title: A new method to explore the spectral impact of the piriform fossae on the singing voice: benchmarking using MRI-based 3D-printed vocal tracts.
abstract: The piriform fossae are the 2 pear-shaped cavities lateral to the laryngeal vestibule at the lower end of the vocal tract. They act acoustically as side-branches to the main tract, resulting in a spectral zero in the output of the human voice. This study investigates their spectral role by comparing numerical and experimental results of MRI-based 3D printed Vocal Tracts, for which a new experimental method (based on room acoustics) is introduced. The findings support results in the literature: the piriform fossae create a spectral trough in the region 4-5 kHz and act as formants repellents. Moreover, this study extends those results by demonstrating numerically and perceptually the impact of having large piriform fossae on the sung output.
authors.affiliation: Audiolab, Electronics Department, University of York, York, United Kingdom; York Centre for Singing Science, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Delvaux
authors.affiliation: Audiolab, Electronics Department, University of York, York, United Kingdom; York Centre for Singing Science, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Howard
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D056144:Pyriform Sinus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D063346:Singing; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D014831:Voice