3.6: Equal Loudness Principle

Understanding Sound From Ear to Engineer · LibreTexts

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    From LibreTexts, under CC BY-SA 4.0, as the source states it; its equations are written in TeX, which the PDF shows typeset. This page at LibreTexts.

    Equal Loudness Principle

    The Equal Loudness Contour (Fletcher-Munson curves) shows that the human ear does not perceive all frequencies as equally loud, even when played at the same intensity. For example, a 40 Hz tone must be played louder than a 1,000 Hz tone to be perceived as equally loud.

    This principle is crucial in audio engineering and sound design, as it influences mixing, mastering, and audio production.

    Various graph lines showing sensitivity to frequencies

    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\):“Equal loudness”, Nick84 (talk)Lindos1.svg, (Public domain).

    This page titled 3.6: Equal Loudness Principle was last modified on Fri, 01 May 2026 02:54:58 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Geoffrey Dunbar.