Title: Timbre aspects of ride cymbals: Sound coloration analysis using psychoacoustic models and subjective evaluation
Abstract: The timbre of a musical instrument is a multidimensional concept that relies on the complexity of human perception. So far, there are only a few studies concerning the timbre of percussion instruments. The sound characteristics of cymbals depend on geometry, material, ways of playing, and so on. On the perceptive side, sound coloration is one of the dimensions most used by musicians to compare the timbre of ride cymbals. In order to get insight into the perception of the sound of ride cymbals, subjective evaluations of recorded cymbal sounds were carried out using rating scales. Psychoacoustic models, such as Sharpness and Tonality, were also used to analyze the sound signals. Based on these objective analysis, together with subjective evaluations made by musicians, linear regression models were proposed to quantify perceptive dimensions such as brightness and darkness. The coefficients of determination obtained with the regressions indicate that psychoacoustic models could be used as a feasible way to represent sound coloration of ride cymbals.