The importance of timbre
At its very core, music is a combination of many different smaller aspects. The slightest tweak in just one of these can result in a drastically different outcome - something that songwriters are all too aware of when trying to pen their next big hit. Do the background harmonies compliment the main melody? Would the drums sound better if they were sped up or slowed down? Should the second verse go straight into the chorus or should there be a pre-chorus?
One of the most important aspects of all is ‘timbre’, otherwise known as tone colour. Timbre is the character of a sound; the aural qualities that make one instrument sound different from another. It’s the reason that you can hear the difference between a violin and a distorted electric guitar - the former sounds warm and woody, while the latter is typically bright and harsh.
It isn’t just restricted to musical instruments, either. Timbre is why you can tell which of your friends you’re talking to on the phone, and it’s how you can identify your favourite singer just from an acapella vocal.
All of these different timbres come about through the combination of two things - the vibrations of the instrument itself and the frequencies that are produced by those vibrations. An instrument’s size and shape both have a huge impact on the vibrations produced, which is why the shrill, raspy sound of a harmonica is radically different from the deep rumble of a cello.
We’ve previously talked about synaesthesia, a condition where people are able to see colours when they hear certain sounds, and timbre is an important factor in determining what these colours are. A bright-sounding brass instrument could be described as yellow for example, while a kettle drum would be a much darker hue. Perhaps this is what John Lennon was alluding to when he asked producer George Martin to make a track that he was working on “sound like an orange”.
In much the same way that it’s important for a songwriter to always consider timbre when writing their next big hit, we think it’s essential to do the same when developing our audio products.
Eric Kingdon, our audio specialist who is heavily involved in the product development of our speakers and Hi-Fi systems, sees timbre as an essential aspect to an immersive listening experience. “I believe these tonal characteristics and their differences are part of the foundation of musicality. It is the power to emotionally inspire the listener and the reason why I personally love the sound of the Bosendorfer piano! There are other factors too, such as the attack and decay of the sound.
“Someone once asked me if there’s a recording that springs to mind when I think of timbre. There are many, but have a listen to a recording like [Fazil Say’s] ‘Black Earth’. Aside from the performance and recording quality, on a good Hi-Fi system you’ll understand what I mean. Good listening…”
We’re always talking about how Hi-Res Audio can bring you closer to the feeling of a live performance, and so we want you to be able to differentiate between the different timbres of a track just like you’d be able to at the front row of a gig. By focusing on the natural frequencies produced by each instrument in the mix, we’re retaining the realism of each recording you listen to.
