The violin bridge as filter

The violin bridge filter role was investigated using modal and acoustic measurements on 12 quality-rated violins combined with systematic bridge rocking frequency f(rock) and wing mass decrements deltam on four bridges for two other violins. No isolated bridge resonances were observed; bridge motions were complex (including a "squat" mode near 0.8 kHz) except for low frequency rigid body pivot motions, all more or less resembling rocking motion at higher frequencies. A conspicuous broad peak near 2.3 kHz in bridge driving point mobility (labeled BH) was seen for good and bad violins. Similar structure was seen in averaged bridge, bridge feet, corpus mobilities and averaged radiativity. No correlation between violin quality and BH driving point, averaged corpus mobility magnitude, or radiativity was found. Increasing averaged-over-f(rock) deltam(g) from 0 to 0.12 generally increased radiativity across the spectrum. Decreasing averaged-over-deltam f(rock) from 3.6 to 2.6 kHz produced consistent decreases in radiativity between 3 and 4.2 kHz, but only few-percent decreases in BH frequency. The lowest f(rock) values were accompanied by significantly reduced radiation from the Helmholtz A0 mode near 280 Hz; this, combined with reduced high frequency output, created overall radiativity profiles quite similar to "bad" violins among the quality-rated violins.     

The time-frequency characteristics of violin vibrato: modal distribution analysis and synthesis

A high-resolution time-frequency distribution, the modal distribution, is applied to the study of violin vibrato. The analysis indicates that the frequency modulation induced by the motion of the stopped finger on the string is accompanied by a significant amplitude variation in each partial of that note. Amplitude and frequency estimates for each partial are extracted from the modal distribution of ten pitches that span the range of the violin instrument. The frequency modulation is well-represented by a single sinusoid with a mean rate of 5.9 Hz and a mean excursion of +/- 15.2 cents. A spectral decomposition of the amplitude envelopes of the partials shows that the peaks lie primarily at integer multiples of the vibrato rate. These amplitude and frequency estimates are used in an additive synthesis model to generate synthetic replicates of violin vibrato. Simple approximations to these estimates are created, and synthesized sounds using these are evaluated perceptually by seven subjects using discrimination, nonmetric multidimensional scaling (MDS), and sound quality scoring tasks. It is found that the absence of frequency modulation has little effect on the perceptual response to violin vibrato, while the absence of amplitude modulation causes marked changes in both sound quality and MDS results. Low-order spectral decompositions of the amplitude and frequency estimates also occupy the same perceptual space as the original recording for a subset of the pitches studied.     

Resonance wood [Picea abies (L.) Karst.]--evaluation and prediction of violin makers' quality-grading

The definition of quality in the field of resonance wood for musical instrument making has attracted considerable interest over decades but has remained incomplete. The current work compares the traditional knowledge and practical experience of violin makers with a material-science approach to objectively characterize the properties of resonance wood. Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] has earned a very high reputation for the construction of resonance tops of stringed instruments and resonance boards of keyboard instruments, and was therefore chosen as the focus of the investigation. The samples were obtained from numerous renowned resonance wood regions in the European Alps and cover the whole range of available qualities. A set of acoustical, anatomical, mechanical and optical material properties was measured on each sample. These measurements were compared with subjective quality grading by violin makers, who estimated the acoustical, optical and overall suitability for violin making. Multiple linear regression models were applied to evaluate the predictability of the subjective grading using the measured material characteristics as predictors. The results show that luthiers are able to estimate wood quality related to visible features, but predictions of mechanical and acoustical properties proved to be very poor.     

Violin frequency response - bridge mobility and bridge feet distance

Good violins have a broad hill in the 2-3 kHz range of their frequency response. This hill has previously been attributed to the first in-plane resonance of the violin bridge. Experiments prove, however, that the hill is the result of two forces acting in opposite directions at the bridge feet. The experiments reported here show that the hill can be “tuned” by altering the distance between the bridge feet. It can be tuned both in terms of frequency and level but the properties of the violin cannot be neglected.     

Nodal line optimization and its application to violin top plate design

In the literature, most problems of structural vibration have been formulated to adjust a specific natural frequency: for example, to maximize the first natural frequency. In musical instruments like a violin; however, mode shapes are equally important because they are related to sound quality in the way that natural frequencies are related to the octave. The shapes of nodal lines, which represent the natural mode shapes, are generally known to have a unique feature for good violins. Among the few studies on mode shape optimization, one typical study addresses the optimization of nodal point location for reducing vibration in a one-dimensional beam structure. However, nodal line optimization, which is required in violin plate design, has not yet been considered. In this paper, the central idea of controlling the shape of the nodal lines is proposed and then applied to violin top plate design. Finite element model for a violin top plate was constructed using shell elements. Then, optimization was performed to minimize the square sum of the displacement of selected nodes located along the target nodal lines by varying the thicknesses of the top plate. We conducted nodal line optimization for the second and the fifth modes together at the same time, and the results showed that the nodal lines obtained match well with the target nodal lines. The information on plate thickness distribution from nodal line optimization would be valuable for tailored trimming of a violin top plate for the given performances.     

Vibrotactile intensity discrimination measured by three methods

The difference threshold for the detection of changes in vibration amplitude was measured as a function of the intensity and frequency of stimuli delivered through a 2.9-cm2 contactor to the thenar eminence. Stimuli were either 25- or 250-Hz sinusoids, narrow-band noise centered at 250 Hz, or wideband noise. Thresholds were measured by two-interval, forced-choice tracking under three methods of stimulus presentation. In the gated-pedestal method, subjects had to judge which of two 700-ms bursts of vibration separated by 100 ms was more intense. In the continuous-pedestal method, subjects had to detect a 700-ms increment in the amplitude of an ongoing pedestal of vibration. In the two-burst-continuous-pedestal method with 1500-ms pedestals, the subject had to detect which of two successively presented pedestals contained a 500-ms amplitude increment. Thresholds were consistently lower for detecting increments in the amplitude of a continuous pedestal of vibration than for detecting amplitude differences between briefly presented successive pedestals or amplitude increments in successive pedestals. A "near miss" to Weber's law was found both for sinusoidal and for noise stimuli. The difference threshold was not affected by stimulus frequency condition.     

Upper limits of auditory rotational motion perception

Three experiments are reported, which investigated the auditory velocity thresholds beyond which listeners are no longer able to perceptually resolve a smooth circular trajectory. These thresholds were measured for band-limited noises, white noise, and harmonic sounds (HS), and in different acoustical environments. Experiments 1 and 2 were conducted in an acoustically dry laboratory. Observed thresholds varied as a function of stimulus type and spectral content. Thresholds for band-limited noises were unaffected by center frequency and equal to that of white noise. For HS, however, thresholds decreased as the fundamental frequency of the stimulus increased. The third experiment was a replication of the second in a reverberant concert hall, which produced qualitatively similar results except that thresholds were significantly higher than in the acoustically dry laboratory.     

Discrimination of temporally asymmetric modulation with triangular envelopes on a broadband-noise carrier (L)

Highly detectable, time-reversed triangular amplitude modulation, with linear increases and decreases in amplitude, was used in an adaptive task to measure just-noticeable differences for changes in the direction of envelope temporal asymmetry for different modulation depths (m = 1.0 and 0.5) and rates (8, 16, and 32 Hz). Thresholds were analyzed using three different measures of the modulator's shape based on (1) the change in the position of the peak within a cycle, (2) the change in the slope of the modulator's increasing amplitude portion, and (3) the change in slope measured in units of amplitude per unit cycle rather than amplitude per unit time. The amplitude per unit cycle measure resulted in the best fit to all the data, and predicted additional data that were gathered with roved modulation frequency. The results suggest that a time normalization process may be involved in the perception and discrimination of envelope shape.     

Effects of the use of personal music players on amplitude modulation detection and frequency discrimination

Measures of auditory performance were compared for an experimental group who listened regularly to music via personal music players (PMP) and a control group who did not. Absolute thresholds were similar for the two groups for frequencies up to 2 kHz, but the experimental group had slightly but significantly higher thresholds at higher frequencies. Thresholds for the frequency discrimination of pure tones were measured for a sensation level (SL) of 20 dB and center frequencies of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 kHz. Thresholds were significantly higher (worse) for the experimental than for the control group for frequencies from 3 to 8 kHz, but not for lower frequencies. Thresholds for detecting sinusoidal amplitude modulation (AM) were measured for SLs of 10 and 20 dB, using four carrier frequencies 0.5, 3, 4, and 6 kHz, and three modulation frequencies 4, 16, and 50 Hz. Thresholds were significantly lower (better) for the experimental than for the control group for the 4- and 6-kHz carriers, but not for the other carriers. It is concluded that listening to music via PMP can have subtle effects on frequency discrimination and AM detection.     

Failure to obtain comodulation masking release with frequency-modulated maskers

These experiments were intended to determine whether comodulation masking release (CMR) occurs for maskers that are modulated in frequency rather than in amplitude. In experiment I, thresholds for a sinusoidal signal were measured in the presence of two continuous sinusoidal maskers: one was centered at the signal frequency (1.0 kHz), and the other was positioned at flanking frequencies ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 kHz. The two maskers were frequency modulated (FM) by the same low-pass-noise modulator (correlated condition) or by independent noise modulators (uncorrelated condition). Thresholds were the same for the correlated and uncorrelated maskers, i.e., no CMR occurred. This was also true when the flanking band was presented in the ear opposite to that containing the signal and the on-frequency masking band. In experiment II, 25-Hz-wide noise maskers were used. The on-frequency band was sinusoidally frequency modulated, while the off-frequency band either had the same FM or no FM. Thresholds were similar for the two conditions, again indicating that no CMR occurred. The results suggest that, unlike amplitude modulation, correlated FM of the masker in different frequency bands does not give rise to a release from masking.     

Correlations in a Mozart's music score (K-73x) with palindromic and upside-down structure

In this work, we study long-range correlations in a “Scherzo-Duetto di Mozart” score (K-73x) for two violins. This is a fascinating piece, as the second violin part is upside down on the same sheet below the first violin, and some parts are like a palindrome. Given such ingenious structure, it is expected the existence of long-range correlations in the score structure. In order to quantify long-range correlations, we considered the music score as a sequence of integer numbers, each of them corresponding to last common denominator units of note. By using detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), correlations are quantified by means of the scaling exponent that reflects the type of correlations for a given distance between neighbors note. The following conclusions can be drawn from the analysis: (a) For about 10-25 neighbor note distances, correlations are similar to 1/f-noise. This is an interesting finding since it has been shown that pleasant sounds for humans display a behavior similar to 1/f noise. (b) As the neighbor note distance increases, the long-range correlations decays continuously. For some score sections, the music score behaves like non-correlated (i.e., purely random) noise. Summing up, the results show that the studied Mozart's score contains a certain degree of correlation for relatively small note distances, and becomes close to non-correlated behavior for long note distances. We considered also the sequence constructed by considering the distance between the simultaneously played notes of the two violins. Interestingly, for relatively small neighbor note distances, a scaling behavior similar to that found for individual violins is also displayed. In some sense, this is an expression of the specific structure (palindromes plus upside down construction) used by Mozart in the composition of this music score. Although we focused on a particular high-art music score, our results suggest that modern methods borrowed from statistical physics can be useful for the systematic study of music composition techniques.     

Evidence for direction-specific channels in the processing of frequency modulation.

Evidence is provided for the existence of at least three feature-specific channels in the auditory system. Thresholds for the detection of small repetitive or nonrepetitive frequency changes were measured following various adapting stimuli using a 2IFC procedure in two subjects at 1 kHz. Thresholds for single linear upward frequency sweeps (up sweeps) were increased by a factor of 2 to 3 following exposure to repetitive (8 Hz) up sweeps but not following exposure to down sweeps or tone bursts; correspondingly, thresholds for down-sweep stimuli were increased only by down sweeps. Sinusoidal FM test stimulus thresholds were elevated by both up-sweeps and down-sweeps and to a lesser extent by tone bursts. These results suggest the existence in the auditory system of channels specific to upward FM, downward FM, and probably repetition rate.     

Formant frequency discrimination by Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata).

These studies investigated formant frequency discrimination by Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) using an AX discrimination procedure and techniques of operant conditioning. Nonhuman subjects were significantly more sensitive to increments in the center frequency of either the first (F1) or second (F2) formant of single-formant complexes than to corresponding pure-tone frequency shifts. Furthermore, difference limens (DLs) for multiformant signals were not significantly different than those for single-formant stimuli. These results suggest that Japanese monkeys process formant and pure-tone frequency increments differentially and that the same mechanisms mediate formant frequency discrimination in single-formant and vowel-like complexes. The importance of two of the cues available to mediate formant frequency discrimination, changes in the phase and the amplitude spectra of the signals, was investigated by independently manipulating these two parameters. Results of the studies indicated that phase cues were not a significant feature of formant frequency discrimination by Japanese macaques. Rather, subjects attended to relative level changes in harmonics within a narrow frequency range near F1 and F2 to detect formant frequency increments. These findings are compared to human formant discrimination data and suggest that both species rely on detecting alterations in spectral shape to discriminate formant frequency shifts. Implications of the results for animal models of speech perception are discussed.     

Intensity difference limens at high frequencies

Thresholds for amplitude modulation detection were obtained from four subjects at frequencies of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 kHz for sensation levels of 15, 30, 45, and 60 dB and modulation rates of 2, 4, and 8 Hz. High-frequency difference limens calculated from amplitude modulation thresholds were found to change nonmonotonically as a function of sensation level, independent of modulation rate. This nonmonotonic relation stemmed mainly from a gradual reduction of the difference limen at the lowest sensation level with increasing frequency. Difference limens for pulsed tone discrimination were also measured in two of the subjects at 2, 6, and 10 kHz and sensation levels of 15, 30, 45, and 60 dB. The relation between intensity discrimination and sensation level was similar to that found for amplitude modulation detection. These findings are interpreted as indicating that the nonmonotonic relation between sensation level and intensity resolution is a general characteristic of stimulus processing at higher frequencies.     

Thin walled Nb tubes for suspending test masses in interferometric gravitational wave detectors

In a previous Letter, we have shown that the use of orthogonal ribbons could provide a better mirror suspension technique in interferometric gravitational wave antennas. One of the key improvements presented by the orthogonal ribbon is the reduction in the number of violin string modes in the direction of the laser. We have considered more elaborate geometries in recent simulations and obtained a suspension that provides further reduction in the number of violin string modes in the direction of the laser, as well as in the direction orthogonal to the laser. This thin walled niobium tube suspension exhibits a reduction in the number of violin modes to 5 in each direction up to a frequency of 5 kHz. Furthermore, the violin mode thermal noise peaks can be reduced in amplitude by 30 dB.     

Method for measuring violin sound radiation based on bowed glissandi and its application to sound synthesis

This work presents a method for measuring and computing violin-body directional frequency responses, which are used for violin sound synthesis. The approach is based on a frame-weighted deconvolution of excitation and response signals. The excitation, consisting of bowed glissandi, is measured with piezoelectric transducers built into the bridge. Radiation responses are recorded in an anechoic chamber with multiple microphones placed at different angles around the violin. The proposed deconvolution algorithm computes impulse responses that, when convolved with any source signal (captured with the same transducer), produce a highly realistic violin sound very similar to that of a microphone recording. The use of motion sensors allows for tracking violin movements. Combining this information with the directional responses and using a dynamic convolution algorithm, helps to improve the listening experience by incorporating the violinist motion effect in stereo.     

Acoustical Correlates of Affective Prosody

The word "Anna" was spoken by 12 female and 11 male subjects with six different emotional expressions: "rage/hot anger," "despair/lamentation," "contempt/disgust," "joyful surprise," "voluptuous enjoyment/sensual satisfaction," and "affection/tenderness." In an acoustical analysis, 94 parameters were extracted from the speech samples and broken down by correlation analysis to 15 parameters entering subsequent statistical tests. The results show that each emotion can be characterized by a specific acoustic profile, differentiating that emotion significantly from all others. If aversive emotions are tested against hedonistic emotions as a group, it turns out that the best indicator of aversiveness is the ratio of peak frequency (frequency with the highest amplitude) to fundamental frequency, followed by the peak frequency, the percentage of time segments with nonharmonic structure ("noise"), frequency range within single time segments, and time of the maximum of the peak frequency within the utterance. Only the last parameter, however, codes aversiveness independent of the loudness of an utterance.     

The use of ultrasound-stimulated acoustic emission in the monitoring of modulus changes with temperature

It has been previously shown that the amplitude of the ultrasound-stimulated acoustic emission (USAE) signal is sensitive to tissue temperature and, therefore, can help detect it. Its amplitude, however, is sensitive to both acoustical and mechanical parameters, that at most frequencies have opposite effects due to temperature. In this paper, we explore the feasibility of using a frequency shift of the resonant peaks of the USAE signal for monitoring the tissue stiffness variation with temperature. In a numerical simulation, the variation of the frequency shift at different temperatures is shown. Then, in a series of experiments involving a gel phantom and porcine muscle tissue, the frequency shift variation is shown to follow the known stiffness changes due to temperature. It is also shown that this shift indicates reversible changes as well as the onset of thermal coagulative necrosis. The necrosis is marked by a monotonically increasing positive frequency shift. It was thus shown that the USAE spectrum peaks undergo a negative shift (or, downshift) when the stiffness decreases and a positive shift (or, upshift) when the stiffness increases. The experimental frequency shifted around a peak at 22.1-22.5 kHz within a range of -250 to 80 Hz and -200 to 250 Hz for the gel and muscle tissue for the temperatures of 25-70 and 30-70 degrees C, respectively. Simulation and ex vivo experimental results indicate that the USAE frequency shift method can help decouple the mechanical from the acoustical parameter dependence as well as detect the onset of thermal coagulative necrosis.