Buzzing sound
A buzzing tone is a sound with an almost constant frequency and a characteristic overtone spectrum .
There are three types of buzzing sound:
- sung hum generated by the human voice
- animal hum generated by flapping wings or tail
- artificial hum generated by acoustic equipment
Sung hum
Humming as a sung form serves as a musical function. The sounds are generated with the voice, in which the height and depth of the tone can be variable. In contrast to ordinary singing, there are neither text nor real syllables . Usually the melody of a piece of music is mimicked by the hum. However, buzzing can also be improvised.
Animal hum
Of course there are buzzing sounds. B. by the wing beat of insects such as bees , bumblebees and mosquitoes . In the hummingbird type of pennant tail , the air flowing past the tail feathers causes a humming sound during flight.
Some insects use the hum as a signal . For example, mosquitoes of the species Aedes vexans gather in so-called dance swarms . A group of males of this species fly up and down at dusk. The buzzing sound that arises from the species-specific frequency of the wing beat attracts females of the same species to mate .
Artificial hum
Buzzing tones are often used as a warning signal , e.g. B. in cars when the car door is opened when the headlights are still on, as an alert signal on some telephones and as a wake-up signal on electronic alarm clocks .
Unwanted buzzing tones can also occur in electronic devices, e.g. B. the hum of a transformer or interfering signals in loudspeakers , if an electrical disturbance acts on the circuit with a constant frequency .
