Individual instrument note onsets are irreproducible even under identical conditions

Evidence

Had these notes been played at a different loudness, by a different player, on a different instrument, in a different environment or even just a second time by the same player on the same instrument in the same place while attempting to keep all details constant, the waveforms and spectra would probably be noticeably different. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1447

Categorization

• QUESTION: If note onsets are this variable, how do listeners reliably identify instruments at all? Worth chasing the perceptual robustness question.