Narrow spectral bands with steep slopes produce stronger pitch than narrow spectral gaps do

Evidence

When comparing the spectra of peaked ripple noise displayed in Fig. 5.17 and of comb-filtered noise displayed in Fig. 5.24 (sound 9), the two sounds show a figure-ground relation: peaked ripple noise shows sharp spectral peaks and broad spectral valleys, whereas comb-filtered noise shows broad spectral peaks and narrow spectral valleys. Because the pitch strength of peaked ripple noise is larger by a factor of more than 5 than that of comb-filtered noise, it can be assumed that large pitch strength is produced by sounds containing narrow bands with steep spectral slopes rather than by narrow gaps. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 830

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: A figure-ground asymmetry in auditory perception: pitch arises from steep-edged protrusions, not from the complementary notches, implying the auditory system weights spectral energy presence over absence.