Measurement of the beauty of periodic noises

TL;DR

This paper introduces new indicators to quantify the aesthetic qualities of periodic noises, focusing on rhythmic, tonal, and harmonic aspects, with practical industrial applications for analyzing sounds from rotating machinery.

Contribution

It proposes novel metrics for assessing the 'beauty' of noises based on rhythmic, tonal, and harmonic suavity, tailored for periodic industrial sounds.

Findings

Indicators effectively characterize noise aesthetics.

Metrics are used by industry for two years.

Applicable to sounds from engines and compressors.

Abstract

In this article indicators to describe the "beauty" of noises are proposed. Rhythmic, tonal and harmonic suavity are introduced. They give a characterization of a noise in terms of rhythmic regularity (rhythmic suavity), of auditory pleasure of the "chords" constituting the signal (tonal suavity) and of the transition between the chords (harmonic suavity). These indicators have been developed for periodic noises typically issued from rotating machines such as engines, compressors... and are now used by our industrial customers since two years.