Creating a pure tone - 1000Hz, 60dB, rise and fall

[mbere]

Hello,

I can't work if I am just missing something here as I just want to do something simple. I would like to create a pure tone of 1000hz, 60dB, and 10ms rise/fall. But, I can't seem to find out how to make my dB go higher than 0, and I can't find where to change the rise and fall. Please help!

Thanks

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

0dB is the maximum output that a sound device can handle, but it's not an actual number, as such. What you need to do probably is create a tone at -60db ref. 0dB. And that's the point; dB values on their own are meaningless without a reference point. Reference points vary according to the particular usage you have - so in a physical system, you could use dBv, for instance - which is the standard terminology for 0dB=1volt.

Audition can't do that though, as all output devices are different. So, 0dB output from Audition represents the maximum output your sound device can manage, and that's very much a moveable feast - not necessarily the same as my one. dB values are all relative - there's no absolute unless you specify a reference level or condition. On top of that, they're logarithmic and not linear. Anyway, that's why you can't go above 0dB in Audition - that would just be an overloaded output on whatever device you're using.

There is of course a whole lot more to this. Don't run away with the idea that it's simple though - it isn't.

As for your rise and fall times - in terms of a sine wave, you haven't specified anything useful yet... A sine wave inevitably has a rise time of its own - about 1/3 of the period of it. So a 1kHz sine wave inherently has a risetime of about 0.3ms. Do you wish to include this? If you do, then you have to arrange a fade-in and fade out time on your generated waveform that's slightly less than 10ms. Audition's generator doesn't do this inherently - you have to arrange for that to happen by programming a fade at each end of the waveform after you've generated it. And you also have to decide what shape this fade is going to take - linear, exponential?

Yes, I'd say you're missing a few things... 😉

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

Should add that you really wouldn't talk about a 'rise time' in terms of a sine wave anyway. A rise time is something you associate with a step waveform, and is defined usually as being the time it takes to get from 10% to 90% of its settled ampltude after the transition. So with your sine wave, that's definitely a fade-in and out, not a rise and fall time.