hello, here's the goal: split sound, interval by interval, into frequency "bins". here's two alternative possible methods i know of to achieve that: 1. comb filters: look for series of spikes seperated by equally sized gaps. 2. fourier transforms: i'm sure you know much more about those than me. how do you think the two method's results will compare? do (or can) they amount to the same thing or not (just regarding stated goal that is)? will both be able to get similar results (imagining a good implementation of both methods) or not? if not, how will they differ? any thoughts or comments on the possible differences or similarities between those two different methods (regarding only splitting sound into its frequencies) would be much appreciated. thanks, ben.
comb filters and fourier transforms for splitting sound into frequencies
Started by ●April 20, 2005
Reply by ●April 20, 20052005-04-20
Ben, I hate to sound repetative, but a Fourier transform will give you exactly what you want. It will seperate the spectum into "bins", but it will be a continuous bin system, because it's no longer in the time domain. A comb filter is good, if you know what frequencies you're looking for, and what you want to filter out. A fourier transform is not a filter, it's just a tool in a mathmatician and engineers back pocket that can give a better understanding of what "bins" you're working with, and which "bins" to filter. To compare the two methods: Well, if you use DFTs or FFTs to get the frequency spectrum, you're going to be far better off when trying to filter your signal. You will have to use a filter either way, however, but knowing what you're filtering beforehand, or dynamically is what you should consider. Can they amount to the same thing: If you're lucky, and you know what you're doing. Honestly, I really don't, and I'm just getting into some of these things myself...you should check out Matlab analysis before modelling whatever you want to build, or try it out! How will they differ: If you don't use DFTs or FFTs, you're goign to get some frequencies that you didn't know were in your signal...in your signal. If you use DFT or FFT in conjunction, you will find where the frequency components are, and do whatever necessary with them you'd like.
Reply by ●April 20, 20052005-04-20
In article <1114018758.620162.325100@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>, Benry <henrybg@gmail.com> wrote:> Ben, > > I hate to sound repetative, but a Fourier transform will give you > exactly what you want. It will seperate the spectum into "bins", but > it will be a continuous bin system, because it's no longer in the time > domain.yup i see.> A comb filter is good, if you know what frequencies you're > looking for, and what you want to filter out. A fourier transform is > not a filter, it's just a tool in a mathmatician and engineers back > pocket that can give a better understanding of what "bins" you're > working with, and which "bins" to filter. > > To compare the two methods: Well, if you use DFTs or FFTs to get the > frequency spectrum, you're going to be far better off when trying to > filter your signal. You will have to use a filter either way, however, > but knowing what you're filtering beforehand, or dynamically is what > you should consider. > > Can they amount to the same thing: If you're lucky, and you know what > you're doing.right, excellent (if you're right that is) -- that's what i was trying to get at. in theory, the two methods (fourier transfroms and comb filters) both _can_ (in the right conditions) give the same type/level/quality of results -- from an end results point of view one method's not fundamentally restricted or incapable or different compared with the other (apart from the practicalities you mention). their results (if both methods are carried out well or/and with luck) aren't necessarily bound to be inherently different to each other in some way. they _can_ give much the same results.> Honestly, I really don't, and I'm just getting into some > of these things myself...you should check out Matlab analysis before > modelling whatever you want to build, or try it out! > > How will they differ: If you don't use DFTs or FFTs, you're goign to > get some frequencies that you didn't know were in your signal...in your > signal. If you use DFT or FFT in conjunction, you will find where the > frequency components are, and do whatever necessary with them you'd > like.yes, i understand. most helpful --thanks very much. ben.
Reply by ●April 21, 20052005-04-21
On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 16:07:29 GMT, ben <x@x.x> wrote:>hello, > >here's the goal: split sound, interval by interval, into frequency >"bins".Hello, I'll take a few minutes to help. Ben, no one knows for sure what the words "split sound" means. They can guess what it means, but they cannot be sure what *you* mean. No one knows for sure what the words "interval by interval" means. They can guess what it means, but they cannot be sure what *you* mean. Ben, you must ask your question is very clear, concise, unambiguous words. Good luck, [-Rick-]
Reply by ●April 21, 20052005-04-21
Benry wrote:> Ben, > > I hate to sound repetative, but a Fourier transform will give you > exactly what you want. It will seperate the spectum into "bins", but > it will be a continuous bin system, because it's no longer in the time > domain. A comb filter is good, if you know what frequencies you're > looking for, and what you want to filter out. A fourier transform is > not a filter, it's just a tool in a mathmatician and engineers back > pocket that can give a better understanding of what "bins" you're > working with, and which "bins" to filter.Beg to differ, but it has been shown in the literature that the DFT is indeed a special case of a multirate filter bank.> > To compare the two methods: Well, if you use DFTs or FFTs to get the > frequency spectrum, you're going to be far better off when trying to > filter your signal. You will have to use a filter either way, however, > but knowing what you're filtering beforehand, or dynamically is what > you should consider. > > Can they amount to the same thing: If you're lucky, and you know what > you're doing. Honestly, I really don't, and I'm just getting into some > of these things myself...you should check out Matlab analysis before > modelling whatever you want to build, or try it out! > > How will they differ: If you don't use DFTs or FFTs, you're goign to > get some frequencies that you didn't know were in your signal...in your > signal. If you use DFT or FFT in conjunction, you will find where the > frequency components are, and do whatever necessary with them you'd > like. >
Reply by ●April 22, 20052005-04-22
In article <42671ef4.221922109@news.sf.sbcglobal.net>, Rick Lyons <R.Lyons@_BOGUS_ieee.org> wrote:> On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 16:07:29 GMT, ben <x@x.x> wrote: > > >here's the goal: split sound, interval by interval, into frequency > >"bins". > > Ben, no one knows for sure what the words > "split sound" means."split sound,... , into frequency bins" that is. each bin corresponding to different smaller (than the full range of frequencies in the sound) continuous ranges of frequencies. prorgramatically be aware of which frequencies are occuring in a sound. a sound recording contains multiple frequencies and those frequencies are overlapping and intermixed together in a single stream of data. instead of having only one stream i'd like to have multiple streams/bands, each stream for a particular range of frequencies. split a sound recording into its frequencies. give my computer code the ability to distinguish what frequencies of sound are occuring at a particular moment, because without splitting the sound into frequencies all my code can say is that there is or isn't sound occuring at a given moment, not what frequencies are occuring.> No one knows for sure what the words > "interval by interval" means.rather than treat the whole sound (say 5 minutes of it) in one go treat it in much smaller intervals of time -- so, be aware of when the sounds are occuring. hope that's clearer now. if not please let me know in what way it's not clear and i'll try, if i can, to clarify it. thanks very much, ben.
Reply by ●April 22, 20052005-04-22
ben wrote:> In article <42671ef4.221922109@news.sf.sbcglobal.net>, Rick Lyons > <R.Lyons@_BOGUS_ieee.org> wrote: > > >>On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 16:07:29 GMT, ben <x@x.x> wrote: >> >> >>>here's the goal: split sound, interval by interval, into frequency >>>"bins". >> >>Ben, no one knows for sure what the words >>"split sound" means. > > > "split sound,... , into frequency bins" that is. each bin corresponding > to different smaller (than the full range of frequencies in the sound) > continuous ranges of frequencies. > > prorgramatically be aware of which frequencies are occuring in a sound. > > a sound recording contains multiple frequencies and those frequencies > are overlapping and intermixed together in a single stream of data. > instead of having only one stream i'd like to have multiple > streams/bands, each stream for a particular range of frequencies. split > a sound recording into its frequencies.A crossover network used to feed different reproducers different frequency ranges is an example of this. An extended version of this is a filter bank. You might want to look at the inner workings of a "light organ".> give my computer code the > ability to distinguish what frequencies of sound are occuring at a > particular moment, because without splitting the sound into frequencies > all my code can say is that there is or isn't sound occuring at a given > moment, not what frequencies are occuring. > > >>No one knows for sure what the words >>"interval by interval" means. > > > rather than treat the whole sound (say 5 minutes of it) in one go treat > it in much smaller intervals of time -- so, be aware of when the sounds > are occuring.You have a problem here. The longer the section of sound you analyze, the more finely you can discriminate between frequencies close together. The shorter the time allowed for analysis, the fewer "bins" you can meaningfully have, and the fuzzier the boundaries between them. The situation is analogous to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle of quantum mechanics: if you know the momentum of a particle precisely, you can have no idea of where it is. Conversely, if you know its location precisely, you can have no idea how fast it moves. The analogy is deeper: The product of the momentum and location uncertainties is fixed, just as, with sound analysis, the product of the frequency and time uncertainties is fixed.> hope that's clearer now. if not please let me know in what way it's not > clear and i'll try, if i can, to clarify it.Let's stick with it.> thanks very much, ben.You're welcome. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by ●April 22, 20052005-04-22
ben wrote:> "split sound,... , into frequency bins" that is. each bin corresponding > to different smaller (than the full range of frequencies in the sound) > continuous ranges of frequencies. > > prorgramatically be aware of which frequencies are occuring in a sound. > > a sound recording contains multiple frequencies and those frequencies > are overlapping and intermixed together in a single stream of data. > instead of having only one stream i'd like to have multiple > streams/bands, each stream for a particular range of frequencies.I hope this does not offend you, but... You do realize that the FFT does NOT produce a stream of data for every frequency bin, don't you? Rather, it produces a single complex number for each bin. The real portion of that number can be interpretted as the amplitude of a cosine wave whose frequency equals the "bin" frequency. The imaginary part represents the amplitude of a sine wave of that frequency. A rectangular to polar conversion of this number will give you tha amplitude and phase of a sinusoid of that frequency. The output of a filter OTOH /is/ a stream of data. -- Jim Thomas Principal Applications Engineer Bittware, Inc jthomas@bittware.com http://www.bittware.com (603) 226-0404 x536 Things could be a lot better around here, but worse is more likely - Calvin
Reply by ●April 22, 20052005-04-22
A representation of what the Bins contain is all that is needed, correct? The amplitude and frequency is what is needed. I know that the bins are...well, the full FFT spectrum is just the additions of infinite sinc() functions...at least...well it's friday, so don't murder me for being ignorant.
Reply by ●April 22, 20052005-04-22
Benry wrote:> A representation of what the Bins contain is all that is needed, > correct? The amplitude and frequency is what is needed. I know that > the bins are...well, the full FFT spectrum is just the additions of > infinite sinc() functions...at least...well it's friday, so don't > murder me for being ignorant.It's not a question of ignorance, but of getting what you want. The bins of an FFT are spaced equally in frequency The number of FFT bins is determined by the number of samples used in the FFT. The finer the bin spacing, the longer it takes to collect enough samples for the FFT. For each bin, you get one sample per FFT. Conclusion: the finer your frequency information, the less frequently you get it. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������