What is a "Sound Wheel"?

Sound Wheel

Figure: The Sound Wheel for reproduced sound. Inner ring: Main Groups, middle ring: Categories, outer ring: Attributes. (Courtesy of SenseLab/Force). (Further info: Common language to describe sound (forcetechnology.com)).


The Sound Wheel provides a rather detailed set of descriptors that may apply to the reproduced sound. In general, the assessors must be trained to have the same understanding of the descriptors. When differences become very subtle, training is highly necessary. The structure of the Sound Wheel guides the meaning of the individual words by grouping them in categories. For more convenient reading, the table below organizes the descriptors in an easy-to-read format.
 
 
Main group
 
Categories
 
Attributes
 
Loudness Loudness Perceived loudness
Dynamics Dynamics Attack
Bass precision
Punch
Powerful
Timbre Treble Treble strength
Brilliance
Tinny
Midrange Midrange strength
Nasal
Canny
Bass Bass strength
Bass depth
Boomy
Boxy
Timbral balance Dark-Bright
Full
Homogenous
Spatial Sound image Distance
Width
Depth
Balance
Localization Precise
Envelopment
Externalization
Transparency Transparency Presence
Clean
Detailed
Natural
Artefacts Signal related Shrill
Rubbing
Rough
Buzzing
Clipping
Distorted
Compressed
Noise Hissing
Humming
Bubbling
Fluctuating/intermittent
 
Table Content of the Sound Wheel. A detailed description of the individual attributes is found in Pedersen and Zacharov [20].
 
The attributes selected must be relevant to the test; for instance, “Externalization” is primarily related to the assessment of headphones and/or spatialized sound. In the group of signal-related artifacts, distortion and clipping are two of the attributes described. Clipped audio is distorted; however, distorted audio is not necessarily clipped.
The Sound Wheel does, of course, not cover all descriptors applied to listening tests. For instance, in the field of spatial audio, a broader selection of terms is often necessary.

Be the first to hear about our new products, workshops, events, contests and more.

Subscribe
Loading