Sirvi Autor "Kala, Veeda" järgi

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Managing reverberant acoustics in singing by extending the plosive closures in vowel-plosive-vowel sequences
(University of California, 2025) Vurma, Allan; Meister, Einar; Meister, Lya; Ross, Jaan; Raju, Marju; Kala, Veeda; Dede, Tuuri
Poor intelligibility of sung text often occurs in reverberant rooms due to masking by the reverberation tail of the singer’s voice. This study investigates whether elongating the plosive closure phase can improve the recognition of voiceless plosives in vowel–plosive–vowel sequences sung in reverberant rooms. We hypothesize that a longer plosive closure allows the reverberation tail from the preceding vowel to decay before the plosive burst, thus reducing masking and enhancing plosive recognition. In Experiment I, 34 listeners heard stimuli (sung single-pitch vowel–plosive–vowel sequences) via headphones, with artificial reverberation and/or Brown Noise added to simulate different acoustics. Experiment II involved 33 listeners in a concert hall, where stimuli were played from a loudspeaker on the stage, and Brown Noise was played from a separate sound system. The plosive closure phase in the stimuli was edited using PRAAT software to durations 60 ms, 150 ms, or 260 ms. Recognition of plosives improved by up to 25 percentage points with longer closure phases, depending on the acoustic condition, burst intensity, and vowel pitch. Older listeners, and listeners seated in the back rows of the concert hall, showed poorer recognition. Extending the plosive closure phase generally did not improve plosive recognition in non-reverberant acoustics.
Ooperilauljate perspektiiv ja kogemus lauldud teksti selge häälduse saavutamises
(2023) Kala, Veeda
The role of voiced consonant duration in sung vowel-consonant and consonant-vowel recognition
(Acoustical Society of America, 2025) Vurma, Allan; Meister, Einar; Meister, Lya; Ross, Jaan; Raju, Marju; Kala, Veeda; Dede, Tuuri
Sung text intelligibility is often a problem, especially in reverberant acoustics, at high pitch, and in the presence of a loud accompaniment. This study aims to discover whether elongating the duration of voiced consonants /m/, /n/, /l/, and /v/ in sung vowel-consonant (VC) and consonant-vowel (CV) sequences improves their recognition. Perception tests were conducted with 42 participants, and the data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. Results showed that consonant durations of 20–35 ms are sufficient for a near-perfect recognition when singing at close-to speaking pitch in non-reverberant acoustics and without accompaniment. However, in reverberant acoustics for VC sequences, longer consonant durations allow the reverberation from the preceding vowel to fade more fully during the consonant, reducing masking by the room reverberation and thereby improving recognition. Also, elongating consonant duration up to about 200 ms (or even longer) improved consonant recognition in the case of stimuli with added Brown Noise, imitating orchestral accompaniment, whereas only negligible impact on the order of succession (CV versus VC) was observed. Recognition tended to be poorer at higher pitch and with longer reverberation
Vokaalpartii teksti selge kostmise saavutamine ooperiteatri kontekstis
(Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia, 2025) Kala, Veeda; Raju, Marju; Pappel, Kristel, toimetaja; Pesti, Madli, toimetaja
The sung text in opera is difficult for listeners to understand, even when sung in a language they know. Various explanations have been found for this, for example in the case of very high notes. However, opera texts remain incomprehensible in other cases as well. The goal of this research was to collect firsthand insights from singers regarding textual clarity, an aspect often overlooked in previous systematic studies. The study conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with professional opera singers from Europe and North America, conducted in Estonian (n = 11) and English (n = 19). As the problem concerns all voice types, all the singers who agreed to participate in the study and gave interviews were included in the work. Among the singers were three basses, three baritones, six tenors, one countertenor, six mezzo-sopranos, and eleven sopranos. This article focuses specifically on their reflections regarding the role of other professionals in supporting textual clarity. Although no direct questions were asked about these roles, the topic emerged spontaneously in several interviews. The findings suggest that improving text intelligibility in opera requires collaborative effort among singers, teachers, directors, conductors, production organizers, and even audiences.