Waveform analysis of sound (Q259603)

The book under review can serve as an additional reference in the area of sound signal processing. Chapter 2 introduces Z-transforms, discrete Fourier transforms and the basic operations associated with their applications. In Chapter 3, the author presents the magnitude and phase spectra, the power spectral density and the auto-correlation. The so-called ``frame-wise Fourier transform'' and ``sub-band filters'', as well as the amplitude modulation are discussed, by which the signal reconstruction can be tested. As is well known, in a confined space (for example, in a conference or concert hall) the earlier echoes and the closely following reverberation superpose on the direct sound, which can affect the acoustic quality. For example, under such circumstances, the speech intelligibility deteriorates. Thus, in Chapter 4, the author investigates the spectrum of speech signals in an anechoic room and in a reverberation room, respectively. In Chapter 5, the speech intelligibility is estimated by the amplitude modulation of signals. Chapters 6 and 7 discuss the transfer function of linear systems and the sampling theorem. An approximate estimation of the spectrum is described in Chapter 8. Because the materials on the room walls are not ideal, the wave number and the reflection coefficients are very complicated. In Chapter 9, the author introduces transfer functions with complex zeros which are appropriate for this situation. In this context, Chapters 3--5, dealing particularly with the signal processing in the presence of reverberation, are of great interest for the acoustics. The reviewer believes that this book will be a welcome addition to the current scientific literature in the area of sound propagation.