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Direct sound refers to sound waves that travel straight from a source to the listener without any reflections. This is the first sound heard and is significant for clarity and imaging in both speech and music.

Flanking transmission refers to the passage of sound around a barrier through indirect paths. It can undermine the sound insulation properties of walls or floors, allowing noise to 'leak' into adjacent areas.

Absorption refers to the conversion of sound energy into other forms of energy, typically heat, by materials in the room. Effective absorption can reduce reverberation and echo, enhancing sound quality.

An echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with enough delay to be perceived as a distinct repetition of the original sound. It can cause confusion in speech perception and could be detrimental to music clarity.

Late reflections, or 'reverberant sound', arrive at the listener a significant amount of time after the direct sound. These can add fullness and sustain to music, but too much can obscure detail and hinder speech intelligibility.

Room modes are resonances that occur at specific frequencies determined by the room dimensions. They can cause uneven frequency response, with certain frequencies being amplified or attenuated, affecting sound quality drastically.

Standing waves are the result of interference between direct sound and its reflection, leading to areas with minimal or maximal vibration. They can significantly affect the acoustic performance of a room, creating uneven sound distribution.

The decibel is a logarithmic unit used to express the ratio of two values of a physical quantity, often power or intensity. In acoustics, it's used to measure sound pressure level, with a threshold of hearing at 0 dB and threshold of pain around 120 dB.

The sound absorption coefficient is a measure of how much sound is absorbed by a surface, as opposed to being reflected. It varies from 0 (total reflection) to 1 (total absorption), impacting the reverberation time in a room.

Transmission loss is the measurement of sound insulation provided by a barrier or partition. It represents the amount of sound energy prevented from passing through the barrier, crucial for noise control.

Sound isolation involves preventing unwanted noise from entering or exiting a space by using construction techniques and materials that block sound transmission. It is critical for privacy and noise control in buildings.

Diffusion is the scattering of sound waves, which helps to distribute sound energy evenly throughout a space, preventing acoustic 'hot-spots' and 'dead zones'. Proper diffusion is key for a balanced and even room acoustics.

Reflection of sound occurs when sound waves bounce off surfaces rather than being absorbed or transmitted. It can create echoes, reverberation, or focus sound in particular areas, and is harnessed in design to improve spatial acoustics.

The sound scattering coefficient quantifies the amount of sound that is scattered in various directions after striking a surface, rather than being reflected or absorbed uniformly. It can be utilized to enhance diffusion in a space.

Early reflections are sound waves that have bounced off a surface and reach the listener shortly after the direct sound. If managed properly, they can enhance sound quality, but if not, they can muddy the sound by causing interference.

Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is produced. A longer reverberation time can make a room sound muddy and reduce speech intelligibility, while too short a reverberation time might make the space feel acoustically 'dead'.

Bass traps are acoustical devices designed to absorb low-frequency sound energy, helping to control room modes and standing waves. They aid in smoothing the room's frequency response, particularly in the lower end of the sound spectrum.

Soundproofing is the process of making a space resistant to the transmission of airborne and structure-borne sound. It involves the application of materials and construction methods designed to block sound.

NC curves are used to specify acceptable levels of background noise in a room or space by comparing measured noise to standard curves. The goal is to ensure noise levels are low enough not to disturb speech or concentration.