Psychoacoustics

The first book to provide comprehensive introductory coverage of the multiple topics encompassed under psychoacoustics. How hearing works and how the brain processes sounds entering the ear to provide the listener with useful information are of great interest to psychologists, cognitive scientists, and musicians. However, while a number of books have concentrated on individual aspects of this field, known as psychoacoustics, there has been no comprehensive introductory coverage of the multiple topics encompassed under the term. Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound is the first book to provide that coverage, and it does so via a unique and useful approach. The book begins with introductory chapters on the basic physiology and functions of the ear and auditory sections of the brain, then proceeds to discuss numerous topics associated with the study of psychoacoustics, including cognitive psychology and the physics of sound. The book has a particular emphasis on music and computerized sound. An accompanying download includes many sound examples to help explicate the text and is available with the code included in the book at http://mitpress.mit.edu/mccs. To download sound samples, you can obtain a unique access code by emailing [email protected] or calling 617-253-2889 or 800-207-8354 (toll-free in the U.S. and Canada).The contributing authors include John Chowning, Perry R. Cook, Brent Gillespie, Daniel J. Levitin, Max Mathews, John Pierce, and Roger Shepard.

The acoustics of a space can have a real impact on the sounds you create and capture. Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, Fifth Edition provides supportive tools and exercises to help you understand how music sounds and behaves in different spaces, whether during a performance or a recording, when planning a control room or listening space, and how it is perceived by performers, listeners, and recording engineers. With their clear and simple style, Howard and Angus cover both theory and practice by addressing the science of sound engineering and music production, the acoustics of musical instruments, the ways in which we hear musical sounds, the underlying principles of sound processing, and the application of these concepts to music spaces to create professional sound. This new edition is fully revised to reflect new psychoacoustic information related to timbre and temporal perception, including an updated discussion of vocal fold vibration principles, samples of recent acoustic treatments, and a description of variable acoustics in spaces, as well as coverage of the environment’s effect on production listening, sonification, and other topics. Devoted to the teaching of musical understanding, an accompanying website (www.routledge.com/cw/howard) features various audio clips, tutorial sheets, questions and answers, and trainings that will take your perception of sound to the next level. This book will help you: Gain a basic grounding in acoustics and psychoacoustics with respect to music audio technology systems Incorporate knowledge of psychoacoustics in future music technology system designs as appropriate Understand how we hear pitch, loudness, and timbre Learn to influence the acoustics of an enclosed space through designed physical modifications

Psychoacoustics - Facts and Models represents a comprehensive collection of data describing the processing of sound by the human hearing system. It includes quantitative relations between sound stimuli and auditory perception in terms of hearing sensations. In addition, quantitative psychoacoustic models of hearing sensations are given. The monograph contains a unique collection of data on the human hearing system as a receiver of acoustic information as well as many examples of the practical application of the results of basic research in fields such as audiology, noise evaluation, and sound engineering. Many helpful hints for the solution of practical problems will be of particular benefit to engineers, and the book as a whole should serve as an important benchmark in the field of psychoacoustics. The treatment given in this second edition has been thoroughly updated with recent results.

Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms, Third Edition explains the physical and perceptual processes that are involved in sound reproduction and demonstrates how to use the processes to create high-quality listening experiences in stereo and multichannel formats. Understanding the principles of sound production is necessary to achieve the goals of sound reproduction in spaces ranging from recording control rooms and home listening rooms to large cinemas. This revision brings new science-based perspectives on the performance of loudspeakers, room acoustics, measurements and equalization, all of which need to be appropriately used to ensure the accurate delivery of music and movie sound tracks from creators to listeners. The robust website (www.routledge.com/cw/toole) is the perfect companion to this necessary resource.

Psychoacoustics offers a unique, comprehensive summary of information describing the processing of sound by the human hearing system. The third edition includes an additional chapter on audio-visual interactions and applications, plus more on applications throughout.

"Ecological Psychoacoustics" outlines recent advances in dynamic, cognitive, and ecological investigations of auditory perception and ties this work to findings in more traditional areas of psychoacoustics. The book illuminates some of the converging evidence that is beginning to emerge from these traditionally divergent fields, providing a scientifically rigorous, "real world" perspective on auditory perception, cognition, and action. In a natural listening environment almost all sounds are dynamic, complex, and heard concurrently with other sounds. Yet, historically, traditional psychoacoustics has examined the perception of static, impoverished stimuli presented in isolation. "Ecological Psychoacoustics" examines recent work that challenges some of the traditional ideas about auditory perception that were established with these impoverished stimuli and provides a focused look at the perceptual processes that are more likely to occur in natural settings. It examines basic psychoacoustics from a more cognitive and ecological perspective. It provides broad coverage including both basic and applied research in auditory perception; and coherence and cross referencing among chapters.

Acoustics and Psychoacoustics is ideal for students of music technology, sound recording, traditional music and acoustics, as well as engineers studying audio, multimedia and communications systems. Gain a practical understanding of how real musical sounds behave and are perceived in real spaces with this accessible and interesting read. This third edition offers a CD of audio examples, crucial for a clear understanding of the concepts discussed. Visit the book's supporting website at http://books.elsevier.com/0240519957 for additional resources such as: * Questions and exercises to test your knowledge * Web links for further resources and research * Audio clips * Calculation facilities (eg. adding decibel values and converting between frequency ratio and cents/semitones) This website can also be reached via www.focalpress.com