Identity or Nomenclature Confusion: How Do We Describe Our Noble Profession?

Let me open up the discussion forum by defining and clarifying the concept of sound that we are all used to. And the forum can take it up from there. 

How do you define the term 'sound'? 

This might seem like an odd question, but what do you mean by 'sound'? 

Yes it is an odd question... Or isn't it?

I can immediately think of four scenarios where this question is perfectly valid.

Auditory perception

Firstly, anyone who is totally deaf and has never experienced sound must indeed wonder what the sensation is like, and what sound is useful for. 

I am not even going to attempt an answer to this as it probably could not be answered satisfactorily in 10,000 words, let alone a couple of paragraphs. 

Let's move on to something more closely related to music production and recording...

Sound travelling in air

Sound in this context is a wave motion that travels in air; the actual sound that we hear naturally. 

Sound also travels through liquids and solids, but sound travelling in a liquid is only rarely of interest to us. Sound travelling through solids is very important in the context of soundproofing, even though we don't directly hear it in this medium. 

Sound vs. music

My other meaning for 'sound' is an interesting one. Musicians can produce sound using nothing more than acoustic instruments and voices. This is sound. 

But broadcasting organizations, theatres and other media enterprises often have a Sound Department and a Head of Sound. But they don't make music; they work with microphones, mixing consoles, amplifiers etc.

In this context therefore,does it means that 'sound' is short for 'sound engineering'?. Maybe or maybe not

The sound of a microphone, preamplifier or mixing console

Finally there is the use of the word 'sound' to mean the way a piece of audio equipment colours the actual sound or the signal it is handling. So a vintage tube microphone, for instance, has a 'sound' even when it is in its box. The engineer will choose it because he knows from experience that; that particular microphone's sound will suit the instrument or voice he is about to record. 

Microphone preamplifiers and mixing consoles also often have a 'sound'. The term 'sound' in this sense is only commonly used in connection with analogue equipment. Digital equipment is hardly ever described as having a sound, unless the commentator is criticizing digital audio in general.

So, four meanings of the term 'sound'. It wasn't such an odd question after all.

Having demystify the concept of sound, therefore what is "audio" as it is usually being used interchangeably with "sound" to describe our professional career by addressing us as either Sound Engineer and/or Audio Engineer? 

How do we define the term "audio" and do we work with audio at all, and if we do; at which particular point in the process of production do we encounter and work with audio? 

Let's have your own contributions by plugging it in the comment channel below. Who knows? Our discussion might spark a considerable change in the audio industry worldwide. 

Please a mature and educative contributions only will be highly appreciated. Thanks.   - Steve Aluko