aspiring Loud speaker designer,what classes should I take?

[Fredhizzle]

This is my first post and I have little experiance in the understanding of acoustic priciples & etc but my passion for speakers and audio makes me want to be a speaker designer/developer and tester etc. I started researching the profession and it seems like it's very broad career there really isn't a class for loudspeaker design, I started doing research and it seems like some one that wants to get in to that field could have a background in engineering or an applicable science background and a lot of experiance. ( im going to get to the point) What classes should I take In college to be a loudspeaker designer, and by the way im terrible in math hopefully its just science and experiance right?? what skills do I need (describe with some distinctness)

 

[TLS Guy]

The foundation of the physical sciences is math. If you are weak in math you are selecting the wrong career.

You need physics, acoustics, physical properties and electrical engineering.

I believe in the future we will actually fairly quickly get to the point where the the amplifier and loudspeaker will be designed as a unit. Crossover design will then require knowledge of digital signal processing as well as analog circuitry.

Computer programming skills will also help.

 

[jcPanny]

Golden Ear?

Speaker design is part art and part science. A music background might also be helpful and have your hearing tested. It would be hard to voice speakers properly if you can't hear the differences.

Also, I know from personal experience that an engineering degree requires plenty of Calculus.

 

[Halon451]

Speaker design is part art and part science. A music background might also be helpful and have your hearing tested. It would be hard to voice speakers properly if you can't hear the differences.

Also, I know from personal experience that an engineering degree requires plenty of Calculus.

Yep - no doubt about it. I'd start with taking some math classes before anything else. You will find that in an engineering program, the curriculum tends to move very quickly past the fundamentals, assuming you have a good understanding of the mathematics involved. Calculus is the big thing as jbPanny stated - if you're weak in math, everything is likely to fall to pieces as the coursework itslef relies on your understanding of those principles.

Not to dissuade you from what you yearn to do in life by any means - where there is a will there is a way. Just because you're terrible in one subject does not mean you can't be great in it, with some effort.

In any career path you choose - especially those involving technical degrees, physical sciences, etc., always make sure you have a good grasp on the basic fundamentals before getting too deep into it. It's very easy to get swallowed up and spit out once you've fallen off track.

 

[j_garcia]

Experience is the key IMHO, moreso than math or any degree, since there isn't really a degree in speaker design. Start by listening to a LOT of speakers and take into account characteristics that you like and don't, that way when you design, you will know what you are after or trying to improve upon.

 

[Savant]

If you feel you are going to struggle with math, you may discover much frustration with the technical side of loudspeaker design. Then again, there are plenty of loudspeakers that have been developed with "know-how" as opposed to PhD level calculus.

Nonetheless, you may find that your niche is more on the subjective side - the "art" side - wherein loudspeaker technical specs may not be as important as putting a good sounding system together based on your ears and experience. Along those lines, you might want to consider getting involved with systems design as opposed to loudspeaker design. It will still be a prerequisite (IMO) to be well-versed in the basic physics and math, but you don't necessarily need an engineering degree to put a wonderful sounding audio system together.

(As Don Davis said, "In audio and acoustics the fundamentals are not difficult; the physics are." Naturally, this is a double-edged sword...)

If you're going to consider formal education or training, you might look into professional training programs as opposed to a university degree. There are myriad options available in the US (NSCA, Syn-Aud-Con, CEDIA, etc.) - where are you located? There are also degree programs that are not as intense as, say, a EE degree from MIT. Again, which of these would be most appropriate may come down to where you are, or where you're willing to relocate to.

HTH.