Instrument identity depends largely on attack and release transients, not steady tone

Evidence

When considering the notes played on pitched musical instruments, timbre relates to those aspects of the note which can be varied without affecting the pitch, duration or loudness of the note as a whole, such as the spectral components present and the way in which their frequencies and amplitudes vary during the sound. … The onset and offset portions of a note tend to last for a short time, of the order of a few tens of milliseconds (or a few hundredths of a second). Changes that occur during the onset and offset phases, and in par­ ticular during the onset, turn out to have a very important role in defining the timbre of a note. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1454 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

By way of a caveat it should be noted that these figures are presented to provide only examples of the general nature of the acoustics of the note onset phases for these instruments. 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 con­ stant, the waveforms and spectra would probably be noticeably different. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1473 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: An instrument’s normal attack transient is essential to its characteristic timbre; Onset attack mechanisms are vital acoustic cues to instrument identity; Attack and release phases lasting milliseconds largely determine a note’s timbre — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1454 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Onset attack mechanisms are vital acoustic cues to instrument identity #corroborates (0.95)
• Attack and release phases lasting milliseconds largely determine a note’s timbre #corroborates (0.95) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1454
• Instrument note onsets vary hugely across takes, players, and environments #qualifies (0.80) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1473
• Long-term averaging obscures transient attack and release sounds #complicates (0.80)