We've known it all our lives
by Paul McGowan
In my recent post, Timbre, I brought up a number of examples of instruments that have unique timbre.
But, one of the problems we have in evaluating how well our systems properly reproduce timbre is in the recording itself. How was it miked? What kind of player made the sound? How do you know the recording captured the true nature of the instrument's timbre?
The truth is you don't.
So, what to do?
Well, aside from only buying your music from Octave Records, :) you can choose to narrow your evaluation material to one instrument we're all familiar with.
The human voice.
Research has shown that even in the womb, fetuses are able to recognize and respond to their mother's voice.
Once born, infants show a preference for the sound of the human voice over other sounds. Studies have shown that even newborn infants prefer to listen to their mother's voice over the voices of other women, and they can distinguish between the voices of different people.
As children grow and develop, their ability to recognize and distinguish between voices improves. By the age of 6 months, infants can recognize the voices of familiar people, and by the age of 1 year, they can recognize the voices of strangers as well.
All this to suggest that for as long as you have been alive (minus that first year of training) you're an expert on vocal timbre.
There's nothing better for identifying proper tonal balance and timbre than the human voice.
Paul McGowan
Founder & CEO
Never miss a post
SubscribeRelated Posts
-
Musical chairs
Paul McGowan -
Getting lost
Paul McGowan -
Equal amplifiers
Paul McGowan -
Small vs. big
Paul McGowan
Keep reading
View all-
Table of Contents – Issue 218
“Thank you for the days / Those endless days, those sacred days you gave meI'm thinking of the days / I won't forget a single day, believe me” – The...
Read more
Table of Contents – Issue 218
“Thank you for the days / Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me
I'm thinking of the days / I won't forget a single day, believe me” – The Kinks, “Days ”In this issue: We have two reports on the AXPONA 2025 audio show, from myself and Rudy Radelic. Octave Records gets funky with Protostar by the Black Hole Boogie Band. I get a rare opportunity to hear the legendary Hill Plasmatronics loudspeakers. Paul McGowan offers advice on optimizing the listening room in The Audiophile’s Guide book series. Wayne Robins sees a new generation discovering the Beatles and “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Ray Chelstowski talks with legendary rocker Don Felder.
B. Jan Montana sees that when Zeus is dead, Chaos reigns. Peter Xeni has a look at 50 years of the Melbourne Audio Club, one of the world’s oldest audio societies. Our colleagues at FIDELITY magazine visit turntable and cartridge manufacturer Clearaudio, and a PMA Magazine writer…quits audio? My series on playing in a rock band goes to some extremes outdoors. PS Audio introduces their new top-of-the-line PMG Signature Series. Ken Kessler won’t quit in his pursuit of vintage Revox reel-to-reel decks. We round out the issue with channel surfing, a monolithic loudspeaker, and mind games.
Click here for information on how to post comments in Copper.
Contributors to This Issue:
Carsten Barnbeck, Ray Chelstowski, Frank Doris, Ken Kessler, Jonson Lee, Paul McGowan, B. Jan Montana, Rudy Radelic, Wayne Robins, James Schrimpf, Peter XeniLogo Design:
Susan Schwartz-Christian, from a concept by Bob D’AmicoEditor:
Frank DorisPublisher:
Paul McGowanPost-publication Nitpicker:
Rich IsaacsAdvertising Sales:
No one. We are free from advertising and subscribing to Copper is free.Copper’s Comments Policy:
Copper’s comments sections are moderated. While we encourage thoughtful and spirited discussion, please be civil.The editor and Copper’s editorial staff reserve the right to delete comments according to our discretion. This includes: political commentary; posts that are abusive, insulting, demeaning or defamatory; posts that are in violation of someone’s privacy; comments that violate the use of copyrighted information; posts that contain personal information; and comments that contain links to suspect websites (phishing sites or those that contain viruses and so on). Spam will be blocked or deleted. Thanks for your consideration.
– FD
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
- Opens in a new window.