Minor thirds and background noise (Brian Gygi )


Subject: Minor thirds and background noise
From:    Brian Gygi  <bgygi(at)EBIRE.ORG>
Date:    Sun, 30 Jan 2005 13:38:53 -0800

In general, environmental sounds have a 1/f spectrum, which was the subject of much discussion on this list a couple of years ago. However, the spectral shape of an individual instance of masking background can vary widely, from speech-shaped noise to broadband noise or, theoretically, even harmonic (say, if you were sitting in the middle of a horn section). At 12:46 AM 1/29/2005, Christian Kaernbach wrote: >Dear List, > >In a very speculative way one could assume that one reason for >minor-third calling is to avoid possible masking by unexpected >environmental sounds. Assuming that many environmental sounds have a >spectrum varying strongly as a function of frequency (that is with the >amplitude in one frequency band not correlated strongly to the amplitude >in other frequency bands) it would be advisable to code your message >such that it involves two different frequency bands so that if one of >these two bands is masked only half of the message is lost. That would >be better than a 50% chance that the entire message is lost because >speech is redundant, and because the recipient might solicit a resend of >the message.


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Electrical Engineering Dept., Columbia University