Spectral Completion of Paritally Masked Sounds
Authors: | Josh H. McDermott & Andrew J. Oxenham |
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Updated: | Fri 15 February 2008 |
Source: | http://mcdermottlab.mit.edu/spec_comp_demos/spec_comp_page1.html |
Type: | audio files |
Languages: | N/A |
Keywords: | audition, sound-sources, masking, perception |
Open Access: | yes |
License: | |
Publications: | McDermott, J. & Oxenham, A. (2008). Spectral completion of partially masked sounds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105(15): 5939-5944. |
Citation: | McDermott, J. & Oxenham, A. (2008). Spectral Completion Demo Page. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: McDermott lab. http://mcdermottlab.mit.edu/spec_comp_demos/spec_comp_page1.html |
Summary: | Natural environments typically contain multiple sound sources. The sounds from these sources frequently overlap in time and often mask each other. Masking could potentially distort the representation of a sound’s spectrum, altering its timbre and impairing object recognition. Here, we report that the auditory system partially corrects for the effects of masking in such situations, by using the audible, unmasked portions of an object’s spectrum to fill in the inaudible portions. This spectral completion mechanism may help to achieve perceptual constancy and thus aid object recognition in complex auditory scenes. |