October 06, 2020

#17: Software Engineer Drew Shapiro—Understanding the Technology of Sound (Part 1)

1 hour 3 minutes

This episode can be summed up with two competing quotes:

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”"Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science!”

The first quote is by the famous science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. The second quote is unknown, but points out that the spell books for such magic are to be found in the methods and tools of science.

So how does sound work? What is the difference between analog and digital audio? How does a computer store an audio file and then rebuild it into sound waves that you can hear? What is the journey that this podcast took to get from our voice boxes into your headphones?

We answer those questions and more in this episode all about the technology of sound with software engineer Drew Shapiro. While studying electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, Drew also had a minor in music, making him a perfect guest for this episode.

This episode is the first half of our conversation, with Part 2 dropping in a few days. Enjoy!

**This episode contains video which you can watch on our Youtube Channel**

Timestamps:

02:30 Drew's background
13:17 What is analogue sound
18:30 The Barbershop pole illusion and Shepard tone illusion
22:09 Psychoacoustics and the "Laurel" or "Yanny" phenomenon
25:48 Arthur C. Clarke quote on the magic of technology
34:40 How speakers transform electrical signals into sound waves
43:03 What is information
55:05 Why a microphone is a reverse speaker

Links Discussed:

Veritasium anechoic chamber
Barbershop pole visual illusion
Shepard Tone audio illusion
Can You Trust Your Ears? (Audio Illusions)
Do You Hear "Yanny" or "Laurel"? (SOLVED with SCIENCE)
Electron microscope slow-motion video of vinyl LP
The Truth About Vinyl - Vinyl vs. Digital

Support Us:

You can always support us by leaving a rating or review in your podcasting app. You can also share our episodes with friends on social media.

But it does take a lot of time to put together a podcast, maintain a website, and write new content every week. So if you would like to support us in a more substantial way, consider making a donation through the PayPal buttons on our website:

https://exploringkodawari.blog/donation/