Going through an issue of Stereo Review I came across an interesting article that I think is worth sharing: “The sense of hearing”


I’ve uploaded it on Scribd:
www.scribd.com/document/475952052/The-sense-of-hearing

In case someone wants to download it I’ve also uploaded it for a short time on wetransfer:

we.tl/t-qaUD7CMGlg

Good stuff! The concept of Tartini tones is the same one used for RF frequencies by radio tuners to achieve the IF frequency. The incoming signal at a certain frequency is mixed with another one to get 455kHz for AM and 10.7MHz for FM.
Interesting about the initial transient being the one the ear and brain use to work out what an instrument actually is, and that Japanese folk typically find it difficult to determine English language sounds.
Electronically generated harmonic distortion, such as from an amplifier, follows mathematical models for its generation. That’s very slightly different to Tartini tones generated by a piano tuned to the well tempered scale. But amplifier distortion is far lower in level so the instrumental harmonics including Tartini tones dominate for the ear.
So...if a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make any sound? They must have had a camera to record the event to know that it happened, or come across a fallen tree while being in the forest. Also, a definition of ‘one’ would be good. Is ‘one’ a person, or any creature with hearing? If it’s any creature with hearing then yes, it would have made a sound. There are plenty of creatures in a forest.

AMR-iFi R&D

Interesting colinf, I think understanding our sense of hearing is fundamental for audio.

I’ve uploaded the article also on Scribd here (as the other link will expire soon):

www.scribd.com/document/475952052/The-sense-of-hearing