Factors of unpleasantness in stick-slip sounds- Peak frequency and envelope

We aim to discover the factors of an unpleasant sound by processing the sound in the frequency domain. The processed sounds have the same amplitude envelope as an unpleasant sound, and consist of only one or two peak frequencies of the original unpleasant sound. Using these sounds, we attempt to specify a frequency band relating to unpleasantness. As a result, the sound with two pair of peak frequencies tends to make subjects feel unpleasant compared with one peak, and subjects feel unpleasant by the sounds having peaks in 2 kHz and 9 kHz around. Next, we investigate whether the sound becomes unpleasant by adding the amplitude envelope of unpleasant sounds. The result shows that addition of the envelope makes subjects feel unpleasant compared with the carrier alone. © 2010 The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan.