A tone pip is a single, short duration burst of sound at a single frequency used to elicit an ABR. Repeated presentation of identical tone pips to a subject generates corresponding ABRs to each pip, which can then be averaged together to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the ABR and improve its measurement. Manipulation of various characteristics of a tone pip such as its duration, frequency content, and its rise and fall time, can be used to study various aspects of an auditory system.