Re: Auditory objects

[James Beauchamp <jwb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>The even partials give a pitch an octave higher (surprise!)

Why is this a surprise since the partials consist of the octave and its
harmonics?

>and due to the formant-like spectrum of the oboe a soprano-like timbre.
>Curiously this sopranoness depends on the presence of the vibrato.

In the late seventies John Chowning came to the conclusion that the soprano
illusion was highly dependent on having the right amount of vibrato. It even
seems to work with sine waves in the right frequency range. A Theremin often
sounds like a soprano, without enunciation, of course.

Jim Beauchamp