V3: an interactive real-time visualization of vocal vibrations

Abstract

Our voice is an important part of our individuality but the relationship we have with our own voice is not obvious. We don't hear it the same way others do, and our brain treats it differently from any other sound we hear [Houde et al. 2002]. Yet its sonority is highly linked to our body and mind, and deeply connected with how we are perceived by society and how we see ourselves. The V3 system (Vocal Vibrations Visualization) offers a interactive visualization of vocal vibration patterns. We developed the hexauscultation mask, a head set sensor that measures bioacoustic signals from the voice at 6 points of the face and throat. Those signals are sent and processed to offer a real-time visualization of the relative vibration intensities at the 6 measured points. This system can be used in various situations such as vocal training, tool design for the deaf community, design of HCI for speech disorder treatment and prosody acquisition but also simply for personal vocal exploration.