Most measurements in audio engineering yield information on the steady state characteristics of the system under test. However, performance of the system when subjected to transient forcing functions is of particular interest in the recording of music. A simple rectangular wave train constitutes a severe test of system performance but is not representative of musical transients. Hence a test signal simulating the transient character of musical tones should permit a fairer assessment of system behavior, especially of electromechanical transducers such as loudspeakers and disc cutters. If a sinusoidal test signal is repetitively interrupted when the signal passes through zero value, bursts results that are analogous to a recurring pure musical tone possessing identical attack and decay times. Use of such a signal therefore permits continuous observation and measurement of system transient responses to an idealized musical tone. This paper describes an electronic device, called a -tone burst generator,- that accomplishes the necessary signal interruption with tones, complex waves, or random noise.
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