Evening star., 1931-06-22
SOUND ACTIVITIES
GAIN WIDE FIELD
Radio and TaIkies Rapidly
Increase Public Interest
In Acoustics.
BY WILLIAM BRAID WHITE.


(copyright, 1881, by the Associated Press.)
CHICAGO, June 22.-Fifteen years
ago, acoustics, or the science of sound,
was an inactive branch of physics. A
few eminent workers like Dayton G.
Miller were doing fine work in 1t, but
neither they nor any one else then could
have suspected that their studies would
soon become the center of a roaring ac-
tivity. Yet this is just what has hap
pened. The science of sound ought not
perhaps to be too quiet. and at any
rate 1t Is today quite as noisy and as
exciting as any one could possibly de-
sire.
No branch Of physical science is to-
day of greater Importance or is occupy
ing the attention of a larger number Of
trained workers.
What is the reason? Radio! Broad
casting and sound-picture making have
become vast industries, calling for q
great and increasing quantity of highly
trained scientific instrument workers.
and a vast amount of new apparatus,
most Of which was not even in existence
is years ago, and none of which had
ever been seen outside the few acoustic
laboratories then in existence. Today
the AcouStical Society Of America has
700 members, nearly all of them actively
working in the science, and a large ma
jority in some part of it related directly
to the broadcaSting of sound or to its
recording and reproduction through
radio receiving sets and the sound pic
ture.
Public Noise Conscious.
{ Moreover, the public is becoming
noise conscious and is taking a genuine
interest in the efforts which are being
made by acoustic engineers and scien-
fc40 30 e4,,,5
properties and discover what elements
in the daily din of our cities are ac-
tually preventable and can be elimi-
mated.
The most interesting developments
now being made in the science of
acoustics are these:
l. The great Improvements now be-
ing accomplished in the technique of
broadcaSting, owing to closer co-opera-
ton between musicians and engineers
which is leading to much more sys-
tennatic study of the relation between
the production of tone and its repro
duction. A remarkable example of re-
cent accomplishment is the new re-
flector microphone, which can be
sighted" on a stage or platform and
made to follow accurately the move
ments OF speakers or singers.
Increase in Music.
2. The great increase in the guam
tity of music reproduced by means of
the photo-electric cell, on the films of
motion pictures, whereby the notion
picture industry has been revolution
lied, a new industry has arisen to deal
with the installation Of sound equip
ment in theaters, and vast new field
OF scientific research has been opened
up almost overnight.
The eVcfer1afip study 0f T10ica fU
the governments of cities and by re-
search laboratories in different parts
Of the country fer the purpose of dis
covering how unnecessary noise may be
eliminated. This study has led to the
development of extremely ingenious
methods of measuring and evaluating
the loudness, the composition and the
irritation effects Of noise.
4. The development of new means
for studying sound, especially musical
tone, by optical and photographic
methods, whereby visible representa-
tions of sound are produced and can
be photographically recorded.
S. The much greater interest recent
ly shown in the study of musical tone
production along scientific lines, which
is leading to vast improvements in the
construction of pianos, organs and
other musical instruments.
Today our civilization is still far
more eye-keen than 1t is ear-keen.
But sound is coming into her own, and
the developments now taking place in
the science of sound, acoustics, lead
one to hope that the ears of the future
will be as well trained as now the
eyes are. II this really comes about,
as I think it will, the world will be a
far more pleasant and harmonious
place of residence 25 years from now
than IL now is