Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol.  2008 Jun;1(2):92-96. 10.3342/ceo.2008.1.2.92.

The Singer's Formant and Speaker's Ring Resonance: A Long-Term Average Spectrum Analysis

• Lee SH
• Kwon HJ
• Choi HJ
• Lee NH
• Lee SJ
• Jin SM

• KMID: 1486060
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3342/ceo.2008.1.2.92

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
We previously showed that a trained tenor's voice has the conventional singer's formant at the region of 3 kHz and another energy peak at 8-9 kHz. Singers in other operatic voice ranges are assumed to have the same peak in their singing and speaking voice. However, to date, no specific measurement of this has been made. METHODS: Tenors, baritones, sopranos and mezzo sopranos were chosen to participate in this study of the singer's formant and the speaker's ring resonance. Untrained males (n=15) and females (n=15) were included in the control group. Each subject was asked to produce successive /a/ vowel sounds in their singing and speaking voice. For singing, the low pitch was produced in the chest register and the high notes in the head register. We collected the data on the long-term average spectra of the speaking and singing voices of the trained singers and the control groups. RESULTS: For the sounds produced from the head register, a significant energy concentration was seen in both 2.2-3.4 kHz and 7.5-8.4 kHz regions (except for the voices of the mezzo sopranos) in the trained singer group when compared to the control groups. Also, the chest register had a significant energy concentration in the 4 trained singer groups at the 2.2-3.1 kHz and 7.8-8.4 kHz. For speaking sound, all trained singers had a significant energy concentration at 2.2-5.3 kHz and sopranos had another energy concentration at 9-10 kHz. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that opera singers have more energy concentration in the singer's formant/speaker's ring region, in both singing and speaking voices. Furthermore, another region of energy concentration was identified in opera singer's singing sound and in sopranos' speaking sound at 8-9 kHz. The authors believe that these energy concentrations may contribute to the rich voice of trained singers.

Keyword

Speech acoustics

MeSH Terms

Female
Head
Humans
Male
Singing
Spectrum Analysis
Speech Acoustics
Thorax
Voice

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Long term average spectrum of head register. (A) fifteen tenors, 14 baritones and male control group singing a prolonged /a/ vowel at a high pitch (tenor, G4; baritones, E4) in head voice. (tenor triangles, baritone circles, control squares). (B) seven sopranos, 5 mezzo sopranos and female control group singing a prolonged /a/ vowel at a high pitch (sopranos, F5; mezzo sopranos, C5) in head voice. (sopranos triangles, mezzo sopranos circles, control squares).

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  Fig. 2 Long term average spectrum of chest register. (A) fifteen tenors, 14 baritones and male control group singing a prolonged /a/ vowel at a low pitch (tenor, C3; baritones, D3) in chest voice. (tenor triangles, baritone circles, control squares). (B) seven sopranos, 5 mezzo sopranos and female control group singing a prolonged /a/ vowel at a low pitch (sopranos, D4; mezzo sopranos, A3) in chest voice. (sopranos triangles, mezzo sopranos circles, control squares).

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  Fig. 3 Long term average spectrum of speaking sound. (A) ten tenors, 15 baritones and male control group speaking a prolonged /a/ vowel as an usual speaking sound. (tenor triangles, baritone circles, control squares). (B) fifteen sopranos, 10 mezzo sopranos and female control group speaking a prolonged /a/ vowel as an speaking sound. (sopranos triangles, mezzo sopranos circles, control squares).

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