Notes (DE503) | Learning Process Design Year 2

[Please click on any image to open the gallery full-screen!]

Here are the scanned in notes detailing the maths, science and analysis done for the project, as well as the first rough plan for The Volume Experiment. I chose to scan-in these notes instead of typing them out because I feel the scans more accurately portray the design process. Scanning them in like this also helps in my personal goal to be less of a perfectionist; showing the messy notes in all their glory ensures that I am able to display the imperfect side of the process, as well as reducing the risk of accidentally omitting crucial details.

Notes on the internal architecture of concert halls, analysis on how sound travels

A more detailed crude sketch of how I want the guitar to look. — Maths done to attempt to prove that there is a nut-bridge angle constant.

Maths done to attempt to prove that there is a nut-bridge angle constant.

A crude top-face sketch of how I want the bass guitar to look. — Rough first plan of the Volume Experiment

Rough first plan of the Volume Experiment++

Notes on industry practices re guitar manufacture (c: Curtin University)

Notes on industry practice re guitar manufacture(c: Curtin University)

Notes taken to refresh my memory on wave physics theory. (c: Physics and Maths Tutor))

Notes taken on wave physics theory to refresh my memory. (c: Physics and Maths tutor)

Notes taken to refresh my memory on wave physics theory (c: The Physics Classroom)

Within these notes are rough plans for experiments, notes on how concert halls are constructed to best amplify sound while maintaining quality, handwritten notes on relevant wave theory, notes on industry practice in ensuring that the proportions are correct when manufacturing guitars, and some loose trigonometry done in an attempt to identify a constant angle at which the strings spread.

Below are some notable facts born of this research.

Rougher surfaces are often used in concert halls in order to better disperse sound in a range of directions.
Concert halls are built with sound isolation in mind, meaning the outside world and its various sounds are taken into account
Concert halls are mainly comprised of solid materials! If any soft surfaces are going to be present, it will be on the seats for audience comfort.
The stiffness to weight ratio of the internal supports on a guitar is maximised by carving them higher than they are wide.
Manufacturing the back of a guitar to have a slight dome to it saves on material by lessening the need to add internal supports.