Audio Fundamentals: Audio Magic in Movies and Our Daily Lives

Sound is an amazing attribute of nature, has a tremendous effect on humans, and is something we use to make our way through life. Sounds conjure up emotions and memories in us, which is why it is one of the most important aspects in the creative arts. Evoking a desired response is the goal in sound design and music composition. Understanding psychoacoustics (the study of how humans perceive and respond to sound) is a major key to achieving this goal. Audio is a waveform analog of the sound it represents—thus the term “Analog Audio.” The advent of Digital Audio changed the game and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) has revolutionized music and film/TV production. Digital audio was added to film distribution starting in the early 1990s. The Digital Cinema Package (DCP) finally superseded it around 2016. The Interoperable Master Format (IMF) takes this technology further for use in home mastering-an interoperable “mezzanine” format with multiple languages and versions. At the end of the day, what matters most is how it sounds. The quality of the sound system is crucial. Great sound brings people to the theater and is a big part of a true cinematic experience. For the home consumer, headphone and soundbar technology are making great strides and well-designed home theater systems can be amazing. Mobile device sound quality is getting better each year. Immersive sound is now available in all these formats as well. We now have more ways to experience movie, episodic, and music content than ever before.