I’ve been trying to figure out how different frequencies of the sound spectrum can affect each other, and how graphical waveforms represent all of those frequencies. A friend and excellent sound engineer was giving me a couple of pointers on sound design, namely with multi band compression. A couple of days later it dawned on me how sounds in my compositions are occurring at the same time and hence interfere with each other in that they are all competing for the same air molecules to travel through.

My hypothesis is that sounds from one particular frequency are in no way decoupled from any other sounds from any other frequency if they occur at the same moment and if they significantly alter the resonation of the medium through which they travel. I say “significantly alter” in that I’m guessing that all the other frequencies that are going on all around us, that are present but not in the audible spectrum could potentially affect the air around our ears’ waveforms to some but not recognizable degree. Imagining how frequencies work within other frequencies is something that has intrigued me for quite some time.

I feel that “less” in music and sound tends to be able to make a composition seem more clear, or striking or powerful. There is a balance in too little and too much sound, all too often I’ve seen what happens when there is “too much” sound. I’m a fairly graphical thinking individual. Imagining how a moment’s audible sounds are moving together is quite fascinating.

Considering the mechanical implications of reproducing a frequency range through a single speaker makes me further question the frequencies and how their amplitudes somewhat compete amongst each other. Guess cross-overs are a pretty good idea after all.