The uncertainty principle is is the key concept that I think is relevant here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle#Harmonic_analysis https://en

The uncertainty principle is is the key concept that I think is relevant here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle#Harmonic_analysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle#Harmonic... A Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT/FFT) balances frequency vs time resolution based upon its parameterization. In this application, I think that frequency differentiation is less important than time differentiation for events. To get an advantage from utilizing spectral analysis, I think that the STFT can be used with very small overlapping analysis windows. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-time_Fourier_transform https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-time_Fourier_transform) However, due to the importance of transients I would consider use of wavelet transforms instead (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelet_transform https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelet_transform) since they can resolve temporal characteristics better than a DFT.