Timbre Research Articles

Automatic identification system of Raman spectra in binary mixtures of pigments

In an art historical context, pigments identification is exceedingly important for the conservation, interpretation and preservation of art works. In practice, the pigments may have been used in mixtures (or in admixtures) with other pigments to produce special effects or tonal qualities. Binary mixtures are the more frequently mixtures used in paintings; for instance, it is commonly used the mixture of a yellow pigment with a blue pigment to produce green colors. In this situation, the pigments identification is actually done on Raman spectra of pigment mixtures and may turn out to be a complex and tedious task, especially when analyzing spectra with a large number of bands located close together as it is the case of mixtures of synthetic organic pigments. To decrease complexity whilst also speeding up the identification process, a system to automatically identify Raman spectra of binary mixtures of pigments is presented in this work. The system is able to identify the two different pigments in the mixture from spectroscopic signature obtained by Raman spectroscopy. The technique has been proved with mixtures showing its robustness against some of the critical factors that could affect the application of Raman spectroscopy for pigments identification as distortion and wavenumber shifts in key Raman bands due to different measurement environmental conditions. The results led to conclude that the system could be a useful tool to help the analyst to make a decision. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vere risonanze elusive: la poetica del compositore Federico Incardona nello specchio di Maldoror riflesso da Bachelard

The musical poetics of the composer Federico Incardona (Palermo, 1958-2006) reveals deep affinities with the Chants de Maldoror by Isidore Ducasse. The method used to identify and analyze these affinities is an inter-disciplinary triangulation, linking music and poetry through the psychological and philosophical reading of the Chants given by Gaston Bachelard in his essay of 1939. The “active” poetry of Lautreamont, his “cinetisme”, his “dynamogenie” are reflected in the Incardonian idea of composition as transmutation of living bodies into sound. This is achieved by a treatment of timbre, articulation and intensity extremely mobile, “alive”, and by a tempo that combines an exhausted slowness with an aggressive, almost animal rapidity. The very act of composition can be conceived, in analogy to hunting, such as “capture” of sounds, in particular thanks to the twelve-tone device. The “complex of Lautreamont” is a phenomenon inextricably psychological and cultural; so also in Incardona adolescence is transformed from existential motive into artistic motif. Starting from the case of Lautreamont, Bachelard formulates a general poetics of metamorphosis, which extends validly in music, especially in the informal writing of Incardona. Finally, Lautreamont is useful to Bachelard for grafting, onto the “living” basis of writing, cultural and intellectual values??; Incardona as well, intending music as “night mathematics”, combines construction and expression, emotion and serial structure.

The sound of fungus

Improving the tonal quality of wood may allow modern instrument makers to match the legendary quality of violin master Antonio Stradivari. IT IS THE dream of every young violinist to play on a Stradivarius, but for the vast majority that remains an unfulfilled fantasy. The price tag for a Stradivarius starts at about a quarter of a million pounds, making it unaffordable to all but a privileged few.

Evaluation of rhythmic and timbral perception by normal-hearing and postlingually deafened adult cochlear implant users

To assess the rhythmic and timbral perception ability in musical activities for postlingually deafened adult cochlear implant users. Twelve normal-hearing and 12 adult cochlear implant users were recruited in this study. Rhythm discrimination, instrument identification, and instrument number detection measurements in Musical Sounds in Cochlear Implants (MuSIC) test battery were used to assess the rhythmic and timbral perception ability for both normal-hearing and cochlear implant users. Cochlear implant subjects achieved 84.4% correct in rhythm discrimination test on average, which was not significantly different from the performance of normal-hearing subjects (85.1%) (t = 0.116, P > 0.05). The average score of instrument identification and instrument number detection test for cochlear implant subjects were 72.3% and 39.2%, respectively. The performance of cochlear implant subjects in both of two tests were significantly poorer than those of normal-hearing subjects with 88.3% and 73.5% correct, respectively (t = 2.498 and 4.673, P < 0.05). Postlingually deafened cochlear implant subjects, on average, performed significantly poorer in timbral perception tasks relative to normal hearing subjects, while close to the ability of normal hearing subjects in rhythmic perception.

Vocal Warm-Up Produces Acoustic Change in Singers’ Vibrato Rate

Vibrato rate and vibrato extent were acoustically assessed in 12 classically trained female singers before and after 25 minutes of vocal warm-up exercises. Vocal warm-up produced three notable changes in vibrato rate: (1)more regularity in the cyclic undulations comprising the vibrato rate of a note, (2) more stability in mean vibrato rates from one sustained note to the next, and (3) a moderating of excessively fast and excessively slow mean vibrato rates. No significant change was found for vibrato extent. The findings indicate that vocal warm-up may regulate vibrato rate. Thus tone quality, which is strongly linked to vibrato characteristics, may undergo positive change as a result of vocal warm-up.

The influences of presentation modes and conducting gestures on the perceptions of expressive choral performance of high school musicians attending a summer choral camp

The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of presentation modes (audio and visual) on perceptions of expressive choral performance. The stimulus recording included four choral selections, each conducted by a different conductor in two ways: using expressive conducting gestures and using strict conducting gestures. Three groups of participants: (1) listened to the eight audio excerpts; or (2) listened and viewed the conductor from the rear; or (3) listened and viewed the conductor from the front. They then answered questions regarding expressivity, tone quality, and overall impression of the choral performance. Results indicate significant differences between presentation modes and conducting style. Participants rated performances conducted with an expressive gesture higher than performances conducted with a strict gesture in all three presentation modes.

Investigation of optimum shape for an acoustic guitar by electroanalysys of tone quality

The shapes of acoustic guitars are strongly governed by the sensibilities of the craftsmen who make them, and thus, shapes vary widely. Unlike violins and other instruments, no ideal shape has yet been established for guitars. In our research, we conducted an electroanalysis of tone quality with the aim of manufacturing a guitar with enhanced tone quality. In this study, we examined the effects of varying guitar body thickness and chamber cubic volume on tone quality with various playing methods, and quantitatively identified the optimal thickness.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING AN AUDIO SIGNAL IN MULTIPLE FREQUENCY BANDS

A method and apparatus for processing an audio signal in multiple audio frequency bands while minimizing undesirable changes in tonal qualities of the audio signal by determining an initial gain adjustment factor for each audio frequency band resulting from the application of an audio processing technique. A final gain adjustment factor for each band is selected from a corresponding set of weighted or unweighted initial gain adjustment factors. The set of initial gain adjustment factors from which the final gain adjustment factor for a specified audio frequency band is obtained is derived from other audio frequency bands that have the frequency of the specified band as a harmonic frequency. Changes in audio signal level within one audio frequency band thereby affect the signal level of harmonic frequencies to decrease relative changes in volume between a fundamental frequency and its harmonics.

Static model of a violin bow: Influence of camber and hair tension on mechanical behavior

Experienced bow makers empirically know the influence of wood, tapering, and camber on the playing and tonal qualities of a bow. However, the way each parameter affects the bow mechanical behavior is not clearly established. An in-plane finite element model is developed to highlight the link between the adjustable design parameters and the mechanical behavior of a bow. This model takes into account geometric nonlinearity as well as compliance of the hair. Its validity is discussed from measurements on a bow. Results from simulations are compared to experimental results from previous studies. The consequences of adjusting hair tension and camber are then investigated.

Suggestion of hearing aid gain for Korean Hearing Impaired (HAG-K)

The purpose of this study was to suggest one method of producing hearing aid gain for Korean (HAG-K) formula utilizing loudness growth of normal hearing (NH) and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), and long-term average speech spectrum (LTASS) for average conversational speech level. To yield HAG-K, the LTASS of NH was firstly obtained and simple equations were derived from differential dynamic ranges of SNHL which is different from those of NH according to loudness categories based on LTASS of normal hearing (LTASSNH). Then LTASS of SNHL (LTASSSN) was calculated using derived simple equations. Finally HAG-K was determined by the difference between LTASSNH and proportionally derived LTASSSN within the dynamic range of SNHL at each frequency. However, in order to calculate effective HAG-K, it is necessary to further analyze with real-ear to coupler difference by age, shape of hearing aid, upward spread of masking, occlusion effect, tonal quality and etc. Additionally, appling Korean speech intelligibility index which is different from English and evaluating user's satisfaction through self assessments should be considered. Calculating more effective HAG-K for the hearing impaired can increase degree of satisfaction after wearing hearing aids and can positively affect improving the tonal quality and reducing the period of auditory rehabilitation.

인터넷 웹사이트에서 소비자의 적극적 불평행동에 관한 연구: 감정이론과 계획행동이론을 중심으로

본 연구는 소비자가 제품 및 서비스 불만족으로 인해 발생하는 감정적 반응 (Anger)이 소비자 불평행동에 미치는 영향을 행동이론 중에 하나인 계획행동이론(Theory of Planned Behavior)과 결합하여 살펴보고자 한다. 본 연구는 삼성 핸드폰 애니콜 사용자들이 개설한 '소비자의 힘'이란 웹사이트에서 소비자들의 적극적인 활동을 예측하기 위해서 기존 문헌연구를 통해 감정적인 부분과 인지적인 요인들의 결합을 통한 모델을 제시하였다. 제시된 모델을 검증하기 위해서 "소비자의 힘" 웹 사이트 회원들을 대상으로 실증적 분석을 위한 온라인 설문을 실시하였다. 온라인 설문은 감정적 반응인 분노와 계획행동이론의 변인들(주관적 규범, 태도, 행동의도, 행위)과 함께 불평행동 하나인 서명운동의 유무를 묻는 문항들로 구성되었다. 수집된 자료를 분석한 결과, 제품 서비스에 대한 감정적 반응(Anger)과 행동이론의 결합이 소비자 행동을 보다 잘 예측하는 것으로 판명되었다. 그리고 불평행동의 적극적 참여 의도는 서명참여 유무를 유의미하게 설명하였다. The present research integrates the core aspects of anger with the theory of planned behavior to investigate factors influencing online activism in a Web site. This study conducted online survey, and the sample was members who joined the V4400 Sobi-ja-heem Web site. The Web site Sobi-ja-heem was initiated by a consumer who was irritated at the cell phone manufacturer Samsung Inc. because its model, "Anycall" had major product defects such as the malfunction of the camcorder, poor tone quality, fuzziness of the screen, and broken text messages. The findings suggests that adding anger in Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) enhances the explanatory power of the theory in predicting an intention to participate in activities to correct the issue, which indicates the possibility of combining emotion and the TPB in the prediction of online activism.

Tonality and transformation

This book employs transformational theory to illuminate the experience of tonal music. In addition to providing an accessible primer on transformational theory, the book introduces new theoretical constructs to model familiar tonal effects. Two effects are central: the infusion of sounding pitches with tonal qualities (or qualia) and the orientation of pitches toward a tonic. Tonal qualities are modeled via a Generalized Interval System (or GIS), while tonic directedness is modeled by oriented transformational networks. The arrows in such networks animate a special class of transformational action called tonal intention—the directing of the listener's awareness toward a tonal center. The book divides into two parts. Part I addresses theoretical and methodological issues, while Part II comprises four extended analytical chapters. The analytical chapters explore the E-major Fugue from Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier; the aria “Un’aura amorosa” from Mozart's Così fan tutte; Brahms's A-major Intermezzo, op. 118, no. 2; and the slow movement from Brahms's String Quintet, op. 111. Analytical vignettes are present throughout Part I as well, demonstrating the efficacy of the book's theoretical ideas in music from Bach to Mahler. The analyses place the book's novel technologies in dialogue with existing methods for tonal analysis, including Schenkerian theory and neo-Riemannian theory.

Study of the effects of different endpin materials on cello sound characteristics

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of changing a cello's endpin material and boundary conditions on the sound and vibration characteristics of a cello. It was hypothesized that an endpin made of a denser material than stainless steel, which is traditionally used, would improve the tone quality of the cello. In terms of endpin boundary conditions, it was hypothesized that using a shorter endpin with fixed end conditions might also improve the vibration characteristics and sound radiation efficiency of the cello. Objective and subjective tests were conducted to examine the effects of the different endpin materials. Sound power level output and vibration measurements of a cellist playing on different endpins were obtained following ISO 3741. In general, sound power levels and measured vibrations were consistent for all endpins for all notes tested. For the subjective study, volunteer cellists played selected excerpts with the different endpins, not knowing which endpin they were using. This testing showed that the tungsten endpin gives the cello a tone quality with similar warmth to the stock endpin but makes the cello less responsive. The results of both the objective and subjective tests for all endpin materials will be presented.

Soundscape study methods of band rehearsal room

Soundscape study methods were applied to a band rehearsal room to understand the acoustical issues involved in this situation. A taxonomy of sound sources, direct observation to identify the specific sonic events and the multiple source and receiver paths involved in the complex listening and performing tasks that occur during band rehearsals were identified. It was found that students spend almost 1/2 of their rehearsal time involved with verbal instruction and discussion. Interviews with conductors and questionnaires administered to music students in three different band rooms were used to determine what musicians are listening for during rehearsals. Source and receiver combinations for physical acoustical measurements were located to study the multiple listening tasks identified in the questionnaires. Musicians were constantly trying to “hear each other” for intonation, rhythm, dynamics, articulation, and tone quality during rehearsals. Statistical models linking the qualitative results of the questionnaires with the acoustical measurements and architectural features of the rooms show that the ceiling height, room volume, area of sound diffusing surfaces, low frequency sound level, early reflected sound energy, and reverberation were related to the ability of musicians to hear each other and the detailed attributes of music.

From the Melting Pot to Cultural Pluralism: General Music in a Technological Age, 1892–1992

Some 148 miles east-northeast of Ithaca one hundred years ago this past July, the Music Department of the National Education Association met. In the Second Presbyterian Church in Saratoga Springs, NY, music teachers and others interested in music education convened on July 14-15, 1892, for two days of paper reading and discussion much like the meetings being held here in Ithaca this week. To get a flavor of the similarities and differences between the meetings in Saratoga Springs and the meetings here, it might be helpful to take a little closer look at that program. (1) Then as now leaders in music education read papers. In Saratoga Springs, Nathan L. Glover of Akron, Ohio, presided and gave the opening remarks. Other presenters were George C. Young of Wichita, Kansas; Arnold J. Gantvoort of Piqua, Ohio; Philip C. Hayden, then of Quincy, Illinois; and Benjamin Jepson of New Haven, Connecticut. Many people attending the meetings responded to the papers. Of these, one name in particular stands out: Hosea E. Holt of Boston. Church and state separation was apparently not an issue, as the teachers met in the Presbyterian Church. The pastor of that church opened the first session with a prayer. Musicians performed solos and small ensembles throughout the program, including one noteworthy recital by Victor Herbert on the cello following President Glover's opening address. (2) It is clear from reading the papers and resolutions of the 1892 meetings that music educators were very much concerned with sightsinging, vocal pedagogy, and music appreciation. All the papers and most of the discussions mentioned sightsinging directly or indirectly. The members attending the sessions expressed their ideas in a set of resolutions: First. Sightsinging, that is, the thinking of musical tones in their scale and harmonic relations, the thinking of rhythm, of tone lengths, and the quick perception of the signs which stand for these definite mental concepts, should be taught in the primary grades, and made the basis of all work in music. Second. Good quality of tone should be sought in all exercises and songs; and the voices of children should be protected from injury by avoiding the extremes of high and low pitch, or of loud and soft singing, and by securing distinct articulation. Third. Correct intonation and blended voices in part singing should be developed. Fourth. Musical taste should be cultivated by the use of best music in all grades. Fifth. Emotional or expressive singing should be secured. (3) A survey of the history of general music from 1892 to the present might start with the state of affairs as expressed in Saratoga Springs and proceed through the years to look at key people, places, and ideas. Among the most important ideas are goals and objectives for general music classes, materials, equipment, and facilities for those classes, and teaching procedures (methods or techniques) and evaluative measures used in them. Underlying one hundred years of development are two profound influences. The first is an evolution--some would call it a revolution--from the metaphor of the melting pot to the idea of cultural pluralism. The second major influence on general music education over the past century has been the development of technology. These two influences often worked independently, but they also worked in concert to shape the course of music education history, particularly in the area of general music. (4) Cultural pluralism--or multiculturalism--has been significant in American history since the earliest immigrations of European settlers and their African slaves in the land of the Massachuset, Delaware, Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, and countless others. Even the Europeans came from Spain, France, England, the Netherlands, Sweden, and elsewhere. They also held to diverse creeds of Judaism, Puritanism, Catholicism, Quakerism, and many more. In the closing years of the nineteenth century, many observers of racial and ethnic diversity used the metaphor of the melting pot. …

Maxim Vengerov: Violin Masterclass at the Royal Academy of Music, London, Benjamin Britten, Violin concerto opus 15: Violin masterclass , and: Ana Chumachenko at the Verbier Festival Academy, Violin masterclass , and: Gábor Takács-Nagy at the Verbier Festival Academy, Johannes Brahms, Piano quartet no. 3 in C minor: Chamber music masterclass , and: Aaron Rosand: Celebrating a Life in Music

Maxim Vengerov: Violin Masterclass at the Royal Academy of Music, London, Benjamin Britten, Violin concerto opus 15: Violin masterclass. DVD. Directed by Mischa Scorer. Bristol, England: Masterclass Media Foundation, 2008. MMF 2-022. £11.99 individual/£19.98 institution. Ana Chumachenko at the Verbier Festival Academy, Violin masterclass. DVD. Directed by Mischa Scorer. Bristol, England: Masterclass Media Foundation, 2009. MMF 2-027. £23.99 individual/£39.98 institution. Gabor Takacs-Nagy at the Verbier Festival Academy, Johannes Brahms, Piano quartet no. 3 in C minor: Chamber music masterclass. DVD. Directed by Mischa Scorer. Bristol, England: Masterclass Media Foundation, 2008. MMF 014. £17.99 individual/£29.98 institution. Aaron Rosand: Celebrating a Life in Music. DVD. Produced and directed by Sheila Halpern and Steve Halpern. [Pleasantville, New York]: SMH Music, 2007. SMH7878. $29.95. Aaron Rosand: The Teacher. DVD. Produced and directed by Sheila Halpern and Steve Halpern. [Pleasantville, New York]: SMH Music, 2010. $29.95. Since 2006, The Masterclass Media Foundation has been systematically filming classes conducted by some of the world's greatest classical performers and teachers. Founded as a non-profit by documentary director and producer Mischa Scorer, the foundation has produced 35 DVDs that include lessons by such well known instrumentalists as Maxim Vengerov on violin, Steven Isserlis on cello, and Andras Schiff at the piano. The five-year goal is to create a library of over 100 DVDs that will cover a wide range of genres including instrumental solos, chamber music, conducting, and even early music. These films are wonderful. Top-notch performers and teachers give thoughtful and articulate advice on how to play and interpret some of the greatest musical works of all times. The classes are beautifully filmed in an artistic yet unobtrusive way and the overall sound is very good. Maxim Vengerov is included in ten of the twelve violin DVDs. At age 32, he is Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2004 Vengerov was awarded both a Grammy and an Edison Award for his recording of the Britten Violin Concerto and after watching this video it is obvious why he is featured so prominently. His class begins with Giovanni Guzzi, accompanied by piano, performing the first movement of the Britten concerto after which Vengerov launches into a lengthy discourse on his artistic conception of the overall piece. Next Vengerov works through the first movement of the concerto with the student. His relaxed nature and ability to generate a positive interpersonal dynamic is communicated on camera. Both student and teacher are engaged in the lesson, and under the direction of the master, this initially intellectual and sterile work is enlivened with drama and emotion. The class was filmed at the Royal Academy before a live audience. The overall tone quality of the instruments was somewhat diminished in this setting but for the most part the class translated well onto video. Ana Chumachenko, now a Professor at Die Hochschule fur Musik und Theater Munchen, studied violin first with her own father, a disciple of Leopold Auer's, and later with Yehudi Menuhin and Joseph Szigeti. This class, devoted to Mozart's Concerti 3, 4, and 5, was filmed at the Verbier Festival Academy and was arranged especially for this series. As such, there was no audience and the Verbier set offered superb sound and more artistic videography than that shot at the Royal Academy. The first performer, Eldbjorg Hemsing, gives a beautiful performance of the first movement of Concerto No. 3, however, the videography in this lesson is extremely distracting. The camera focuses so closely on her face that her hands and instrument are constantly moving in and out of the screen. Also, Chumachenko is sometimes difficult to understand because she was positioned to face the student and was slightly turned away from the camera. …

Strategies for Improving the Tone Quality of your Orchestra

Strategies for Improving the Tone Quality of your Orchestra

Modeling of Human Voice Box in VLSI for Low Power Biomedical Applications

Communication is heavily dependent on ideas expressed through speech. The ideas and tonal qualities during vocal expression give voice an idea about person characteristics and personality. The estimation of vocal tract configuration from speech sound to represent speech events with robust and compact signals that describe the salient features of speech is an important area of speech communication. The Human Voice Box (Glottis) is the source of voice production and an important part of human body. Recent techniques of speech processing, such as speech recognition and speech synthesis, use the glottal closure and opening instants. Current models of the glottal waves derive their shape from approximate information rather than from exactly measured data. In this work, an electrical model of Human Voice Box is presented by exploiting fluid volume velocity to current and fluid pressure to voltage. The glottis modeled as current source includes linear and nonlinear impedances to represent laminar and turbulent flow, respectively, in the vocal tract. The complete model of glottis runs at power supply of 1.8 volt and the design is verified in a standard TSMC 0.18 micrometer technology on BSIM 3v3 model using ELDO Simulator.

Soundscape of band room: Listening criteria.

Three band rehearsal videos have been analyzed to investigate the specific issues that conductors address or work on during a band rehearsal. These specific issues were also identified by the conductors and music students as the listening criteria during the rehearsal through interviews with conductors and questionnaires administered to music students. The analysis of video recordings of three band rehearsals shows that the conductor addressed to issues related to intonation (17%), rhythm (27%), dynamics (18%), articulation (19%), and other musical issues such as style, phrasing, tone quality, breath release time, and/or nonmusical issues such as student’s discipline (21%) of the time. Questionnaires given to student musicians and faculty instructors yielded similar results with 73%–94% of students and 50%–83% of instructors naming these as primary issues dealt with in college and high school music rehearsals. This raises questions that these issues should form the basis for acoustical design criteria for this building type.

Materials in musical instruments.

Materials play an essential role in determining tonal characteristics and tone quality of string and percussion instruments. Their role in wind instruments is a matter of ardent debate among scientists, instrument makers, and performers. For instruments in which the structural elements are primarily responsible for the radiated sound this importance is self-evident. That significance is less obvious for instruments where the structure primarily serves to contain the vibrating air column. A few general concerns will be discussed and specific examples will be given.