflection, dispersion, diffraction, absorption, spectral analyses, modal analyses, room topology, etc., etc... It's all there. An absolute must have for any Audiophile.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for anyone looking to upgrade their acoustics palet, August 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Master Handbook of Acoustics (Paperback)

This book can be a tremendous asset to anyone interested in cleaning up their audio listening invironment. It would be difficult to imagine myself not having this book around now with all the wealth of information it possesses. Highly recomended.

35 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!!!!!, August 3, 1999

By 

Carlos Yoder (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Master Handbook of Acoustics (Paperback)

To say that the Master Handbook of Acoustics is an 'incredibly comprehensive work' it's like saying that the Beatles were 'some band from Liverpool'. Without a doubt, a must-have. Better than that, buy two and enlighten a friend! :-)

Now really, this is the absolute definitive book on acoustics, covering topics ranging from sound propagation to room acoustics to absortion, diffusion, refraction, reflection, diffraction and everything else you can think of.