Theory and Concepts

What does VoceVista measure? Unlike the user interface overview, which shows how the various displays fit into the overall presentation of the program, this chapter aims to explain in more detail what the program actually measures, and what this means from the perspective of (Psycho-)Acoustics and Voice Science.

VoceVista provides multiple ways to analyze and visualize sound, each offering unique insights into different aspects of vocal production and acoustics. Starting with the fundamental representation of sound as a waveform, we progress through increasingly sophisticated analysis tools that reveal frequency content, intensity patterns, and spectral characteristics.

VoceVista attempts to visualize certain aspects of sound, such as the frequencies that are in the sound, and their intensity. Sound is a vibration, and that is a motion that happens over time. If the motion is periodic, we can describe it by its frequency (how many vibrations per second), and its intensity (how large is the amplitude of the vibrations). Consequently, most displays in VoceVista represent a relationship of something against an axis of time, frequency, or amplitude/intensity, or a combination of those.

Each visualization method measures specific aspects of sound:

  • The waveform shows amplitude variations over time - the basic structure of sound

  • Frequency analysis reveals pitch and harmonic content

  • Intensity measurements quantify loudness and energy distribution

  • The spectrum breaks down sound into its frequency components

  • The spectrogram shows how these components change over time

Together, these tools provide complementary views that help us understand and analyze vocal sound production from both physical and perceptual perspectives.