Peak amplitude misrepresents complex sounds with varying amplitude

Evidence

Although the peak amplitude provides an unambiguous descriptor of the size of the sine wave, it is rarely appropriate for complex sounds because many of these sounds experience large amplitude changes with time. To demonstrate this point, the waveform of a harmonic sound is shown in Figure 2–4. In this stimulus, the peak (maximum) amplitude does not provide a strong depiction of the overall amplitude characteristics of that sound. The majority of amplitude in this sound is low relative to the peak amplitude. Consequently, it is common to represent the amplitude of a sound using metrics other than the peak amplitude. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 197

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies when peak amplitude is inadequate and motivates the need for rms measures.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 197
• XREF: connects to: Perceived loudness of time-varying sounds tracks near-peak levels, not averages; Frequency-modulated tones lose fluctuation strength above 1 kHz centre frequency; Rapid changes in a sound’s amplitude envelope force broader spectral bandwidth — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 489

Broader Connections

• Rapid changes in a sound’s amplitude envelope force broader spectral bandwidth #expands (0.80) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 489
• Frequency-modulated tones lose fluctuation strength above 1 kHz centre frequency #expands (0.75)