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Acoustic voice characteristics with and without wearing a facemask
Duy Duong Nguyen1, Patricia McCabe1, Donna Thomas1
1Voice Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Health, D18, Susan Wakil Health Building, Camperdown Campus, The University of Sydney, Western Avenue, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
Scientific Reports
|March 12, 2021
Summary
Wearing facemasks like surgical or KN95 masks affects voice acoustics, particularly in connected speech. These masks attenuate higher frequencies, alter energy distribution, and increase the harmonics-to-noise ratio, with surgical masks showing less impact.
Area of Science:
- Speech and Hearing Science
- Acoustic Phonetics
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Facemasks are crucial personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers.
- The acoustic characteristics of voice while wearing facemasks are not fully understood.
- Understanding voice changes is vital for effective communication in healthcare settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare acoustic voice measures in adults wearing surgical masks and KN95 masks versus no mask.
- To investigate the impact of different facemask types on vocal spectra and intensity.
- To quantify voice alterations during standardized vocal tasks with and without facemasks.
Main Methods:
- Recorded sixteen adults performing standardized vocal tasks with and without surgical or KN95 masks.
- Analyzed acoustic parameters including mean spectral levels (0-1 kHz and 1-8 kHz), LH1000, harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS), and vocal intensity.
- Compared acoustic data between mask-wearing and no-mask conditions.
Main Results:
- Significant attenuation of mean spectral level in the 1-8 kHz region for connected speech was observed with masks.
- The LH1000 ratio for connected speech significantly increased when wearing either mask type.
- Harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR) was higher in mask-wearing conditions; CPPS and vocal intensity remained unchanged.
- Surgical masks demonstrated less impact on voice spectra compared to KN95 masks.
Conclusions:
- Facemask use, particularly KN95, attenuates voice spectra, impacting higher frequencies.
- Masks alter voice energy distribution and increase voice regularity (HNR).
- Surgical masks appear to have a less pronounced effect on voice acoustics than KN95 masks, suggesting potential communication implications.
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