UIUC Physics 406
Acoustical Physics of Music
Student Projects/Experimental Results
Spring Semester 2014:

1. Anna Powers investigated the mechanical modal vibrations of a square aluminum plate.

• Modal Analysis of a Square Aluminum Plate

2. Connor Gooding refurbished a 1965 National Westwood N6422TR Amplifier.

• Refurbishing a 1965 National Westwood N6422TR Amplifier

3. Daniel Hinze carried out spectral analysis investigations of his alto saxophone.

• Spectral Analysis of an Alto Saxophone

4. Dongrul Lee investigated the phenomenon of whistlers and carried out spectral analysis of various chords in various tunings.

• Implementing "whistler" Sound by using Sound Synthesis

• Spectral Analysis of Different Harmonies Implemented by Equal Temperament, Just and Overtone Ratio-Based Tuning Systems

5. Drew O'Bryan built and measured/compared the acoustic transport properties of various tin-can telephones.

• Analyzing the Tin-Can Walkie-Talkie

6. Hiep Du investigated the sound localization capabilities of an Arduino-based DAQ system.

• Arduino Sound Localization

7. Isaac Carrasquillo built and analyzed the acoustic properties of bamboo pan-pipes.

• Analysis of Bamboo as an Acoustic Medium

8. Jialiang Mao repaired and investigated the acoustical properties of a ukulele.

• Repair and Investigation the Ukulele

9. John Meehan and Kyle Heywood investigated the mechanical modal vibrations of a musical saw.

• Musical Saw: Case Study

10. Kelsey Bramschreiber investigated the frequency changes associated with bending notes on a harmonica

• Frequency Changes with Harmonic Bending

11. Matt Ziemann investigated how different paths in our evolution might have affected our music.

• A Look at How A Different Evolution Would Have Changed Music

12. Matthew Fischer investigated the mechanical modal vibrations of a snare drum.

• Modal Analysis of a Snare Drum

13. Michael Lu investigated/compared the harmonic content of 2-hole draw vs. 3-hole blow on a harmonica

• Comparative analysis of the two-hole draw and the three-hole blow on a harmonica

14. Nick Raleigh and Nate Chisholm investigated the infrasound levels from a single wind turbine

• Investigating Infrasound Levels from a Single Wind Turbine

15. Robert Lemiesz built a Fuzz Face pedal and investigated its harmonic content.

• Fuzz Face Pedal and Distortion Analysis

16. Sean Abraham built a Cahon and investigated its acoustical response to damping.

• The Cahon and its Response to Damping

17. Tim Brandt built a Fuzz Face pedal and investigated its harmonic content.

• Fuzz Face Guitar Pedal Replica

18. Taekjee Nam designed and built a pair of 2-Way bookshelf loudspeakers, then measured their frequency response

• 2-Way Loudspeakers

19. Tom Rocko carried out a harmonic analysis comparison of 3 bass guitars

• Bass Guitar Analysis

20. Victor Wu wound a set of Stratocaster single-coil pickups and measured their electromagnetic properties.

• Construction of Single Coil Pickups for a Fender Stratocaster

21. Will Steinhauser and Yuta Nakamura measured the acoustical properties of Foellinger Auditorium on the UIUC campus.

• Acoustical Properties of Foellinger Auditorium

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