Electroacoustics is the part of acoustics that aims to deal with the study, analysis and design of devices that have the ability to convert electrical energy into acoustic energy and vice versa , as well as all those related components. Among them, we can highlight microphones, loudspeakers, compression drivers, accelerometers, acoustic calibrators, vibrators and headphones among others.

Main characteristics of electroacoustics

Two of the greatest exponents are the speakers and microphones. In a generic way they are called transducers, which are devices that are responsible for transforming sound into electricity and vice versa. This conversion of entities of totally different origin and nature is carried out thanks to electromagnetic and electromechanical principles. The elements in charge of processing the audio are devices that can alter or modify in some way the characteristics of the sound, when it is represented by an electrical variable. The main characteristics that can modify it are of a varied nature, such as amplitude, frequency response, dynamic range, timbre, time response, etc. In this case, the processing is done electronically, for which semiconductor-based technology is used and digital technology is also used.

Electroacoustic music

Within electroacoustics we also find what is known as electroacoustic music, which is created through electronic devices. The concept includes the music that has been composed with magnetic tapes (which only exists on the tape and is reproduced through the loudspeakers) Also included is live electronic music (which is created in real time with synthesizers and other electronic devices), concrete music (which has been created from sounds recorded and subsequently modified) and also music that combines the sound of live artists and recorded electronic music. These types of music refer above all to the nature of the technology and techniques used, these kinds of divisions are nowadays less clear. Currently, another kind of terminology is used, such as computer music, radio music or electroacoustic music, which are usually used more to refer to aesthetics than to the technologies used for their creation. In the 1910s, those considered Italian futurists, led by the composer Luigi Russolo, conceived music created with noise and electronic music boxes. It was at this time that the first commercial electronic musical instruments began to appear. With the rapid development of computers in recent decades, a true revolution has been reached in terms of computer music and also in terms of electronic music in general. Computers are much more affordable now than they were years ago, and once-rather slow software is running very quickly and even simultaneously with a large number of instruments and tracks, contributing to the proliferation of what is considered like electroacoustic music.