The spectrum of partials forms a unique recognizable signature for each instrument
Evidence
Every instrument therefore has an underlying set of partials in its spec trum (see Chapter 1) from which we are able to recognize it from other instruments. These can be thought of as the frequency component “rec ipe” underlying the particular sound of that instrument. Figure 3.1 shows the acoustic pressure waveform for different notes played on four orches tral instruments and Figure 3.2 shows the amplitude–frequency spectrum for each. Notice that the shape of the waveform for each of the notes is dif ferent and so is the recipe of frequency components. Each of these notes would be perceived as being the note A4 but as having different timbres. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 784
Categorization
Category: Definitional Content
- DEFINE: Introduces the notion of an instrument’s partial recipe — a distinct way of framing spectral makeup as identity.
Related
- An instrument’s identity is set by its unique recipe of frequency components (similarity 0.84)
- Spectrum components are partials and only integer-related ones are harmonics (similarity 0.80)
- Instrument timbre comes from waveform shape, not pitch (similarity 0.80)
- Partials become harmonics only when integer-related to the fundamental (similarity 0.79)
- Timbre is determined by the relative amplitudes of partials, not their frequencies alone (similarity 0.79)
- Harmonic spectra never occur exactly in real objects (similarity 0.78)
- Each instrument’s timbre is defined by its unique recipe of harmonic partials (similarity 0.78)
- Hearing’s salient spectral features can be matched by adjustable Fourier analysis (similarity 0.78)
- Instrument behavior emerges from a shared set of physical mechanisms (similarity 0.78)
- Measured instrument spectra reveal both the source and the sound modifiers at once (similarity 0.78)