The minimum masker excitation within its modulation cycle sets masked threshold

Evidence

If a long lasting tone is used as a test sound, the minimal excitation level of the masker produced within the modulation period at the critical-band rate of the test tone determines threshold. When a short test-tone burst, repeatedly presented with a rate corresponding to modulation frequency, is used then the temporal relation between the FM of the masker and the incidence of burst presentation within the FM period plays an additional role, as has been shown in Fig. 4.26. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 614