Acoustic Measurements of Men’s and Women’s Voices

1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 761-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Nittrouer ◽  
Richard S. McGowan ◽  
Paul H. Milenkovic ◽  
Donna Beehler
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Acoustic Source ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Women's Voices ◽  
Acoustic Measures ◽  
Source Characteristics

Several acoustic measures of laryngeal activity were made on adult speech to help answer two questions left unresolved by previous work: (1) how each measure varies, if at all, with phonetic structure, and (2) what aspect of laryngeal activity each measure specifies. Speech samples of 15 syllables (three vowels in five prevocalic consonantal contexts) were collected from men and women at two times of the day (early morning and late afternoon). Eight measurements were made, mainly on slices extracted from the middle of the vocalic portions, and inferential and correlational statistics were applied to these measures. Results of the inferential tests indicated differences between men and women in how laryngeal adjustments are made, affecting relative amounts of vocal jitter and spectral tilt of the voicing source. In addition, the voicing and manner characteristics of the prevocalic consonant were found to affect fundamental frequency, cycle-to-cycle perturbations, and amount of aspiration noise. To a lesser extent, vowel height and front/back tongue placement also affected these acoustic source characteristics. Results of the correlational tests showed that different laryngeal mechanisms contributed differentially to signal-to-noise ratios for men and women, and these mechanisms were more greatly affected by fundamental frequency for men’s samples. Finally, various acoustic measures of laryngeal noise were found to be related to the same underlying mechanism.

scholarly journals Handclap for Acoustic Measurements: Optimal Application and Limitations

Acoustics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaos M. Papadakis ◽  
Georgios E. Stavroulakis
Keyword(s):  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Acoustic Parameter ◽  
Reverberation Time ◽  
Octave Band ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Frequency Range ◽  
Acoustic Source ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Acoustic Parameters

Handclap is a convenient and useful acoustic source. This study aimed to explore its optimal application and limitations for acoustic measurements as well for other possible utilizations. For this purpose, the following steps were performed: investigation of the optimal hand configuration for acoustic measurements and measurements at different microphone source distances and at different spaces and positions. All measurements were performed with a handclap and a dodecahedron speaker for comparison. The results indicate that the optimal hand configuration (among 11) is with the hands cupped and held at an angle due to the superior low frequency spectrum. This configuration produced usable acoustic parameter measurements in the low frequency range in common room background levels unlike other configurations. The reverberation time was measured across different spaces and positions with a deviation less than three and just a noticeable difference of the signal-to-noise ratio within or near the ISO 3382-1 limits for each corresponding octave band. Other acoustic parameters (i.e., early decay time, clarity) were measured with greater deviations for reasons discussed in the text. Finally, practical steps for measurements with a handclap as an acoustic source are suggested.

scholarly journals Synthesis of Room Impulse Responses for Variable Source Characteristics

10.14311/1444 ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kunkemoeller ◽  
P. Dietrich ◽  
M. Pollow
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Pattern ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Lecture Hall ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Impulse Responses ◽  
Acoustic Source ◽  
Characteristic Radiation ◽  
Sound Sources ◽  
Variable Source ◽  
Source Characteristics

Every acoustic source, e.g. a speaker, a musical instrument or a loudspeaker, generally has a frequency dependent characteristic radiation pattern, which is preeminent at higher frequencies. Room acoustic measurements nowadays only account for omnidirectional source characteristics. This motivates a measurement method that is capable of obtaining room impulse responses for these specific radiation patterns by using a superposition approach of several measurements with technically well-defined sound sources. We propose a method based on measurements with a 12-channel independentlydriven dodecahedron loudspeaker array rotated by an automatically controlled turntable.Radiation patterns can be efficiently described with the use of spherical harmonics representation. We propose a method that uses this representation for the spherical loudspeaker array used for the measurements and the target radiation pattern to be used for the synthesis.We show validating results for a deterministic test sound source inside in a small lecture hall.

scholarly journals Acoustic Measures of Brazilian Transgender Women's Voices: A Case–Control Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Paula Villas-Bôas ◽  
Karine Schwarz ◽  
Anna Martha Vaitses Fontanari ◽  
Angelo Brandelli Costa ◽  
Dhiordan Cardoso da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Frequency Standard ◽  
Transgender Women ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Frequency Variation ◽  
Women's Voices ◽  
Acoustic Measures ◽  
Frequency Maximum ◽  
Advanced System ◽  
Control Study

Objective: This study aims to compare the acoustic vocal analysis results of a group of transgender women relative to those of cisgender women.Methods: Thirty transgender women between the ages of 19 and 52 years old participated in the study. The control group was composed of 31 cisgender women between the ages of 20 and 48 years old. A standardized questionnaire was administered to collect general patient data to better characterize the participants. The vowel /a/ sounds of all participants were collected and analyzed by the Multi-Dimensional Voice Program advanced system.Results: Statistically significant differences between cisgender and transgender women were found on 14 measures: fundamental frequency, maximum fundamental frequency, minimum fundamental frequency, standard deviation of fundamental frequency, absolute jitter, percentage or relative jitter, fundamental frequency relative average perturbation, fundamental frequency perturbation quotient, smoothed fundamental frequency perturbation quotient, fundamental frequency variation, absolute shimmer, relative shimmer, voice turbulence index (lower values in the cases), and soft phonation index (higher values in the cases). The mean fundamental frequency value was 159.046 Hz for the cases and 192.435 Hz for the controls.Conclusion: Through glottal adaptations, the group of transgender women managed to feminize their voices, presenting voices that were less aperiodic and softer than those of cisgender women.

Comparison of Voice Analysis Systems for Perturbation Measurement

1996 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Bielamowicz ◽  
Jody Kreiman ◽  
Bruce R. Gerratt ◽  
Marc S. Dauer ◽  
Gerald S. Berke
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Analysis Software ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Voice Analysis ◽  
Acoustic Measures ◽  
Acoustical Analysis ◽  
Yield Values ◽  
Vocal Quality ◽  
Analysis System

Dysphonic voices are often analyzed using automated voice analysis software. However, the reliability of acoustic measures obtained from these programs remains unknown, particularly when they are applied to pathological voices. This study compared perturbation measures from CSpeech, Computerized Speech Laboratory, SoundScope, and a hand marking voice analysis system. Sustained vowels from 29 male and 21 female speakers with mild to severe dysphonia were digitized, and fundamental frequency (F 0 ), jitter, shimmer, and harmonics- or signal-to-noise ratios were computed. Commercially available acoustical analysis programs agreed well, but not perfectly, in their measures of F 0 . Measures of perturbation in the various analysis packages use different algorithms, provide results in different units, and often yield values for voices that violate the assumption of quasi-periodicity. As a result, poor rank order correlations between programs using similar measures of perturbation were noted. Because measures of aperiodicity apparently cannot be reliably applied to voices that are even mildly aperiodic, we question their utility in quantifying vocal quality, especially in pathological voices.

Effects of Fundamental Frequency Contours on Sentence Recognition in Mandarin-Speaking Children With Cochlear Implants

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 3855-3864
Author(s):  
Wanting Huang ◽  
Lena L. N. Wong ◽  
Fei Chen ◽  
Haihong Liu ◽  
Wei Liang
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
F0 Contour ◽  
Appropriate Sentences

Purpose Fundamental frequency (F0) is the primary acoustic cue for lexical tone perception in tonal languages but is processed in a limited way in cochlear implant (CI) systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of F0 contours in sentence recognition in Mandarin-speaking children with CIs and find out whether it is similar to/different from that in age-matched normal-hearing (NH) peers. Method Age-appropriate sentences, with F0 contours manipulated to be either natural or flattened, were randomly presented to preschool children with CIs and their age-matched peers with NH under three test conditions: in quiet, in white noise, and with competing sentences at 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio. Results The neutralization of F0 contours resulted in a significant reduction in sentence recognition. While this was seen only in noise conditions among NH children, it was observed throughout all test conditions among children with CIs. Moreover, the F0 contour-induced accuracy reduction ratios (i.e., the reduction in sentence recognition resulting from the neutralization of F0 contours compared to the normal F0 condition) were significantly greater in children with CIs than in NH children in all test conditions. Conclusions F0 contours play a major role in sentence recognition in both quiet and noise among pediatric implantees, and the contribution of the F0 contour is even more salient than that in age-matched NH children. These results also suggest that there may be differences between children with CIs and NH children in how F0 contours are processed.

Evaluation of Acoustic Analyses of Voice in Nonoptimized Conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 3991-3999
Author(s):  
Benjamin van der Woerd ◽  
Min Wu ◽  
Vijay Parsa ◽  
Philip C. Doyle ◽  
Kevin Fung
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Acoustic Measures ◽  
Recording Conditions ◽  
Cepstral Peak Prominence

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the fidelity and accuracy of a smartphone microphone and recording environment on acoustic measurements of voice. Method A prospective cohort proof-of-concept study. Two sets of prerecorded samples (a) sustained vowels (/a/) and (b) Rainbow Passage sentence were played for recording via the internal iPhone microphone and the Blue Yeti USB microphone in two recording environments: a sound-treated booth and quiet office setting. Recordings were presented using a calibrated mannequin speaker with a fixed signal intensity (69 dBA), at a fixed distance (15 in.). Each set of recordings (iPhone—audio booth, Blue Yeti—audio booth, iPhone—office, and Blue Yeti—office), was time-windowed to ensure the same signal was evaluated for each condition. Acoustic measures of voice including fundamental frequency ( f o ), jitter, shimmer, harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR), and cepstral peak prominence (CPP), were generated using a widely used analysis program (Praat Version 6.0.50). The data gathered were compared using a repeated measures analysis of variance. Two separate data sets were used. The set of vowel samples included both pathologic ( n = 10) and normal ( n = 10), male ( n = 5) and female ( n = 15) speakers. The set of sentence stimuli ranged in perceived voice quality from normal to severely disordered with an equal number of male ( n = 12) and female ( n = 12) speakers evaluated. Results The vowel analyses indicated that the jitter, shimmer, HNR, and CPP were significantly different based on microphone choice and shimmer, HNR, and CPP were significantly different based on the recording environment. Analysis of sentences revealed a statistically significant impact of recording environment and microphone type on HNR and CPP. While statistically significant, the differences across the experimental conditions for a subset of the acoustic measures (viz., jitter and CPP) have shown differences that fell within their respective normative ranges. Conclusions Both microphone and recording setting resulted in significant differences across several acoustic measurements. However, a subset of the acoustic measures that were statistically significant across the recording conditions showed small overall differences that are unlikely to have clinical significance in interpretation. For these acoustic measures, the present data suggest that, although a sound-treated setting is ideal for voice sample collection, a smartphone microphone can capture acceptable recordings for acoustic signal analysis.

scholarly journals Acoustic Source Data for Medium Speed IC-Engines

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti Hynninen ◽  
Raimo Turunen ◽  
Mats Åbom ◽  
Hans Bodén
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Acoustic Source ◽  
Ic Engine ◽  
Source Characteristics ◽  
Medium Speed ◽  
Source Data ◽  
Exhaust Noise ◽  
Ic Engines

Knowledge of the acoustic source characteristics of internal combustion engines (IC-engines) is of great importance when designing the exhaust duct system and its components to withstand the resulting dynamic loads and to reduce the exhaust noise emission. The goal of the present study is to numerically and experimentally investigate the medium speed IC-engine acoustic source characteristics, not only in the plane wave range but also in the high frequency range. The low frequency acoustic source characteristics were predicted by simulating the acoustic multiload measurements by using a one-dimensional process simulation code. The low frequency in-duct exhaust noise of a medium speed IC-engine can be quite accurately predicted. The high frequency source data is estimated by averaging the measured acoustic pressures with different methods; using the simple cross-spectra averaging method seems promising in this instance.

scholarly journals Sex differences in the circadian regulation of sleep and waking cognition in humans

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (19) ◽  
pp. E2730-E2739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayantara Santhi ◽  
Alpar S. Lazar ◽  
Patrick J. McCabe ◽  
June C. Lo ◽  
John A. Groeger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Circadian Rhythmicity ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Circadian Phase ◽  
Time Awake ◽  
Everyday Performance ◽  
The Impact

The sleep–wake cycle and circadian rhythmicity both contribute to brain function, but whether this contribution differs between men and women and how it varies across cognitive domains and subjective dimensions has not been established. We examined the circadian and sleep–wake-dependent regulation of cognition in 16 men and 18 women in a forced desynchrony protocol and quantified the separate contributions of circadian phase, prior sleep, and elapsed time awake on cognition and sleep. The largest circadian effects were observed for reported sleepiness, mood, and reported effort; the effects on working memory and temporal processing were smaller. Although these effects were seen in both men and women, there were quantitative differences. The amplitude of the circadian modulation was larger in women in 11 of 39 performance measures so that their performance was more impaired in the early morning hours. Principal components analysis of the performance measures yielded three factors, accuracy, effort, and speed, which reflect core performance characteristics in a range of cognitive tasks and therefore are likely to be important for everyday performance. The largest circadian modulation was observed for effort, whereas accuracy exhibited the largest sex difference in circadian modulation. The sex differences in the circadian modulation of cognition could not be explained by sex differences in the circadian amplitude of plasma melatonin and electroencephalographic slow-wave activity. These data establish the impact of circadian rhythmicity and sex on waking cognition and have implications for understanding the regulation of brain function, cognition, and affect in shift-work, jetlag, and aging.

scholarly journals Effects of Vocal Training on Students’ Voices in a Professional Drama School

OTO Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473974X1986638
Author(s):  
Jacob I. Tower ◽  
Lynn Acton ◽  
Jessica Wolf ◽  
Walton Wilson ◽  
Nwanmegha Young
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Aerodynamic Characteristics ◽  
Voice Handicap Index ◽  
First Year ◽  
Medical Facility ◽  
Acoustic Measures ◽  
Vocal Training ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of vocal training on acoustic and aerodynamic characteristics of student actors’ voices. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary medical facility speech and swallow center. Subjects and Methods Acoustic, aerodynamic, and Voice Handicap Index–10 measures were collected from 14 first-year graduate-level drama students before and after a standard vocal training program and analyzed for changes over time. Results Among the aerodynamic measures that were collected, mean expiratory airflow was significantly reduced after vocal training. Among the acoustic measures that were collected, mean fundamental frequency was significantly increased after vocal training. On average, Voice Handicap Index–10 scores were unchanged after vocal training. Conclusion The cohort of drama students undergoing vocal training demonstrated improvements in voice aerodynamics, which indicate enhanced glottal efficiency after training. The present study also found an increased average fundamental frequency among the actors during sustained voicing and no changes in jitter and shimmer despite frequent performance.

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