i'm a... let's say a senior noob and wan't to really understand acoustics. i find it really hard to search for all the important posts, so i'm thinking of buying a book. i know some are better, and some are s**t, but i was taught not to judge a book by it's cover
is there a book, wich is commonly known to be a good starting point?
Besides Everest's classic Master Handbook of Acoustics another great book is Recording Studio Design by Philip Newell. Click HERE to see that page at the Barnes & Noble site.
A few more, many of them get to be expensive but these are all worth the cost.
Edit: Since you asked for a starting point I second
The Master Handbook of Acoustic by Everest ( and the cost is very low less then $30 US) I put the rest in order what to move to next
Acoustic Absorbers and Diffusers: Theory, Design, and Application by Trevor J. Cox, Peter D'Antonio -very good but expensive $150 but it covers so much I learned the hard and expensive way
Sound System Engineering
by Carolyn Davis, Don Davis - more then acoustics but a must have for anyone working in audio
Noise Control in Buildings: A Guide for Architects and Engineers
by Cyril M., Ph.D. Harris - Out of print but somewhere on the net an organization has permission to sell reprints - the basics of soundproofing
Theoretical Acoustics
by Philip M. Morse, K. Uno Ingard - ok what is really going on
Handbook of Acoustics
by Malcolm Crocker - covers all types of acoustics
Room Acoustics
by Heinrich Kuttruff - more theory
Fluid Mechanics : Volume 6 (Course of Theoretical Physics)
by E M Lifshitz, L D Landau - at this point join an acoustic anonymous, 12 step program you are really addicted, you now find your self doing math problems as entertainment
A friend of mine who I trust quite a bit with this sort of thing lists these as his favorites:
Theory of Acoustics - entry level
Acoustic Design and Noise Control, Michael Rettinger, Chemical Publishing Co., Inc.
Acoustic Techniques for Home & Studio, F. Alton Everest, Tab Books
Acoustics in the Built Environment, D. Templeton, Architectural Press, 1997
Architectural Acoustics, M. David Egan, McGraw Hill, 1988
Architectural Acoustics, Thomas D. Northwood, Dowden Hutchinson & Ross
Architectural Acoustics, W. J. Cavanaugh, J.A. Wilkes, J. Wiley & Sons, 1999
Building a Recording Studio, Jeff Cooper, Synergy Group, Inc., 1996
Building a Small Budget Recording Studio, F. Alton Everest and Mike Shea, McGraw Hill, 1988
Environmental Acoustics, Leslie Doelle, McGraw Hill
Recording Spaces, P. Newell, Focal Press, 1998
Simplified Design for Building Sound Control, J. Ambrose & J.E. Ollswang, J. Wiley & Sons, 1995
The Master Handbook of Acoustics, F. Alton Everest, McGraw Hill, 1994
Theory of Acoustics - advanced level
Acoustics for Studios and Auditoria, B. S. Mankovsky, Hastings House
Auditorium Acoustics, edited by Robin Mackenzie, Halsted Press Book
Elements of Acoustics, Samuel Temkin, John Wiley & Sons
Fundamentals of Acoustics, Kinseler & Frey, Wiley & Sons, Inc.
How They Sound - Concert and Opera Halls, L. Beranek, Acoustical Society of America, 1996
How to Design. Build and Test Complete Speaker Systems, David B. Weems, TAP Books
Musical Acoustics, Carleen M. Hutchins, Dowden Hutchinson & Ross
Noise and Vibration Control, Beranek, McGraw Hill
Physical and Applied Acoustics, Meyer Neumann, Academic Press Book
Room Acoustics, Heinrich Kuttruff, Halsted Press
Secrets of Noise Control, Thumann & Miller, Fairmont Press
Sound Control and Thermal Insulation of Buildings, Paul Close, Reinhold Publishing
Sound System Engineering, D. & C. Davis, Focal Press, 1997
Speech Intelligibility & Speaker Recognition, Mones E. Hawley, Dowden Hutchinson & Ross
Theory of Sound. Vols. I & II, J. W S. Rayleigh, Dover Press
Vibration & Sound, Philip Morse, American Institute of Physics
Acoustical Measurements
Acoustic Measurements, Leo Beranek, John Wiley & Sons
Acoustic Noise Measurements, J.R. Hassall & K.Zaveri, Bruel & Kjaer, 1979
Acoustical Tests & Measurements, Don Davis, Howard W Sams & Co.
Frequency Analysis, R. B. Randall, Bruel & Kjaer, 1977
Handbook of Noise Measurements, Peterson & Gross, General Radio
The Measure of Audio, AES Proceedings UK Conference 1997
Time Delay Spectrometry, AES Anthology, 1988
History of Acoustics and Audio Technology
Collected Papers, Vern Knudsen, Acoustical Society of America
Evolution of the Audio Recorder, P. V. Praag, EC Designs, 1997
From Tinfoil to Stereo, W.L. Welch & L.B.S. Burt, Univ. Press of Florida, 1994
Music, Physics & Engineering, Harry F. Olson, Dover Publications (orig. 1952)
On the Sensations of Tone, Herman Helmholtz, Dover Press
Studio, Broadcasting and Recording Technology
Handbook of Multichannel Recording, Alton Everest, TAP Books
Magnetic Recording, Charles E. Lowman, McGraw Hill
Modern Recording Techniques, Robert Runstein, Howard W Sams & Co.
The New Communication Technologies, M.A. Mirabito, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997
The New Stereo Soundbook, R. Astreicher & F. Alton Everest, Audio Engineering Associates, 1998
The Recording Studio Handbook, John M. Woram, Sagamore Publishing
Tonmeister Technology, Michael Dickreiter, Temmer Enterprises, Inc., 1989
TV Sound Operations, Alkin, Hastings House
Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook, G. Davis & R. Jones, Hal Leonard, 1987
Encyclopedias and Miscellaneous
IAC Noise Control Reference Handbook, M. Hirschorn, industrial acosutics, 1989
Audio & HiFi Engineer's Pocket Book,V. Capel, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1994
Audio Cyclopedia, Howard Tremaine, Howard W Sams & Co.
Handbook for Sound Engineers, G.M. Ballou, Sams, 1991
NAB Engineering Handbook, National Association of Broadcasters, 1999
Sound Engineer's Pocket Book, M. Talbot-Smith, Focal Press, 1995
Telecommunication Engineer's Pocket Book, S. Winder, Newnes, 1998
Those are impresive lists, thanks for posting. It might also be useful to identify which of those books rely on math and physics, and which offer more common-sense explanations like Everest's book to be accessible to more people.
I put my list in order of readability, Acoustic Absorbers and Diffusers: Theory, Design, and Application by Trevor J. Cox, Peter D'Antonio is somewhat surprising readable it is, I was expecting more math (hoping really to some of it explained) It is really too bad the book costs so much it would really help people avoid some mistakes.
A few comments on the other books listed
Architectural Acoustics, M. David Egan, McGraw Hill, 1988 is also a great book but is targeted for large rooms as readable as Everest
I'm not a big fan of the Cooper book is was good, but there are better ways to do some of the stuff in the book now.
How They Sound - Concert and Opera Halls, L. Beranek, Acoustical Society of America, 1996 is a very interesting study comparing something like 10-15 concert halls. His text books are difficult but this is pretty easy to read.
I'm not big fan of Newell's books I have read so far, but I hear good things about his latest
Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook, G. Davis & R. Jones, Hal Leonard, 1987 is very handy and easy to read but I think they told some good stuff out in the second edition.
> I'm not big fan of Newell's books I have read so far, but I hear good things about his latest <
I bought his latest on the recommendation of Jeff Szymanski. It's very good! And maybe you saw the quote I posted recently (forget where) from his definition of standing waves? The way he defined it is exactly what I've been arguing for several years - that a standing wave is not the same as a mode. So of course I liked that! [ducking]
The way he defined it is exactly what I've been arguing for several years - that a standing wave is not the same as a mode. So of course I liked that!
FINALLY!!! Yes yes yes!! I've been "of that opinion" for a couple of years, but every time I posted a question about it, somehow it got sidetracked. Ok, that is what I thought. Thanks Ethan !! Alright, if that is a fact, then this brings some up some other questions. But I'll start another thread for those. In the meantime, you might want to check this out.
"Ethan, after I posted the reply above, I found this. Read ERICS reply. ie
STANDING WAVES=ROOM MODES!!! " -
GODDAM IT RICK, I sure wish you hadn't done that - got any MORE salt you can rub on things? Crap...
Seriously - ANY, and I mean ANY, name-calling or comments I don't consider respectful WILL BE TRASHED, be warned; I'm busy enough these days without having to REFEREE the infamous feud again, so it will just get DELETED if it happens.
Discussion, fine; everybody here knows what I mean... Steve
BTW, Ethan, is this definition in Recording Studio Design or one of Newell's other books, and what page please? (Don't worry, I'm already used to disagreeing with some of his writings somewhat - overall, however, I have to agree he's quite good) - Thanks...
and wan't to really understand acoustics. i find it really hard to search for all the important posts, so i'm thinking of buying a book. i know some are better, and some are s**t, but i was taught not to judge a book by it's cover 
FINALLY!!! Yes yes yes!! I've been "of that opinion" for a couple of years, but every time I posted a question about it, somehow it got sidetracked. Ok, that is what I thought. Thanks Ethan 
!! Alright, if that is a fact, then this brings some up some other questions. But I'll start another thread for those. In the meantime, you might want to check this out.