Summary
The purpose of this study was to examine the algorithm-measuring capabilities used
in the Time-Frequency Analysis Software Program for 32-bit Windows (TF32) for measuring fundamental frequency (F0), its dependent measures, and signal-to-noise
ratio (SNR). The stability, accuracy, and linearity of its algorithm to systematic
changes in aspiration noise and/or spectral slope (to mimic the perceptual characteristics
of breathiness, roughness, and hoarseness) were evaluated using its analysis output
to five female and five male synthesized voices. TF32 was used to calculate F0, Jitter%, Shimmer%, and SNR for each of the synthesized
signals. The findings indicate that although TF32 produced stable results for male synthesized samples, they were not accurate when
measuring F0, Jitter%, and Shimmer% with the addition of noise and variations in open
quotient independently and in combination. In contrast, TF32 was neither stable nor accurate in making the same measurements for female synthesized
samples. However, TF32 was stable and accurate in measuring SNR for male and most of female voices. These
results point to an inappropriate F0 extraction algorithm in TF32 and stress the need for further research to remediate the algorithm or to identify
a superior one.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 15, 2008
Accepted:
November 8,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
