Investigations on design methodology of functional voices

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24650085
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Perception information processing/Intelligent robotics
• Research Institution: Wakayama University
• Principal Investigator: KAWAHARA Hideki 和歌山大学, システム工学部, 教授 (40294300)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MORISE Masanobu 山梨大学, 大学院医学工学総合研究部, 助教 (60510013)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
• Keywords: 音声合成 / 音声知覚 / 音声コミュニケーション / 音声インタフェース / 非言語

Research Abstract

Aiming at establishing a design methodology of voice attributes to facilitate understanding, affection, alert and safety feeling by non-linguistic voice aspects, this research project was conducted. It was based on a de facto standard speech research framework STRAIGHT, developed by the prime investigator and yielded several useful research tools. A highly accurate and computationally efficient F0 extractor with higher temporal resolution than conventional methods is an example of such extension and development. In this course of investigations, a revolutionary new morphing framework was invented. The new method is capable of morphing arbitrary many voice examples in one shot procedure with individual control of each physical speech parameter and enabled time dependent weight setting. This new morphing method and other research products of the project provides basis of the substantially new research project.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Speaker perception (2014)
  • Author(s): Schweinberger, S. R., Kawahara, H., Simpson, A. P., Skuk, V. G. and Zäske, R.
  • Journal Title: WIRES Cognitive Science Volume: 5(1) Pages: 15-25
  • DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1261
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Controlling linguistic information and filtered sound identity for a new cross-synthesis vocoder (2013)
  • Author(s): Taiki Nishi, Ryuichi Nisimura, Toshio Irino and Hideki Kawahara
  • Journal Title: Acoustical Science and Technology Volume: 34(4) Pages: 287-288
  • DOI: 10.1250/ast.34.287
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] (2014)
  • Author(s): 坂口諒, 小林真優子, 入野俊夫, 西村竜一, 河原英紀
  • Organizer: 日本音響学会春季研究発表会
  • Place of Presentation: 東京 (1-R5-22)
  • Year and Date: 2014-03-11
• [Presentation] 外挿が可能な時変多属性任意事例数モーフィングを用いた文章音声好感度の改善について (2014)
  • Author(s): 吉元照貴, 西村竜一, 入野俊夫, 河原英紀
  • Organizer: 日本音響学会春季研究発表会
  • Place of Presentation: 東京 (1-R5-22)
  • Year and Date: 2014-03-10
• [Presentation] 文章音声の好感度評価と属性別モーフィングを用いた要因の検討について (2014)
  • Author(s): 吉元照貴, 西村竜一, 入野俊夫, 河原英紀
  • Organizer: 電子情報通信学会音声研究会
  • Place of Presentation: 名古屋
  • Year and Date: 2014-01-23
• [Presentation] Spectrally estimated vocal tract lengths of singing voices and their contributing factors (2013)
  • Author(s): M. Sakaguchi, M. Kobayashi, R. Nisimura, T. Irino, H. Kawahara
  • Organizer: MAVEBA 2013
  • Place of Presentation: Firenze Italy
  • Year and Date: 2013-12-17
• [Presentation] Temporally fine F0 extractor applied for frequency modulation power spectral analysis of singing voices (2013)
  • Author(s): H. Kawahara, M. Morise, K. Sakakibara
  • Organizer: MAVEBA 2013
  • Place of Presentation: Firenze Italy
  • Year and Date: 2013-12-17
• [Presentation] 基本周波数操作による音声の好感度改善に関連する物理的特徴の検討 (2013)
  • Author(s): 吉元照貴, 西村竜一, 入野俊夫, 河原英紀
  • Organizer: 日本音響学会秋季研究発表会
  • Place of Presentation: 豊橋 (1-P-11c)
  • Year and Date: 2013-09-25
• [Presentation] Controlling"shout"expression in a Japanese POP singing performance : analysis and suppression study (2013)
  • Author(s): Yuri Nishigaki, Ken-Ichi Sakakibara, Masanori Morise, Ryuichi Nisimura, Toshio Irino and Hideki Kawahara
  • Organizer: Interspeech2013
  • Place of Presentation: Lyon France
  • Year and Date: 2013-08-28
• [Presentation] Interference-free observation of temporal and spectral features in "shout" singing voices and their perceptual roles (2013)
  • Author(s): Hideki Kawahara, Masanori Morise and Ken-Ichi Sakakibara
  • Organizer: SMAC-SMC 2013
  • Place of Presentation: Stockholm Sweden
  • Year and Date: 2013-08-01
• [Presentation] Modulation transfer function design for a flexible cross synthesis VOCODER based on F0 adaptive spectral envelope recovery (2012)
  • Author(s): Taiki Nishi, Ryuichi Nisimura, Toshio Irino, Hideki Kawahara
  • Organizer: APSIPA ASC 2012
  • Place of Presentation: Hollywood, CA, USA
  • Year and Date: 2012-12-06
• [Presentation] An interference- free representation of group delay for periodic signals (2012)
  • Author(s): Hideki Kawahara, Masanori Morise, Ryuichi Nisimura and Toshio Irino
  • Organizer: APSIPA ASC 2012
  • Place of Presentation: Hollywood, CA, USA
  • Year and Date: 2012-12-06
• [Presentation] Deviation measure of waveformsymmetry and its application to high- speed and temporally- fine F0 extraction for vocal sound texture manipulation (2012)
  • Author(s): Hideki Kawahara, Masanori Morise, Ryuichi Nisimura, Toshio Irino
  • Organizer: Interspeech2012
  • Place of Presentation: Portland, OR, USA
  • Year and Date: 2012-09-10
• [Presentation] Inharmonic Speech : A Tool for the Study of Speech Perception and Separatio (2012)
  • Author(s): Josh H. McDermott, Daniel P. W. Ellis and Hideki Kawahara
  • Organizer: SAPA- Scale Conference 2012
  • Place of Presentation: Portland, OR, USA
  • Year and Date: 2012-09-09
• [Presentation] 音源およびスペクトル包絡の時間的微細構造の加工と歌唱音声の印象への影響について (2012)
  • Author(s): 河原英紀, 森勢将雅, 西村竜一, 入野俊夫
  • Organizer: 情報処理学会第95回音楽情報科学研究会
  • Place of Presentation: 東京
  • Year and Date: 2012-06-02
• [Presentation] 楽器音や動物の鳴声の音色と音声の言語情報を保持したクロス合成VOCODER (2012)
  • Author(s): 西大輝, 西村竜一, 入野俊夫, 河原英紀
  • Organizer: 情報処理学会第95回音楽情報科学研究会
  • Place of Presentation: 東京
  • Year and Date: 2012-06-02