schematics

multi-dimensional perceptual scaling of musical timbres (1976) by john m grey, stanford
two experiments were performed to evaluate the perceptual relationships between 16 music instrument tones.The stimuli were computer synthesized based upon an analysis of actual instrument tones, and they were perceptually equalized for loudness, pitch, and duration.

figure 1: a spatial solution for 35 similarity matrices generated by multi-dimensional scaling program INDSCAL (Carroll and Chang, 1970). Hierarchical clustering analysis (Johnson, 1967) is represented by connecting lines, in clustering strengths order: solid, dashed, dotted. two-dimensional projections of the configuration appear on the wall and floor. abbreviations for stimulus points: O=oboes, C=clarinets, X=saxophones, EH=english horn, FH=french horn, S=strings, TP=trumpet, TM=trombone, FL=flute, BN=bassoon.

artist • philomath • developer • optimist • 
/gen-art • /consciousness • /ink • /schematics

Interesting study on perceptual relationships between music instrument tones! The spatial solution obtained through multi-dimensional scaling provides valuable insights into how different instruments are perceived in relation to each other. This research could have significant implications for music composition and audio engineering.