“Your inside source for
audio resources”
This page is a collection of resources covering a variety of audio-related topics. The content is generally suited to graduate and undergraduate students, and many of the resources require little or no preliminary knowledge. The majority of resources are websites, but books and magazines are also included. The material is categorized by subject, and organized as shown in the overview below. This links page is new, and it is far from complete, so check back for more links and descriptions in the near future.
This collection was originally compiled by Todd Marco, current AES Chair, and the abundance of resources on Electronics and Amplifiers stems from the author’s personal interests. Updates will be performed regularly, and are indicated at the bottom of the page. New content suggestions, dead link reports, and general feedback are strongly encouraged. Please email Todd Marco (tpm157@psu.edu).
ELECTRONICS
GENERAL
PARTS
DISTRIBUTORS
TRANSISTORS
AMPLIFIERS
GENERAL
GUITAR AMPS
VACUUM TUBE AMPS
CLASS D AMPS
ELECTRONIC
FILTERS
DIGITAL
A/D
and D/A CONVERSION
DIGITAL
AUDIO and MP3
DIGITAL
SIGNAL PROCESSING (DSP)
ACOUSTICS
GENERAL
LOUDSPEAKERS
ROOM
ACOUSTICS
MISCELLANEOUS
GENERAL
PROJECT
RESOURCES
BOOKS
and TEXTS
MAGAZINES
FORUMS
CORPORATIONS
ACADEMIC
SOCIETIES
UNIVERSITIES
PSU
AUDIO-RELATED COURSES
DISCLAIMER and UPDATE
INFO
ELECTRONICS
Basic
Car Audio Electronics
Explains general electronic concepts in a simplified, intuitive fashion,
using pictures and diagrams. Focus and applications is on car audio.
Great site for beginners, but also has plenty of information for more experienced
engineers.
Elliott Sound
Products (ESP) - Audio
Articles
ESP provides information and projects for audio enthusiasts and D.I.Y. hobbyists.
Articles page includes topics like "Amplification", "Crossovers,
Filters, and Signal Processing", "Loudspeaker Design", and
plenty of D.I.Y. project information.
Analog by Design
Show
Monthly video series from National Semiconductor, featuring the eccentric
Bob Pease, discussing various analog electronics topics. Episodes include
"Low-Noise Amplifier Design and Analysis", "Capturing Distortion",
and "Active Filters".
Fun With Transistors
Simplified fundamentals of solid-state electronics with plenty of examples
to work through.
Circuit
Sage
Well organized collection of resources and links for software, articles, and
books. Relevant sections include “Low Noise & Power Amplifier
Design”, “A/D and D/A Design”, and “Filter Design
and Analysis”.
A
Review of Electronics
Explanation of general electronic circuits and concepts in an “online
text” format.
All About Circuits
Series of “online texts” covering electricity and electronics.
Volumes include “DC”, “AC”, “Semiconductors”,
and “Digital”. Each volume is further broken down into Chapters.
Play-Hookey
Simplified explanations for various general electronics concepts, devices,
and circuits. Includes AC and DC theory, as well as analog and digital
theory and experiments.
Electronics
Category of Georgia State University's HyperPhysics,
which contains a wealth of interconnected information. Electronics category
includes subcategories for "Audio Electronics", "Semiconductor
Physics", "Electric Circuits", and more, each containing numerous
articles.
NEETS
Electronic Manuals & Tutorials
Download the complete Navy Electricity and Electronics Training Series
(NEETS). Modular series with simplified, intuitive approach for technicians
and beginners. Relevant modules include “Amplifiers”, “Wave-Generation
and Wave-Shaping”, and “Magnetic Recording”.
Web EE
Includes many tutorials, project schematics, and links for a variety of electronic
topics. Presented by Electronic Design magazine.
Audio
Schematics
Collection of schematics for amplifiers, filters, and other audio electronics.
Little circuit explanation provided.
Circuit
Sites
Extensive list of links for electronic circuits resources, including information
and projects on "Audio",
"Music",
"Oscillators",
"Power
Supplies", and more.
KBapps
Tons of audio information! Audio technical articles section contains
pages on “Acoustics”, “Audio”, “Digital”,
and “Electronics”. Schematics sections features tube guitar
amp schematics from “Fender”, “Marshall”, and“Vox”,
as well as a few hi-fidelity amps, including “McIntosh” schematics.
Electronic
Circuit “Beans” Collection
Various electronic projects with schematics, operation explanations, construction
details, project pictures, and even performance evaluations.
Analog
Electronics course website
Website for introductory Analog Electronics course at Georgia Tech.
Self-contained notes in pdf format.
Zero Distortion
Hi-Fi Internet Magazine
Features audio electronics articles and product reviews.
International Audio/Video
Review (IAR)
Interesting articles, but very text-dense.
About
SPICE
Information and tutorial for SPICE electronic simulation software, with
numerous examples.
WEBENCH
Design and analysis tool from National
Semiconductor.
Parts Express
Great resource for audio electronic products and parts, from individual capacitors
to complete amplifiers, with catalog search.
Digi-Key
General electronic parts distributor with catalog search.
Mouser
General electronic parts distributor with catalog search.
Angela Instruments
Supplier of audio electronic parts, located in Maryland. Extensive catalog
with pictures and descriptions. Lots of tube amp parts and specialty
items.
Ampwares
Small tube amp parts distributor, located in Linwood, PA. Host of the
"Fender Amp Field
Guide."
Transistorized!
The History of the Invention of the Transistor
Based on a PBS television special, this website provides information about
the history and development of the transistor. Includes a “quicktour”
overview, a timeline of 20th century events, short video clips, and other
interesting things (like Brattain and Schokley’s original lab notes!)
Bipolar
Junction Transistor (BJT)
Article from HyperPhysics' Electronics
category explaining details about physical operation of BJTs.
BJTs
Article from Basic
Car Audio Electronics with basic, simplified description of BJT operation.
The
Amplifier Institute
Plenty of information on amplifier topics, like “Distortion in Power
Amplifiers”, “Pseudo-science in Audio”, “Op-amp Design”,
“Discrete design”, “Ground loops”, and more.
Created by audio electronics author Douglas Self.
Operational
Amplifiers
History, operating principles, characteristics, and applications of op-amps.
Low Noise
and Power Amplifier Design
Category of Circuit Sage.
Some
Defects in Amplifier Performance Not Covered by Standard Specifications
The
Look of Harmonic Distortion
Articles
by Randall Smith
Randall Smith, founder and president of Mesa
Boogie shares some information in these articles. “Class A
– Exposed & Explained” is a particularly good, “technical”
yet easy-to-understand article for musicians about Class-A and how amps work.
Guitar
Amplifiers
General information on guitar amplifiers, including “Basics”,
“History”, “Valves vs. Solid State”, and “Distortion.”
Website also includes pages for guitar effects and guitar pickups.
Electric
Guitar Amplifier Handbook
Out of print guitar amplifier technician book from 1973, available for download
in pdf. Divided into two sections: “How Guitar Amplifiers Work”
and “Service Procedures and Techniques.”
Fender
Amp Field Guide
Contains information and schematics for many classic and modern Fender guitar
amplifiers.
Tube Amplifier
Schematics
Features tube guitar amp schematics from “Fender”, “Marshall”,“Vox”,
and others, plus a few hi-fidelity amps, including “McIntosh”
schematics.
Guitar Effects Oriented (GEO)
Webpage
Tech tips and projects for electric guitar effects. Check out the article
called " A
Musical Distortion Primer".
Guitar Effects
Schematics & Projects
Some pretty simple schematics for some common guitar effects, like distortion,
chorus, delay, flanger, etc.
Tubes
Vs. Transistors in Electric Guitar Amps
Article available from Milbert Amplifiers,
written by W. Stephen Bussey and Robert M. Haigler from CBS (Fender), and
originally appearing in IEEE from 1981.
Essential
Differences Between Good and Bad Guitar’s Sound
Article appearing on Milbert Amplifiers
site, supposedly written by Dr. Samo Sali in 2004.
EEs at
Fender Put Guitar Amps to Work
Article available from Milbert Amplifiers,
originally appearing in EE Times, 2000.
Harmony
Central
Links page for topics including "Tube Amps and Electronics", "MIDI
and Digital Guitar", "Guitar Wiring and Electronics", and "Building
a Guitar".
Schematic Heaven
Schematics, manuals, and modifications for electric guitar amplifiers and
effects.
Guitar
Effects Projects
Includes a couple articles on practice amp design and distortion.
Tales
from the Tone Lounge
"Exploring the vintage myths and voodoo legends of tube guitar amplifiers!"
Bill’s
Blues Junior Modification Pages
The
Secrets of Electric Guitar Pickups
Response
Effect of Guitar Pickup Position and Width
Bias in Vacuum
Tube Guitar Amplifiers
Fun with Tubes
Great resource with lots of simple theory, pratical considerations, and project
information. Categories include "The Basic Stuff", "Construction
Projects", "Radio", "Audio Amplifiers - How They Work",
and "Building Amplifiers".
Radio-Electronics.com
- Vacuum Tube Basic Introduction
Basic explanation of the physics behind the vacuum tube.
“Tubes
201” How Vacuum Tubes Really Work
Online article explaining the physical and electrical operation of vacuum
tubes. Contains some mathematical equations, but they are only supplemental.
Milbert
Amplifiers - Articles
It may seem like a strange prospect, but Milbert Amplifiers is a company that
specializes in vacuum tube car audio equipment. Their website includes
an articles page with tons of great information. Articles are divided into
three categories: "Tubes vs. Transistors", "On Tube Sound",
and "Subjective Sound Quality vs. Objective Measurements".
The Cool
Sound of Tubes
Excellent article discussing the current state of the vacuum tube. Compares
tubes to transistors, both subjectively and objectively. Also overviews
history of musical instrument amplifiers, and discusses high-end and professional
use.
Also available here.
Tubes vs. Transistors:
Is There an Audible Difference?
Article available from Milbert Amplifiers,
originally presented at an AES convention in 1972, and published in the Journal
of the Audio Engineering Society. Also available here.
Tube
vs. Solid State Harmonics
This article appears on Universal Audio’s October 2005 “webzine,”
in the section entitled “Ask the Doctors.” Addresses the
belief that tubes produce even-order harmonic distortion, and solid-state
circuits produce odd-order. Uses waveform pictures to clarify concepts,
and concludes with the claim that feedback is more responsible for harmonic
distribution than device technology.
Why Vacuum Tubes?
Tubes technology is preferred by D. W. Fern, hand-crafted professional recording
equipment manufacturer. This article appeared in a 1996 issue of Pro Audio
Reivew.
RCA tube manual
The classic RCA tube manual: 1952 Radiotron Designers Handbook, 4th edition,
available as free pdf file downloads.
Technical
Books Online
A virtual library of out-of-print technical electronics texts, available as
free pdf file downloads. Incredible resource for classic tube design.
Duncan’s Amp Pages
Primarily a tube amplifier resource. Includes free software downloads for
power supply design, tone stack design, and more. Also includes lots of schematics,
and SPICE models.
Dr. Tube
Contains schematics for hi-fi and guitar tube amplifiers, including a huge
Marshall section.
Tales
from the Tone Lounge
"Exploring the vintage myths and voodoo legends of tube guitar amplifiers!"
Tubes
vs. Transistors
Norman
Koren Vacuum tube audio page
coldamp.com
Coldamp is an audio amplifier company that uses Class D designs. This
page contains a white paper on the technology.
Class-D
Audio Amplifiers; is “all-digital” really better?
Column article by Bob Adams of Analog Devices discussing the pros and cons
of Class D.
Filter Design and Analysis
Category of Circuit Sage.
Analog
Filter Wizard
Filter design tool from Analog
Devices.
Intro
to Digital Filters
Free online text from Julius Orion Smith.
A/D and
D/A Design
Category of Circuit Sage.
Digital
Sucks
Take with a grain of salt.
Exact Audio Copy
High quality CD ripping program with advanced error correction; produces a
log file indicated quality of rip. Allows many encoding formats, and a complimentary
program called MAREO
will even enable multiple format encoding.
Digital
Audio Basics
Explains digital basics like sample rates, aliasing, and quantization, as
well as formats, jitter, and level measurements.
iPod
evaluation measurements
Article about the Apple iPod, including a technical evaluation, appearing
in Stereophile magazine's
website.
An Experimental
High Fidelity Perceptual Audio Coder
Article from Julius Orion Smith.
DSPRelated.com
Great independent internet resource for DSP engineers. Includes discussion
groups, blogs, papers/theses, job postings, and book recommendations.
JOS
Online Publications
Julius Orion Smith (JOS) is a professor at Stanford University CCRMA,
with a focus on musical signal processing. Visit his homepage,
or browse through his numerous online
publications, organized by subject and publication type. Included are
articles, course materials, and conference papers, including an interesting
paper entitled "Virtual
Acoustic Musical Instruments." Plus, full online texts are available,
like "Mathematics
of the DFT", "Intro
to Digital Filters", and "Physical
Audio Signal Processing". Be prepared to invest time into this site,
because it is relatively advanced material, and there is an abundance of information.
Digital Signal Processing
Basic introduction to the fundamental concepts and techniques of DSP and digital
filtering, in a simplified approach.
The Scientist and Engineer's
Guide to Digital Signal Processing
Free DSP book available online, written by Dr. Steven W. Smith. Total of 27
chapters, including "ADC and DAC", "Introduction to Digital
Filters", and "Audio Processing".
Digital Audio Effects (DAFX)
Conference
Details from DAFX conferences, including papers presented.
Prosig's
Free Signal Processing Notes & Tutorials
Matlab Audio
Processing Examples
What
is Analogue Synthesis?
Basic explanation of how analog synthesizers work.
Analog
Synthesis
Another basic explanation on analog synthesizer operation.
Analog
Synth
Explains some of the basic electronics behind analog synthesis.
Synth Zone
"Synthesizer & Electronic Music Production Resource Guide"
Synth
Secrets
Popular series from Sound
On Sound's online articles.
Moog
Interview
Interview with Bob Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer, entitled "Pushing
the Envelope", available online from Alternative
Music Press.
Synths
'R' Us
Advanced
Sound Recording Technology
Course website for MUS192B - Advanced Sound Recording Technology, from 2006-07
at Stanford University CCRMA,
with posted lecture notes.
Articles
by Bob Katz
Articles from recording mastering engineer, Bob Katz, appearing on Digital
Domain. Articles include "dither", "mixing tips and tricks",
"compression", "CD mastering", and "back to analog".
Sound
and Hearing
Category of Georgia State University's HyperPhysics,
which contains a wealth of interconnected information. Sound and Hearing
category includes subcategories for "Musical Instruments ", "Hearing",
"Sound Propagation ", and more, each containing numerous articles.
Musical Acoustics
Course website for MUS150 - Musical Acoustics, from Fall 1999 at Stanford
University CCRMA,
with posted lecture notes.
Advanced
Acoustics
Course website for MUS318 - Advanced Acoustics, from Winter 2007 at Stanford
University CCRMA,
with posted lecture notes.
Elliott Sound Products (ESP)
- Audio Articles
ESP provides information and projects for audio enthusiasts and D.I.Y. hobbyists.
Articles page includes topics like "Loudspeaker Design", "Amplification",
"Crossovers, Filters, and Signal Processing", and plenty of D.I.Y.
project information.
Accelerated
Ribbon Technology (A.R.T.)
Explanation of tranducer technology implemented in ADAM
professional audio loudspeakers.
The
Speaker Specialist
Free online newspaper from Polk
Audio.
Room
Acoustics
Article from Crutchfield
Advisor, with sections for "ABCs or room acoustics", "reflection",
"absorption", "diffusion", and "how to locate your
room's reflective trouble spots".
Elliot Sound
Products – DIY Audio Articles
Understanding
Impedance (Sound on Sound)
Pete Millett’s
DIY Audio pages
Illustrated documentation
of Audio Projects
Elliot Sound
Products (ESP) - Project Index
* indicates PSU textbook
High-Power Audio Amplifier Construction Manual
G. Randy Slone, 1st edition, 1999
amazon.com
The Audiophile's Project Sourcebook: 80 High-Performance Audio Electronics
Projects
G. Randy Slone, 1st edition, 2001
amazon.com
Audio Power Amplifier Design Handbook
Douglas Self, 4th edition, 2006
amazon.com
Self on Audio
Douglas Self, 2nd edition, 2006
amazon.com
Valve Amplifiers
Morgan Jones, 3rd edition, 2003
amazon.com
Building Valve Amplifiers
Morgan Jones, 1st edition, 2004
amazon.com
Valve and Transistor Audio Amplifiers
John Linsley Hood, 1st edition, 1997
amazon.com
Audio Electronics
John Linsley Hood, 2nd edition, 2001
amazon.com
The Art of Linear Electronics
John Linsley Hood, 2nd edition, 1998
amazon.com
Music Engineering
Richard Brice, 2nd edition, 2001
amazon.com
The Guitar Amp Handbook: Understanding Amplifiers and Getting Great Sounds
Dave Hunter, 1st edition, 2005
amazon.com
London Power
- books by
Kevin O'Connor
These books cover many areas of audio, especially tube guitar amps. Includes
the popular "Ultimate Tone" series of publications.
The Art of Electronics
Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill, 2nd edition, 1989
* EE403W
amazon.com
Electronic Circuit Analysis and Design
Donald A. Neamen, 2nd edition, 2001
* EE310, EE311, EE448
amazon.com
Principles of Digital Audio
Ken Pohlmann, 5th edition, 2005
* ACS497A
amazon.com
Digital Signal Processing
Sanjit K. Mitra, 3rd edition, 2005
* EE453
amazon.com
Digital Filters
Richard W. Hamming, 3rd edition, 1997
amazon.com
Fundamentals of Acoustics
Kinsler, Frey, Coppens, and Sanders, 4th edition, 1999
* ACS497A
amazon.com
The Essentials of Music Technology
Mark
Ballora, 1st edition, 2002
*INART258 (author is professor of course)
amazon.com
Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics
Arthur H. Benade, 2nd edition, 1990
amazon.com
Advanced Speaker Designs for the Hobbyist & Technician
J. B. Hall and Ray Alden, 1st edition, 1995
amazon.com
Mastering Audio: The Art and Science
Bob Katz, 1st edition, 2002
amazon.com
Acoustical Measurement
Leo L. Beranek
ASA
Acoustics
Leo L. Beranek
ASA
amazon.com
Electroacoustics: The Analysis of Transduction and Its Historical Background
Frederick V. Hunt
ASA
The Sound Reinforcement Handbook
Gary Davis and Ralph Jones
amazon.com
The Microphone Book
John Eargle
Elsevier
/ Focal Press
amazon.com
Introduction to Sound Recording
Geoff Martin
online
book
Principles of Semiconductor Devices
Bart Van Zeghbroeck
online
book
Electronic Design
Vacuum Tube Valley
IEEE Spectrum
Hi-Fi News
Home Theater
Sound & Vision
hi-fi+
The Absolute Sound
Hydrogenaudio
"The audio technology enthusiast's resource"
diyAudio.com "Projects
by the fanatics, for the fanatics"
BigBlueLounge.com "The ultimate music and audio production resource and community"
AudioForums.com "Primarily
geared to audio editors, producers, engineers and musicians creating and editing
music in the computer DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) environment"
Elliott Sound
Products (ESP) - Project and Articles Forum
Audio Engineering Society (AES)
Audio Engineering Society (AES) – Student Delegates Assembly
Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
Acoustical Society
of America (ASA) – Student Zone
Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Penn State - Graduate Program
in Acoustics
Penn State - Electrical
Engineering
Penn State - School of
Music
Penn State -
Integrative Arts
Penn
State - Music Technology Minor (MUTEC)
Penn State - Applied Research
Lab (ARL)
University of Miami – Music Engineering
Stanford University – Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA)
Ball State University
- Music Technology
Northwestern
- Music Technology
Georgia Tech - Music
Technology Group
Georgia
Tech – Center for Signal & Image Processing (CSIP)
Arizona
State Univesity - Arts, Media, and Engineering Program
MIT – Music, Mind, and Machine Group
Rice University – Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
Virginia Tech –
Vibration and Acoustics Laboratories (VAL)
Tampere University of Technology
– Institute of Signal Processing
INART050
Science of Music
INART055
History of Electro-Acoustic Music
INART258
Fundamentals of MIDI and Digital Audio
MUSIC008 Rudiments of Music
MUSIC455 Technology in Music
MUSIC485 Electronic Music Composition
THEA485 Sound for Theatre Production
THEA484 Audio Recording
EE008S Introduction to Digital Music
EE010S Loudspeaker Design
EE310
/ EE311
/ EE410
Analog Circuit Design
EE453
Fundamentals of Digital Signal Processing
ACS497A Audio Engineering
ACS514 Transducers
*Note: Many of these courses can count towards a minor
in Music Technology. Also, there is an Audio Engineering minor in the
works!
DISCLAIMER: The Penn State Chapter
of AES, the national organization of AES (including other chapters), as well
as the Pennsylvania State University and its departments, students, and faculty,
in no way endorse any products or services that may be available to the public
or private sector through the above links. For content objections, or
to have a link removed, please email Penn State AES chairperson.
For suggestions, email Todd Marco (tpm157@psu.edu)
updated 03/23/08