CSD 303: Fundamentals of Hearing

The Sound Spectrum

and
Fourier Analysis

Brad Rakerd, Professor

Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders
Michigan State University
Phone: 517-432-8195
Email: rakerd@msu.edu
 Frequency (Period) and Amplitude

 Two of the defining characteristics of a sine wave are its

frequency, which strongly affects the pitch of the sounds
that we hear, and its amplitude which strongly affects the
loudness.
 The sine wave's period of repetition (inverse of frequency)
is directly observable in the waveform.
 Starting Phase
 A third defining characteristic of a sine wave is its starting phase.
 The two waveforms shown below have identical frequencies and
amplitudes. But they are visibly different.
• The difference is that they have different starting phases,
which means that they start at different points in the cycle.
 Starting Phase (con’t)
 The commonly used system for referencing starting
phase is shown below:

There are 360 degrees

in one complete cycle of
sine wave vibration.

A sine wave can start at

any point in this cycle.
All You Need to Know About a Sine Wave
 Once you know the frequency (f), amplitude (a), and
starting phase (Ф) of a sine wave, you know everything
there is to know about its waveform.
 Example: f = 250 Hz, a = 2.5 cm, Ф = 0 degrees.
(period = 1000 ms/ 250) = 4 ms)

a (cm)
 The Spectrum of a Sine Wave
 The spectrum of a sine
wave tells you exactly
what its frequency,
amplitude, and starting
phase are. The spectrum
has two parts:
• Amplitude spectrum
• Phase spectrum

 Example:
• f = 1,500 Hertz
• a = 3 centimeters
• Ф = 270 degrees
 The Spectrum of a Two-Component 'Complex' Waveform

 Almost all of the sounds that

we encounter everyday are
made up of multiple sine
wave components. The
spectrum of the sound tells
you what those components
are. The example shown
here has two components.
 Component #1
• f = 1,500 Hz
• a = 3 cm
• Ф = 270 deg
 Component #2
• f = 2,000 Hz
• a = 4 cm
• Ф = 180 deg
 Spectrum Analysis (Fourier Analysis)
 You can do a Spectrum Analysis of any complex
waveform to “discover” just exactly which sine waves were
added together to create it.
• NOTE: Fourier Analysis is another name for spectrum
analysis.
 Spectrum Analysis (Fourier Analysis)

 Often in acoustics we are

especially interested in
the amplitude spectrum,
and so only the amplitude
spectrum will be shown, as
in this example.
 NOTE: Even though it is
not shown, the phase
spectrum still exists.
 A Line Spectrum
 There are two different kinds of spectra that we will see when we
analyze different types of sounds.
 If the sound is made of up of a limited number of components
there will be a Line Spectrum, with one vertical line at each
component's frequency.
 Two examples of line spectra are shown below.
 A Continuous Spectrum
 If the sound is made of up of a very large (infinite) number of
components spanning a range of frequencies, there will be a
Continuous Spectrum, with a horizontal line running along the
'tops' of all of the components.
 Two examples of continuous spectra are shown below.