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Given the two main functions of birdsong, mate attraction and territory defence, song amplitude is crucial for communication because it determines the communication range and it can also carry information. To understand the evolution of signals, it is helpful to consider the constraints on signal production, as physical constraints set the limits for signal plasticity and how signals can respond to selection. Previous work on the constraints of song amplitude was restricted to species that use loud vocalisations for long-distance communication. However, the low song amplitudes of some non-territorial species may hint at unknown limitations considering that females may prefer loud song. The star finch ( Bathilda ruficauda ) is one such species. In this study, we recorded the songs of male star finches in the laboratory and investigated the relationship between vocal amplitude and other acoustic parameters of their song syllables. We found that vocal amplitude was linked to the phonetic structure of the syllables. More complex sounds (measured as higher syllable bandwidth and higher Wiener entropy) were produced at lower amplitudes than less complex sounds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a trade-off between song complexity and vocal amplitude. More complex song syllables possibly require a more intricate control of the syrinx and vocal tract, which might only be possible at lower amplitudes. We speculate that if female star finches prefer complex songs, this would cause males to sing quietly, as they cannot produce complex syllables with high amplitudes. We also provided a phonetogram (vocal range profile) for the star finch, indicating a positive correlation between amplitude and peak frequency. This finding corroborates earlier studies on species that use loud vocalisations for long-range communication, which, like the star finches in our study, were also unable to produce low frequencies at high amplitudes. This suggests that the frequency-amplitude correlation is a more general phenomenon in bird vocalisations, independent of the overall source amplitude of a species. While the evolution of birdsong is often viewed as constrained by neural costs and body size, or selective pressures from predators and social aggression, our results emphasise the importance of understanding phonetic features as well. At the same time, our study fills an important gap on non-territorial species that produce soft songs. The absence of the ecological demands for long-distance signalling has probably led birds to use soft yet complex songs that function within the pair bond, as we report here for star finches.

In the evolving landscape of vocal pedagogy, the integration of computer-assisted technologies represents a transformative shift from traditional master-apprentice models. This study investigates the efficacy of computer-assisted vocal training methods compared to conventional approaches, focusing on improvements in pitch accuracy, vocal range expansion, and emotional expression among novice vocalists. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, including digital signal processing, machine learning, and virtual reality, the authors conducted a 12-week experiment involving 60 participants randomly divided into two groups. Results indicate that computer-assisted training offers nearly double the improvement in pitch accuracy and vocal range expansion over traditional methods, with more pronounced enhancements in emotional expression skills. These findings contribute significantly to developing standardized, personalized, and scientifically-grounded vocal training methodologies, demonstrating a more efficient pathway for enhancing vocal performance.

Purpose: Sound pressure level (SPL) measurement of voice and speech is often considered a trivial matter, but the measured levels are often reported incorrectly or incompletely, making them difficult to compare among various studies. This article aims at explaining the fundamental principles behind these measurements and providing guidelines to improve their accuracy and reproducibility. Method: Basic information is put together from standards, technical, voice and speech literature, and practical experience of the authors and is explained for nontechnical readers. Results: Variation of SPL with distance, sound level meters and their accuracy, frequency and time weightings, and background noise topics are reviewed. Several calibration procedures for SPL measurements are described for stand-mounted and head-mounted microphones. Conclusions: SPL of voice and speech should be reported together with the mouth-to-microphone distance so that the levels can be related to vocal power. Sound level measurement settings (i.e., frequency weighting and time weighting/averaging) should always be specified. Classified sound level meters should be used to assure measurement accuracy. Head-mounted microphones placed at the proximity of the mouth improve signal-to-noise ratio and can be taken advantage of for voice SPL measurements when calibrated. Background noise levels should be reported besides the sound levels of voice and speech.

Echolocating bats produce very diverse vocal signals for echolocation and social communication that span an impressive frequency range of 1 to 120 kHz or 7 octaves. This tremendous vocal range is unparalleled in mammalian sound production and thought to be produced by specialized laryngeal vocal membranes on top of vocal folds. However, their function in vocal production remains untested. By filming vocal membranes in excised bat larynges ( Myotis daubentonii ) in vitro with ultra-high-speed video (up to 250,000 fps) and using deep learning networks to extract their motion, we provide the first direct observations that vocal membranes exhibit flow-induced self-sustained vibrations to produce 10 to 95 kHz echolocation and social communication calls in bats. The vocal membranes achieve the highest fundamental frequencies ( f o ’s ) of any mammal, but their vocal range is with 3 to 4 octaves comparable to most mammals. We evaluate the currently outstanding hypotheses for vocal membrane function and propose that most laryngeal adaptations in echolocating bats result from selection for producing high-frequency, rapid echolocation calls to catch fast-moving prey. Furthermore, we show that bats extend their lower vocal range by recruiting their ventricular folds—as in death metal growls—that vibrate at distinctly lower frequencies of 1 to 5 kHz for producing agonistic social calls. The different selection pressures for echolocation and social communication facilitated the evolution of separate laryngeal structures that together vastly expanded the vocal range in bats.

This methodological study presents the Implication-Realization (IR) model as a framework for the analysis of linguistic prosody and examines its application to English-language examples of speech. Originally developed by Eugene Narmour for music analysis, IR’s cognitively-based approach views melodies as hierarchical structures formed through processes of implication and closure. It parses melodies by comparing successive pitch intervals while also considering duration and potentially other parameters. With computational assistance from a newly developed set of Praat scripts (IRProsodyParser), the study applies an adapted version of IR’s symbology to several Modern American English examples. In this adaptation, comparisons of successive pitch intervals form the basis for a categorical classification of interval sizes. IR-generated parsings show broad correspondence with those produced within the autosegmental-metrical (AM) framework, with AM boundary tones, phrase accents, and pitch accents manifested at progressively deeper levels in the IR hierarchy. These findings support the view that pitch intervals are central in perceiving speech intonation and that intonational features arise as the result of a complex interaction of pitch, duration, and other cues. Moreover, while AM and similar approaches often frame intonational features in terms of aural prominences within the melodic stream, IR encourages viewing them in terms of their positions within a melodic hierarchy.

In 1907–1908, the Ladies Home Journal published a series of articles in which people could send questions to the famous voice teacher Mathilda Marchesi (1821–1913) to be answered in print. These articles are a rare glimpse at first-person, uninterpreted information. To the author’s knowledge, this collection of articles had not been previously re-published in its entirety until this three-part series within Provenance , of which this installment is Part Two. While Marchesi fields a range of questions, a persistent theme in this installment involves the appropriate age to begin serious study of voice, as well as Marchesi’s opinion of diaphragmatic, “lateral” and clavicular breathing.

The present study aimed to develop a smartphone application (app) that addressed identified barriers to success in voice therapy; accessibility, and poor adherence to home practice. The study objectives were (1) to investigate if app use enhanced adherence to the home practice of voice therapy and (2) to test app usability. Maximizing the effectiveness of voice therapy is vital as voice disorders are detrimental to personal and professional quality of life. A single-blinded randomized clinical trial was completed for the first objective. Participants included normophonic individuals randomly assigned to the app group or the traditional group. The primary outcome measure was adherence measured as the number of missed home practice tasks. The second objective was completed through usability testing and a focus group discussion. The app group (n = 12) missed approximately 50% less home practice tasks as compared to the traditional group (n = 13) and these results were statistically significant (p = 0.04). Dropout rates were comparable between the two groups. Usability results were positive for good usability with high perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. App use resulted in improved adherence to home practice tasks. App usability results were positive, and participants provided specific areas of improvement which are achievable. Areas for improvement include app engagement and willingness to pay.

This is a medical case presentation of an operatic soprano who contracted COVID-19 in 2023. The COVID-19 viral infection has the potential for significant impacts on the singing voice. Voice changes secondary to COVID-19 can include changes in breathing (shortness of breath), development of a cough, an onset of hoarseness, phonatory instability, vocal fatigue, decreased vocal range and dysphonia secondary to the diagnosis of a laryngeal neuropathy. The subject’s experience of COVID-19—including her voice symptoms, the initial diagnosis of vocal neuropathy, the decision to withdraw from a professional singing contract, targeted voice therapy, and her vocal recovery—are described in this article.