Preparation of stimuli for timbre perception studies.

Area of Science:

• Psychoacoustics
• Auditory Perception
• Music Information Retrieval

Background:

• Accurate timbre perception studies necessitate controlled auditory stimuli.
• Timbre properties often covary, complicating analysis of individual features.
• Loudness, pitch, and duration can confound timbre perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a mathematical additive synthesis method for precise control of timbre properties.
• To independently manipulate spectral (centroid, irregularity) and temporal (log rise-time, sustain/decay) parameters.
• To assess the influence of controlled timbre variations on perceptual attributes.

Main Methods:

• Developed an additive synthesis technique for independent spectral and temporal control.
• Controlled for covariation between spectral centroid and irregularity.
• Synthesized 13 musical instrument sounds with systematic variations in four timbre parameters.
• Conducted psychoacoustic tests with six listeners.

Main Results:

• Variations in the four controlled timbre properties primarily influenced perceived loudness.
• Perceived duration and pitch remained largely unaffected for 2-second stimuli.
• Observed consistent trends in timbre perception across different synthesized instrument sounds.

Conclusions:

• The proposed synthesis method offers effective control over key timbre parameters.
• Independent manipulation of timbre features is feasible for psychoacoustic research.
• Loudness is a primary perceptual correlate of the manipulated spectral and temporal features.