What is timbre in music?
The quality of a musical note or sound that distinguishes
different types of sound production, such as voices or musical
instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that mediate the
perception of timbre include spectrum and envelope. Timbre is also
known in psychoacoustics as sound quality or sound color. For
example, timbre is what, with a little practice, people use to
distinguish the Saxophone from the Trumpet in a jazz group, even if
both instruments are playing notes at the same pitch and
amplitude.