July 11

Can you break sound barrier falling from sky?

Author: admin Category: 5

Supposedly the guy that jumped from a balloon from over a 100 thousand feet broke the sound barrier falling at about 1100 feet per second about 1960; how come sky divers do not come close to that rate of falling?

It was Capt Joseph Kittenger that jumped from a balloon at 102,800 feet in 1960. He reached a speed of 988 km/hr which is 90% the speed of sound - at that altitide.

Sky divers don’t reach anywhere near that speed, as they reach what is called "terminal velocity". The terminal velocity of a falling body occurs during free fall when the body experiences zero acceleration. The upward force of air resistance will eventually balance the falling body’s weight. It will continue to fall at aconstant velocity known as the terminal velocity.

Bear in mind when looking at speeds reached by skydivers, that they vary depending on the body position of the skydiver. The traditional arms and legs out position is a slower fall than a head-down position. Once again, this is caused by varying air resistance.

Also have a look at the New York Times link below, where it shows how Felix Baumgartner is planning a freefalling speed-of-sound attempt later this year.

Comments (9)
July 11

can you use carpet to soundproof a home recording studio?

Author: admin Category: Home Studio Soundproofing

I am building a recording studio in my basement. I was interested in buying the foam padding to soundproof it, but someone told me that carpet on the walls to soundproof the recording booth works just as good. I would rather go this route because the foam padding is expensive and I need alot, but I just had my basement carpeted and I have extra carpet that would work perfectly and save me some money.

There are two types of "sound proofing".

Sound proofing usually refers to what you do to a room to keep the sound inside the room. If you don’t want to hear what is going on inside the room in the rest of the house, that would be sound proofing. Carpet will help a little bit with that but to do it the right way you need to build a sturdier wall. Thick, massive walls are best for sound proofing.

If you are trying to eliminate echos inside the studio, that is different than sound proofing. Acoustic foam on the wall is designed for that purpose but it does little to prevent sound from going through the walls. Carpet on the walls will help with echos somewhat. Anything to cut down on hard surfaces inside the studio will help.

There is some good stuff on studio acoustics here:

http://www.acoustics101.com/basics.asp

Comments (1);
July 5

Can you break the sound barrier with a stick?

Author: admin Category: 5

Is the noise a stick/twig makes when you swing it really hard breaking the sound barrier? What makes the noise?

Thanks

it is possible to break the sound barrier with a stick
how hard it is to break the sound barrier as far as that question goes, it depends on the weight, hardness/stiffness and the length of the stick. the longer, lighter and harder the stick is the easier it will be to create the speed neccessary to break the barrier. i don’t know what you mean by what makes the noise, the stick of course makes the noise. if that answers ur question..

Comments (2)
July 5

What is the best laptop for recording music in a home studio?

Author: admin Category: Home Music Studio

Im trying to start a home studio..i do not care if the laptop is used or refurbished..i want to spend no more than $300…any suggestions or tips will help..i am recording rap music and have nothing right now but am currently looking for gear.

if you want quality you’re going to have to spend some money. I doubt you can find a good lap top for under $300 that is capable of recording good quality music. i would suggest a macbook or macbook pro, but those will not fit into your price range.

in general anything regarding recording music is going to be expensive if you want quality. you can buy a mic for $20 somewhere, but don’t expect it to be worth anything. the electronics that are involved in gear is going to be really shitty if you are spending little amounts of money. that’s not saying you have to go buy a $5,000 to get a good sound, but it will cost you.

to start out you can download audacity for free and buy a USB mic. i’m not good with computer specs or anything to say what your computer needs to have inside, but i don’t think you need anything too great for audacity. i’m not sure though.

my best advice would be to do your research, and read reviews before purchasing anything. reviews will show you what peoples thoughts are on the product after using it. this is a good way to avoid buying a piece of crap. you can find good deals out there, you just need to look hard.

Comments (1);
June 27

Suppose you had a classic world war two aircraft. It somehow managed to break the sound barrier regardless of?

Author: admin Category: 5

the drag it’s geometry created. What would happen to it? Would the aircraft survive at the speed of sound or would it’s wings shatter, or something around those lines.

There were many claims during and after WWII about aircraft breaking the sound barrier. The P-47 Thunderbolt, Me-262 twin-jet (first operational jet fighter), and Me-163 Komet (German rocket-powered fighter aircraft) have claimed them at some time. However, it would not have been possible, and have been debunked since aerodynamically, these aircraft could not have been controllable beyond .85 Mach. Uncontrollability would have spelled disaster and at those speed, it would not be possible to bail out…and a bail out would be necessary since structural failure is definitely in the offing! No WWII aircraft had enough power or a streamlined enough body or airframe to break the sound barrier. Structural failure…and the flotsam and jetsam streaming down to earth would be the end-result. Even the later F-86 Sabre jet with a comparatively greater power than the WW2 aircraft mentioned above, and with a swept-back wing couldn’t go supersonic — even on a steep dive.

Just to digress a bit….as of 2010, the Me 163 Komet emains the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft to have ever been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the plane was capable of performance unrivalled at the time. Messerschmitt test pilot Rudy Opitz in 1944 reached 1,123 km/h (698 mph).
With over 300 aircraft built, it wasn’t an effective fighter aircraft, since it managed only to destroy nine allied aircraft. Its fuel system was particularly troublesome, as leaks experienced during hard landings easily caused fires and explosions.

Comments (7)
June 21

what do you need for for a small home music studio?

Author: admin Category: Home Music Studio

i am trying to create my own music studio out of my bedroom what exactly would i need to do that besides a mic and drum kit??

It really depends what you’ll be recording.

But here’s a couple links:
http://transom.org/tools/basics/200601_setting_up_a_recording_studio/
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Home-Studio-for-Computer-Based-Music-Recording

That tells you basically everthing you need.

I’m just finishing up on my simple home studio that i’ll use to record my solo project this summer.
Everything will be done by me.
I’ll be recording guitar, piano, and vocals.

Here’s what my home studio (in my bedroom as well) well be like.

I’m using a mac computer with garage band on it.
I’m using garage band and this thing (http://store.apple.com/ca/product/TA097LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA3MA&mco=MTA4NDQwOTY) for the drum beats.
I have a condenser mic which i’ll be using for vocals.
To record the electric guitar, i’ll be plugging it straight into my mac using an amplifier capable and adapter.
So you can kinda see how i’m doing things based on what i’m recording.

hope all that helps a little.

Comments (3)
June 18

What do I need for a home music studio? Software, Equipment, etc.?

Author: admin Category: Home Music Studio

Looking for what I need to record music at home. I am buildng a studio, but am not sure of what software and other equipment I need to do the actual recording and editing. Please let me know of what all I need to record and create music. Thanks in advance.

i recommend getting an audio interface to connect mics/instruments to your computer. the interface will include the software you need to record and edit. choosing an interface will be based upon how many inputs you want. if you are wanting to record a full band, you will need inputs for all of the instruments and mics. you can also record each instrument individually and mix them together, in that case you wouldn’t need a lot of inputs. these interfaces will run from under a hundred to a few thousand. it depends on the number of inputs and the brand.

once you’ve got that then all you need is a mic. do some research on what mic will fit your situation as you start recording. i like the Rode NT1a which runs about $240. also you can go with the shure sm 57 or sm 58 to get started. i believe those are each around a hundred. the mic is the most important piece of gear you will have in a studio because it captures the sound. if you buy a cheap mic, you will get a cheap sound.

from there you would be pretty much set for basic recording. you can add on from there. studio monitors should probably be your next investment as well as adding a few other mics and maybe some plug-ins for mixing.

check guitarcenter.com sweetwater.com and musiciansfriend.com they will typically offer studio packages which will include a variety of things to get yourself started.

at some point you may also need some sound treating material but you can usually avoid a lot of this with creativity and research on room acoustics.

good luck

Comments (2)
June 15

Noise reduction headphones good for Autistic teen?

Author: admin Category: Noise Reduction

My little brother is deathly afraid of movie theaters. He went once but the loud speakers scared him so much, and he’s never gone back. However there is a movie coming out that he really really wants to watch :D We were thinking of getting him a pair of noise reduction headphones, but we’re not sure if they’ll work D: He doesn’t want to completely eliminate the noise, but just enough so it would freak him out.
Do any of you know if an affordable pair will be good enough to do the job?

When I wear a pair of ear-muffs whilst mowing the lawn,I can still hear the mower but at a very reduced level.I think that this may also work quite well with your brother’s problem.

Comments (4)
June 15

what causes the cone shape cloud to appear as an aircraft breaks the sound barrier?

Author: admin Category: 5

i thought that sound waves were invisible to the naked eye? but high speed photography clearly shows a visible cone shaped cloud around the aircraft as it breaks through the barrier?

http://www.moillusions.com/2006/04/sonic-boom-illusion.html

Comments (2)
June 5

What is a good external sound card I can get to use with a home music recording studio for my computer?

Author: admin Category: Home Music Studio

I plan on using with with Melodyne or Sonar. The sound card in my laptop at the moment is the basic one built into my motherboard and it lacks the ability to be read by recording programs.

If you are looking for a cheap solution, I would recommend you M-Audio Audiophile USB http://www.audioreview.com/cat/pc-audio/sound-cards/m-audio/audiophile-usb/PRD_330013_6489crx.aspx
It has all necessary ins and outs, as well as professional quality sound.

They ask around $200 for this card.

Another good card is E-MU 0404 USB http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/proaudio/emu-0404-usb.html
This one is better and costs additional 50 bucks.

Comments (1);