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Timbre, Sound Quality, and Sound Design

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Timbre: Acoustics, Perception, and Cognition

Part of the book series: Springer Handbook of Auditory Research ((SHAR,volume 69))

Abstract

Sound quality evaluation applies the results of timbre research to the assessment of the sound quality of manufactured products (domestic appliances, transportation, etc.). This chapter first provides an overview of one methodology. A number of acoustic descriptors reflecting perceived timbre dimensions are established and used to predict users’ preference judgements. Whereas such a methodology has proven very effective, it also has some limitations. In fact, most studies only consider the pleasantness of the sounds and often overlook other potential roles of sounds in products and interfaces. In the second part, the chapter introduces sound design. Whereas sound quality evaluation merely proposes a diagnostic of the timbre of existing products, sound design aims to create or modify the timbre of product sounds to meet specific intentions. These intentions consider the pleasantness, but also several other aspects of product sounds: functionality, identity, and ecology. All these aspects are interdependent and often closely related to the temporal and timbral characteristics of the sound. The chapter continues with a discussion of the roles and practices of sound designers and introduces a set of tools that foster communication about timbre between the different participants of a sound design process. In particular, the focus is on the necessity for these participants to share a common timbre vocabulary, and the potential impact of education about sounds is considered. Finally, an important functional aspect of product sound is discussed: how to design the timbre of sounds to support user interactions with the product.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The difference between artificial and everyday sounds is defined in Sect. 9.3.5.1 (cf. earcons versus auditory icons).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. STMS-IRCAM-CNRS-UPMC, Paris, France

    Guillaume Lemaitre & Patrick Susini

Authors
  1. Guillaume Lemaitre
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  2. Patrick Susini
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Physics and Acoustics, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany

    Kai Siedenburg

  2. Audio Communication Group, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Charalampos Saitis

  3. Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Stephen McAdams

  4. Department of Biology, University of Maryland, Collage Park, MD, USA

    Arthur N. Popper

  5. Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Richard R. Fay

Compliance with Ethics 

Compliance with Ethics 

Guillaume Lemaitre declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Patrick Susini declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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Lemaitre, G., Susini, P. (2019). Timbre, Sound Quality, and Sound Design. In: Siedenburg, K., Saitis, C., McAdams, S., Popper, A., Fay, R. (eds) Timbre: Acoustics, Perception, and Cognition. Springer Handbook of Auditory Research, vol 69. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14832-4_9

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