Loudness The sound we hear results from vibration in the air. The amplitude, or breadth, of vibrations produces our sense of loudness, or volume. Film sound constantly manipulates sound volume. For example, in many films a long shot of a busy street is accompanied by loud traffic noises, but when two people meet and start to speak, the loudness of the noise is characterized as much by the difference in volume as by the substance of the talk.
Nevertheless pitch plays a useful role in picking out distinct sounds in a film sound track.
It helps us to distinguish music and speech from other sounds. Pitch also serves to distinguish among objects. Pitch can also serve more specific purpose in a film. When we call someone's voice nasal or certain musical tone mellow, we are referring to timbre. In everyday life, recognition of familiar sound is largely a matter of various aspects of timbre.