The Collecting Process of Xylophone's Sound d (Ranād xek) from Art to Numerical Data

A Thai government's law prohibiting the cutting down of trees for making Thai xylophones (Rana̅d xek) has had a major effect on musical instrument makers. It is necessary for these instrument makers to now synthesize or find a new replacement material. The original instrument must be used as a benchmark in terms of sound. An objective measurement procedure, beside the human ear, is needed to compare sounds of instruments made of the original wood and new materials. In this experimental project, audio measurements of the original Thai xylophone's sound were collected and statistically analyze, focusing on the inharmonic structure of its spectrum of partials. The result is shown as numerical data. This data can now be used as a benchmark and compared to possible replacement materials in further research.