Background:
Acoustic voice analysis requires a resource intensive setup, including a soundproof booth. This project evaluates smartphone microphone and recording environment impacts on voice sample collection for acoustic voice analysis. A proprietary analysis algorithm is presented for validation.
Methods:
Microphone and recording environment were evaluated using previously collected voice samples presented in four conditions to test two microphones and two recording environments. Prospective samples were used to test the proprietary algorithm, whereby samples were analyzed using this and Praat.
Results:
Microphone and recording environment had small, clinically unimportant impacts on most measurements. The proprietary algorithm reliably analyzed sustained vowels, with strong correlation to the Praat results. Continuous speech analysis was less reliable.
Conclusion:
Smartphone microphones are adequate for voice sample collection. Quiet, non-soundproof settings can be used for voice collection. The proprietary algorithm represents a reliable method to analyze sustained vowel samples. Some improvements are necessary before continuous speech analysis can be considered valid
