Sensitivity of Acoustic Voice Quality Measures in Simulated Reverberation Conditions
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Room reverberation significantly impacts voice analysis. Jitter, harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR), and alpha ratio remain stable below 1s reverberation time, while shimmer is sensitive, and CPPs are consistently stable.
Area Of Science
- Acoustics
- Speech Science
- Signal Processing
Background
- Room reverberation distorts voice recordings, affecting the accuracy of voice quality and vocal health assessments.
- Computer analysis of voice is particularly sensitive to reverberation, necessitating an understanding of its impact on acoustic parameters.
Purpose Of The Study
- To quantify the effect of simulated room reverberation on common voice quality metrics.
- To assess the sensitivity and stability of jitter, shimmer, harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR), alpha ratio, and smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPs) under varying reverberation conditions.
Main Methods
- Sustained [a:] vowel recordings from five healthy female speakers (comfortable and clear intents) were used.
- Eight levels of simulated reverberation (T20 from 0.004 to 1.82 s) were applied to clean recordings using Audacity.
- Voice samples were analyzed using PRAAT software to calculate jitter, shimmer, HNR, alpha ratio, and CPPs.
Main Results
- Jitter, HNR, and alpha ratio demonstrated stability at reverberation times (T20) below 1 second.
- HNR and jitter showed greater stability in the clear vocal style compared to the comfortable style.
- Shimmer was highly sensitive to reverberation (T20 of 0.53 s), while CPPs remained stable across all tested conditions.
Conclusions
- Voice metrics exhibit differential sensitivity to room reverberation.
- CPPs are a reliable metric even in reverberant conditions, suitable for less controlled environments.
- Cautious interpretation of shimmer is advised in reverberant settings, while jitter, HNR, and alpha ratio can be used with consideration of reverberation levels below 1s.
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