What do you actually hear?
Aural Perception Study
The long-term goal of this study is to better understand how humans
classify and describe the sounds they perceive. Does that perception
change over time?
A person could make the assumption that we use our existing understanding
and experiences to try to explain what we are hearing. But as our knowledge
grows, does the way we describe and understand sound begin to change with it?
Does our level of musicianship begin to shape—or even warp—our aural
perception as we start using common terminology and “lingo” within the
groups of people we play and work with? If musicians develop a shared
vocabulary for describing sound, how does that compare to the way an
everyday person hears and describes the same thing?
That is ultimately what I want to explore:
How do people understand, classify, and communicate what they hear,
and how does that understanding change with experience?
Version 1
Version 1 is the starting point. The goal is to begin accumulating a
base data set of how people naturally describe sound before we try to
introduce more complex terminology or concepts.
Participants will listen to a sample set of musical instruments and be
asked to explain what they are hearing using their own terminology.
There is not necessarily a right or wrong answer. What matters at this
stage is understanding the words, comparisons, descriptions, and ideas
people naturally use when trying to communicate what they hear.
We are intentionally starting simple. Version 1 is meant to help
establish a baseline that we can build from.
My guess is that the study will expand over time. Future versions may
begin introducing things such as tonal texture, tonal color, brightness,
darkness, warmth, projection, resonance, and other ways people commonly
attempt to describe sound.
From there, we can begin comparing whether those descriptions change
based on musical experience, education, repeated exposure, or simply a
person's growing understanding of what they are hearing.
The purpose of Version 1 is not to define how sound
should be described.
It is to begin documenting how people
actually describe it.
The Goal
Building the Base Data Set
There are no right or wrong answers.
The purpose of this study is to learn how listeners perceive qualities such as warmth, brightness, clarity, resonance, edge, depth, and color. Please describe what you hear, rather than what you think the recording is supposed to sound like.
Listen carefully
Use headphones or another listening device in a reasonably quiet space.
Evaluate each recording
Each clip is presented individually. Replay it as needed before answering.
Use your own language
Select the words that fit, add your own terms if needed, and explain unusual impressions.
A short, focused listening exercise.
- Eight recordings: trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, and violin
- Approximately 10–15 minutes, depending on replay and written responses
- Optional questions about musical background and listening experience
- No email address is requested
- Your answers are stored for research analysis and identified by a random participant ID
Begin when you are ready.
The study will open below. Confirm that you are 18 or older and agree to participate, then complete the listening exercise.
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