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Changes of Voice Production in Artificial Acoustic Environments
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Changes of Voice Production in Artificial Acoustic Environments

Tomas Sierra-Polanco, Lady Catherine Cantor-Cutiva, Eric J. Hunter and Pasquale Bottalico
Frontiers in built environment, Vol.7, 666152
05/18/2021
DOI: 10.3389/fbuil.2021.666152
url
https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2021.666152View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The physical production of speech level dynamic range is directly affected by the physiological features of the speaker such as vocal tract size and lung capacity; however, the regulation of these production systems is affected by the perception of the communication environment and auditory feedback. The current study examined the effects of room acoustics in an artificial setting on voice production in terms of sound pressure level and the relationship with the perceived vocal comfort and vocal control. Three independent room acoustic parameters were considered: gain (alteration of the sidetone or playback of one's own voice), reverberation time, and background noise. An increase in the sidetone led to a decrease in vocal sound pressure levels, thus increasing vocal comfort and vocal control. This effect was consistent in the different reverberation times considered. Mid-range reverberation times (T30 approximate to 1.3 s) led to a decrease in vocal sound pressure level along with an increase in vocal comfort and vocal control, however, the effect of the reverberation time was smaller than the effect of the gain. The presence of noise amplified the aforementioned effects for the variables analyzed.
 Engineering Technology Construction & Building Technology Engineering, Civil Science & Technology

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