title: Spectrum analysis, aliasing, and the perception of musical tones.
abstract: A signal-processing model is proposed in which the phenomenon of 'aliasing' is invoked to explain certain phenomena in the perception of musical tones, for which a really satisfactory explanation has not hitherto been available. It is shown that this model offers a reason why the harmonic series appears to play such a central role in tone and pitch perception, and can throw light on 'virtual pitch', 'harmonic beats', etc. Some preliminary results from a computer simulation of the model are described which are consistent with empirical data on tone perception.
authors.affiliation: Engineering Department, Lancaster University, UK.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Adelson
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008838:Microcomputers; D009146:Music; D010898:Pitch Perception; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012984:Software; D013018:Sound Spectrography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013998:Time Perception