Compare the same pitch with different waveforms
Before you begin: Ear gym’s direction exercise. Use Audacity’s tone generator at a low, comfortable level.
Timbre describes sound qualities that help distinguish sources even when pitch and duration are similar. Harmonic content and how the sound begins and decays both contribute. A brighter sound is not necessarily higher in pitch.
Begin with synthetic sounds so you know what changed. Hold frequency and duration fixed while changing the waveform. Equal peak amplitude does not guarantee equal perceived loudness, so describe that limitation.
Worked example & observations
Original comparison: generate 220 Hz sine, triangle and square tones, each one second long at amplitude 0.1. Listen with pauses. Compare the relative smoothness or buzz while identifying the same nominal pitch. Then inspect their spectra. This demonstrates a controlled source difference; it does not turn those waveforms into exact models of real instruments.
Your turn
A 220 Hz square tone seems brighter than a 220 Hz sine tone. Must its fundamental frequency have increased? How could you check?
Show answer and reasoning
No. The square tone has extra harmonic energy while its nominal fundamental remains 220 Hz. Check the generator settings and spectrum. Brightness and pitch are related perceptual dimensions but are not interchangeable.
Watch for: Do not keep increasing playback level to hear subtleties. Envelope, level and speaker response can change the comparison as much as waveform choice.
Published and planned
Published: this starter lesson, worked example and exercise with an answer.
Planned: Playable synthesis comparisons, recorded instrument examples and envelope controls.
Validation: source review and mathematical checks where applicable. Photography captures, audio listening and device workflows have not been performed for these lessons. Synthetic cases are labelled; no personal media or field observations are implied.
References
Original AUWEN teaching and examples. Sources reviewed 14 September 2026.
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