Sound Properties
The four main properties of sound are frequency, amplitude, timbre, duration. These things are what allow us to distinguish a drum beat from your kitchen timer.
Frequency is usually associated with pitch, which enables us to characterize sounds as being “higher” or “lower”. A high-pitched sound causes to oscillate faster, with a greater frequency, than a low-pitched sound. Pitch required a clear and consistent frequency which allows it to be distinguished from the noise because pitch is generally based on the listener’s perception. Meaning that, all in all, while pitch is a characteristic of sound it is not an objective one.
Amplitude of the sound wave determines the decibel level. The decibel level is how we measure how loud a sound is. Higher amplitudes correlate to higher decibel levels meaning louder sounds. Whereas this inverse is true where lower amplitudes correspond to lower decibels and a quieter sound.
Timbre refers to the tonality or inflection of the sound. The same sounds can have different wave shapes when played with a “warm” tone compared to when that same sound is played with a “cold” tone. This ability to distinguish an associated emotion from a sound is called the timbre of a sound.
Lastly, duration is the amount of time the sound lasts. Duration affects the timber and rhythm of a sound. In physics, the duration of a sound begins once the sound registers and ends after it cannot be detected.
In music, notes are grouped together in octaves which is created by doubling the frequency. The interesting thing is that when plotted on a logarithmic scale an octave has the same horizontal displacement for all frequencies.
