Praat Fundamental Frequency

Praat for Beginners:
Tutorial: Spectral analysis

• Praat Fundamental Frequency Chart
• Fundamental Frequency In Praat
• Praat Fundamental Frequency Table
• Praat Fundamental Frequency Calculator

Fundamental Frequency Fundamental frequency (Fo) is the vibratory rate of the vocal folds. It can be measured in hertz (Hz) or cycles per second (cps). Average fundamental frequency during conversation for males ranges from 100 to 150 Hz, whereas for females it ranges from 180 to 250 Hz. The formant picking procedure used with LPC in Praat works best when a few more formants are sought than are actually needed, e.g. If you want F1 to F3 then analyse 5 or 6 formants. LPC has to be tuned to the speaker's vocal tract length, by setting a suitable number of formants to be found in a given frequency range. Weenink, www.praat.org). Fundamental frequency was measured by a noise-resistant autocorrelation method, between 60 and 300 Hz with a Hanning window length of 0.05 s. The algorithm measures a fundamental fre-quency for each voiced window in the signal. The values presented here are the mean G SD fundamental frequency. Press F5 to get the fundamental frequency ( = Formant F0 = Pitch) for the cursor position OR, in case a selection has been made. The frequency and amplitude axes can be either linear or logarithmic, depending on what the graph is being used for. Audio would usually be represented with a logarithmic amplitude axis (probably in decibels, or dB), and frequency would be linear to emphasize harmonic relationships, or logarithmic to emphasize musical, tonal relationships.

See also:
Understanding spectrograms
What ar formants?
Quick guide to spectral analysis

1. Spectral analysis of speech

• The purpose of spectral analysis is to find out how acoustic energy is distributed across frequency. Typical uses in phonetics are discovering the spectral properties of the vowels and consonants of a language, comparing the productions of different speakers, or finding characteristics that point forward to speech perception or back to articulation.
• Formerly, calculation was time-consuming so it was more practical to work on the lab bench using bandpass filters and then measure the filter output at a range of frequencies. From the 1950s onward, this was done by the spectrograph, that burnt a spectrogram onto paper as a permanent record. Nowadays, a suitable computer program will calculate speech spectra in seconds.
• There are two methods for spectral analysis: the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and linear prediction (LPC). FFT finds the energy distribution in the actual speech sound, whereas LPC estimates the vocal tract filter that shaped that speech.
• A strict distinction between resonance as a filter property and the sound energy peaks shaped by it has hardly ever been maintained, and the term formant has usually been applied loosely to both concepts ever since it was coined in the early 20th century to describe vocal tract reonance and the timbre of music intruments.
• The advantage of FFT is easier setup, the disadavantage is difficulty identifying formants by speakers with higher pitched voices. LPC has better success with high-pitched voices, but the settings need to be carefully tuned for each speaker.

2. FFT parameters

• The main choice in FFT analysis is between a coarser setting, that shows the formants, and a finer setting, that shows the voice harmonics. These correspond to the wideband and narrowband settings, respectively, of the spectrograph. A filter passband around 300Hz allows two or three strong voice harmonics at a time to pass through and be registered together as energy peaks. A filter passband around 50Hz admits just one voice harmonic at a time and each harmonic is recorded individually. Unfortunately, when the voice fundamental frequency is high (some high-pitched male voices and all female voices), the wider filter has a tendency to act like the narrower filter, resolving the voice harmonics rather than formants. The parameter to set in Praat is the analysis window duration, suitably around 0.003s to 0.005s for the courser wideband analysis, and around 0.03s for the finer narrowband analysis. This is outlined in detail in Making spectrograms and Making FFT slices.
• Other FFT parameters affect the appearance of the finished spectrogram or slice on the screen: View range to set the frequencies you wish to see, Dynamic range to hide intrusive background noise.

3. LPC parameters

Praat Fundamental Frequency Chart

• The formant picking procedure used with LPC in Praat works best when a few more formants are sought than are actually needed, e.g. if you want F1 to F3 then analyse 5 or 6 formants.
• LPC has to be tuned to the speaker's vocal tract length, by setting a suitable number of formants to be found in a given frequency range. An average setting is 1 formant every 1000Hz for men and 1 every 1100Hz for women, which can then be optimized for a particular speaker (see Formant tracking and Making LPC slices).
• Finally, the Prediction order needs to be set (the number of filter coefficients for a desired number of formants), at least 2 for each formant and preferably at least 2 more, e.g. for 5 formants the Predicition order should be at least 12 (2×5, +2).

4. Praat procedures

Acoustical vocal parameters measure frequency, intensity (amplitude), perturbation (jitter & shimmer), and range. This type of measurement can provide valuable information regarding vocal fold movement as well as underlying vocal fold physiology and pathology. Acoustic measurement needs to be coupled with physiological and perceptual measures in order to provide an accurate differential diagnosis.

Acoustic Signs of Voice Problems

Fundamental Frequency
Fundamental frequency (Fo) is the vibratory rate of the vocal folds. It can be measured in hertz (Hz) or cycles per second (cps). Average fundamental frequency during conversation for males ranges from 100 to 150 Hz, whereas for females it ranges from 180 to 250 Hz. There are a variety of methods available to measure Fo, which range from very simple to complex. Subjective measurements are less reliable than objective (quantitative) measurements. The phonational range is the range of frequencies (highest to lowest) that an individual can produce, which decreases with age. Colton & Casper state that 'this measurement reflects the physiological limits of the patient's voice'.

Amplitude
Measurement of vocal intensity is useful in documenting the dynamics of the voice. Mean intensity correlates with the perception of vocal loudness, and the variability of intensity would presumably correlate with a patient's loudness variations (Colton & Casper). Vocal Intensity can be measured in decibels (dB) better known as the sound pressure level (SPL), which indicates the strength of vocal fold vibration. Coleman, Mabis, & Hinson (1977) state in Colton & Casper that, 'normal speakers should be able to produce minimum intensities of around 50 dB and maximum intensities of around 115 dB; intensities for males are slightly higher than for females'. Baken (1987) states in Colton & Casper that, 'everyday conversational speech may exhibit SPL's between 70 and 80 dB'. Measurement of perturbation refers to the small, rapid, cycle-to-cycle changes of period (jitter) in the fundamental frequency of the voice and amplitude (shimmer) that occur during phonation. These changes reflect the slight differences of mass, tension, and biochemical characteristics of the vocal folds, as well as slight variations in their neural control. Perturbation correlates with perceived roughness or hoarseness in the voice (Colton & Casper).

Signal-to-noise ratio (harmonics-to-noise ratio)
Colton & Casper state that, 'noise is random, aperiodic energy in the voice. Normal voices have low levels of noise, whereas abnormal voices show greater noise levels'. Harmonics-to-noise levels less than 1 would be expected in abnormal voices.

Vocal rise or fall time
Colton & Casper state that, 'the time it takes to produce a tone of full amplitude is referred to as rise time. The time it takes for the vocal folds to stop producing a tone is called fall time'. Some pathologies will affect the vocal rise or fall time, although sufficient research has not been performed to date. R. J. Baken states that, 'acoustically, different types of vocal attack are discriminable by the vocal rise time, among other things'. Koike (1967) in Baken proposes that 'the rise time associated with the softest vocal initiation that could be produced by patients with several different types of laryngeal pathology'.

Voice Tremor
Colton & Casper state that, 'tremor refers to a regular variation in the fundamental frequency or amplitude of the voice'. 'Tremors are usually associated with central nervous system dysfunction' (Colton & Casper).

Phonation Time
Phonation time can be achieved through the measurement of maximum phonation time and the s/z ratio. 'Maximum phonation time refers to the maximum time a subject can sustain a tone on one breath' (Colton & Casper). Normal males can sustain for approximately 20 seconds, females 15 seconds, and children 10 seconds. Colton & Casper state that, 'short maximum phonation times reflect inefficiency of the phonatory or respiratory system'. The s/z ratio for 'a normal speaker would be expected to sustain both the voiceless /s/ and the voiced /z/ for approximately equal durations, resulting in a ratio of 1' (Colton & Casper). Colton & Casper state that, 'in the presence of a disturbance of vocal vibratory behavior and/or ability to close the glottis, the duration of the sustained voicing of /z/ would be expected to suffer', therefore increasing the s/z ratio. Eckel & Boone state in Colton & Casper that, 'any s/z ratio greater than 1.4 may indicate a vocal pathology'.

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Voice Stoppages
During phonation, when silences are longer than normal or occur unexpectedly are considered abnormal (Colton & Casper).

Fundamental Frequency In Praat

Frequency Breaks
These can be seen as sudden shifts of fundamental frequency in either an upward or downward movement, often related to pitch breaks (Colton & Casper).

Normal Acoustics
Individuals can present with acoustical features which are so subtle that they appear normal.

• The formant picking procedure used with LPC in Praat works best when a few more formants are sought than are actually needed, e.g. if you want F1 to F3 then analyse 5 or 6 formants.
• LPC has to be tuned to the speaker's vocal tract length, by setting a suitable number of formants to be found in a given frequency range. An average setting is 1 formant every 1000Hz for men and 1 every 1100Hz for women, which can then be optimized for a particular speaker (see Formant tracking and Making LPC slices).
• Finally, the Prediction order needs to be set (the number of filter coefficients for a desired number of formants), at least 2 for each formant and preferably at least 2 more, e.g. for 5 formants the Predicition order should be at least 12 (2×5, +2).

4. Praat procedures

Acoustical vocal parameters measure frequency, intensity (amplitude), perturbation (jitter & shimmer), and range. This type of measurement can provide valuable information regarding vocal fold movement as well as underlying vocal fold physiology and pathology. Acoustic measurement needs to be coupled with physiological and perceptual measures in order to provide an accurate differential diagnosis.

Acoustic Signs of Voice Problems

Fundamental Frequency
Fundamental frequency (Fo) is the vibratory rate of the vocal folds. It can be measured in hertz (Hz) or cycles per second (cps). Average fundamental frequency during conversation for males ranges from 100 to 150 Hz, whereas for females it ranges from 180 to 250 Hz. There are a variety of methods available to measure Fo, which range from very simple to complex. Subjective measurements are less reliable than objective (quantitative) measurements. The phonational range is the range of frequencies (highest to lowest) that an individual can produce, which decreases with age. Colton & Casper state that 'this measurement reflects the physiological limits of the patient's voice'.

Amplitude
Measurement of vocal intensity is useful in documenting the dynamics of the voice. Mean intensity correlates with the perception of vocal loudness, and the variability of intensity would presumably correlate with a patient's loudness variations (Colton & Casper). Vocal Intensity can be measured in decibels (dB) better known as the sound pressure level (SPL), which indicates the strength of vocal fold vibration. Coleman, Mabis, & Hinson (1977) state in Colton & Casper that, 'normal speakers should be able to produce minimum intensities of around 50 dB and maximum intensities of around 115 dB; intensities for males are slightly higher than for females'. Baken (1987) states in Colton & Casper that, 'everyday conversational speech may exhibit SPL's between 70 and 80 dB'. Measurement of perturbation refers to the small, rapid, cycle-to-cycle changes of period (jitter) in the fundamental frequency of the voice and amplitude (shimmer) that occur during phonation. These changes reflect the slight differences of mass, tension, and biochemical characteristics of the vocal folds, as well as slight variations in their neural control. Perturbation correlates with perceived roughness or hoarseness in the voice (Colton & Casper).

Signal-to-noise ratio (harmonics-to-noise ratio)
Colton & Casper state that, 'noise is random, aperiodic energy in the voice. Normal voices have low levels of noise, whereas abnormal voices show greater noise levels'. Harmonics-to-noise levels less than 1 would be expected in abnormal voices.

Vocal rise or fall time
Colton & Casper state that, 'the time it takes to produce a tone of full amplitude is referred to as rise time. The time it takes for the vocal folds to stop producing a tone is called fall time'. Some pathologies will affect the vocal rise or fall time, although sufficient research has not been performed to date. R. J. Baken states that, 'acoustically, different types of vocal attack are discriminable by the vocal rise time, among other things'. Koike (1967) in Baken proposes that 'the rise time associated with the softest vocal initiation that could be produced by patients with several different types of laryngeal pathology'.

Voice Tremor
Colton & Casper state that, 'tremor refers to a regular variation in the fundamental frequency or amplitude of the voice'. 'Tremors are usually associated with central nervous system dysfunction' (Colton & Casper).

Phonation Time
Phonation time can be achieved through the measurement of maximum phonation time and the s/z ratio. 'Maximum phonation time refers to the maximum time a subject can sustain a tone on one breath' (Colton & Casper). Normal males can sustain for approximately 20 seconds, females 15 seconds, and children 10 seconds. Colton & Casper state that, 'short maximum phonation times reflect inefficiency of the phonatory or respiratory system'. The s/z ratio for 'a normal speaker would be expected to sustain both the voiceless /s/ and the voiced /z/ for approximately equal durations, resulting in a ratio of 1' (Colton & Casper). Colton & Casper state that, 'in the presence of a disturbance of vocal vibratory behavior and/or ability to close the glottis, the duration of the sustained voicing of /z/ would be expected to suffer', therefore increasing the s/z ratio. Eckel & Boone state in Colton & Casper that, 'any s/z ratio greater than 1.4 may indicate a vocal pathology'.

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Voice Stoppages
During phonation, when silences are longer than normal or occur unexpectedly are considered abnormal (Colton & Casper).

Fundamental Frequency In Praat

Frequency Breaks
These can be seen as sudden shifts of fundamental frequency in either an upward or downward movement, often related to pitch breaks (Colton & Casper).

Normal Acoustics
Individuals can present with acoustical features which are so subtle that they appear normal.

Praat Fundamental Frequency Table

Praat Fundamental Frequency Calculator