Tuning in the amplitude modulation rate domain

Downloads

Authors

  • A. P. SĘK Institute of Acoustics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland
  • E. B. SKRODZKA Institute of Acoustics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland

Abstract

This paper is concerned with a certain form of masking that seems to exist in the modulation rate domain. It was shown that clearly audible changes in the amplitude of a 4 kHz sinusoidal carrier signal produced by a sinusoidal "probe" modulator were inaudible (masked) in the presence of amplitude changes in the same carrier produced by a "masking" modulator which was a 10 Hz wide band of white noise. This type of masking was most effective when the centre rate of the masking modulator was close or equal to the modulation rate of the probe modulator. The pattern of results showed a tuning effect in the modulation rate domain. These findings are generally consistent with the concept of a second stage of the filtering that may take place in the auditory system.

References

[1] S.P. BACON and D.W. GRANTHAM, Modulation masking: effects of modulation frequency, depth and phase, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 85, 2575-2580 (1989).

[2] T. DAU, B. KOLLMEIR and A. KOHLRAUSCH, Modelling modulation perception: modulation low-pass filter or modulation filter bank?, [in:] Psychoacoustics, Speech and Hearing Aids, B. KOLLMEIR [Ed.], World Scientific, Singapore 1996.

[3] T. DAU and D. PUSCHEL, A quantitative model of the effective signal processing in the auditory system, [in:] Contributions to Psychological Acoustics, A. ScHick [Ed.], Bibliotheks- und Informationssystem der Universitdt Oldenburg, Oldenburg 1993.