Changes of voice production in artificial acoustic environments

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 voice comfort and voice 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 voice sound pressure levels, thus increasing voice comfort and voice control. This effect was consistent in different reverberation times considered. Mid-range reverberation times (T30≈1.3 seconds) led to a decrease in voice sound pressure level along with an increase in voice comfort and voice 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 analyzed variables.