• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Which Word Do You Hear?

Soniclife

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 13, 2017
Messages
4,499
Likes
5,417
Location
UK
I’m pretty sure the idea is to click play sample, then for each sample click the button for rising or falling pitch (like music notation)
I get strong overtone when I do that, and I hear yanny.
 
Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
43
Likes
58
Can you explain how to take the test, even with google translate I was lost as to what i was meant to be doing.
OK, here's a quick translation:
-----
initial page:
"Abspielen" button plays a sample to adjust the playback level
"Weiter zum Hörtest" = click to proceed with test

listening test page:
"Abspielen" = play
If you hear the chord sequence as going up in pitch, click the left "o°" button
If you hear the chord sequence as going down in pitch, click the right "°o" button.

"Wiederholen" = replay
As soon as you answer by clicking the left or right button, the next sample will play automatically.
The test ends after 12 samples.

Result:
"Sie sind ein "*" Obertonhörer" = You are an overtone listener
Or you are a "Grundtonhörer" = fundamental listener
*Adjectives are:
leicht = moderate
extremer = extreme (12/12)
-----
 
Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
43
Likes
58
Thanks for your reports !
I was actually hoping for some more participants, but perhaps listening to music is more popular :)
 

palamudin

Member
Joined
May 21, 2018
Messages
94
Likes
61
I hear both tones, there are 2 sets of them, one is going higher the other lower... now what?
 
Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
43
Likes
58
I hear both tones, there are 2 sets of them, one is going higher the other lower... now what?
Actually there are 2, 3 or 4 frequencies in every complex tone. It is possible that you're an "inbetween" listener, according to the test result distribution. I think you should just answer what you feel as the dominant direction (up or down).

1529184698823.png

About the test:
Experimental design: participants were required to state the dominant direction of pitch shift between tone pairs. Solid lines represent the harmonics of the test tones and dashed lines the harmonics which are not physically present. such as the missing fundamental, indicated as number 1.
Screen Shot 2018-06-16 at 23.28.41.png


One of the interesting conclusions of the study is:
Furthermore, the perceptual and neural differences were linked to musical instrument preference. The left auditory cortex is sensitive for rapid temporal processing. Thus, fundamental pitch listeners prefered short, sharp and impulsive toned as produced by percussive or high soloinstruments (drums, guitar, piano, trumpet, flute). The right auditory cortex is more sensitive for spectral processing. Indeed, spectral pitch listeners prefered musical instruments which produce sustained tones and characteristic spectral information in form of formants or vowels in the singing voice (lower-pitched strings, brass, woodwinds, organ or the singing voice). Musicians who play the same instrument but differ in pitch perception may differ in musical performance style.
This seems to indicate that we do hear differently. I would have thought it might be influenced by being a musician, but the study finds that not to be the case. I'm a strong fundamental listener and a pianist, so that matches the theory.
 

palamudin

Member
Joined
May 21, 2018
Messages
94
Likes
61
I literally distingiush both tones with same intensity or attention grab if i could say it that way. I used to play piano and a bit of guitar as well as choir duties. My music preferences span from classical to new age noise.
Just for the kicks i completed it twice paying attention to lower and higher notes and got Obertonhörer and Grundtonhörer as a result. Im a Ubertonhörer. Vote me king and i shall sell you best cables for speakers selected and built personally using reference groundbreaking state of the art innovative technology of cryo treated alloy based on mirth, gold and ambrosia
 

bennetng

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 15, 2017
Messages
1,634
Likes
1,692
So if my "theory" is correct, you should hear Laurel. Do you ? :)
Yes I hear Laurel. However, musicians usually needed to take some aural tests to identify chord and inversion types. What is your opinion about the relationship of aural tests (a combination of complex timbres) and the test you posted above (a combination of 2-4 simple tones)?
 
Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
43
Likes
58
I'm neither an expert nor a neuro scientist but afaik one can not train to hear overtones or fundamentals. Musical education doesn't seem to change that either. Aural musical tests like chords and inversions can be improved by training (been there, done that).
The overtone test is special in the sense that the fundamentals are missing. Fundamental listeners seem to synthetise them in the brain, where overtone listeners don't. One could argue that fundamental listeners are imagining things and listen less accurately.
My first instrument was the trumpet but somehow it didn't feel "right", so I changed for the piano 4 years after, which I play until today. In retrospect it's possible that my brain was better adapted to the piano.
Now if we could persuade Amir to invest in a brain scanner, we could dig further. I actually think it's more fun than an Audio Precision analyser. Until then we have to follow the neuro science studies ;)
 

palamudin

Member
Joined
May 21, 2018
Messages
94
Likes
61
Im all in for that brain scanner. That would validate my credibility to sell MiAgAm patented high end cable.
 
Top Bottom