Perceptual relevance of voice source characteristics in male singers' modal and falsetto registers

• It is commonly assumed that the voice source differs between modal and falsetto registers. However, singers often try to reduce the timbral differences between registers, some even doubting that they even exist. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between the perceived voice register and the voice source parameters in modal and in falsetto registers as analyzed by inverse filtering and electroglottography. A total of 52 falsetto register tones and 52 modal register tones, sung by 13 male more or less experienced choir singers, were classified by 16 expert listeners in a forced choice test. The listeners’ classifications mostly agreed with the registers intended by the singers. For some tones classification differed substantially, presumably because the singers had learnt to reduce the timbral contrasts between the registers. The number of votes for modal was compared to the following voice source parameters: duration of the closed phase and closed quotient (Qclosed), peak-to-peak airflow amplitude, maximum flow declination rate (MFDR), normalized amplitude quotient (NAQ, defined as the ratio between peak-to-peak airflow amplitude and MFDR multiplied by the fundamental frequency) and level difference between the two lowest source spectrum partials. The results showed that: (1) tones with higher values of Qclosed and of MFDR, and lower values of H1-H2 and NAQ were typically associated with higher number of votes to the modal register, and viceversa, (2) NAQ was the single voice source parameter that presented the strongest correlation with the register classification data, while (3) the combination of Qclosed and H1-H2 parameters was the strongest predictor of the voice source perceptual data.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Elektroteknik och elektronik -- Signalbehandling (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering -- Signal Processing (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Data- och informationsvetenskap -- Språkteknologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Computer and Information Sciences -- Language Technology (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Musik (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Music (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Tal- och musikkommunikation

Speech and Music Communication

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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