The whole series of compression and rarefaction waves traveling outward from the gong make up what is heard as sound. The sound waves travel in all directions from their source. The Speed of Sound Sound waves travel at a constant speed, regardless of the loudness or softness of a sound. Temperature, however, does affect their speed. With each rise of one degree Fahrenheit, the speed increases by more than one foot a second.
Air pressure has little or no effect.
Humidity has a slight effect, the speed of sound being somewhat greater in humid air than in dry air. Since 1,129 feet is about one fifth of a mile, sound waves travel one mile in about five seconds. Thus you can tell how far away lightning is by counting seconds between its flash and the thunder and dividing by five. Many other substances are better conductors of sound than air. Like all gases, air is a poor medium for sound waves.