A wide-band noise having a deep notch with sharp edges was used to mask tone. The centered on the tone, and threshold measured as width of increased from 0.0 0.8 times tone frequency (0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 kHz). spectrum level 40 dB SPL. If it is assumed that auditory filter reasonably symmetric at these intensities, then shape can be estimated first derivative curve relating in noise. 3-dB bandwidths filters obtained were about 0.13 their center frequency. In region passband, Gaussian provides...

The frequency selectivity of the auditory system was measured by masking a sinusoidal signal (0.5, 2.0, or 4.0 kHz) filtered-speech with wideband noise having notch, stopband, centered on signal. As notch widened performance improved for both types but rate improvement decreased as age 16 listeners increased from 23 to 75 years, indicating loss in age. Auditory filter shapes derived tone-in-noise data show (a) that passband broadens progressively age, and (b) dynamic range ages like...

Glottal-pulse rate (GPR) and vocal-tract length (VTL) are related to the size, sex, age of speaker but it is not clear how two factors combine influence our perception age. This paper describes experiments designed measure effect interaction GPR VTL upon judgements Vowels were scaled represent people with a wide range GPRs VTLs, including many well beyond normal population, listeners asked judge size sex/age speaker. The show that has strong perceived size. results for sex categorization...

A frequency-modulation term has been added to the gammatone auditory filter produce a with an asymmetric amplitude spectrum. When degree of asymmetry in this “gammachirp” is associated stimulus level, gammachirp found provide excellent fit 12 sets notched-noise masking data from three different studies. The well-defined impulse response, unlike conventional roex filter, and so it candidate for asymmetric, level-dependent filterbank time-domain models processing.

There is information in speech sounds about the length of vocal tract; specifically, as a child grows, resonators tract grow and formant frequencies vowels decrease. It has been hypothesized that auditory system applies scale transform to all segregate size from resonator shape information, thereby enhance both perception recognition [Irino Patterson, Speech Commun. 36, 181–203 (2002)]. This paper describes discrimination experiments vowel designed provide evidence for an scaling mechanism....

The phenomenon of off-frequency listening, and the asymmetry auditory filter, were investigated by performing a masking experiment in which 2.0-kHz tonal signal (0.4 sec duration) was masked pair noise bands, one below other above tone. bands 0.8-kHz wide. edges very sharp, spectrum level band 40 dB SPL, masker on continuously throughout experiment. Tone threshold measured as function distances from tone to nearer edge each band. It assumed that conditions near remote would encourage...

Musicians recognize pitch as having two dimensions. On the keyboard, these are illustrated by octave and cycle of notes within octave. In perception, dimensions referred to height chroma, respectively. Pitch chroma provides a basis for presenting acoustic patterns (melodies) that do not depend on particular sound source. contrast, segregation into streams separate sources. This paper reports functional magnetic resonance experiment designed search distinct mappings types change in human...

Two versions of a cascaded add, attenuate, and delay circuit were used to generate iterated rippled noise (IRN) stimuli. IRN stimuli produce repetition pitch whose strength relative the can be varied by changing type circuit, attenuation, or number iterations in circuit. Listeners asked discriminate between various pairs which differed network sounds (n=1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9). Performance was determined for generated with delays 8 ms four bandpass filter conditions (0–2000, 250–2000, 500–2000,...

Vocal-tract resonances (or formants) are acoustic signatures in the voice and related to shape length of vocal tract. Formants play an important role human communication, helping us not only distinguish several different speech sounds [1], but also extract information physical characteristics speaker, so-called indexical cues. How did formants come such communication? One hypothesis suggests that ancestral formant perception--a might be present extant nonhuman primates--was provide cues...

This article presents two sets of experiments concerning the ability to discriminate changes in phase spectra wideband periodic sounds. In first set, a series local is used modify envelopes waves appearing at outputs range auditory filters. The size change required for discrimination shown be strongly dependent on repetition rate, intensity, and spectral location signal. second set experiments, global produce progressive shift between successive filters, without changing filtered waves....

An accurate fundamental frequency (F0) estimation method for non-stationary, speech-like sounds is proposed based on the differential properties of instantaneous frequencies two sets filter outputs. A specific type fixed points mapping from center to output provides constituent sinusoidal components input signal. When made an isometric Gabor function convoluted with a cardinal B-spline basis function, at provide practical estimates carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding components. These are...

An objective melody task was used to determine the lower limit of melodic pitch (LLMP) for harmonic complex tones. The LLMP defined operationally as repetition rate below which listeners could no longer recognize that one notes in a four-note, chromatic had changed by semitone. In first experiment, stimuli were broadband tones with all their components cosine phase, and found be around 30 Hz. second filtered into bands about 1 kHz width influence frequency region on LLMP. results showed...

It is commonly believed that the spectrum of a sound can be used to explain not only pitch and loudness but also its timbre, or quality. This paper presents an experimental refutation this spectral timbre claim. Listeners were presented with pairs ‘‘damped’’ ‘‘ramped’’ sinusoids asked choose one whose quality was most like sinusoid. The damped constructed by repeating short segment (25 ms) sinusoid exponential decay; ramped reversing in time. spectra are very simple, consisting main peak...

One of the most common auditory warnings is ambulance ‘siren’. It cuts through traffic noise and commands one’s attention, but it does so by sheer brute force. This ‘better safe than sorry’ approach to occurs in environments where sounds are used signal danger or potential danger. Flooding environment with sound certain attract attention; however also causes startled reactions prevents communications at a crucial point time. In collaboration several companies government departments, MRC...

It is now common to use knowledge about human auditory processing in the development of audio signal processors. Until recently, however, such systems were limited by their linearity. The filter system known be level-dependent as evidenced psychophysical data on masking, compression, and two-tone suppression. However, there no analysis/synthesis schemes with nonlinear filterbanks. This paper describe18300060s a scheme based compressive gammachirp (cGC) filter. was developed extend gammatone...

This paper is concerned with the lower limit of pitch for complex, harmonic sounds, like notes produced by low-pitched musical instruments. The investigated measuring rate discrimination thresholds tones filtered into 1.2-kHz-wide bands a cutoff frequency, Fc, ranging from 0.2 to 6.4 kHz. When Fc below 1 kHz and harmonics are in cosine phase, threshold exhibits rapid, tenfold decrease as repetition increased 16 64 Hz, over this range, perceptual quality stimuli changes flutter pitch. above...

The length of the vocal tract is correlated with speaker size and, so, speech sounds have information about in a form that interpretable by listener. A wide range different lengths exist population and humans are able to distinguish from speech. Smith et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 117, 305–318 (2005)] presented vowel listeners showed ability discriminate extends beyond normal sizes which suggests shape segregated automatically at an early stage processing. This paper reports extension...