The softest sound levels of the human voice in normal subjects

Accurate measurement of the softest sound levels of phonation presents technical and methodological challenges. This study aimed at (1) reliably obtaining normative data on sustained softest sound levels for the vowel [a:] at comfortable pitch; (2) comparing the results for different frequency and t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 2015-01, Vol.137 (1), p.407-418
Main Authors: Šrámková, Hana, Granqvist, Svante, Herbst, Christian T, Švec, Jan G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustics - instrumentation
Adolescent
Adult
Calibration
Capabilities
Dysphonia Severity Index
Features
Female
Humans
Male
Medicin och hälsovetenskap
Middle Aged
Noise
Phonation - physiology
Phonetograms
Quality
Range Profiles
Reference Values
Reliability
Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
Signal-To-Noise Ratio
Speaking
Students
Therapy
Time Factors
Transducers
Voice Quality
Young Adult
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Summary:Accurate measurement of the softest sound levels of phonation presents technical and methodological challenges. This study aimed at (1) reliably obtaining normative data on sustained softest sound levels for the vowel [a:] at comfortable pitch; (2) comparing the results for different frequency and time weighting methods; and (3) refining the Union of European Phoniatricians' recommendation on allowed background noise levels for scientific and equipment manufacturers' purposes. Eighty healthy untrained participants (40 females, 40 males) were investigated in quiet rooms using a head-mounted microphone and a sound level meter at 30 cm distance. The one-second-equivalent sound levels were more stable and more representative for evaluating the softest sustained phonations than the fast-time-weighted levels. At 30 cm, these levels were in the range of 48-61 dB(C)/41-53 dB(A) for females and 49 - 64 dB(C)/35-53 dB(A) for males (5% to 95% quantile range). These ranges may serve as reference data in evaluating vocal normality. In order to reach a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 10 dB for more than 95% of the normal population, the background noise should be below 25 dB(A) and 38 dB(C), respectively, for the softest phonation measurements at 30 cm distance. For the A-weighting, this is 15 dB lower than the previously recommended value.
ISSN:0001-4966
1520-8524
1520-8524
DOI:10.1121/1.4904538