Timbre comprises spectral content and how frequencies and amplitudes shift over a note

Evidence

When considering the notes played on pitched musical instruments, timbre relates to those aspects of the note that can be varied without affecting the pitch, duration or loudness of the note as a whole, such as the spectral components present and the way in which their frequencies and amplitudes vary during the sound. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1427

Categorization

• XREF: Extends the spectral-modifier model of instrument acoustics from Chapter 4 — timbre as the time-varying output of those modifiers. — connects to: Timbre is the cue by which listeners identify which instrument produced a note — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1425; Instrument timbre differences stem from harmonic spectra that shape masking breadth — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 449; Spectral variations inside one critical band alter perceived timbre — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 962 (+23 more)

Broader Connections

• Timbre depends on staggered harmonic entry times and spectral extent #expands (0.95) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1475
• Timbre can be graphed as relative energy across fundamental, resolved, and unresolved harmonics. #expands (0.95) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1488
• Spectral variations inside one critical band alter perceived timbre #qualifies (0.90) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 962
• Timbre distinguishes sounds sharing pitch, loudness, and duration. #expands (0.90) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1179
• Note onsets have staggered harmonic entry times that define each instrument’s timbre #expands (0.90) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1449
• Instrument timbre differences stem from harmonic spectra that shape masking breadth #corroborates (0.85) — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 449
• Timbre is determined by the relative amplitudes of partials, not their frequencies alone #corroborates (0.85) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2201
• Timbre depends on sound order over time, not just spectral content. #corroborates (0.85)
• Perceived timbre depends on partial amplitudes but not their phases #corroborates (0.85) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2208
• Spectrum magnitude, not phase, drives the perceived timbre of a sound #contradicts (0.80) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 2756
• Timbre reduces to a weighted ratio of fundamental and resolved versus unresolved harmonics #qualifies (0.80)
• Nonlinear distortion generates new frequencies that change timbre with volume #complicates (0.80)
• Instrument timbre identity persists across notes via a stable tristimulus position #complicates (0.75) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1489
• A note’s onset phase matters most for perceived timbre #qualifies (0.75) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1469
• Violin timbre changes with direction as high frequencies become increasingly directional #complicates (0.75) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1785