Citation

Haron, Anis (2023) Deriving quantitative aural aesthetics: Towards a quantifiable measure of timbre. PhD thesis, Multimedia University.

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Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to formulate and propose an approach for a quantifiable measure of timbre. A quantitative measure for timbral description introduces granularity compared to the common practice of using semantic descriptors. Results from our research finds potential in applications such as parameter autorecommendation systems and as a basis for ranking mechanisms. We asked what are the most commonly used semantic descriptors for description of tone colour, what are the key features required for a formulation of a quantifiable measure of timbre and what is the viability of our proposed approach. We do so with a quantitative research methodology employing a correlational research design approach. Additionally, a normative survey was conducted and results are compared to test the viability of our proposed approach. We categorised our research into three distinct stages. These stages are identification, classification and viability test. The identification stage answers the following question, what is the best fit semantic descriptor for this sample? We approached this stage using spectral energy audio features and hidden Markov models. While the classification stage answers the following question, based on the identified best fit semantic descriptor, what is the intensity of the description for this sample? This stage was approached using spectral centroid, spectral complexity and dissonance audio features. A normalised weighted sum score were calculated from the feature extraction to arrive at a final value that represents a quantitative measure for the timbre in question. Finally, the viability test stage answers the following question, are the results obtained from identification and classification stages viable? A survey was conducted where participants were asked to identify and classify pairs and groups of randomly selected audio samples. Survey responses were then compared against results obtained from our proposed identification and classification approach. We limited our research scope to four most commonly used semantic descriptors. We found that our proposed approach for a quantifiable measure of timbre yields relative measure values. Comparison of our proposed identification and classification approach against the results of the conducted normative survey are highly in line, suggesting that our proposed approach are highly viable.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Additional Information:	Call No.: ML3807 .A55 2023
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Tone color (Music)
Subjects:	M Music and Books on Music > ML Literature of music
Divisions:	Faculty of Creative Multimedia (FCM)
Depositing User:	Ms Nurul Iqtiani Ahmad
Date Deposited:	30 Sep 2025 03:03
Last Modified:	30 Sep 2025 03:03
URII:	http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/id/eprint/14543

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