#17: Software Engineer Drew Shapiro—Understanding the Technology of Sound (Part 1)

Episode • Oct 6, 2020 • 1h 3m

This episode can be summed up with two competing quotes:

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

"Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science!”

The first quote is by the famous science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. The second quote is unknown, but points out that the spell books for such magic are to be found in the methods and tools of science.

So how does sound work? What is the difference between analog and digital audio? How does a computer store an audio file and then rebuild it into sound waves that you can hear? What is the journey that this podcast took to get from our voice boxes into your headphones?

We answer those questions and more in this episode all about the technology of sound with software engineer Drew Shapiro. While studying electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, Drew also had a minor in music, making him a perfect guest for this episode.

This episode is the first half of our conversation, with Part 2 dropping in a few days. Enjoy!

**This episode contains video which you can watch on our Youtube Channel**

Timestamps:

02:30 Drew's background
13:17 What is analogue sound
18:30 The Barbershop pole illusion and Shepard tone illusion
22:09 Psychoacoustics and the "Laurel" or "Yanny" phenomenon
25:48 Arthur C. Clarke quote on the magic of technology
34:40 How speakers transform electrical signals into sound waves
43:03 What is information
55:05 Why a microphone is a reverse speaker

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