Towards a method for loudness-based analysis of the sound of one's own voice

Abstract

This paper outlines the steps in objectively estimating the time-varying loudness of one's own voice in a room (i.e. autophonic loudness). Voice recordings, made with a near-mouth microphone, are converted to the sound that reaches the two eardrums of the talking (or singing)-listener by convolving them with the impulse responses from the mouth to the respective ears of an anthropomorphic head and torso. The influences of bone-conducted sound and room reflections are taken into account. These convolved recordings are then processed with a computational time-varying loudness model. The method is demonstrated by a short case study, and the results illustrate something of the benefit of loudness analysis over sound pressure level analysis for representing autophonic loudness.

Key words::

• Autophonic perception
• loudness analysis
• messa di voce
• room gain
• sound pressure level

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Sabine Reinfeldt for providing data regarding bone and direct airborne conduction pathways during autophony.

Declaration of interest: This research was supported by an Australian Research Council’s Discovery Projects Grant to Dianna Kenny, Helen Mitchell, Densil Cabrera, and Michael Halliwell (DP0558186) and an Australian Postgraduate Award and Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning top-up scholarship for Manuj Yadav. The MDV recordings were made by Helen Mitchell, and advice on PsySound was given by Sam Ferguson. The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.