Sound impulsiveness resists simple psychoacoustic measurement
Evidence
There is no simple psychoacoustic measure for the impulsiveness of sound. In noise measurements there are some measures used, where the levels of measured noise are characterized as long-term mean levels. For example, the sound pressure level can be measured so that it exceeds the average 10% of the time. When the measured level is compared to the equivalent level of the noise, an estimate of impulsiveness is obtained. It has also been proposed that onsets which define impulsiveness can be identified by finding the regions where the positive slope of the instantaneous sound pressure level exceeds 10 dB/s (Pedersen, 2001). — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1234
Categorization
Category: Definitional Content
- DEFINE: Explains practical measurement approaches for impulsiveness: 10% exceedance levels compared to equivalent level, and a proposed 10 dB/s onset-slope criterion.
- QUESTION: Worth chasing: is there a standardized, widely adopted impulsiveness metric in noise regulations since this 2001 Pedersen proposal?
Related
- Impulsiveness is estimated from level statistics rather than directly measured (similarity 0.96)
- Loudness as perception can never be directly measured physiologically (similarity 0.79)
- Reported sound levels almost always refer to pressure, matching human hearing (similarity 0.79)
- Sound level meters measure pressure, from which intensity is derived (similarity 0.78)
- Physical stimuli map to separate hearing sensations only within audible physical ranges (similarity 0.78)
- Impulsive sounds grab attention because they signal physical state changes (similarity 0.78)