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77-576: David Rapkin is a recording engineer , sound designer and audio producer , based in New York. Rapkin has designed sound on Broadway for Steaming by Nell Dunn , On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson , The Curse Of An Aching Heart by William Alfred , The Wake Of Jamie Foster by Beth Henley and Off-Broadway for Playwrights Horizons and The Phoenix Theater . Rapkin appeared in, produced, and edited many of Joe Frank 's radio programs. Radio programs produced by David Rapkin have received

154-704: A 1 ⁄ 4 inch (6.4 mm) or 1 ⁄ 8 inch (3.2 mm) phone jack for plugging the headphones into the audio source. Some headphones are wireless, using Bluetooth connectivity to receive the audio signal by radio waves from source devices like cellphones and digital players. As a result of the Walkman effect , beginning in the 1980s, headphones started to be used in public places such as sidewalks, grocery stores, and public transit. Headphones are also used by people in various professional contexts, such as audio engineers mixing sound for live concerts or sound recordings and DJs , who use headphones to cue up

231-500: A DJ mixer , and sound engineers for monitoring signal sources. In radio studios, DJs use a pair of headphones when talking to the microphone while the speakers are turned off to eliminate acoustic feedback while monitoring their own voice. In studio recordings, musicians and singers use headphones to play or sing along to a backing track or band. In military applications, audio signals of many varieties are monitored using headphones. Wired headphones are attached to an audio source by

308-606: A parallel circuit , which splits the audio signal to share with another participant, but can also be used to hear audio from two inputs simultaneously. An external audio splitter can retrofit this ability. Various types of specially designed headphones or earphones are also used to evaluate the status of the auditory system in the field of audiology for establishing hearing thresholds, medically diagnosing hearing loss , identifying other hearing related disease, and monitoring hearing status in occupational hearing conservation programs . Specific models of headphones have been adopted as

385-488: A "dynamic" driver is the most common type used in headphones. It consists of a stationary magnet element affixed to the frame of the headphone, which sets up a static magnetic field. The magnet in headphones is typically composed of ferrite or neodymium . A voice coil , a light coil of wire, is suspended in the magnetic field of the magnet, attached to a diaphragm, typically fabricated from lightweight, high-stiffness-to-mass-ratio cellulose, polymer, carbon material, paper or

462-423: A cable. Instead, they receive a radio or infrared signal encoded using a radio or infrared transmission link, such as FM , Bluetooth or Wi-Fi . These are battery-powered receiver systems, of which the headphone is only a component. Cordless headphones are used with events such as a Silent disco or Silent Gig . In the professional audio sector, headphones are used in live situations by disc jockeys with

539-469: A cable. The most common connectors are 6.35 mm ( 1 ⁄ 4   inch) and 3.5 mm phone connectors . The larger 6.35 mm connector is more common on fixed location home or professional equipment. The 3.5 mm connector remains the most widely used connector for portable application today. Adapters are available for converting between 6.35 mm and 3.5 mm devices. As active component, wireless headphones tend to be costlier due to

616-753: A creative profession and art form, where musical instruments and technology are used to produce sound for film, radio, television, music and video games. Audio engineers also set up, sound check and do live sound mixing using a mixing console and a sound reinforcement system for music concerts, theatre, sports games and corporate events. Alternatively, audio engineer can refer to a scientist or professional engineer who holds an engineering degree and who designs, develops and builds audio or musical technology working under terms such as electronic/electrical engineering or (musical) signal processing . Research and development audio engineers invent new technologies, audio software, equipment and techniques, to enhance

693-512: A given output level. Historically, many headphones had relatively high impedance, often over 500 ohms so they could operate well with high-impedance tube amplifiers . In contrast, modern transistor amplifiers can have very low output impedance, enabling lower-impedance headphones. Unfortunately, this means that older audio amplifiers or stereos often produce poor-quality output on some modern, low-impedance headphones. In this case, an external headphone amplifier may be beneficial. Sensitivity

770-696: A good sound within a room. For audio engineers, architectural acoustics can be about achieving good speech intelligibility in a stadium or enhancing the quality of music in a theatre. Architectural Acoustic design is usually done by acoustic consultants. Electroacoustics is concerned with the design of headphones, microphones, loudspeakers, sound reproduction systems and recording technologies. Examples of electroacoustic design include portable electronic devices (e.g. mobile phones , portable media players , and tablet computers ), sound systems in architectural acoustics, surround sound and wave field synthesis in movie theater and vehicle audio . Musical acoustics

847-491: A headphone and attached microphone. Such headsets are used in a variety of professions as aviation, military, sports, music, and many service-oriented sectors. They come in all shapes and sizes, depending on use, required noise attenuation, and fidelity of communication needed. Unwanted sound from the environment can be reduced by excluding sound from the ear by passive noise isolation, or, often in conjunction with isolation, by active noise cancellation . Passive noise isolation

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924-520: A maximum volume of 100 dB. Pairing high-sensitivity headphones with power amplifiers can produce dangerously high volumes and damage headphones. The maximum sound pressure level is a matter of preference, with some sources recommending no higher than 110 to 120 dB. In contrast, the American Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends an average SPL of no more than 85 dB(A) to avoid long-term hearing loss, while

1001-441: A pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers , which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an audio source privately, in contrast to a loudspeaker , which emits sound into the open air for anyone nearby to hear. Headphones are also known as earphones or, colloquially , cans . Circumaural (around

1078-426: A set of in-ear headphones. The German company Siemens Brothers at this time was also selling headpieces for telephone operators which had two earpieces, although placed outside the ear. The Siemens Brothers headpieces looked similar to modern headphones. The majority of headgear used by telephone operators continued to have only one earpiece. Headphones appeared in the emerging field of wireless telegraphy , which

1155-495: A university. Some positions, such as faculty (academic staff) require a Doctor of Philosophy . In Germany a Toningenieur is an audio engineer who designs, builds and repairs audio systems. The listed subdisciplines are based on PACS ( Physics and Astronomy Classification Scheme ) coding used by the Acoustical Society of America with some revision. Audio engineers develop audio signal processing algorithms to allow

1232-404: A wide range of applications, including post-production for video and film , live sound reinforcement, advertising , multimedia , and broadcasting. In larger productions, an audio engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of a sound recording or other audio production, and works together with a record producer or director, although the engineer's role may also be integrated with that of

1309-541: A woman" and she was told women in the city were "still barefoot, pregnant and [singing] in the vocal booth." When Jonell Polansky arrived in Nashville in 1994, with a degree in electrical engineering and recording experience in the Bay Area, she was told "You're a woman, and we already had one"—a reference to Wendy Waldman . KK Proffitt, a studio "owner and chief engineer", states that men in Nashville do not want to have women in

1386-416: Is a measure of how effectively an earpiece converts an incoming electrical signal into an audible sound. It thus indicates how loud the headphones are for a given electrical drive level. It can be measured in decibels of sound pressure level per milli watt (dB (SPL)/mW) or decibels of sound pressure level per volt (dB (SPL) / V). Unfortunately, both definitions are widely used, often interchangeably. As

1463-423: Is concerned with researching and describing the science of music. In audio engineering, this includes the design of electronic instruments such as synthesizers ; the human voice (the physics and neurophysiology of singing ); physical modeling of musical instruments; room acoustics of concert venues; music information retrieval ; music therapy , and the perception and cognition of music . Psychoacoustics

1540-534: Is essentially using the body of the earphone, either over or in the ear, as a passive earplug that simply blocks out sound. The headphone types that provide most attenuation are in-ear canal headphones and closed-back headphones, both circumaural and supra aural. Open-back and earbud headphones provide some passive noise isolation, but much less than the others. Typical closed-back headphones block 8 to 12 dB, and in-ears anywhere from 10 to 15 dB. Some models have been specifically designed for drummers to facilitate

1617-443: Is of concern because of the output limitations of amplifiers. A modern pair of headphones is driven by an amplifier, with lower impedance headphones presenting a larger load. Amplifiers are not ideal; they also have some output impedance that limits the amount of power they can provide. To ensure an even frequency response, adequate damping factor , and undistorted sound, an amplifier should have an output impedance less than 1/8 that of

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1694-492: Is offered by colleges and universities. Some audio engineers are autodidacts with no formal training, but who have attained professional skills in audio through extensive on-the-job experience. Audio engineers must have extensive knowledge of audio engineering principles and techniques. For instance, they must understand how audio signals travel, which equipment to use and when, how to mic different instruments and amplifiers, which microphones to use and how to position them to get

1771-557: Is performed by a sound engineer who specializes only in that part of the production. An audio engineer is proficient with different types of recording media, such as analog tape, digital multi-track recorders and workstations, plug-ins and computer knowledge. With the advent of the digital age, it is increasingly important for the audio engineer to understand software and hardware integration, from synchronization to analog to digital transfers. In their daily work, audio engineers use many tools, including: Headphone Headphones are

1848-488: Is required to reduce discomfort resulting from weight. These are commonly used by drummers in recording. Supra-aural headphones or on-ear headphones have pads that press against the ears, rather than around them. They were commonly bundled with personal stereos during the 1980s. This type of headphone generally tends to be smaller and lighter than circumaural headphones, resulting in less attenuation of outside noise. Supra-aural headphones can also lead to discomfort due to

1925-643: Is the Etymotic Research ER-3A. Circum-aural earphones are also used to establish hearing thresholds in the extended high frequency range (8,000 Hz to 20,000 kHz). Along with Etymotic Research ER-2A insert earphones, the Sennheiser HDA300 and Koss HV/1A circum-aural earphones are the only models that have reference equivalent threshold sound pressure level values for the extended high frequency range as described by ANSI standards. Audiometers and headphones must be calibrated together. During

2002-945: Is the scientific study of how humans respond to what they hear. At the heart of audio engineering are listeners who are the final arbitrator as to whether an audio design is successful, such as whether a binaural recording sounds immersive. The production, computer processing and perception of speech is an important part of audio engineering. Ensuring speech is transmitted intelligibly, efficiently and with high quality; in rooms, through public address systems and through mobile telephone systems are important areas of study. A variety of terms are used to describe audio engineers who install or operate sound recording , sound reinforcement , or sound broadcasting equipment, including large and small format consoles . Terms such as audio technician , sound technician , audio engineer , audio technologist , recording engineer , sound mixer , mixing engineer and sound engineer can be ambiguous; depending on

2079-468: Is typically learned from years of experience listening to and mixing music in recording or live sound contexts. For education and training, there are audio engineering schools all over the world. According to Women's Audio Mission (WAM), a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco dedicated to the advancement of women in music production and the recording arts, less than 5% of the people working in

2156-476: Is worn. Circumaural headphones (sometimes called full size headphones or over-ear headphones ) have circular or ellipsoid earpads that encompass the ears. Because these headphones completely surround the ear, circumaural headphones can be designed to fully seal against the head to attenuate external noise. Because of their size, circumaural headphones can be heavy and there are some sets that weigh over 500 grams (1 lb). Ergonomic headband and earpad design

2233-526: The European Union standard EN 50332-1:2013 recommends that volumes above 85 dB(A) include a warning, with an absolute maximum volume (defined using 40–4,000 Hz noise) of no more than 100 dB to avoid accidental hearing damage. Using this standard, headphones with sensitivities of 90, 100 and 110 dB (SPL)/V should be driven by an amplifier capable of no more than 3.162, 1.0 and 0.3162 RMS volts at maximum volume setting, respectively to reduce

2310-533: The Academy Award-nominated soundtrack to "Dirty Wars", Van-Ahn Vo (NPR's top 50 albums of 2013), Grammy-nominated St. Lawrence Quartet , and world music artists Tanya Tagaq and Wu Man . There certainly are efforts to chronicle women's role and history in audio. Leslie Gaston-Bird wrote Women in Audio, which includes 100 profiles of women in audio through history. Sound Girls is an organization focused on

2387-626: The Armstrong Award, The Corporation For Public Broadcasting Award and the Ohio State Award for Excellence in local broadcasting, as well as the Gold Medal from The International Radio Festival of New York. Mr. Rapkin was twice awarded a Grammy for his work as producer and director of the Harry Potter audiobook series. Recording engineer Sound engineering is increasingly viewed as

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2464-634: The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, "only 6% of the students enrolled on its sound technology course are female." Women's Audio Mission was started in 2003 to address the lack of women in professional audio by training over 6,000 women and girls in the recording arts and is the only professional recording studio built and run by women. Notable recording projects include the Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet , Angelique Kidjo (2014 Grammy winner), author Salman Rushdie ,

2541-513: The Sony EFM-117J transistor radio, which was released in 1964. Its popularity was reinforced by its use on the Walkman portable tape player in 1979. Headphones may be used with stationary CD and DVD players , home theater , personal computers , or portable devices (e.g., digital audio player / MP3 player , mobile phone ), as long as these devices are equipped with a headphone jack. Cordless headphones are not connected to their source by

2618-508: The audio and acoustic industry. Audio engineers in research and development usually possess a bachelor's degree , master's degree or higher qualification in acoustics, physics, computer science or another engineering discipline. They might work in acoustic consultancy, specializing in architectural acoustics . Alternatively they might work in audio companies (e.g. headphone manufacturer), or other industries that need audio expertise (e.g., automobile manufacturer), or carry out research in

2695-465: The best quality recordings. In addition to technical knowledge, an audio engineer must have the ability to problem-solve quickly. The best audio engineers also have a high degree of creativity that allows them to stand out amongst their peers. In the music realm, an audio engineer must also understand the types of sounds and tones that are expected in musical ensembles across different genres— rock and pop music , for example. This knowledge of musical style

2772-404: The calibration process, the output signal from the audiometer to the headphones is measured with a sound level meter to ensure that the signal is accurate to the reading on the audiometer for sound pressure level and frequency . Calibration is done with the earphones in an acoustic coupler that is intended to mimic the transfer function of the outer ear. Because specific headphones are used in

2849-487: The context they may be synonymous, or they may refer to different roles in audio production. Such terms can refer to a person working in sound and music production; for instance, a sound engineer or recording engineer is commonly listed in the credits of commercial music recordings (as well as in other productions that include sound, such as movies). These titles can also refer to technicians who maintain professional audio equipment. Certain jurisdictions specifically prohibit

2926-477: The creative use of audio as a sound engineer, and (ii) training in science or engineering topics, which then allows students to apply these concepts while pursuing a career developing audio technologies. Audio training courses provide knowledge of technologies and their application to recording studios and sound reinforcement systems , but do not have sufficient mathematical and scientific content to allow someone to obtain employment in research and development in

3003-716: The desired sound source, which is not picked up and reversed by the microphone. They require a power source, usually a battery, to drive their circuitry. Active noise cancelling headphones can attenuate ambient noise by 20 dB or more, but the active circuitry is mainly effective on constant sounds and at lower frequencies, rather than sharp sounds and voices. Some noise cancelling headphones are designed mainly to reduce low-frequency engine and travel noise in aircraft, trains, and automobiles, and are less effective in environments with other types of noise. Headphones use various types of transducer to convert electrical signals to sound. The moving coil driver , more commonly referred to as

3080-409: The drummer monitoring the recorded sound while reducing sound directly from the drums as much as possible. Such headphones claim to reduce ambient noise by around 25 dB. Active noise-cancelling headphones use a microphone, amplifier, and speaker to pick up, amplify, and play ambient noise in phase-reversed form; this to some extent cancels out unwanted noise from the environment without affecting

3157-550: The ear canal, they can be prone to sliding out, and they block out much environmental noise. Lack of sound from the environment can be a problem when sound is a necessary cue for safety or other reasons, as when walking, driving, or riding near or in vehicular traffic. Some in-ear headphones utilize built-in microphones to allow some outside sound to be heard when desired. Generic or custom-fitting ear canal plugs are made from silicone rubber, elastomer , or foam. Such plugs in lower-end devices may be interchangeable, which increases

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3234-409: The ear) and supra-aural (over the ear) headphones use a band over the top of the head to hold the drivers in place. Another type, known as earbuds or earpieces , consists of individual units that plug into the user's ear canal ; within that category have been developed cordless air buds using wireless technology. A third type are bone conduction headphones, which typically wrap around the back of

3311-432: The electronic manipulation of audio signals. These can be processed at the heart of much audio production such as reverberation , Auto-Tune or perceptual coding (e.g. MP3 or Opus ). Alternatively, the algorithms might perform echo cancellation , or identify and categorize audio content through music information retrieval or acoustic fingerprint . Architectural acoustics is the science and engineering of achieving

3388-403: The equivalent functionality of a telephone handset with hands-free operation. Among applications for headsets, besides telephone use, are aviation, theatre or television studio intercom systems, and console or PC gaming. Headsets are made with either a single-earpiece (mono) or a double-earpiece (mono to both ears or stereo). The microphone arm of headsets is either an external microphone type where

3465-519: The field of sound and media are women. "Only three women have ever been nominated for best producer at the Brits or the Grammys " and none won either award. According to Susan Rogers , audio engineer and professor at Berklee College of Music , women interested in becoming an audio engineer face "a boys' club, or a guild mentality". The UK "Music Producers' Guild says less than 4% of its members are women" and at

3542-507: The head and rest in front of the ear canal, leaving the ear canal open. In the context of telecommunication , a headset is a combination of a headphone and microphone . Headphones connect to a signal source such as an audio amplifier , radio , CD player , portable media player , mobile phone , video game console , or electronic musical instrument , either directly using a cord, or using wireless technology such as Bluetooth , DECT or FM radio . The first headphones were developed in

3619-400: The headphones it is driving (and ideally, as low as possible). If output impedance is large compared to the impedance of the headphones, significantly higher distortion is present. Therefore, lower impedance headphones tend to be louder and more efficient, but also demand a more capable amplifier. Higher impedance headphones are more tolerant of amplifier limitations, but produce less volume for

3696-623: The headset microphone impedance is different from that of the original handset, requiring a telephone amplifier for the telephone headset. A telephone amplifier provides basic pin-alignment similar to a telephone headset adaptor, but it also offers sound amplification for the microphone as well as the loudspeakers. Most models of telephone amplifiers offer volume control for loudspeaker as well as microphone, mute function and switching between headset and handset. Telephone amplifiers are powered by batteries or AC adaptors . Communication headsets are used for two-way communication and typically consist of

3773-410: The initial audiometer calibration process, they cannot be replaced with any other set of headphones, even from the same make and model. Electrical characteristics of dynamic loudspeakers may be readily applied to headphones, because most headphones are small dynamic loudspeakers. Headphones are available with high or low impedance (typically measured at 1 kHz). Low-impedance headphones are in

3850-460: The introduction of the Regency TR-1 . The most popular audio device in history, the transistor radio changed listening habits, allowing people to listen to the radio anywhere. The earbud uses either a moving iron driver or a piezoelectric crystal to produce sound. The 3.5 mm radio and phone connector , which is the most commonly used in portable applications today, has been used at least since

3927-487: The late 19th century for use by switchboard operators , to keep their hands free. Initially, the audio quality was mediocre and a step forward was the invention of high fidelity headphones. Headphones exhibit a range of different audio reproduction quality capabilities. Headsets designed for telephone use typically cannot reproduce sound with the high fidelity of expensive units designed for music listening by audiophiles . Headphones that use cables typically have either

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4004-824: The microphone is held in front of the user's mouth, or a voicetube type where the microphone is housed in the earpiece and speech reaches it by means of a hollow tube. Telephone headsets connect to a fixed-line telephone system. A telephone headset functions by replacing the handset of a telephone. Headsets for standard corded telephones are fitted with a standard 4P4C commonly called an RJ-9 connector. Headsets are also available with 2.5 mm jack sockets for many DECT phones and other applications. Cordless bluetooth headsets are available, and often used with mobile telephones . Headsets are widely used for telephone-intensive jobs, in particular by call centre workers. They are also used by anyone wishing to hold telephone conversations with both hands free. For older models of telephones,

4081-502: The necessity for internal hardware such as a battery, a charging controller, a speaker driver , and a wireless transceiver , whereas wired headphones are a passive component, outsourcing speaker driving to the audio source. Some headphone cords are equipped with a serial potentiometer for volume control. Wired headphones may be equipped with a non-detachable cable or a detachable auxiliary male-to-male plug, as well as some with two ports to allow connecting another wired headphone in

4158-515: The next generation of women in audio, but also has been building up resources and directories of women in audio. Women in Sound is another organization that has been working to highlight women and nonbinary people in all areas of live and recorded sound through an online zine and podcast featuring interviews of current audio engineers and producers. One of the first women to produce, engineer, arrange and promote music on her own rock and roll music label

4235-433: The next song without the audience hearing, aircraft pilots and call center employees. The latter two types of employees use headphones with an integrated microphone. Headphones grew out of the need to free up a person's hands when operating a telephone . By the 1880s, soon after the invention of the telephone , telephone switchboard operators began to use head apparatuses to mount the telephone receiver . The receiver

4312-566: The other earphone. On other models each earphone receives its audio stream directly from the source device. The former arrangement has the advantage of being compatible with legacy systems while the latter arrangement has the advantage of causing less power drain in the earphone that has to forward one audio stream. Connection between the two earphones also being wireless may be referred to as true wireless stereo (TWS) , offering longer battery life and complete transmission on left and right channels, avoiding possible source signal omission if only one

4389-483: The output voltage (but not power) of a headphone amplifier is essentially constant for most common headphones, dB/mW is often more useful if converted into dB/V using Ohm's law : Once the sensitivity per volt is known, the maximum volume for a pair of headphones can be easily calculated from the maximum amplifier output voltage. For example, for a headphone with a sensitivity of 100 dB (SPL)/V, an amplifier with an output of 1 root mean square (RMS) voltage produces

4466-768: The poles of a permanent magnet, which were positioned close to a flexible steel diaphragm. The audio current through the coils varied the magnetic field of the magnet, exerting a varying force on the diaphragm, causing it to vibrate, creating sound waves. The requirement for high sensitivity meant that no damping was used, so the frequency response of the diaphragm had large peaks due to resonance, resulting in poor sound quality . These early models lacked padding, and were often uncomfortable to wear for long periods. Their impedance varied; headphones used in telegraph and telephone work had an impedance of 75  ohms . Those used with early wireless radio had more turns of finer wire to increase sensitivity. Impedances of 1,000 to 2,000 ohms

4543-448: The pressure on the ear as compared to circumaural headphones that sit around the ear. Comfort may vary due to the earcup material. Earphones are very small headphones that are fitted directly in the outer ear , facing but not inserted in the ear canal. Earphones are portable and convenient, but many people consider them uncomfortable. They provide hardly any acoustic isolation and leave room for ambient noise to seep in; users may turn up

4620-702: The process and art of audio engineering. They might design acoustical simulations of rooms, shape algorithms for audio signal processing , specify the requirements for public address systems, carry out research on audible sound for video game console manufacturers, and other advanced fields of audio engineering. They might also be referred to as acoustic engineers. Audio engineers working in research and development may come from backgrounds such as acoustics , computer science , broadcast engineering , physics , acoustical engineering , electrical engineering and electronics . Audio engineering courses at university or college fall into two rough categories: (i) training in

4697-501: The producer. In smaller productions and studios the sound engineer and producer are often the same person. In typical sound reinforcement applications, audio engineers often assume the role of producer, making artistic and technical decisions, and sometimes even scheduling and budget decisions. Audio engineers come from backgrounds or postsecondary training in fields such as audio, fine arts , broadcasting, music, or electrical engineering. Training in audio engineering and sound recording

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4774-649: The range 16 to 32 ohms and high-impedance headphones are about 100-600 ohms. As the impedance of a pair of headphones increases, more voltage (at a given current) is required to drive it, and the loudness of the headphones for a given voltage decreases. In recent years, impedance of newer headphones has generally decreased to accommodate lower voltages available on battery powered CMOS -based portable electronics. This has resulted in headphones that can be more efficiently driven by battery-powered electronics. Consequently, newer amplifiers are based on designs with relatively low output impedance. The impedance of headphones

4851-482: The recording booth. At a meeting of the Audio Engineering Society , Proffitt was told to "shut up" by a male producer when she raised the issue of updating studio recording technologies. Proffitt said she "finds sexism rampant in the industry". Other notable women include: There are four distinct steps to the commercial production of a recording: recording, editing, mixing, and mastering. Typically, each

4928-428: The risk of hearing damage. The sensitivity of headphones is usually between about 80 and 125 dB/mW and usually measured at 1 kHz. Headphone size can affect the balance between fidelity and portability. Generally, headphone form factors can be divided into four separate categories: circumaural (over-ear) , supra-aural (on-ear) , earbud and in-ear . Wired headphones make a direct electrical connection to

5005-424: The risk of them falling off and getting lodged in the ear canal. Custom in-ear headphones use castings of the ear canal to create custom-molded plugs that provide added comfort and noise isolation. Some wireless earphones include a charging case. Both circumaural and supra-aural headphones can be further differentiated by the type of earcups: A headset is a headphone combined with a microphone . Headsets provide

5082-502: The singular form head telephones . By 1908 the headpiece began to be written simply as head phones , and a year later the compound word headphones began to be used. One of the earliest companies to make headphones for wireless operators was the Holtzer-Cabot Company in 1909. They were also makers of head receivers for telephone operators and normal telephone receivers for the home. Another early manufacturer of headphones

5159-478: The source device using a cable, typically connected with a headphone jack . Modern wireless or cordless earphones have no cord connecting the two earphones to the source device or to each other; they receive audio by means of a wireless technology such as Bluetooth . In historical usage, 'wireless' referred to a connection to a radio receiver, which was known as a wireless. On some models both audio streams are transmitted to one earphone which forwards one stream to

5236-725: The standard due to the ease of calibration and ability to compare results between testing facilities. Supra-aural style headphones are historically the most commonly used in audiology as they are the easiest to calibrate and were considered the standard for many years. Commonly used models are the Telephonics Dynamic Headphone (TDH) 39, TDH-49, and TDH-50. In-the-ear or insert style earphones are used more commonly today as they provide higher levels of interaural attenuation, introduce less variability when testing 6,000 and 8,000 Hz, and avoid testing issues resulting from collapsed ear canals. A commonly used model of insert earphone

5313-505: The success of Apple's MP3 player. ) In-ear headphones, also known as in-ear monitors (IEMs) or canalphones , are small headphones with similar portability to earbuds that are inserted in the ear canal itself. IEMs are higher-quality in-ear headphones and are used by audio engineers and musicians as well as audiophiles. The outer shells of in-ear headphones are made up of a variety of materials, such as plastic, aluminum , ceramic and other metal alloys. Because in-ear headphones engage

5390-407: The use of the title engineer to any individual not a registered member of a professional engineering licensing body . In the recording studio environment, a sound engineer records, edits, manipulates, mixes, or masters sound by technical means to realize the creative vision of the artist and record producer . While usually associated with music production, an audio engineer deals with sound for

5467-453: The volume dangerously high to compensate, at the risk of causing hearing loss . On the other hand, they let the user be better aware of their surroundings. Since the early days of the transistor radio , earphones have commonly been bundled with personal music devices. They are sold at times with foam or rubber pads for comfort. (The use of the term earbuds , which has been around since at least 1984, did not hit its peak until after 2001, with

5544-595: Was Cordell Jackson (1923–2004). Trina Shoemaker is a mixer, record producer and sound engineer who became the first woman to win the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album in 1998 for her work on The Globe Sessions . Gail Davies was the first female producer in country music , delivering a string of Top 10 hits in the 1970s and 1980s including " Someone Is Looking for Someone Like You ", " Blue Heartache " and " I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me) ". When she moved to Nashville in 1976, men "didn't want to work for

5621-681: Was Nathaniel Baldwin. He was the first major supplier of headsets to the U.S. Navy . In 1910, motivated by his inability to hear sermons during Sunday service, he invented a prototype telephone headset. He offered it for testing to the navy, which promptly ordered 100 of them. Wireless Specialty Apparatus Co., in partnership with Baldwin Radio Company, set up a manufacturing facility in Utah to fulfill orders. These early headphones used moving iron drivers , with either single-ended or balanced armatures. The common single-ended type used voice coils wound around

5698-519: Was common, which suited both crystal sets and triode receivers. Some very sensitive headphones, such as those manufactured by Brandes around 1919, were commonly used for early radio work. In 1958, John C. Koss , an audiophile and jazz musician from Milwaukee , produced the first stereo headphones. Smaller earbud type earpieces, which plugged into the user's ear canal, were first developed for hearing aids . They became widely used with transistor radios , which commercially appeared in 1954 with

5775-484: Was developed by the British company Electrophone . The device created a listening system through the phone lines that allowed the customer to connect into live feeds of performances at theaters and opera houses across London. Subscribers to the service could listen to the performance through a pair of massive earphones that connected below the chin and were held by a long rod. French engineer Ernest Mercadier in 1891 patented

5852-430: Was mounted on the head by a clamp which held it next to the ear. The head mount freed the switchboard operator's hands, so that they could easily connect the wires of the telephone callers and receivers. The head-mounted telephone receiver in the singular form was called a headphone . These head-mounted phone receivers, unlike modern headphones, only had one earpiece. By the 1890s a listening device with two earpieces

5929-439: Was the beginning stage of radio broadcasting . Some early wireless telegraph developers chose to use the telephone receiver's speaker as the detector for the electrical signal of the wireless receiving circuit. By 1902 wireless telegraph innovators, such as Lee de Forest , were using two jointly head-mounted telephone receivers to hear the signal of the receiving circuit. The two head-mounted telephone receivers were called in

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