Summary
Objective
to investigate how the Vocal Combat Technique (VCT) may mitigate vocal symptoms in
voice over actors using vocal violence.
Methods
Five voice over actors (3 male, 2 females, Mean = 29.6 years) completed two study
sessions of 45 minutes-to-1 hour of vocally violent voice over work held approximately
4 weeks apart. During session one, participants completed voice over work as they
typically would, whereas they received 3-hours of VCT training to improve/assist in
healthy vocal techniques prior to session two. Pre- and post-session measures for
both sessions included self-perceptual ratings of vocal symptoms, auditory-perceptual
evaluation, and traditional acoustic measures of frequency and perturbation.
Results
Participants showed substantial mitigating effects of VCT training on acoustic perturbation
measures (jitter, shimmer, harmonics-to-noise ratio), and self-ratings of vocal symptoms
(Vocal-Handicap Index-10, McGill Pain Scale for vocal discomfort, and Evaluation of
the Ability to Sing Easily) with calculated medium to large effect sizes (d = 0.61–1.95). There were no changes in auditory perceptual ratings across sessions.
Conclusion
Our pilot investigation yielded positive improvements in vocal symptomology in five
voice over actors who were trained in VCT. Next steps should include a larger enrollment
of voice actors to determine optimal preventative and recovery techniques.
Key Words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of VoiceAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Toward a consensus description of vocal effort, vocal load, vocal loading, and vocal fatigue.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2020; 63: 509-532
- Prevalence of voice disorders in singers: systematic review and meta-analysis.J Voice Off J Voice Found. 2017; 31: 722-727https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2017.02.010
- Voice disorders in the general population: prevalence, risk factors, and occupational impact.The Laryngoscope. 2005; 115: 1988-1995
- Screaming for attention: the vocal demands of actors in violent interactive games.J Voice Off J Voice Found. 2017; 31: 1-2https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2016.02.001
- Video Games & Esports: Building on 2020’s Rapid Growth.Global X, 2021 (Published March 9Available at) (Accessed March 18, 2022)
- Videogames Are a Bigger Industry Than Movies And North American Sports Combined, Thanks to the Pandemic.MarketWatch, 2021 (Published January 2Available at) (Accessed March 19, 2022)
- Dysphonia in performers: toward a clinical definition of laryngology of the performing voice.J Voice Off J Voice Found. 2014; 28: 349-355https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2013.10.004
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “One Time, I Actually Threw up”: Why Video Game Voice Actors Are on Strike.; 2016. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A470619521/CPI?u=ucinc_main&sid=summon&xid=a1ba5b02
- In $24 Billion Video Game Industry, Voice Actors Struggle to Make a Living.Chicago Tribune, 2017 (Published October 29Available at) (Accessed March 27, 2022)
Ogrodnik N, Li-Jessen NYK, Mongeau L. Quantification of occupational vocal fatigue in voice actors. In: 2018.
- The interaction of surface hydration and vocal loading on voice measures.J Voice. 2017; 31: 211-217
- Vocal loading and environmental humidity effects in older adults.J Voice. 2017; 31: 707-713
- Vocal violence in actors: an investigation into its acoustic consequences and the effects of hygienic laryngeal release training.J Voice. 2000; 14: 215-230https://doi.org/10.1016/S0892-1997(00)80029-6
- Are violent video game-aggression researchers biased?.Aggress Violent Behav. 2015; 25: 75-78https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2015.07.010
- Retract then attack.Fight Master. 2012; 34: 18-19
- Extreme vocal effects distortion, growl, grunt, rattle, and creaking as measured by electroglottography and acoustics in 32 healthy professional singers.J Voice Off J Voice Found. 2021; (Published online December 28S0892-1997(21)00391-X)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2021.11.010
- Comparison of supraglottic activity and spectral slope between theater actors and vocally untrained subjects.J Voice. 2016; 30: 767.e1-767.e8https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2015.10.017
- Consensus auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice: development of a standardized clinical protocol.Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2009; 18: 124-132https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2008/08-0017
- The Voice Handicap Index (VHI): development and validation.Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 1997; 6: 66-70https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360.0603.66
- Measuring vocal function in professional music theater singers: construct validation of the Evaluation of the Ability to Sing Easily (EASE).Folia Phoniatr Logop Off Organ Int Assoc Logop Phoniatr IALP. 2014; 66: 100-108https://doi.org/10.1159/000366202
- The short-form McGill pain questionnaire.Pain. 1987; 30: 191-197https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3959(87)91074-8
- Praat, a system for doing phonetics by computer.Glot Int. 2001; 5: 341-345
- A guideline of selecting and reporting intraclass correlation coefficients for reliability research.J Chiropr Med. 2016; 15: 155-163
- Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences.Second. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1988
- Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses.Behav Res Methods. 2009; 41: 1149-1160https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149
- Examining relationships between GRBAS ratings and acoustic, aerodynamic and patient-reported voice measures in adults with voice disorders.J Voice. 2021; (Published online March)S0892199721000746https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2021.02.007
- Multiparametric evaluation of dysphonic severity.J Voice. 2006; 20: 380-390https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2005.04.007
- Pathologic voice type and the acoustic prediction of severity.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 1995; 38: 765-771https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.3804.765
- Acoustic pertubation measures improve with increasing vocal intensity in individuals with and without voice disorders.J Voice. 2018; 32: 162-168https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2017.04.008
- Acoustic correlates of breathy vocal quality.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 1994; 37: 769-778https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.3704.769
- Perceptual evaluation of severe pediatric voice disorders: rater reliability using the consensus auditory perceptual evaluation of voice.J Voice. 2010; 24: 441-449https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2008.09.004
- Effect of experience on judgments of adductor spasmodic dysphonia.Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2007; 116: 695-701https://doi.org/10.1177/000348940711600912
- The role of experience on judgments of dysphonia.J Voice. 2010; 24: 564-573https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2008.12.005
- A Comparison between Self-Rated and Listener-Rated Outcomes in Tracheoesophageal Speech.University of Washington, 2013
- The reliability and validity of patient self-rating of their own voice quality.Clin Otolaryngol. 2005; 30: 357-361https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2273.2005.01022.x
- Normative values for the voice handicap index-10.J Voice. 2012; 26: 462-465https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2011.04.006
- Voice problems and risk factors among aerobics instructors.J Voice. 1998; 12: 197-207https://doi.org/10.1016/S0892-1997(98)80039-8
- Voice problems in the fitness industry: factors associated with chronic hoarseness.Int J Speech Lang Pathol. 2015; 17: 441-450https://doi.org/10.3109/17549507.2014.987820
- Vocal problems of group fitness instructors: prevalence of self-reported sensory and auditory-perceptual voice symptoms and the need for preventative education and training.J Voice. 2013; 27: 524.e11-524.e21https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2013.01.016
- Prevalence, characteristics and impact of dysphonia in US marine corps drill instructors.J Voice. 2020; 34: 694-701https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2019.02.015
- Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1982; 14: 377-381
- Using the borg CR10 physical exertion scale to measure patient-perceived vocal effort pre and post treatment.J Voice. 2017; 31: 389.e19-389.e25https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2016.09.023
Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 12, 2022
Accepted:
June 10,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofFootnotes
Presentations: This work was presented as an oral presentation at Fall Voice, October 18, 2019 in Dallas, Texas.
COIs: D'Arcy Smith is the developer of the Vocal Combat Technique. Katelyn Reid has been paid to provide lectures on the vocal mechanism and vocal health at Vocal Combat Technique training workshops.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
