Lead Vocal Tracks in Popular Music Go Quiet

Lead Vocal Tracks in Popular Music Go Quiet

An analysis of top popular music from 1946 to 2020 shows a marked decrease in volume of the lead vocal track and differences across musical genres.

Estimated lead-to-accompaniment-ratio, LAR, for songs in five genres from 1990-2020. Purple circles correspond to solo artists and green squares to bands. Credit: Kai Siedenburg

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2023 – A general rule of music production involves mixing various soundtracks so the lead singer’s voice is in the foreground. But it is unclear how such track mixing – and closely related lyric intelligibility – has changed over the years.

Scientists from the University of Oldenburg in Germany carried out an analysis of hundreds of popular song recordings from 1946 to 2020 to determine…click to read more

From the Journal: JASA Express Letters
Article: Lead-vocal level in recordings of popular music 1946-2020
DOI: 10.1121/10.0017773

The Roar and Crackle of Artemis 1

The Roar and Crackle of Artemis 1

An array of four microphones ready for noise measurements for Artemis 1. Credit: Kent Gee

An array of four microphones ready for noise measurements. Credit: Kent Gee

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2023 – When the Artemis 1 mission was launched by NASA’s Space Launch System, SLS, in November, it became the world’s most powerful rocket, exceeding the thrust of the previous record holder, Saturn 5, by 13%. With liftoff came a loud roar heard miles away. In JASA Express Letters, published on behalf of the Acoustical Society of America by AIP Publishing, researchers from Brigham Young University and Rollins College in Florida reported…click to read more

From the Journal: JASA Express Letters
Article: Space launch system acoustics: Far-field noise measurements of the Artemis-I launch
DOI: 10.1121/10.0016878

Attention-Based Deep Neural Network Increases Detection Capability in Sonar Systems

Attention-Based Deep Neural Network Increases Detection Capability in Sonar Systems

ABNN’s gradual focus on specific line-spectrum features of a ship. CREDIT: Institute of Acoustics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

WASHINGTON, October 12, 2021 — In underwater acoustics, deep learning is gaining traction in improving sonar systems to detect ships and submarines in distress or in restricted waters. However, noise interference from the complex marine environment becomes a challenge when…Click here to read more.

From the Journal: JASA Express Letters
Link to article: Underwater acoustic target recognition using attention-based deep neural network
DOI: full/10.1121/10.0006299

Compact Speaker Systems Direct Sound Efficiently

Compact Speaker Systems Direct Sound Efficiently

A compact speaker system designed to maximize the amount of sound moving toward zero degrees and minimize the sound leakage elsewhere. CREDIT: Wang et al.

WASHINGTON, August 31, 2021 — As electronic devices decrease in size, their component parts, like speakers, need to shrink as well. In JASA Express Letters, published by the Acoustical Society of America through AIP Publishing, researchers from Northwestern Polytechnical University in China and the University of Quebec developed three designs for compact speaker systems that control the…click here to read more.

From the Journal: JASA Express Letters
Link to article: On the design of differential loudspeaker arrays with broadside radiation patterns
DOI: 10.1121/10.0005760