Translating frequency-domain talk into note pitches improves engineer-musician collaboration

Evidence

Audio engineers need to understand timbre to allow them to commu­ nicate successfully with musicians during recording sessions in a manner that everyone can understand. Many musicians do not think in terms of frequency but they are well aware of the ranges of musical instruments which they will discuss in terms of note pitches. Sound engineers who take the trouble to work in these terms will find the communication process both easier and more rapid with the likely result that the overall quality of the final product is higher than it might have been otherwise. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1542