Where mathematics and hearing science meet : low peak factor signals and their role in hearing research

In his scientific work, Manfred Schroeder touched many different areas within acoustics. Two disciplines repeatedly show up when his contributions are characterized: his strong interest in mathematics and his interest in the perceptual side of acoustics. In this chapter, we focus on the latter. We will first give a compressed account of Schroeder’s direct contributions to psychoacoustics, and emphasize the relation with other acoustics disciplines like speech processing and room acoustics. In the main part of the chapter we will then describe psychoacoustic work being based on or inspired by ideas from Manfred Schroeder. Due to Schroeder’s success in securing a modern online computer for the Drittes Physikalisches Institut after returning to Gottingen in 1969, his research students had a head start in using digital signal processing in room acoustics for digital sound field synthesis and in introducing digital computers into experimental and theoretical hearing research. Since then, the freedom to construct and use specific acoustic stimuli in behavioral and also physiological research has grown steadily, making it possible to test many of Schroeder’s early ideas in behavioral experiments and applications. In parallel, computer models of auditory perception allowed users to analyze and predict how specific properties of acoustic stimuli influence the perception of a listener. As in other fields of physics, the close interplay between experimental tests and quantitative models has been shown to be essential in advancing our understanding of human hearing.