The stimulation provided in the electrically stimulated cochlea is modulated in accordance with the amplitude of a received acoustic signal and the onset of a sound in a received acoustic signal to provide increased sound perception. An onset time that corresponds to the onset of a sound is detected in an acoustic signal associated with a frequency band. A forcing voltage and a transmitting factor are determined, wherein the forcing voltage and the transmitting factor are associated with the frequency band at the detected onset time. The acoustic signal is modulated as a function of the forcing voltage and the transmitting factor to generate an output signal. The generated output signal can be used to stimulate the cochlea. The modulation strategy can be used in conjunction with sound processing strategies that employ frequency modulation, amplitude modulation, or a combination of frequency and amplitude modulation.