Modeling Different Voice Qualities for Female and Male Talkers Using a Geometric-Kinematic Articulatory Voice Source Model: Preliminary Results

Modeling natural sounding voice qualities – for example the pressed-modalbreathy voice quality continuum which widely occurs during normal speech production – is a crucial point in speech synthesis. A parametric voice source model using prescribed sinusoidal vocal fold vibration patterns (i.e. extended Titze model) is introduced in this paper. This voice source model was adapted for synthesis of a typical male and female voice. A simulation experiment was performed by varying glottal abduction/adduction in order to generate a voice quality continuum from pressed over modal towards breathy. A parameter analysis of the resulting waveshapes of glottal flow and its time derivative was carried out in terms of the LF-model. This analysis indicates that our parametric voice source model is flexible enough to generate the modal to breathy but not the modal to pressed voice quality continuum for the male as well as for the female voice. It can be hypothesized that a self-oscillating voice source 1. This paper is dedicated to the 60th Birthday of Bernd Pompino-Marschall. I met Bernd Pompino-Marschall in the early 90th of the last century as a young scientist when Bernd already was Professor in Berlin. I thank him especially for supporting me in my hard years between PhD and getting my permanent position at RWTH Aachen University. In these years I always was welcome to visit his Lab at ZAS and at Humboldt University of Berlin and I was employed in Berlin from 1999 to 2000. Great times! I learned a lot! Thank you for all, Bernd!