The assessment of voice is typically accompanied by an acoustic analysis of the recorded voice signal, which is captured by a microphone. However, the reliability of this analysis is frequently undermined by a lack of adequate signal calibration or the inability to regulate the acoustic environment during the recording process. The utilization of sound-capture equipment that is not reliant on air-conducted soundwaves, such as piezoelectric transducers, could potentially assist in mitigating the challenges associated with acoustic analysis in less controlled settings.
Aim: To assess the degree of agreement between acoustic parameters of a piezoelectric transducer and a microphone in the analysis of a synthesized vowel.
Methods: Six vowels were synthetized using three distinct frequencies and two varying intensities. Two simultaneous signals were recorded: one from a microphone positioned in proximity to the loudspeaker, akin to the positioning of a human head, and the other from a piezoelectric transducer placed on the membrane of the loudspeaker. The calibration was ensured by a decibel meter during the entire procedure. Several acoustic measures were analyzed for each vowel. Bland-Altman plots were generated for each pair of parameters (microphone-transducer).
Results: The mean difference lines are all approximately zero, indicating that all parameters exhibit reduced biases. The spread of differences was not the same for all parameters. However, no tendency was found for any of the parameters. There are no observations outside the limits of agreement.
Conclusion: The parameters under examination demonstrated a satisfactory degree of agreement, although the clinical interpretation of the findings remains a subject for further investigation.