Pitch VS F0

[Natasha H]

How different can the two be in reality?

[Simon]

In speech, there is essentially a one-to-one relationship between perceived pitch and the physical property of F0. That’s why we so often conflate these two terms (e.g., a “pitch tracker” is really tracking F0).

One exception to this is that listeners can perceive a fundamental frequency that is actually missing, perhaps due to transmission over an old-fashioned telephone line, or reproduction through small or low-quality loudspeakers.

It is possible to construct sounds that have a complicated relationship between the physical and perceived properties. Although these are not really relevant to speech, they are still interesting. My favourite is the “Shepard–Risset glissando” because it drives musicians crazy.

[Author]

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