Multiple dichotomies in timbre research

In this paper an overview of aspects, terminology and
literature on contemporary research regarding timbre is presented. Timbre is a
multidimensional entity, and research traces its multifaceted nature. The paper
handles this structural complexity using a domain-task-results paradigm. Several
domains of application are examined and various aspects of timbre questioning
are outlined, although consideration of aspects in music and its contextual
applications are postponed for a following detailed report for reasons of
presentation compactness and extent. A self-evident differentiation of research
categorization stems from the type of consideration of timbre as a perceptual
attribute or as a manifestation of physical (either generative or modified after
transmission) phenomena and processes. As more "axes" of differentiation also
emerge, this work attempts to highlight issues that rise and propose possible
research directions.