Audio Basics Course – Q&A Format
Welcome to AudioLearn - your beginner-friendly guide to understanding audio fundamentals. This course uses a simple question-and-answer format to help you build a solid foundation in audio basics.
Level 1: Understanding Sound
Sound is vibrations that travel through air and reach our ears.
Sound waves traveling from speaker to ear
Sound is created when something moves back and forth quickly.
Guitar string vibrating ←→←→←→
Frequency is how fast something vibrates. It decides how high or low a sound is.
Low Frequency
Slow vibrations
High Frequency
Fast vibrations
Pitch is how high or low a sound feels to us.
High frequency = high pitch.
Low frequency = low pitch.
Low Pitch
Bass
High Pitch
Treble
Amplitude is the strength of the vibration. It decides how loud a sound is.
Volume is how loud or soft a sound is.
Soft → Medium → Loud
Decibel is the unit we use to measure loudness.
A waveform is a visual picture of how sound moves over time.
Audio waveform showing sound over time
Level 2: Audio Equipment
A microphone turns sound waves into electrical signals.
Sound → Microphone → Electrical Signal → Audio Interface
Dynamic: Good for loud sounds (drums, guitar amps).
Condenser: Sensitive, great for vocals and quiet sounds.
Dynamic
Loud sounds
Drums, Amps
Condenser
Sensitive
Vocals, Studio
An audio interface is a device that connects microphones and instruments to a computer.
Audio Interface
Level 3: Digital Audio
Sampling is taking small "snapshots" of sound so a computer can record it.
🔵 Continuous analog wave | 🔴 Digital sample points
Sample rate is how many "snapshots" are taken per second.
44.1kHz = 44,100 samples per second (CD quality).
Low Sample Rate
Fewer snapshots
High Sample Rate
More snapshots = Better quality
Bit depth controls how detailed and clear the sound recording is.
16-bit = 65,536 levels | 24-bit = 16.7 million levels.
16-bit
Basic quality
24-bit
Professional quality
More bits = More detail & clarity
Mono audio uses one channel of sound.
Single Channel
Same sound from all speakers
Stereo audio uses two channels: left and right.
This creates a wider, more immersive sound.
Left
Right
Two independent channels create spatial sound
Level 4: Audio Production
Mixing is adjusting sounds so they fit well together.
Balance volumes, panning, and effects.
Vocals
Guitar
Drums
Keys
🎚️ MIXER 🎚️
Balanced Mix
EQ changes how much bass, mid, or treble a sound has.
Removes unwanted frequencies and enhances others.
Low
Mid
Mid
High
Adjust frequency bands to shape the sound
Compression controls the loud and soft parts of a sound to make it more even.
Prevents clipping and improves clarity.
Before Compression
Uneven volume
After Compression
Controlled volume
Mastering gives the final polish to a finished audio project.
Makes it ready for distribution (streaming, CDs, etc.).
🎯 Mastering Process
EQ - Balance frequencies
Compression - Control dynamics
Limiting - Maximize loudness
Format - Export for distribution
Mixed Track → Mastered → Ready for Release
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