Pitch of a Train of Pulses of Random Polarity

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Abstract
There has recently been considerable discussion of periodicity pitch as opposed to pitch due to spectral energy concentrations. The present investigation deals with a stimulus which appears to display both characteristics in clearly separable form. A train of short evenly spaced pulses was modulated by a noise generator so that the polarity of a given pulse was chosen in a random manner. Since the average power spectrum is approximately flat, it might be expected that the stimulus would have the character of random noise. It is found, however, that the stimulus has a steady pitch-like quality upon which is superimposed an intermittent “chirpiness“ which is definitely tonal. The latter effect is explained in terms of the statistical properties of the short-term power spectrum, but the former seems to be due to the periodicity of the stimulus.

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