Comparative speaking, shouting and singing voice range profile measurement: physiological and pathological aspects

Area of Science:

• Acoustic analysis
• Speech science
• Voice disorders

Background:

• The Voice Range Profile (VRP) is a method for investigating voice modalities.
• Understanding the pitch and intensity relations of speaking, shouting, and singing voices is crucial.
• Existing methods may not fully capture the interplay between different voice types.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a comprehensive method for Voice Range Profile (VRP) measurement.
• To analyze the physiological and pathological relationships between speaking, shouting, and singing VRPs.
• To utilize VRP analysis for diagnosing voice disorders.

Main Methods:

• Automatic measurement of fundamental frequency (FO) and sound pressure level (SPL).
• Evaluation of sustained phonation, continuous speaking voice (pianissimo to fortissimo), and shouting voice.
• Superimposition and analysis of singing, speaking, and shouting VRPs on a single plot.

Main Results:

• Defined singing, speaking, and shouting VRP displays based on vocal intensity vs. fundamental frequency.
• Analyzed the form, shape, and relative positions of the superimposed VRPs.
• Established physiological relationships between different voice modality VRPs.

Conclusions:

• VRP analysis provides insights into the physiological connections between voice modalities.
• Pathological changes in VRPs (reduction, shifting) indicate voice disorder etiology and pathomechanisms.
• VRP measurement is a valuable tool for voice assessment and diagnostics.