An auditory spectrum maps cochlear excitation level against ERB-scaled frequency

Evidence

The key feature to note about the hearing modeling spectrogram is that the sound is analyzed via a bank of filters that model the auditory filters in terms of their shape and bandwidth. As a result, the frequency axis is based on the ERB (equivalent rectangular bandwidth) scale itself, since the output from each filter is plotted with an equal distance on the frequency axis of the spectrogram. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1501 (#expands, via linked claim)

Auditory filter bandwidths are commonly reported in terms of their equivalent rectangular bandwidth, or ERB. This value quantifies the bandwidth in terms of an equivalent filter that is rectangular in shape. Other measurements of bandwidth can also be used, such as one defined using the 3-dB down points, which correspond to measures from the filter skirts defined by the frequency at which the attenuation is 3 dB. However, the ERB is much more commonly adopted in psychoacoustic literature. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 501 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The lower slope of auditory excitation patterns is constant at 27 dB per Bark; This book organizes hearing science around resonance, impulse response, autocorrelation, and power spectra; Frequency-domain analysis mirrors how the human ear processes sound — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 377 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Hearing-modeling spectrograms use an ERB frequency axis from modeled auditory filters. #expands (0.85) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1501
• ERB is the standard metric for auditory filter bandwidth #corroborates (0.80) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 501
• Cochlear implants stimulate each cochlear place with calibrated pulses matched to ERB filter bands. #exemplifies (0.70)