Timbre is the cue by which listeners identify which instrument produced a note

Evidence

In other words, two sounds that are perceived as being different but that have the same perceived loudness and pitch differ by virtue of their timbre (consider the examples on track 62 of the accompanying CD). The timbre of a note is the aspect by which a listener recognizes the instrument that is playing a note when, for example, instruments play notes with the same pitch, loudness and duration. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1425

Categorization

• DEFINE: Places instrument identification as the everyday operational meaning of timbre, distinct from the formal ANSI wording.
• XREF: connects to: Instrument timbre identity persists across notes via a stable tristimulus position — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1489; An instrument’s opening attack largely determines its perceived timbre — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2245; Timbre comprises spectral content and how frequencies and amplitudes shift over a note — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1427 (+17 more)

Broader Connections

• Instrument timbre identity persists across notes via a stable tristimulus position #qualifies (0.95) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1489
• Timbre comprises spectral content and how frequencies and amplitudes shift over a note #expands (0.95) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1427
• Timbre distinguishes sounds sharing pitch, loudness, and duration. #corroborates (0.95) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1179
• A note’s onset phase matters most for perceived timbre #corroborates (0.95) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1469
• Grey’s timbre findings confirm that note onset transients largely determine perceived instrument identity #corroborates (0.95) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1508
• Note onsets have staggered harmonic entry times that define each instrument’s timbre #corroborates (0.95) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1449
• Attack and release phases lasting milliseconds largely determine a note’s timbre #corroborates (0.95) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1454
• An instrument’s normal attack transient is essential to its characteristic timbre #corroborates (0.95)
• Study results confirm that attack onset dominates timbre perception #corroborates (0.95) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1484
• Note onsets are composed of many separable acoustic cues #qualifies (0.95)
• An instrument’s opening attack largely determines its perceived timbre #contradicts (0.90) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2245
• A note’s onset, not its steady state or decay, most strongly determines perceived timbre. #contradicts (0.90) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1444
• Instrument timbre determines how dissonant the same two-note interval sounds #complicates (0.85)
• Timbre is determined by the relative amplitudes of partials, not their frequencies alone #complicates (0.85) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2201
• What a listener hears differs from an instrument’s raw output #complicates (0.85) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1082