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How would you describe the sound of a clock?
Regardless of what your brain thinks, the clock makes one sound – TICK. But since your brain likes to organize repeating sounds into musical passages, you hear TICK-tock TICK-tock. Typically the second tone in a repeating pattern is assigned a lower pitched note by your ever helpful brain.
How do you write the sound of an alarm clock?
- brrring: the sound an alarm clock makes.
- ding-dong: the sound a doorbell makes.
- chug-a-chug-a choo choo: the sound a train makes.
What is the sound of an alarm called?
A siren is a loud noise-making device. Civil defense sirens are mounted in fixed locations and used to warn of natural disasters or attacks. Sirens are used on emergency service vehicles such as ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks. There are two general types: mechanical and electronic.
What sound clock makes?
You can also describe a clock as making a “Tick Tick Tick” sound, which can be considered a more accurate description, since many modern clocks don’t actually make the “Tock” sound. However, people across the globe generally recognize and use the description “Tick Tock” to describe the sound a clock makes.
How do you describe sound in writing?
While adjectives (words like “loud” or “sharp”) are the obvious choice for describing sounds, verbs are a powerful tool that can also help you achieve a strong description. For example, saying, “the jet was loud” is accurate and descriptive, while “the jet screamed” evokes an even stronger sense of the sound.
How do you write sounds in writing?
In general, sounds in fiction are formatted using italics. If the context requires the sound to stand alone for emphasis, it is usually recommended the author use the sound on its own line. If someone is describing sound in first person narrative, there are instances where italics might include dashes.
How do you spell siren sound?
I believe you are correct in your original thought that nee-nore is the correct answer, though it is more commonly spelled nee-naw. From Wiktionary: Imitating the sound of a siren on a vehicle used by emergency services.
What is a alliteration for a clock?
Tick tock, Tick tock, Tock Tock ticking. Clocks cluck, catching curious cries. Several seconds slide, slowly sticking.
How do you write sound effects in a story?
Onomatopoeia is an effective way to include the sense of sound. The overuse of onomatopoeia typically comes from too many interjections or one-word sentences. These can affect the pacing of your writing and jolt your reader out of the story.
How would you describe the fire alarm sound?
There are two different sounds that a smoke detector emits: Beeping and chirping. A loud, continuous Beeping means you need to leave the building quickly. A Chirping that generally sounds every 30-60 secs means it’s time to change the batteries. Smoke Alarms should be in every bedroom and hallway outside of bedrooms.
How do you describe a clock ticking?
The time (for something to be done) is passing quickly; hurry up. For example, The clock is ticking on that project. This allusion to a stopwatch is often used as an admonition to speed something up.
What sound does a wall clock make?
Clocks make a ticking noise as their mechanism counts out the seconds. This is hardly new information, as all clocks tick. Old-fashioned wall clocks tick very loudly, but this is because their mechanisms are heavy and designed to be longer lasting than modern clocks.
Why Do clocks make a sound?
The reality is that some clocks will just make noise when they tick. The way the internal mechanisms and gears are put together means that when they move, they make a sound in order to push the hands forward.
How would you describe a clock ticking?
clock is ticking, the. The time (for something to be done) is passing quickly; hurry up. For example, The clock is ticking on that project. This allusion to a stopwatch is often used as an admonition to speed something up.
How would you describe a clock ticking in writing?
“The ticking clock,” is a plot device that is used to constrain your story and put a time limit on your protagonist as he or she works to resolve a conflict. The concept is simple – a certain task must be completed by a certain deadline or the character will fail and suffer the consequences of that failure.
What does a siren sound like in words?
One of the common sounds you hear on the streets is a siren: a loud, high noise that comes from police cars, fire trucks, or ambulances. It sounds like “Waaaaaahhhhhhh.” People living in New York City often call city officials to complain the noise wakes them up and makes dogs cry out loudly.
How do you describe a car sound in writing?
BANG: A brief sharp sound, like from a gun. An engine backfire is an example. BOOM: A hollow, low-frequency sound or sensation as from a bass drum or tympani, sometimes like a rolling bowling ball or thunder.
7 Words For The Sound Of An Alarm Clock (Onomatopoeia)
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- Summary of article content: Articles about 7 Words For The Sound Of An Alarm Clock (Onomatopoeia) Which Words Can Describe The Sound Of An Alarm Clock? Beep Beep Beep; Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt; Zzzzzzz … …
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Which Words Can Describe The Sound Of An Alarm Clock
Beep Beep Beep
Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt
Zzzzzzz
Ring Ring
Tick Tick Tick
Tick Tock Tick Tock
Song Choice
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Onomatopoeia | English Language Blog
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Siren (alarm) – Wikipedia
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Contents
History[edit]
Types[edit]
Physics of the sound[edit]
In music[edit]
Vehicle-mounted[edit]
See also[edit]
Notes and references[edit]
External links[edit]
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What Sound Does a Clock Make?
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How Do You Describe the Ticking of a Clock
What Sound Does a Clock Make When it Rings
How Do You Write the Sound of an Alarm Clock
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Error 403 (Forbidden)
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What is the onomatopoeia for an alarm clock’s sound ? | HiNative
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Old alarm clock driiiiinDigital alarm clock beep beep
@Reindeer You’re welcome )
ring
beep beep beep beep beep beep or ring ring ring ring
Bzzzzzzz!BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
What Sound Does a Clock Make?
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How Do You Write the Sound of an Alarm Clock
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Describing Words – Find Adjectives to Describe Things
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Describe the sound of your alarm clock
Onomatopoeia | English Language Blog
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7 Words For The Sound Of An Alarm Clock (Onomatopoeia)
Onomatopoeia is a very interesting way to describe sounds. We can use words to make noises, which helps writers to convey more meaning in their work. This article will explore some of the best words to describe the sound of an alarm clock.
Which Words Can Describe The Sound Of An Alarm Clock?
There are plenty of good sound-based words out there for this reason. The following are some of the best ones:
Beep beep beep
Bzzzt bzzzt bzzzt
Zzzzzzz
Ring ring
Tick tick tick
Tick tock tick tock
Song choice
The preferred version is “beep beep beep.” It’s the most traditional group of noises that an alarm clock will make, so it’s the one that most people choose by default. We can use it to show that someone has just been rudely awoken by their alarm clock.
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Beep Beep Beep
“Beep beep beep” works well because it’s the most common sound we associate with alarm clocks. It’s often much more electronic than a simple “Beep,” but the three words together work well to show what we’re talking about.
Alarm clocks are often thought about negatively since they are used to disturb people’s sleep in the morning. Therefore, the “Beep beep beep” sound is also considered negative. Many people will associate it with waking up when they don’t want to.
Beep beep beep! There it is again. The alarm clock was screaming at me, but I didn’t want to move.
Beep beep beep! It’s time to get up, but I don’t think I’m ready for the day yet.
Beep beep beep! Was that all I was going to hear for the day? That darn alarm clock!
Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt
“Bzzzt bzzzt bzzzt” works similar to “beep beep beep.” However, the repeated “Z” letter shows that it’s a much more electronic, humming sound. We can use this type of alarm clock when we use our mobile phones or electronic devices to wake ourselves up.
If we don’t use a traditional analog alarm clock, a “Bzzzt” noise is much more common.
Bzzzt bzzzt bzzzt! Clearly, my phone was telling me to wake up.
Bzzzt bzzzt bzzzt! That’s the alarm for school. I’m not ready for today, but I guess I should get out of bed.
Bzzzt bzzzt bzzzt! Oh, I hate that alarm clock! I wish I could toss it out the window sometimes!
Zzzzzzz
“Zzzzzz” is an excellent example of how onomatopoeia works. We don’t always need to use words when referencing sounds in daily life. Instead, we can use a selection of letters that work well to describe the sound we’re looking for.
In this case, the repeated “z” implies a more electronic buzzing sound. We can also vary the number of “Z’s” used. If we use more, it’s a longer alarm clock noise, and less would imply a shorter sound.
Zzzzzzzzzz! It keeps going until I turn it off. Sorry about that.
Zzzzz! I didn’t think it could get any more annoying, but I was wrong.
Zzzzzzz! You need to turn that thing off before I come in and turn it off for you!
Ring Ring
“Ring ring” goes back to the more traditional sound expected from alarm clocks. While most alarm clocks are electronic today, there was a time when they were analog clocks, and “ring ring” was a much more common noise to come across.
Ring ring! Turn that clock off before I get annoyed at you for it! I hate that sound.
Ring ring! It won’t shut up! I keep hitting it, but it won’t let me go back to sleep!
Ring ring! It’s time to get up, though I’m not sure I’m in the mood to tackle the day today.
Tick Tick Tick
“Tick tick tick” is a familiar sound we associate with all types of clocks. It always works well when referencing alarm clocks. It’s common for older alarms to use a ticking noise when they want to wake someone up.
Again, analog clocks are more likely to “tick” than most mobile alarm clocks today. Still, if you prefer writing about old-fashioned alarm clocks, then onomatopoeia like “tick tick tick” is going to work really well for you.
Tick tick tick! I wish I could shut up that awful sound just one more time.
Tick tick tick! It’s like it knows I’m trying to ignore it and get back to sleep.
Tick tick tick! I don’t want to hear it anymore! It’s time I get out of bed!
Tick Tock Tick Tock
“Tick tock tick tock” is an extension of the previous section. You might be familiar with “tick tock” as onomatopoeia for a standard clock. The same thing applies when we use an alarm clock.
However, we still need to make sure we know which kind of alarm clock we’re talking about. After all, mobile phone alarm clocks don’t typically come with a “tick tock” option.
Tick tock tick tock! It’s like the clock counts down to the moment I wake up. I hate it.
Tick tock tick tock! That’s the sound the day makes when it’s time for me to get out of bed.
Tick tock tick tock! I can’t stand it. It sounds like it’s rushing me, and I like to take my time!
Song Choice
Finally, there is always your choice of song. We can’t give a specific sound for this one since everyone likes to choose a different song for their alarm clock.
If you use a song as an alarm and want to write about it, it would be more appropriate to use the song lyrics or name to show that it’s woken you up. While it’s not strictly onomatopoeia, it can still work well to demonstrate that your alarm went off.
Onomatopoeia
This is a really fun word to say in English! Click here and you should be connected to a link where you can hear how to pronounce this word correctly. What does this funny word mean? Onomatopoeia is the word we use to describe words that imitate or suggests the source of the sound that is being made. Most of the words we use in English to describe animal sounds are examples of onomatopoeia. (This is true in most languages.) There are a lot of other words in English that are also onomatopoetic, for examples:
brrring: the sound an alarm clock makes
ding-dong: the sound a doorbell makes
chug-a-chug-a choo choo: the sound a train makes
Today I am going to focus on some verbs that I refer to as “noisy verbs” because they are all onomatopoeic verb, i.e. verbs that are used to express the sounds of different objects. Tomorrow I’ll write more about onomatopoetic verbs for animal sounds.
Please note: A lot of these verbs are fun to say, saying them may even make you smile. Have fun pronouncing them!
to beep: a sound made by a horn or an electronic device
For example: All the drivers stuck in traffic were beeping their car horns.
to boo: a sound made to show contempt, scorn, or disapproval
For example: The crowd booed the comedian because they didn’t like his jokes.
to clang: a loud, resonant, metallic sound made by hitting two metal objects together
For example: Could you please be quiet? You’re clanging of those pots and pans is going to wake up the baby.
to click: a brief, sharp sound made by something small like a door latch or mechanical device like the keys on a computer keyboard or a computer mouse
For example: I realized I forgot my keys as the door clicked closed behind me.
to crunch: the sound made when chewing or stepping on something hard and/or dry
For example: The icy snow crunched underneath my feet.
to hum: a continuous low droning sound coming from a person or machine
For example: I hum songs to myself as I do the cleaning around the house.
to gurgle: an irregular bubbling sound associated with water
For example: I could hear the small brook gurgling in the background.
to puff: a brief sudden emission of air, vapor, or smoke
For example: Jack was puffing hard after his long 10 mile run.
to rattle: to make a quick succession of short sounds associated with shaking
For example: The broken parts rattled around inside the clock when I shook it.
whoosh: the sound made by a swift or explosive rush of air
For example: The air whooshed out of the tire after we ran over a nail.
Can you think of any more examples of onomatopoeia or “noisy verbs” in English? If so, please post them as a comment.
Are you ready to learn more English? Check out all the resources at: www.transparent.com.
Siren (alarm)
Loud noise-making alarm used to notify for emergency or warning
This article is about the alarm device. For other uses, see Siren
Electronic Sirens Pavian by Telegrafia
A HSS Engineering TWS 295 electronic sirens warning Civil Defense siren.
[1] ( help · info ) There are 8,200 alarm sirens for civil protection throughout Switzerland . They are tested once a year, on the first Wednesday in February.A siren is a loud noise-making device. Civil defense sirens are mounted in fixed locations and used to warn of natural disasters or attacks. Sirens are used on emergency service vehicles such as ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks. There are two general types: mechanical and electronic.
Many fire sirens (used for calling the volunteer fire fighters) serve double duty as tornado or civil defense sirens, alerting an entire community of impending danger. Most fire sirens are either mounted on the roof of a fire station or on a pole next to the fire station. Fire sirens can also be mounted on or near government buildings, on tall structures such as water towers, as well as in systems where several sirens are distributed around a town for better sound coverage. Most fire sirens are single tone and mechanically driven by electric motors with a rotor attached to the shaft. Some newer sirens are electronically driven speakers.
Fire sirens are often called “fire whistles”, “fire alarms”, or “fire horns”. Although there is no standard signaling of fire sirens, some utilize codes to inform firefighters of the location of the fire. Civil defense sirens also used as fire sirens often can produce an alternating “hi-lo” signal (similar to emergency vehicles in many European countries) as the fire signal, or attack (slow wail), typically 3x, as to not confuse the public with the standard civil defense signals of alert (steady tone) and fast wail (fast wavering tone). Fire sirens are often tested once a day at noon and are also called “noon sirens” or “noon whistles”.
The first emergency vehicles relied on a bell. Then in the 70s, they switched to a duotone airhorn, which was itself overtaken in the 80s by an electronic wail.
History [ edit ]
Some time before 1799, the siren was invented by the Scottish natural philosopher John Robison.[3] Robison’s sirens were used as musical instruments; specifically, they powered some of the pipes in an organ. Robison’s siren consisted of a stopcock that opened and closed a pneumatic tube. The stopcock was apparently driven by the rotation of a wheel.
In 1819, an improved siren was developed and named by Baron Charles Cagniard de la Tour.[4] De la Tour’s siren consisted of two perforated disks that were mounted coaxially at the outlet of a pneumatic tube. One disk was stationary, while the other disk rotated. The rotating disk periodically interrupted the flow of air through the fixed disk, producing a tone.[5][6] De la Tour’s siren could produce sound under water,[7] suggesting a link with the sirens of Greek mythology; hence the name he gave to the instrument.[8]
Instead of disks, most modern mechanical sirens use two concentric cylinders, which have slots parallel to their length. The inner cylinder rotates while the outer one remains stationary. As air under pressure flows out of the slots of the inner cylinder and then escapes through the slots of the outer cylinder, the flow is periodically interrupted, creating a tone.[9] The earliest such sirens were developed during 1877–1880 by James Douglass and George Slight (1859–1934)[10] of Trinity House; the final version was first installed in 1887 at the Ailsa Craig lighthouse in Scotland’s Firth of Clyde.[11] When commercial electric power became available, sirens were no longer driven by external sources of compressed air, but by electric motors, which generated the necessary flow of air via a simple centrifugal fan, which was incorporated into the siren’s inner cylinder.
To direct a siren’s sound and to maximize its power output, a siren is often fitted with a horn, which transforms the high-pressure sound waves in the siren to lower-pressure sound waves in the open air.
The electrically powered cylinder siren used to alert the town of Lowestoft during World War Two.
The earliest way of summoning volunteer firemen to a fire was by ringing of a bell, either mounted atop the fire station, or in the belfry of a local church. As electricity became available, the first fire sirens were manufactured. In 1886 French electrical engineer Gustave Trouvé, developed a siren to announce the silent arrival of his electric boats. Two early fire sirens were the Decot siren and Sterling Siren. Both started manufacturing fire sirens around 1900 to 1905. Many communities have since deactivated their fire sirens as pagers became available for fire department use.
During the Second World War, the British civil defence used a network of sirens to alert the general population to the imminence of an air raid. A single tone denoted an “all clear”. A series of tones denoted an air raid.
Types [ edit ]
Pneumatic [ edit ]
( help · info ) A motor siren (a German E57)
The pneumatic siren, which is a free aerophone, consists of a rotating disk with holes in it (called a chopper, siren disk or rotor), such that the material between the holes interrupts a flow of air from fixed holes on the outside of the unit (called a stator). As the holes in the rotating disk alternately prevent and allow air to flow it results in alternating compressed and rarefied air pressure, i.e. sound. Such sirens can consume large amounts of energy. To reduce the energy consumption without losing sound volume, some designs of pneumatic sirens are boosted by forcing compressed air from a tank that can be refilled by a low powered compressor through the siren disk.
In United States English language usage, vehicular pneumatic sirens are sometimes referred to as mechanical or coaster sirens, to differentiate them from electronic devices. Mechanical sirens driven by an electric motor are often called “electromechanical”. One example is the Q2B siren sold by Federal Signal Corporation. Because of its high current draw (280 amps when power is applied)[citation needed] its application is normally limited to fire apparatus, though it has seen increasing use on type IV ambulances and rescue-squad vehicles. Its distinct tone of urgency, high sound pressure level (123 dB at 10 feet) and square sound waves account for its effectiveness.
In Germany and some other European countries, the pneumatic two-tone (hi-lo) siren consists of two sets of air horns, one high pitched and the other low pitched. An air compressor blows the air into one set of horns, and then it automatically switches to the other set. As this back and forth switching occurs, the sound changes tones. Its sound power varies, but could get as high as approximately 125 dB, depending on the compressor and the horns. Comparing with the mechanical sirens, it uses much less electricity but needs more maintenance.
In a pneumatic siren, the stator is the part which cuts off and reopens air as rotating blades of a chopper move past the port holes of the stator, generating sound. The pitch of the siren’s sound is a function of the speed of the rotor and the number of holes in the stator. A siren with only one row of ports is called a single tone siren. A siren with two rows of ports is known as a dual tone siren. By placing a second stator over the main stator and attaching a solenoid to it, one can repeatedly close and open all of the stator ports thus creating a tone called a pulse. If this is done while the siren is wailing (rather than sounding a steady tone) then it is called a pulse wail. By doing this separately over each row of ports on a dual tone siren, one can alternately sound each of the two tones back and forth, creating a tone known as Hi/Lo. If this is done while the siren is wailing, it is called a Hi/Lo wail. This equipment can also do pulse or pulse wail. The ports can be opened and closed to send Morse code. A siren which can do both pulse and Morse code is known as a code siren.
Electronic [ edit ]
HLS electronic siren
Electronic sirens incorporate circuits such as oscillators, modulators, and amplifiers to synthesize a selected siren tone (wail, yelp, pierce/priority/phaser, hi-lo, scan, airhorn, manual, and a few more) which is played through external speakers. It is not unusual, especially in the case of modern fire engines, to see an emergency vehicle equipped with both types of sirens. Often, police sirens also use the interval of a tritone to help draw attention. The first electronic siren that mimicked the sound of a mechanical siren was invented in 1965 by Motorola employees Ronald H. Chapman and Charles W. Stephens.[12]
Other types [ edit ]
Steam whistles were also used as a warning device if a supply of steam was present, such as a sawmill or factory. These were common before fire sirens became widely available, particularly in the former Soviet Union. Fire horns, large compressed air horns, also were and still are used as an alternative to a fire siren. Many fire horn systems were wired to fire pull boxes that were located around a town, and thus would “blast out” a code in respect to that box’s location. For example, pull box number 233, when pulled, would trigger the fire horn to sound two blasts, followed by a pause, followed by three blasts, followed by a pause, followed by three more blasts. In the days before telephones, this was the only way firefighters would know the location of a fire. The coded blasts were usually repeated several times. This technology was also applied to many steam whistles as well. Some fire sirens are fitted with brakes and dampers, enabling them to sound out codes as well. These units tended to be unreliable, and are now uncommon.[citation needed]
Physics of the sound [ edit ]
Mechanical sirens blow air through a slotted disk or rotor. The cyclic waves of air pressure are the physical form of sound. In many sirens, a centrifugal blower and rotor are integrated into a single piece of material, spun by an electric motor.
Electronic sirens are high efficiency loudspeakers, with specialized amplifiers and tone generation. They usually imitate the sounds of mechanical sirens in order to be recognizable as sirens.
To improve the efficiency of the siren, it uses a relatively low frequency, usually several hundred hertz. Lower frequency sound waves go around corners and through holes better.
Sirens often use horns to aim the pressure waves. This uses the siren’s energy more efficiently by aiming it. Exponential horns achieve similar efficiencies with less material.
The frequency, i.e. the cycles per second of the sound of a mechanical siren is controlled by the speed of its rotor, and the number of openings. The wailing of a mechanical siren occurs as the rotor speeds and slows. Wailing usually identifies an attack or urgent emergency.
The characteristic timbre or musical quality of a mechanical siren is caused because it is a triangle wave, when graphed as pressure over time. As the openings widen, the emitted pressure increases. As they close, it decreases. So, the characteristic frequency distribution of the sound has harmonics at odd (1, 3, 5…) multiples of the fundamental. The power of the harmonics roll off in an inverse square to their frequency. Distant sirens sound more “mellow” or “warmer” because their harsh high frequencies are absorbed by nearby objects.
Two tone sirens are often designed to emit a minor third, musically considered a “sad” sound. To do this, they have two rotors with different numbers of openings. The upper tone is produced by a rotor with a count of openings divisible by six. The lower tone’s rotor has a count of openings divisible by five. Unlike an organ, a mechanical siren’s minor third is almost always physical, not tempered. To achieve tempered ratios in a mechanical siren, the rotors must either be geared, run by different motors, or have very large numbers of openings. Electronic sirens can easily produce a tempered minor third.
A mechanical siren that can alternate between its tones uses solenoids to move rotary shutters that cut off the air supply to one rotor, then the other. This is often used to identify a fire warning.
When testing, a frightening sound is not desirable. So, electronic sirens then usually emit musical tones: Westminster chimes is common. Mechanical sirens sometimes self-test by “growling”, i.e. operating at low speeds.
In music [ edit ]
Sirens are also used as musical instruments. They have been prominently featured in works by avant-garde and contemporary classical composers. Examples include Edgard Varèse’s compositions Amériques (1918–21, rev. 1927), Hyperprism (1924), and Ionisation (1931);[13] Arseny Avraamov’s Symphony of Factory Sirens (1922);[14] George Antheil’s Ballet Mécanique (1926); Dimitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 2 (1927), and Henry Fillmore’s “The Klaxon: March of the Automobiles” (1929), which features a klaxophone.
In popular music, sirens have been used in The Chemical Brothers’ “Song to the Siren” (1992) and in a CBS News 60 Minutes segment played by percussionist Evelyn Glennie. A variation of a siren, played on a keyboard, are the opening notes of the REO Speedwagon song “Ridin’ the Storm Out”. Some heavy metal bands also use air raid type siren intros at the beginning of their shows.[citation needed] The opening measure of Money City Maniacs 1998 by Canadian band Sloan uses multiple sirens overlapped.
Warning siren and emergency lights mounted on a fire truck
Approvals or certifications [ edit ]
Governments may have standards for vehicle-mounted sirens. For example, in California, sirens are designated Class A or Class B. A Class A siren is loud enough that it can be mounted nearly anywhere on a vehicle. Class B sirens are not as loud and must be mounted on a plane parallel to the level roadway and parallel to the direction the vehicle travels when driving in a straight line.[citation needed]
Sirens must also be approved by local agencies, in some cases. For example, the California Highway Patrol approves specific models for use on emergency vehicles in the state.[citation needed] The approval is important because it ensures the devices perform adequately. Moreover, using unapproved devices could be a factor in determining fault if a collision occurs.[citation needed]
The SAE International Emergency Warning Lights and Devices committee oversees the SAE emergency vehicle lighting practices and the siren practice, J1849. This practice was updated through cooperation between the SAE and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Though this version remains quite similar to the California Title 13 standard for sound output at various angles, this updated practice enables an acoustic laboratory to test a dual speaker siren system for compliant sound output.[citation needed]
Best practices [ edit ]
A fire truck uses a siren
The worst installations are those where the siren sound is emitted above and slightly behind the vehicle occupants such as cases where a light-bar mounted speaker is used on a sedan or pickup. Vehicles with concealed sirens also tend to have high noise levels inside. In some cases, concealed or poor installations produce noise levels which can permanently damage vehicle occupants’ hearing.
Siren speakers, or mechanical sirens, should always be mounted ahead of the passenger compartment. This reduces the noise for occupants and makes two-way radio and mobile telephone audio more intelligible during siren use. It also puts the sound where it will be useful. Studies in some agencies operating emergency vehicles show sound levels over 120 dB(A) in the passenger compartment. In one study, a specific vehicle’s engine sounds and the siren produced sound levels over 123 dB(A) in the passenger compartment.[citation needed]
Research has shown that sirens mounted behind the engine grille or under the wheel arches produces less unwanted noise inside the passenger cabin and to the side and rear of the vehicle while maintaining noise levels to give adequate warnings.[15] The inclusion of broadband sound to sirens has the ability to increase localisation of sirens, as in a directional siren, as a spread of frequencies makes use of the three ways the brain detects a direction of a sound: Interaural level difference, interaural time difference and head-related transfer function.[16]
Electric-motor-driven mechanical sirens may draw 50 to 200 amperes at 12 volts (DC) when spinning up to operating speed. Appropriate wiring and transient protection for engine control computers is a necessary part of an installation. Wiring should be similar in size to the wiring to the vehicle engine starter motor. Mechanical vehicle mounted devices usually have an electric brake, a solenoid that presses a friction pad against the siren rotor. When an emergency vehicle arrives on-scene or is cancelled en route, the operator can rapidly stop the siren.
Multi-speaker electronic sirens often are alleged to have dead spots at certain angles to the vehicle’s direction of travel. These are caused by phase differences. The sound coming from the speaker array can phase cancel in some situations. This phase cancellation occurs at single frequencies, based upon the spacing of the speakers. These phase differences also account for increases, based upon the frequency and the speaker spacing. However, sirens are designed to sweep the frequency of their sound output, typically, no less than one octave. This sweeping minimizes the effects of phase cancellation. The result is that the average sound output from a dual speaker siren system is 3 dB greater than a single speaker system.
See also [ edit ]
Notes and references [ edit ]
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