Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound: An Introduction to Psychoacoustics

Book Description

How hearing works and how the brain processes sounds entering the ear to provide the listener with useful information are of great interest to psychologists, cognitive scientists, and musicians. However, while a number of books have concentrated on individual aspects of this field, known as psychoacoustics, there has been no comprehensive introductory coverage of the multiple topics encompassed under the term. Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound is the first book to provide that coverage.

The book begins with introductory chapters on the basic physiology and functions of the ear and auditory sections of the brain, then proceeds to discuss numerous topics associated with the study of psychoacoustics, including cognitive psychology and the physics of sound. The book has a particular emphasis on music and computerized sound. An accompanying CD-ROM includes many sound examples to help explicate the text.

Customer Reviews:

Great intro to the subjective human perception of sound.......2006-12-09

Developed from a series of lectures at the Stanford Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), this book offers a coherent panorama of the field of psychoacoustics as it pertains to music and computerized sound. The authors-among them Max Mathews, Roger Shepard, John Chowning, and John Pierce-are recognized authorities in the field of computer synthesized sound and the nature of acoustical and musical perception. The CD-ROM contains audio samples for each chapter, plus source code for all the samples.

Although it is specifically intended as a course book for psychoacoustics, with a closing chapter on the effective design of experiments and an appendix of exercises, this book should prove valuable to a wide audience. Computers provide what seems the ultimate level of control over sound synthesis, but it is often hard to know where to begin. Anyone who has ever confronted the problem of determining which parameters of a synthesized sound are acoustically perceptible or meaningful will appreciate the clarity with which the introductory chapters distinguish the physical parameters of sound from the perception of sound. Building on established research into the fundamentals of acoustic perception, the book proceeds to more complex issues of voice articulation and synthesis, perceptual streaming, musical memory, and the haptics of sound production. Computer musicians will find material to suggest diverse directions for experimentation. Multimedia artists working with sound will discover new methods for generating sounds, with the potential for weaning themselves from straight playback of sampled sound and working with real time synthesis. Some of the perceptual effects documented in the text and audible on the CD are remarkable in themselves, such as Shepard and Risset tones, or the complex effects of perceptual streaming. The level of detail of many of the chapters is sufficient, particularly when supplemented by the source code, to get you started in a variety of sound synthesis techniques. The brief list of bibliographic references at the end of each chapter will lead you onwards.

While this book is most valuable as a guide to the uses of state-of-the-art technology for acoustic research, it also sheds light on how human cognitive abilities shape musical structures. Choices of rhythm, melodic variation, chord structure, timbre, orchestration, and even the evolution of musical styles over time have some of their reasons in the nature of the human auditory system. A welcome result of reading this book may be that the reader learns to hear natural and musical sounds with a new appreciation of the complex dynamics of sound production, sound perception, and the inner logic of music.

If you are interested in the signal processing end of psychoacoustics, I recommend you read "Signals, Sound, and Sensation" by Hartmann after you finish this book.

keep it clear, simple and efficient!.......2006-03-16

If you are interested in the filed of psychoacoustic, this book provides great informations and is written in a easy comprehensible manner. We used that book in my psychoacoustic class at university and even if I was not familiar with this subject, I learned a lot and enjoyed reading it. The book comes with a cd of audio exemples that follows the book.

Fantastic.......2005-02-25

Very enjoyable, very entertaining and an interesting reading. The opening chapter by Max Mathews is a lovely opener puts he reader at ease immeadiately. My first book on physco-acoustics and to be honest I am glad. I have read other books on the subject since then but this is still my favourite. Well worth the money.

Self-Study in Psychoacoustics.......2004-10-11

This book is great for self-study in psychoacoustics or for reviewing the basics of related fields. One of the best parts is the list of recommended experiments in the back of the book. These really help to keep the information in the respective sections from the realm of abstract pendanticism. This is the book that is assigned to the Psychoacoustics course at CCRMA (Stanford) and is laid out in an easy-to-follow, instructive way. One of the best entry-level texts on the subject.

A great place to start........2000-03-14

Simply a great book to "start" your research. Excellent bibliography, and very very important contributors (those who have made the history of CM). I have bought another couple of books on this subject, however this is the most balanced one. Make sure you read the book by Bregman and Fastl & Zwicker (if your a tech head) once you're finished with this one.

Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound: An Introduction to Psychoacoustics.(Review) (book review): An article from: Notes

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Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound: An Introduction to Psychoacoustics.(Review) (book review): An article from: Notes
Francis Rumsey
Manufacturer: Music Library Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on June 1, 2000. The length of the article is 874 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound: An Introduction to Psychoacoustics.(Review) (book review)
Author: Francis Rumsey
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2000
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 56 Issue: 4 Page: 980

Article Type: Book Review

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Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound: An Introduction to Psychoacoustics

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Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound: An Introduction to Psychoacoustics
Perry R. Cook
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OR7D2W

Book Description

This book is devoted to new trends in random evolution and their applications to the stochastic evolutionary system. It contains new developments such as an analogue of Dynkin's formula, boundary value problems, stability and control of random evolutions, stochastic evolutionary equations, and driven martingale measures. In addition, it treats statistics of random evolutions processes, statistics of financial stochastic models, and stochastic stability and control of financial markets.
Audience: This volume will be of interest to research and applied mathematicians working in the fields of applied probability, stochastic processes, and random evolutions, as well as experts in statistics, finance and insurance.

Book Description

Farmers and gardeners face all sorts of difficulties in the course of growing crops—weeds and insect pests, low levels of fertility, lack of water, soil compaction, and erosion of topsoil. Usually seen as separate issues and dealt with individually, weeds, insects, nematodes, and plant diseases are controlled by pesticides; nutrient deficiencies are overcome through use of commercial fertilizers; drought stress is mitigated through irrigation; and compacted layers of soil are broken up by machinery. But all of these problems can be eliminated, or at least alleviated, by proper soil management that emphasizes organic matter build-up and maintenance.

At the forefront of a reawakening interest in sustainable agriculture, this book is written for farmers, gardeners, extension specialists, and others interested in the practical stewardship of our natural resources. Fred Magdoff, noted for his expertise in soil fertility, presents the latest information on soil organic matter and explains modern management techniques along with the best of the older practices. He opens with a discussion of the nature of organic matter and its function in the soil and then reviews practices for building up and maintaining soil organic matter, including reduced tillage, residue management, and crop rotations. A final selection offers an overview of the dynamics and chemistry of organic matter.

Book Description

Connectionist Models of Learning, Development and Evolution comprises a selection of papers presented at the Sixth Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop - the only international workshop devoted to connectionist models of psychological phenomena.With a main theme of neural network modelling in the areas of evolution, learning, and development, the papers are organized into six sections:The neural basis of cognitionDevelopment and category learningImplicit learningSocial cognition EvolutionSemanticsCovering artificial intelligence, mathematics, psychology, neurobiology, and philosophy, it will be an invaluable reference work for researchers and students working on connectionist modelling in computer science and psychology, or in any area related to cognitive science.

Book Description

The U.S./Russian collaboration that used the Space Shuttle and the Mir Space Station as platforms for acquiring remote sensing information about the Earth between 1996 and 1998 produced significant scientific results on hydrology, land use, and changes in some of the Earth's most dynamic environments. Many of these outstanding images are presented here and compared with photographs taken during earlier missions, allowing detection of changes on the Earth's surface.

Studies reported in this fascinating volume include observations of El Niño-related phenomena; fluctuating water levels of the Caspian and Aral Seas; smoke, dust, and aerosols in the atmosphere; urban land use changes; and drought in the southeastern United States and Mexico. This valuable information, and the techniques used to gather it, will form the basis for future remote sensing studies to be conducted from the International Space Station.

Book Description

The term "molecular nanostructures" implies the "bottom up" (synthetic) approach, as opposed to the "top down" (lithography and etching) techniques in nanostructure technology. This is a field where solid state physics and molecular physics overlap. Perpendicular to their axis, nanotubes are molecular as their diameter is of the order of a few nanometers and different diameters lead to different electronic structures. Along their axis, they are extended solids. Contributions to the 17th Winterschool focused on new nanostructured materials, with data presented on functionalized fullerenes and nanotubes, non-carbon nanotubes such as BN and MoS2 tubes, and new biological nanostructures. The direction of nanoelectronics research was explored in depth and advancements in composite technology and novel applications for nanotubes were explored. Additionally, participants received updates on the theoretical and experimental determination of structural and electronic properties, as well as characterization data for molecular nanostructures. Topics include: fullerenes, endohedrals, and fullerides; carbon nanostructure synthesis and purification; properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes; characterization of carbon nanotubes; functionalization of carbon nanotubes; nanotube filling and double-wall carbon nanotubes; non-carbonaceous nanotubes; theory of nanostructures; biological nanostructures and new materials; and applications.

Book Description

Grace Armiger isn't living the high life. As a publicist in a London publishing house, she spends her days trying to interest an indifferent media in her collection of oddball authors. Home's not much better-her scruffy apartment, untrustworthy boyfriend, and nagging mother aren't doing much to keep her spirits high. Plus, she's just had a wildly inappropriate one-night stand with one of her writers. But when a chance encounter turns into a brush with an A-list celebrity, Grace dares to think her life may finally be taking a promising turn . . .

Across town, Belinda Black, a ruthless tabloid journalist, is about to make a crash landing into Grace's unremarkable life. For just as soon as Grace thinks she's found the man of her dreams, Belinda thinks she's found the interview of hers.

With Gossip Hound, Wendy Holden delivers yet another stylish, sophisticated comedy showcasing a winning and witty heroine who-against all odds-just may come out on top.

Customer Reviews:

Worst Book I've Read in Years.......2007-05-14

The only reason I bothered finishing this book is that I was on an 11 hour flight and had nothing else to do. Every plot point was so obvious the reader could see it coming like a freight train. How did this get published?

Tediously Obvious.......2007-03-04

It's hard to believe a book this bad can get published. Since the thick-as-a-plank heroine constantly berates herself for not recognizing what's obviously going on, it's not surprising that the reader sees every plot twist and turn a hundred miles out--but it doesn't exactly make for compelling reading. It's tough to decide which is more unbelievable: the stock characters in the book or the concept that someone as incompetent as the heroine would even be able to keep her job much less get promoted by the 'media mogul' she meets at a dinner party and spills her guts to while she's getting sloshed on champagne. Ludicrous. Even for chick lit, this book is unbelievably bad.

Wendy Holden's worst.......2005-12-06

I couldn't believe how bad this is, and also - how many good reviews it got. First, it's the kind of average writing that makes one wonder why it got published in the first place. Second, in this book Wendy Holden continually bashes writers of chick novels (?), and repeatedly dogs Louis de Bernieres at one point, even disses Corelli's Mandolin - a far better work for many reasons (though i don't particularly enjoy his writing either). Third, she relies on silly one-liners that by now are so old, being used in every chick-lit book coming out of Britain. Finally, and most annoying, she puns constantly but not wittily. I say that because she sets the situation up with names and places and then delivers the pun - as if you couldn't think of it yourself - and comes off as a "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" to the reader that is tiresome. No doubt, the book would've been much smarter if she resisted this urge. Unfortunately a lot of women's light romance writers seem to be punsters of this ilk. They just don't get the difference between this kind of punning and Kathy Lette -- who actually can pun off of real life, not having to set up her own jokes beforehand. When Kathy Lette started this in the 90's and helen fielding basically stole her plot lines, it created a monster! Now everyone thinks they can do this ... and apparently they're making good money trying.

Enjoyable Read.......2005-02-14

Wendy Holden entertains with her witty writing and, as I am a woman, I never feel so "girly" as I do when I read the tales of her heroines.
This portrayal isn't as clever as some of Holden's other protagonists but the pages fly by.

Great writing style, needs slightly smarter heroine.......2004-09-06

WARNING: If you are considering reading this book, this comment might give away some plot points.

There are two parts to this comment: The first is about Holden's writing style, and the second is about her plot and characters.

Five stars for Holden's narrative style, which cuts to the marrow with delicious sarcasm and humor. Her descriptions of various socialites and the catty, whispered conversations between them at literary events cracked me up. Holden created and captured a world in which shallowness is a virtue, and her subtle and crafty use of language enriched Gossip Hound's world brilliantly to that end.

Unfortunately, I not only appreciate clever writing, but I'm also something of a feminist, and it's a bit of a letdown from that point of view. I found the main character, Grace, to be disappointingly weak, and most other female characters to have traits that ranged from sluttishness to enormous superficiality to downright evil. The men were not so well developed in their vices, making it seem as though there's a shallow subculture of women constantly trying to one-up each other, while men always play by the rules and never, ever get into pissing contests with one another. Yeah, right.

I did enjoy the fact that the Texan, though he was the sterotypical brash sort with bull heads mounted on the wall (we're not all like that, I swear!), wound up being a pretty decent guy.

Essentially, Gossip Hound is a charicature of one small slice of modern culture. Don't take it too seriously, listen to the language and have a good time with it.

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Gossip Hound [Unabridged Cassettes]
Wendy Holden
Manufacturer: Clipper Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 1402517092

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