A Voice Accumulator—Validation and Application

1989 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 451-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Christine Ohlsson ◽  
Olle Brink ◽  
Anders Lofqvist
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Vocal Behavior ◽  
Front Part ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Voice Signal ◽  
Frequency Level ◽  
Speech Pathologists ◽  
Voice Fundamental Frequency ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Voice Use

Studies of vocal behavior under natural conditions require suitable techniques for obtaining records of voice use. We describe the operation of a newly designed voice accumulator that allows registration of fundamental frequency and phonation time during a 12-hour period. The device is based on microprocessors and allows accumulation of the voice fundamental frequency within 60–600 Hz. The voice signal is picked up by a contact microphone attached to the front part of the neck. Analysis of fundamental frequency distribution and phonation time is made on a personal computer. Validation of the device shows it to provide accurate measurements of fundamental frequency, although it tends to underestimate phonation time. In a field test, the accumulator was used to analyze vocal behavior during two work-days in a group of nurses and a group of speech pathologists. Overall, the speech pathologists had a lower fundamental frequency level and higher values of phonation time than the nurses. These field results confirm the validation of the voice accumulator.

Automatic Analysis of Voice Fundamental Frequency and Intensity Using a Visi-Pitch

1983 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiyuki Horii
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Automatic Analysis ◽  
Research Note ◽  
Analog To Digital Converter ◽  
Digital Converter ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Analog To Digital ◽  
Speech Pathologists ◽  
Voice Fundamental Frequency

This research note describes a method for automatic analysis of voice fundamental frequency and intensity using a Visi-Pitch Model 6087 and an Apple II computer equipped with an analog-to-digital converter (TecMar AD-211). The method provides a simple means of quantizing fundamental frequency and intensity and extracting their distributional characteristicss from the Visi-Pitch, an instrument which is gaining wide-spread use by speech pathologists, audiologists, and linguists for clinical and research purposes.

2008 Zemlin Award in Speech Sciences Memorial Lecture: The Role of Auditory Feedback for the Control of Voice Fundamental Frequency and Amplitude

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-17
Author(s):  
Charles R. Larson
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Memorial Lecture ◽  
Voice Fundamental Frequency ◽  
The Voice

Abstract Previous research has failed to identify precise neural mechanisms involved in auditory feedback regulation of vocalization. The goal of this research project was to improve our understanding of neural mechanisms controlling the voice. Participants were instructed to sustain a vowel or repeat phrases during which perturbations in voice pitch or loudness feedback were presented. Voice signal averaging, neuroimaging, laryngeal electromyography, and cortical event-related potential techniques were used to measure vocal and neural responses to perturbed feedback. Pitch- and loudness-shifted voice feedback triggers small automatic corrective responses in voice fundamental frequency and amplitude during vowel or speech production. Larger responses during speech suggest task modulation of these responses. Larger responses were also recorded in individuals with Parkinson's disease and children with autism than in normal controls. Neural recording techniques revealed cortical activation during these responses. Cortical mechanisms are involved in generating corrective vocal responses to perturbations in voice auditory feedback. This system helps control the voice during speech and dynamically adjusts responses to meet vocal goals. Abnormally large responses in individuals with Parkinson's disease and autism suggest that the audio-vocal mechanisms just described may be involved in the speech and vocalizations of these individuals as well.

Computer-Aided Technique for Automatic Determination of the Relationship between Transglottal Pressure Change and Voice Fundamental Frequency

2008 ◽  
Vol 117 (12) ◽  
pp. 876-880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinji Deguchi ◽  
Kazutaka Kawashima ◽  
Seiichi Washio
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Vocal Fold ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Pressure Change ◽  
Automatic Determination ◽  
Computer Aided ◽  
Voice Fundamental Frequency ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Voice

Objectives: The effect of artificially altered transglottal pressures on the voice fundamental frequency (F0) is known to be associated with vocal fold stiffness. Its measurement, though useful as a potential diagnostic tool for noncontact assessment of vocal fold stiffness, often requires manual and painstaking determination of an unstable F0 of voice. Here, we provide a computer-aided technique that enables one to carry out the determination easily and accurately. Methods: Human subjects vocalized in accordance with a series of reference sounds from a speaker controlled by a computer. Transglottal pressures were altered by means of a valve embedded in a mouthpiece. Time-varying vocal F0 was extracted, without manual procedures, from a specific range of the voice spectrum determined on the basis of the controlled reference sounds. Results: The validity of the proposed technique was assessed for 11 healthy subjects. Fluctuating voice F0 was tracked automatically during experiments, providing the relationship between transglottal pressure change and F0 on the computer. Conclusions: The proposed technique overcomes the difficulty in automatic determination of the voice F0, which tends to be transient both in normal voice and in some types of pathological voice.

A Comparison of High Precision FO Extraction Algorithms for Sustained Vowels

1999 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay Parsa ◽  
Donald G. Jamieson
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Autocorrelation Function ◽  
Perturbation Analysis ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
Extraction Algorithm ◽  
Voice Pathologies ◽  
Voice Fundamental Frequency ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Magnitude Difference ◽  
Average Magnitude Difference Function

Perturbation analysis of sustained vowel waveforms is used routinely in the clinical evaluation of pathological voices and in monitoring patient progress during treatment. Accurate estimation of voice fundamental frequency (FO) is essential for accurate perturbation analysis. Several algorithms have been proposed for fundamental frequency extraction. To be appropriate for clinical use, a key consideration is that an FO extraction algorithm be robust to such extraneous factors as the presence of noise and modulations in voice frequency and amplitude that are commonly associated with the voice pathologies under study. This work examines the performance of seven FO algorithms, based on the average magnitude difference function (AMDF), the input autocorrelation function (AC), the autocorrelation function of the center-clipped signal (ACC), the autocorrelation function of the inverse filtered signal (IFAC), the signal cepstrum (CEP), the Harmonic Product Spectrum (HPS) of the signal, and the waveform matching function (WM) respectively. These algorithms were evaluated using sustained vowel samples collected from normal and pathological subjects. The effect of background noise and of frequency and amplitude modulations on these algorithms was also investigated, using synthetic vowel waveforms.

The Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Voice-Fundamental Frequency

1987 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 376-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher H. Murphy ◽  
Philip C. Doyle
Keyword(s):  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Matched Control ◽  
Vocal Folds ◽  
Group Research ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Voice Fundamental Frequency ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Previous Group ◽  
Age And Sex

Previous group research has shown that the mean voice-fundamental frequency (F0) for individuals who smoke is lower than that of age- and sex-matched nonsmokers. It is believed that this reduction in F0 is a result of edema of the vocal folds caused by tobacco smoke. This study investigated F0 changes during smoking and no-smoking periods. Data were collected before, during, and after a 40-hour period of no-smoking. Analysis of the voice recordings showed a rise in voice F0 for the two smoking subjects during the 40-hour no-smoking period. Age- and sex-matched control subjects did not show a rise in their F0 during the same tasks. Results suggest that the pitch-lowering effects of cigarette smoking may be reversed after as few as 40 hours of smoking cessation.

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