| Duration | |
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Quite simply,
the time it takes for a sound to occur from beginning to end.
We can also speak of the duration of particular parts
of a sound's envelope
such as onset duration or decay duration. Duration is measured in minutes,
seconds, or some division thereof.
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| With respect to pitch a minimum duration of about 12-15 milliseconds is required for a tone (at 1000 Hz)to be heard as a tone at all. If the duration of the tone is any shorter the resulting sensation will be of a "click" without a recognizable pitch. This minimum duration is inversely proportional to the frequency. The higher the frequency, the more cycles in a given duration, the easier it is to perceive a pitch versus a "click". | In the case of loudness, beginning at about half a second (500 ms) the perceived loudness of a tone will decrease as the duration of the tone decreases. |