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This paper focuses on psychoacoustical experiments for the assessment of roughness by using vehicle interior noise. The experimental design is carried out carefully to derive reliable data for further analysis with objective parameters. Apart from the acoustical properties of the recording/playback system the different meanings of the word roughness are taken into account, because each person has its own interpretation of ‘roughness’ differing between the phenomenons of roughness, r-roughness, rumble, harshness, fluctuation strength, etc.. An important preparation for psychoacoustical experiments is a clear definition of the sound attribute under investigation by using typical examples. Furthermore, accidental influences of other psychoacoustical parameters like the influence of loudness have to be avoided.

In the assessment of vehicle noise quality, sound characteristics caused by modulation play an important role because they contribute significantly to the perceived annoyance. The sensations can be roughness, rumble or fluctuation strength depending mainly on the modulation frequency range. The proposed generalized model for modulation parameters was developed as part of a research program with the aim of establishing an onboard analysis system for vehicle interior noise quality based on objective sound parameters. The model can be adjusted by model parameters to calculate versions of roughness, thereby accentuating different psychoacoustical assumptions. The model was successfully tested as reported in [1].