Standardization of pitch-range settings in voice acoustic analysis

Abstract

Voice acoustic analysis is typically a labor-intensive, time-consuming process that requires the application of idiosyncratic parameters tailored to individual aspects of the speech signal. Such processes limit the efficiency and utility of voice analysis in clinical practice as well as in applied research and development. In the present study, we analyzed 1,120 voice files, using standard techniques (case-by-case hand analysis), taking roughly 10 work weeks of personnel time to complete. The results were compared with the analytic output of several automated analysis scripts that made use of preset pitch-range parameters. After pitch windows were selected to appropriately account for sex differences, the automated analysis scripts reduced processing time of the 1,120 speech samples to less than 2.5 h and produced results comparable to those obtained with hand analysis. However, caution should be exercised when applying the suggested preset values to pathological voice populations.

Reliability, Stability, and Sensitivity to Change and Impairment in Acoustic Measures of Timing and Frequency

“…For example, in healthy adults, biological variation can reflect diurnal changes in the voice, 19 changes in the voice over time (eg, from aging), 20 or changes in the levels of compliance or motivation in those whose voice is being assessed. In contrast, technological error may arise from the equipment used to acquire data, 21,22 the tools and methods used to analyze data, [23][24][25] or the processes associated with the application of the measure in assessments. 11,26 Technological and biological error occurs in all clinical measurement sciences and can be tolerated provided the error is truly random.…”

What makes a voice masculine: Physiological and acoustical correlates of women's ratings of men's vocal masculinity

“…Mean fundamental frequency (F0) was calculated using the PRAAT autocorrelation algorithm "to Pitch". The analysis parameters were set as pitch floor 30 Hz and ceiling 500 Hz, time step 0.01 s. This frequency range was slightly broader than the recommended PRAAT values for men's voices (60-300 Hz) in order to account for frequent profiles falling outside the expected levels (Vogel et al, 2009). The frequencies of the first four formants were obtained using PRAAT's Linear Predictive Coding "Burg" algorithm.…”

Individual differences and patterns of convergence in prosody perception

“…F0 was extracted from Praat's autocorrelation method with floor and ceiling set to 70 Hz and 250 Hz, respectively, for speech samples from male speakers, and 100 Hz and 300 Hz, respectively, for female speakers, following Vogel et al (2009). Manual testing of parameter settings for a subset of our speech sample confirmed that these floor and ceiling values minimized halving and doubling errors in the F0 estimation, while also capturing most if not all of the F0 maxima and minima in vowel regions in the speech sample.…”