Perception of pitch and roughness in vocal signals with subharmonics

Pitch and roughness were rated according to the extent of amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM) of a subharmonic [fundamental frequency (F0)/2]. The objective was to determine the identification boundaries for pitch and roughness and to discover how both kinds of modulation affect these boundaries. Another objective was to judge the reliability between subjects when identifying subharmonic-related pitch and roughness. Three procedures were used: ABX comparisons, method of adjustment, and rating of roughness. Results indicated that the crossover point to the lower pitch (associated with the subharmonic) occurred between 10% and 30% modulation, depending on modulation type and F0. Subjects demonstrated highly variable perceptions of pitch and roughness, with poor intersubject reliability.