Monotonically Decreasing Spectra

Listen progressively--they sound less bright.

0 dB/oct: harsh and buzzy sound

• like the waveform near the player's mouth (or reed) in an oboe.

6 dB/oct: sawtooth wave--what happens when we increase the harmonics?

• like a bowed string at the point of bowing--bow pulls the string sideways while they're stuck together, then eventually the string breaks away and slips back.

12 dB / oct: a smoother sound.

3-9 dB /oct most musically interesting.

The greater the negative slope of spectral rolloff, the smoother the waveform, and the less bright/buzzy the sound.

How does average spectrum effect timbre?

• consider equal loudness curves to determine which spectral components are most important.