Toward a more informative voice range profile: the role of laryngeal vibratory mechanisms on vowels dynamic range.
OBJECTIVE
The impact that vowels have on the variation across voice range profiles (VRPs) is studied along with three factors: fundamental frequency, singer's gender, and laryngeal vibratory mechanism used to sing.


METHODS
VRPs of 21 advanced singers were established by recording, in separate takes, vocal productions using laryngeal vibratory mechanisms M1 and M2 for /a/, /i/, and /o/. Recordings were focused on the range C3-C5, where most singers can sing in either M1 or M2. It allows to compare the singer's dynamics in M1 versus M2 while holding other variables constant.


RESULTS
The vowel has an influence on the upper limit of singers' VRPs when they use M1 but not when they use M2, independently of the singer's gender and the fundamental frequency.


CONCLUSIONS
The laryngeal vibratory mechanisms allow one to explain the nonconsensual results observed in the literature about the influence of vowels on the VRP. A simulation shows that the different influence of vowels on the VRP partially results from the different open quotient values that can be observed in M1 and in M2.
Institut d'Alembert-Equipe LAM (Lutheries Acoustique Musique), UPMC Univ. Paris 6, CNRS, Minis. of Culture, Paris, France. lamesch@lam.jussieu.fr
Sylvain
S
Lamesch
Boris
B
Doval
Michèle
M
Castellengo
D000162:Acoustics; D000328:Adult; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007830:Larynx / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010699:Phonation; D012737:Sex Factors; D063346:Singing; D014732:Vibration; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult