Timbre perception

Objective

Timbre perception and the physical
properties of the sound on which it depends

Formal definition:

‘that attribute of auditory sensation in terms of
which a listener can judge two sounds
similarly presented and having the same
loudness and pitch as being dissimilar.’
Timbre

Related to musical instrument / object
recognition

To distinguish between the same note played
on different instruments

perceived quality of a sound

Some sound quality descriptors: mellow, rich,
harsh, shrill etc.

Judgments of timbre – subjective
Timbre

Pitch and loudness – related to the physical
properties of frequency and amplitude – may be
considered as one dimensional attributes of sound –
can be ordered on a single scale – pitch (from low to
high); loudness (from quiet to loud)

Timbre is a multidimensional attribute of sound – no
single scale along which we can order the timbre of
sounds
Timbre

Timbre depends on:

Spectral envelope – patterning of energy as a
function of frequency

Temporal properties – fluctuations over time
Spectral envelope

A major determinant of timbre

Overall distribution of energy over frequency

e.g. Strong lower harmonics – ‘dark’, ‘mellow’

e.g. Strong higher harmonics – ‘bright’, ‘shrill’

More specifically timbre is related to the relative
level in each critical band

rem: The critical bandwidth variation with frequency
– this dscribes the spectral analysis carried out by
the ear.
Temporal properties

Timbre recognition may also depend on: whether a
sound is periodic; waveform changes over time;
spectral changes over time; preceding and following
sounds (e.g. masking).

The frequency components in a sound change over
time - described by the temporal envelope

Attack (onset) – increase in amplitude

Steady state

Decay portion (offset) – amplitude decreases
Temporal envelope

Diagram – indicates different attacks for a plucked
vs. a bowed violin string, also speech sounds ‘ba’
‘wa’ have different attacks

Plucked strings – attack followed by decay

the onsets (attacks) of sounds can be used to
identify them – recognition depends strongly on
onsets and temporal structure of sound envelope