Acoustic characteristics of rough voice: Subharmonics

Koichi Omori, Hisayoshi Kojima, Rajesh Kakani, David H. Slavit, Stanley M. Blaugrund

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

59 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between rough voice and the presence of subharmonics, which correspond to smaller yet distinct peaks located between two consecutive harmonic peaks in the power spectrum. Spectrum analysis was undertaken in 389 pathologic voices, of which 20 had subharmonics. Although all 20 voices had roughness perceptually, 8 had normal jitter and/or shimmer. The degree of roughness had a significant inverse relationship with the frequency of subharmonics. By digital signal processing, sound samples with various types of subharmonics were synthesized and perceptually analyzed. Power and frequency of subharmonics in the synthesized sound also had significant relationships with the degree of roughness. Rough voice is acoustically characterized not only by jitter and shimmer but also by the presence of subharmonics in the power spectrum. Subharmonics are important acoustic properties for objective evaluation of rough voices.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)40-47
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Voice
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1997
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Acoustic characteristics of rough voice: Subharmonics'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this