‘A lively, intelligent and persuasive history of speech...Expertly and patiently explained’ The TimesWhy are human beings the only animals that can speak? And why does it matter?If you’ve ever felt the shock of listening to a recording of your own voice, you realise how important your voice is to your personal identity. We judge others – and whether we trust them – not just by their words but by the way they talk: their intonation,...

As an acoustic engineer, Trevor Cox has spent his career eradicating unwanted noises – echoes in concert halls, clamour in classrooms. Until the day he heard something so astonishing that he had an epiphany: rather than quashing rare or bizarre sounds, we should be celebrating these sonic treasures.This is the story of his investigation into the mysteries of these Sonic Wonders of the World. In the Mojave Desert he finds sand dunes that sing. In France he discovers an echo that tel...

"A lucid and passionate case for a more mindful way of listening to and engaging with musical, natural, and manmade sounds." —New York TimesIn this tour of the world’s most unexpected sounds, Trevor Cox—the “David Attenborough of the acoustic realm” (Observer)—discovers the world’s longest echo in a hidden oil cavern in Scotland, unlocks the secret of singing sand dunes in California, and alerts us to the aural gems that exist everywhere in betwee...

Mit dem Buch der Klänge führt uns der britische Wissenschaftler Trevor Cox in verborgene Hörwelten. Es weckt in uns das Verlangen, in einem Alltag, in dem das Visuelle so sehr dominiert, doch einmal genauer hinzuhören – und unsere Ohren für das wunderbare Klangdurcheinander um uns herum zu öffnen.Als Fachmann für technische Akustik hat sich Trevor Cox lange damit beschäftigt, unerwünschte Geräusche verschwinden zu lassen, ob Echos in Konzertsälen oder Lärm in Klassenzimmer...

Hove, west of its immediate neighbour Brighton, was a small fishing village on the Sussex coast until its development in the early nineteenth century as a fashionable seaside resort for wealthy Londoners following the patronage of the prince regent, later George IV. Elegant Regency estates and large Victorian mansions were built in Hove, most of which survive today, albeit as flats, and the town is also characterised by the wide boulevards and avenues laid down in that era. Sussex Cricket ...

This definitive guide covers the design and application of absorbers and diffusers in acoustics. Surface diffusion is a relatively young subject area, and diffuser design, application and characterisation are often not well understood. Although there is greater knowledge of absorption, it is also informed by new research. As two of the main design tools for altering the acoustic conditions of rooms, the correct use of absorbers and diffusers is important to the creation of quality acoustic...

NOT THE END OF THE STORYThe lore of Averoigne didn’t end with Clark Ashton Smith. Over the decades other writers, fascinated by this “Lovecraft country” of medieval France, added their own contributions. For the first time collected together into one volume, you can read over two dozen poems and stories of Averoigne (including some never before published) by Mythos authors like DJ Tyrer, Richard Tierney, Brian McNaughton, Michael Minnis, and James Chambers. Revisit...

Cancer is a dreaded disease. One in two people will be diagnosed with cancer within their lifetime. Medical Statistics for Cancer Studies shows how cancer data can be analysed in a variety of ways, covering cancer clinical trial data, epidemiological data, biological data, and genetic data. It gives some background in cancer biology and genetics, followed by detailed overviews of survival analysis, clinical trials, regression analysis, epidemiology, meta-analysis,...

Starting with essential maths, fundamentals of signals and systems, and classical concepts of DSP, this book presents, from an application-oriented perspective, modern concepts and methods of DSP including machine learning for audio acoustics and engineering. Content highlights include but are not limited to room acoustic parameter measurements, filter design, codecs, machine learning for audio pattern recognition and machine audition, spatial audio, array technologies and hearing aids. So...