Spectral and perceptual analysis of percussion instruments
Elizabeth A. Cohen, Michael S. Hart, Andrew Schloss · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1981
A series of recordings of percussion family instruments were made in both live and anechoic settings. We examined the response of idiophones (cymbals, gongs, chimes) and membranophones to strokes gauged to produce approximate levels for pp, p, mp, f, etc., which differ by roughly 10 dB. An assortment of strokes, including rim shots, were also included. The sounds were recorded on a Nagra stereo recorder, digitized and analyzed. The results from the three-dimensional spectral plots were compared to subjects data as to pitch and spectral content of instruments. From the study of some members of the idiophone family, we are able to detect certain temporal and spectral characteristics pertinent to the evolution of Chinese gongs. The degree of inharmonicity of the partial sequence for these instruments was also measured.