Auditory masking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1 of 6

Auditory masking
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Auditory masking occurs when the perception of one sound is affected by the presence of another
sound.[1]

Contents
■ 1 Simultaneous masking
■ 2 Critical bandwidth
■ 3 Effect of frequency on masking patterns
■ 3.1 Similar frequencies
■ 3.2 Lower frequencies
■ 3.3 Effects of intensity
■ 3.4 Other masking conditions
■ 4 Effects of different stimulus types
■ 5 Mechanisms of masking
■ 6 Off frequency listening
■ 7 Non-simultaneous masking
■ 8 Sound masking Systems
■ 8.1 Spectral masking
■ 9 References

Simultaneous masking
Simultaneous masking is when a sound is made inaudible by a "masker", a noise or unwanted sound
of the same duration as the original sound.[2]

Critical bandwidth
If two sounds of two different frequencies (pitches) are played at the same time, two separate sounds
can often be heard rather than a combination tone. This is otherwise known as frequency resolution
or frequency selectivity. This is thought to occur due to filtering within the cochlea, also known as
critical bandwidths, in the hearing organ in the inner ear. A complex sound is split into different
frequency components and these components cause a peak in the pattern of vibration at a specific
place on the cilia inside the basilar membrane within the cochlea. These components are then coded
independently on the auditory nerve which transmits sound information to the brain. This individual
coding only occurs if the frequency components are different enough in frequency, otherwise they
are coded at the same place and are perceived as one sound instead of two.[3]

The filters that distinguish one sound from another are called auditory filters or listening channels, or
also critical bandwidths. It is thought that they line up along the basilar membrane and when a sound
wave excites the cilia it detects the perceived frequency and filters it into the appropriate critical
band depending on whether it is a high low or mid frequency. Frequency resolution occurs on the
basilar membrane due to the listener choosing a filter which is centered over the frequency they
expect to hear, the signal frequency. A sharply tuned filter has good frequency resolution as it allows
the centre frequencies through but not other frequencies (Pickles 1982). Damage to the cochlea and

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the outer hair cells in the cochlea can impair the ability to tell sounds apart (Moore 1986). This
explains why someone with a hearing loss due to cochlea damage would have more difficulty than a
normal hearing person in distinguishing between different consonants in speech.[4]

Masking illustrates the limits of frequency selectivity. If a signal is masked by a masker with a
different frequency to the signal then the auditory system was unable to distinguish between the two
frequencies. By experimenting with conditions where one sound can mask a previously heard signal,
the frequency selectivity of the auditory system can be tested,[5]

Effect of frequency on masking patterns

Similar frequencies
How effective the masker is at raising the threshold of the signal depends on the frequency of the
signal and the frequency of the masker. The graphs in figure B are a series of masking patterns, also
known as masking audiograms. Each graph shows the amount of masking produced at each masker
frequency shown at the top corner, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000Hz. For example, in the first graph the
masker is presented at a frequency of 250Hz at the same time as the signal. The amount the masker
increases the threshold of the signal is plotted and this is repeated for different signal frequencies,
shown on the X axis. The frequency of the masker is kept constant. The masking effect is shown in
each graph at various masker sound levels.

Figure B shows along the Y axis the amount of masking. The

greatest masking is when the masker and the signal are the
same frequency and this decreases as the signal frequency
moves further away from the masker frequency.[1] This
phenomenon is called on-frequency masking and occurs
because the masker and signal are within the same auditory
filter (figure C). This means that the listener cannot
distinguish between them and they are perceived as one
sound with the quieter sound masked by the louder one figure B - Adapted from Ehmer
(figure D).

The amount the masker raises the threshold of the signal is

much less in off frequency masking, but it does have some
masking effect because some of the masker overlaps into the
auditory filter of the signal (figure E)[5]

Off frequency masking requires the level of the masker to be

greater in order to have a masking effect; this is shown in
figure F.

This is because only a certain amount of the masker overlaps

into the auditory filter of the signal and more masker is
figure C - Adapted from Gelfand
needed to cover the signal.[5]
2004[1]

Lower frequencies
The masking pattern changes depending on the frequency of the masker and the intensity (figure B).
For low levels on the 1000Hz graph, such as the 20-40 dB range, the curve is relatively parallel. As
the masker intensity increases the curves separate, especially for signals at a frequency higher than
the masker.[1] This shows that there is a spread of the masking effect upward in frequency as the

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intensity of the masker is increased. The curve is much

shallower in the high frequencies than in the low frequencies.
This flattening is called upward spread of masking and is
why an interfering sound masks high frequency signals much
better than low frequency signals.[1]

Figure B also shows that as the masker frequency increases,

the masking patterns become increasingly compressed. This
demonstrates that high frequency maskers are only effective
over a narrow range of frequencies, close to the masker
frequency. Low frequency maskers on the other hand are figure D- Adapted from Gelfand
effective over a wide frequency range.[1] 2004[1]
Fletcher carried out an experiment to discover how much of a
band of noise contributes to the masking of a tone. In the
experiment, a fixed tone signal had various bandwidths of
noise centred on it. The masked threshold was recorded for
each bandwidth. His research showed that there is a critical
bandwidth of noise which causes the maximum masking
effect and energy outside that band does not affect the
masking. This can be explained by the auditory system
having an auditory filter which is centred over the frequency
of the tone. The bandwidth of the masker that is within this
auditory filter effectively masks the tone but the masker
outside of the filter has no effect (figure G.)
figure E - adapted from Moore 1998
[5]
This is used in MP3 files to reduce the size of audio files.
Parts of the signals which are outside the critical bandwidth
are cut out leaving only the parts of the signals which are
perceived by the listener[6]

Another application of auditory masking in everyday

situations is the cocktail party effect.

Effects of intensity
Varying intensity levels can also have an effect on masking.
The lower end of the filter becomes flatter with increasing figure F - adapted from Moore 1998
[5]
decibel level, whereas the higher end becomes slightly
steeper (Moore 1998). Changes in slope of the high
frequency side of the filter with intensity are less consistent
than they are at low frequencies. At the medium frequencies
(1–4 kHz) the slope increases as intensity increases, but at the
low frequencies there is no clear inclination with level and
the filters at high centre frequencies show a small decrease in
slope with increasing level.[5] The sharpness of the filter
depends on the input level and not the output level to the figure G - adapted from a diagram
filter. The lower side of the auditory filter also broadens with by Gelfand[1]
increasing level.[5] These observations are illustrated in figure
H.

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Other masking conditions

Ipsilateral masking ("same side") is not the only condition
where masking takes place. Another situation where masking
occurs is called contralateral ("other side") simultaneous
masking. In this case, the instance where the signal might be
audible in one ear but is deliberately taken away by applying
a masker to the other ear.

The last situation where masking occurs central masking.

This refers to the case where a masker causes a threshold
elevation. This can be in the absence of, or in addition to, figure H - adapted from Moore 1998
[5]
another effect and is due to interactions within the central
nervous system between the separate neural inputs obtained
from the masker and the signal.[1]

Effects of different stimulus types

Experiments have been carried out to see the different
masking effects when using a masker which is either in the
form of a narrow band noise or a sinusoidal tone.

When a sinusoidal signal and a sinusoidal masker (tone) are

presented simultaneously the envelope of the combined
stimulus fluctuates in a regular pattern described as beats.
The difference between the frequencies of the two sounds figure I - ipsilateral simultaneous
equals the rate that the fluctuations occur. If the frequency masking
difference is small then the sound is perceived as a periodic
change in the loudness of a single tone. If the beats are fast then this can be described as a sensation
of roughness. When there is a large frequency separation, the two components are heard as separate
tones without roughness or beats. Beats can be a cue to the presence of a signal even when the signal
itself is not audible. The influence of beats can be reduced by using a narrowband noise rather than a
sinusoidal tone for either signal or masker.[3]

Mechanisms of masking
There are many different mechanisms of masking, one being suppression. This is when there is a
reduction of a response to a signal due to the presence of another. This happens because the original
neural activity caused by the first signal is reduced by the neural activity of the other sound.[7]

Addition is the adding of several maskers to result in an increased final masker threshold greater than
the original maskers (Lincoln 1998).

Combination tones are products of a signal/s and a masker/s. This happens when the two sounds
interact causing new sound, which can be more audible than the original signal. This is caused by the
non linear distortion that happens in the ear.[5]

For example, the combination tone of two maskers can be a better masker than the two original
maskers alone.[5]

The sounds interact in many ways depending on the difference in frequency between the two sounds.
The most important two are cubic difference tones and quadratic difference tones.[5]

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Cubic difference tones are calculated by the sum

F1 – F2

(F1 being the first frequency, F2 the second) These are audible most of the time and especially when
the level of the original tone is low. Hence they have a greater effect on psychoacoustic tuning
curves than quadratic difference tones.

Quadratic difference tones are the result of

F2 – F1

This happens at relatively high levels hence have a lesser effect on psychoacoustic tuning curves.[5]

Combination tones can interact with primary tones resulting in secondary combination tones due to
being like their original primary tones in nature, stimulus like. An example of this is

3F1 – 2F2

Secondary combination tones are again similar to the combination tones of the primary tone.[5]

Off frequency listening

Off frequency listening is when a listener chooses a filter just lower than the signal frequency to
improve their auditory performance. This “off frequency” filter reduces the level of the masker more
than the signal at the output level of the filter, which means they can hear the signal more clearly
hence causing an improvement of auditory performance.[2]

Non-simultaneous masking
Temporal masking or non-simultaneous masking is when the signal and masker are not presented at
the same time. This can be split into forward masking and backward masking. Forward masking is
when the masker is presented first and the signal follows it. Backward masking is when the signal
precedes the masker.[5]

Sound masking Systems

The effect of auditory masking is used in Sound masking systems. These are audio systems that
broadcast White noise for the purpose of hiding an unwanted sound. The unwanted noise may be
intermittent sounds from machinery, people or other sources. Usually, this sound is filtered to
provide the best effect of hiding the unwanted noise.

Spectral masking
Spectral masking is a frequency-domain version of temporal masking, and tends to occur in sounds
with similar frequencies: a powerful spike at 1 kHz will tend to mask out a lower-level tone at
1.1 kHz. This too, can be exploited by the psychoacoustic model.

References
1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gelfand, S.A. (2004) Hearing- An Introduction to Psychological and Physiological
Acoustics 4th Ed. New York, Marcel Dekker

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2. ^ a b Moore, B.C.J. (2004) An Introduction to the Psychology of Hearing, 5th Ed. London, Elsevier
Academic Press
3. ^ a b Moore, B.C.J. (1986) Frequency Selectivity in Hearing, London, Academic Press
4. ^ Moore, B.C.J. (1995) Perceptual Consequences of Cochlear Damage, Oxford, Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Moore, B.C.J. (1998) Cochlear Hearing Loss, London, Whurr Publishers Ltd
6. ^ Sellars, P. (2000), Behind the Mask (http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may00/articles/mp3.htm) ,
Cambridge: Sound on Sound, http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may00/articles/mp3.htm, retrieved 26
February 2007
7. ^ Oxenham, A.J. Plack, C.J. Suppression and the upward spread of masking, Journal of the Acoustical
Society of America, 104 (6) pp.3500–3510

■ Pickles, J.O. (1982) An Introduction to the Physiology of Hearing, London, Academic Press
■ "Addition of Simultaneous
Masking" (http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jos/bosse/Addition_Simultaneous_Masking.html) by B.
Lincoln from Stanford University
■ The Ear as a Communication Receiver. English translation of Das Ohr als
Nachrichtenempfänger by Eberhard Zwicker and Richard Feldtkeller. Translated from German
by Hannes Müsch, Søren Buus, and Mary Florentine. Originally published in 1967;
Translation published in 1999 (http://asa.aip.org/books/ear.html)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_masking"
Categories: Auditory system

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