3 ms·
Yes, because frequencies that don't fit together precisely produce 'beats', where the wavelengths align, and sound quieter when they don't. You're adding two wa
by awkward 12y ago
Yes, because frequencies that don't fit together precisely produce 'beats', where the wavelengths align, and sound quieter when they don't. You're adding two waves, so an in tune one looks regular:
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=sin%28x%29+%2B+sin%28x+*+3%2F2%29 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=sin%28x%29+%2B+sin%28x+...
And an out of tune one has very audible dips and troughs in intensity:
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=sin%28x%29+%2B+sin%28x+*+305%2F200%29 http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=sin%28x%29+%2B+sin%28x+...
There's a degree to which it doesn't matter (either it's below what we're sensitive to or it's drowned out by overtones) but the beating sound is very audible.
- munificent 12y agoRight. Sort of the audio equivalent of Moiré patterns. Two overlaid frequencies that differ very slightly are actually more noticeable than ones that differ by a greater amount because the size of the least common multiple—which determines how the pattern perceptually repeats—is larger in the former. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moir%C3%A9_pattern http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moir%C3%A9_pattern
- KyleBrandt 12y agoAlso there is sympathetic vibrations. So for example if the rest of the orchestra is playing a note that is an open string on your instrument, that string will vibrate even though you are not touching it. You also get a similar impact from overtones. So what happens is at a certain point is that you might not perceive the pitch difference, but you can detect a change in the timbre of sound (quality, tone, resonance).