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Summary Background In addition to language differences in fundamental frequency between bilinguals and monolinguals, studies have also included other acoustic parameters to analyze differences in voice production associated with the language spoken. Aim To identify differences in voice acoustic parameters during English productions between monolingual and bilingual English speakers. Method Exploratory cross-sectional study with two groups of subjects: monolingual English speakers (n = 40), and bilingual English-Spanish speakers (n = 13). Participants filled out a questionnaire and recorded one reading in English (second sentence of Rainbow passage “The rainbow is a division of white light into many beautiful colors”) under a “virtual-simulated” acoustic condition of No Noise and Medium Reverberation Time (0.8 seconds). Result Analysis by gender shows that monolingual speakers had higher fundamental frequency mode, and lower standard deviation of fundamental frequency compared to bilingual English-Spanish speakers. Bilingual male speakers had higher jitter and harmonics-to-noise ratio than monolingual speakers. On the contrary, female bilingual speakers had lower jitter and shimmer than monolingual speakers. Conclusions Speaking a second language may influence voice acoustic parameters, and therefore, should be considered when comparing acoustic speech metrics.

Summary Objectives The goals of the study were to (a) examine vocal fatigue in speech-language pathology students through subjective and objective measures following a novel 30-minute vocal loading task (VLT) and (b) evaluate the effects of psychosocial factors on vocal fatigue. Methods Seventeen speech-language pathology students completed a 30-minute VLT using the LingWAVES software program. In addition to maintaining target intensity goals during reading a text, participants were also required to modify their pitch and voice quality. Vocal fatigue was measured subjectively using Vocal Fatigue Index and Borg vocal effort scale and objectively using variations of relative sound pressure level, fundamental frequency, pitch strength, smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS), and acoustic voice quality index before, during, and after VLT. Participants provided information on their sleep quantity, stress, and depression through nonstandardized and standardized surveys. Results Results revealed that perceived effort and fatigue increased significantly after the 30-minute VLT. Acoustic measures of relative sound pressure level and fundamental frequency and increased systematically during and after the completion of task. All students were moderately stressed and measures related to pitch were highly related with perceived stress. Conclusions The results of this study provide support for altering multiple vocal parameters to induce measurable changes in vocal fatigue following a short-duration VLT.

Summary Introduction Computer analysis of voice recordings is an integral part of the evaluation and management of voice disorders. In many practices, voice samples are taken in rooms that are not sound attenuated and/or sound-proofed; further, the technology used is rarely consistent. This will likely affect the recordings, and therefore, their analyses. Objectives The objective of this study is to compare various acoustic outcome measures taken from samples recorded in a sound-proofed booth to those recorded in more common clinic environments. Further, the effects from six different commonly used microphones will be compared. Methods Thirty-six speakers were recorded while reading a text and producing sustained vowels in a controlled acoustic environment. The collected samples were reproduced by a Head and Torso Simulator and recorded in three clinical rooms and in a sound booth using six different microphones. Newer measures (eg, Pitch Strength, cepstral peak prominence, Acoustic Voice Quality Index), as well as more traditional measures (eg Jitter, Shimmer, harmonics-to-noise ratio and Spectrum Tilt), were calculated from the samples collected with each microphone and within each room. Results The measures which are more robust to room acoustic differences, background noise, and microphone quality include Jitter and smooth cepstral peak prominence, followed by Shimmer, Acoustic Voice Quality Index, harmonics-to-noise ratio, Pitch Strength, and Spectrum Tilt. Conclusions The effect of room acoustics and background noise on voice parameters appears to be stronger than the type of microphone used for the recording. Consequently, an appropriate acoustical clinical space may be more important than the quality of the microphone.

Background Speaking a second language influences jitter and shimmer when comparing monolingual English speakers with bilingual English-Spanish speakers. However, there is little information about differences on voice acoustic parameters when comparing monolingual Spanish speakers with bilingual Spanish-English speakers during their productions in Spanish. Aim Determine differences in five voice acoustic parameters commonly used in voice assessments (fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, Harmonics-to-Noise Ratio and Cepstral Peak Prominence Smoothed) which may be influenced by bilingualism. Methods Exploratory cross-sectional study with two groups of female participants: monolingual Spanish speakers (n = 17), and bilingual Spanish-English speakers (n = 11). Participants filled out a questionnaire and recorded two voice samples (sustained vowel /a/ and reading). For this study, all the participants reported that their native language was Spanish. Results Being a female bilingual speaker had a significant effect on Shimmer (%) with a Beta = -0.7. Similar tendency was found on harmonics-to-noise ratio (B = 0.2) and cepstral peak prominence smoothed (B = 0.2). Conclusions Our results indicate that being a native Spanish female speaker, speaking English as a second language, has significant small effects on voice acoustic parameters, such as shimmer, harmonics-to-noise ratio and cepstral peak prominence smoothed, during their productions in Spanish. This information is of interest for assessment and intervention plans of bilingual speakers at clinical and work-related settings.

Purpose Vocal instructors during their normal workday are exposed to high noise levels that can affect their voice and hearing health. The goal of this study was to evaluate the voice and hearing status of voice instructors before and after lessons and relate these evaluations with voice and noise dosimetry taken during lessons. Methods Eight voice instructors volunteered to participate in the study. The protocol included (1) questionnaires, (2) pre/post assessment of voice quality and hearing status, and (3) voice and noise dosimetry during lessons. Acoustic measurements were taken of the unoccupied classrooms. Results In six of eight classrooms, the measured noise level was higher than the safety recommendations set by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The background noise level and the reverberation time in the classrooms were in compliance with the national standard recommendations. We did not find a clear pattern comparing pre- and post-measurements of voice quality consistent among genders. In all subjects, the Sound Pressure Levels mean increased, and the standard deviation of fundamental frequency decreased indicating association to vocal fatigue. Previous studies link these changes to increasing vocal fatigue. The audiometric results revealed seven out of eight instructors have sensorineural hearing loss. Conclusions The interaction of the acoustic space and noise levels can contribute to the development of hearing and voice disorders for voice instructors. If supported by larger sample size, the results of this pilot study could justify the need for a hearing and voice conservation program for music faculty.

Summary Introduction In classical singing techniques, it is common to manipulate the vocal tract to channel airflow to increase voice quality and volume. Technique varies according to the style of the music, the voice type, and range of a given singer. Although these practices are intentional, fixed physiological aspects of a singer's vocal instrument also play an extremely impactful role in determining voice quality. Objectives In the present study, the relationship between the dimensions of the maxillary dental arch and voice quality were examined in professional singers. Methods The dimensions of the palate were measured from the maxillary dental casts of 14 female singers. Audio recordings were made for the same participants while singing a sustained /a/ singing vowel, a glissando, the song "Are You Sleeping", and a selected song from their personal repertoire. The dimensions of the palate were measured from maxillary dental casts. From the recordings, two parameters were calculated: (1) the Singing Power Ratio (SPR) and (2) A2 A1 ratio. Higher SPR values indicate a stronger ring in the voice, typical of operatic singing style, while higher A2 A1 ratio values are associated with the belting singing style. Results Singers with larger frontal palate depth, smaller posterior palate depth, larger frontal palate width, and smaller posterior palate width seem to be more suitable for an operatic singing style. Singers who had larger overall depth and width of the palate measurements produced an increased second harmonic, typical of the belting style. Conclusions When considering a singer's ability to produce vocalizations successfully, physiological structure is an increasingly important factor. The present study discovered that palate depth and width are associated with statistically significant differences in SPR and A2/A1 parameters. These parameters correlate with two styles of singing, operatic, and belting respectively.

Summary Objectives The aims of the present study are (1) to analyze the effects of the acoustical environment and the voice style on time dose ( D t_p ) and fundamental frequency (mean f 0 and standard deviation std_f 0 ) while taking into account the effect of short-term vocal fatigue and (2) to predict the self-reported vocal effort from the voice acoustical parameters. Methods Ten male and ten female subjects were recorded while reading a text in normal and loud styles, in three rooms—anechoic, semi-reverberant, and reverberant—with and without acrylic glass panels 0.5 m from the mouth, which increased external auditory feedback. Subjects quantified how much effort was required to speak in each condition on a visual analogue scale after each task. Results (Aim1) In the loud style, D t_p , f 0 , and std_f 0 increased. The D t_p was higher in the reverberant room compared to the other two rooms. Both genders tended to increase f 0 in less reverberant environments, whereas a more monotonous speech was produced in rooms with greater reverberation. All three voice parameters increased with short-term vocal fatigue. (Aim2) A model of the vocal effort to acoustic vocal parameters is proposed. The sound pressure level contributed to 66% of the variance explained by the model, followed by the f 0 (30%) and the modulation in amplitude (4%). Conclusions The results provide insight into how voice acoustical parameters can predict vocal effort. In particular, it increased when SPL and f 0 increased and when the amplitude voice modulation decreased.

Summary Objectives The relationship between the silence and voicing accumulations of primary school teachers and the teachers' clinical status was examined to determine whether more voicing accumulations and fewer silence accumulations were measured for the vocally unhealthy subjects than for the healthy subjects, which would imply more vocal loading and fewer short-term recovery moments. Methods Twenty-six Italian primary school teachers were allocated by clinicians to three groups: (1) with organic voice disorders, (2) with subjectively mild organic alteration or functional voice symptoms, and (3) normal voice quality and physiology. Continuous silence and voicing periods were measured with the APM3200 during the teachers' 4-hour workdays. The accumulations were grouped into seven time intervals, ranging from 0.03–0.9 to 3.16–10 seconds, according to Italian prosody. The effects of group on silence and voicing accumulations were evaluated. Results Regarding silence accumulations, Group 1 accumulated higher values in intervals between 0.1 and 3.15 seconds than other groups, whereas Groups 2 and 3 did not differ from each other. Voicing accumulations between 0.17 and 3.15 seconds were higher for subjects with a structural disorder. A higher time dose was accumulated by these subjects (40.6%) than other subjects (Group 2, 31.9%; Group 3, 32.3%). Conclusions Although previous research has suggested that a rest period of a few seconds may produce some vocal fatigue recovery, these results indicate that periods shorter than 3.16 seconds may not have an observable effect on recovery. The results provide insight into how vocal fatigue and vocal recovery may relate to voice disorders in occupational voice users.

BackgroundOne of the most important aspects of singing is the control of fundamental frequency.ObjectivesThe effects on pitch inaccuracy, defined as the distance in cents in equally tempered tuning between the reference note and the sung note, of the following conditions were evaluated: (1) level of external feedback, (2) tempo (slow or fast), (3) articulation (legato or staccato), (4) tessitura (low, medium, or high), and (5) semi-phrase direction (ascending or descending).MethodsThe subjects were 10 nonprofessional singers and 10 classically trained professional or semi-professional singers (10 men and 10 women). Subjects sang one octave and a fifth arpeggi with three different levels of external auditory feedback, two tempi, and two articulations (legato or staccato).ResultsIt was observed that inaccuracy was greatest in the descending semi-phrase arpeggi produced at a fast tempo and with a staccato articulation, especially for nonprofessional singers. The magnitude of inaccuracy was also relatively large in the high tessitura relative to the low and the medium tessitura for such singers. Contrary to predictions, when external auditory feedback was strongly attenuated by the hearing protectors, nonprofessional singers showed greater pitch accuracy than in the other external feedback conditions. This finding indicates the importance of internal auditory feedback in pitch control.ConclusionsWith an increase in training, the singer's pitch inaccuracy decreases.