International Journal of Phonosurgery & Laryngology

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VOLUME 13 , ISSUE 1 ( January-June, 2023 ) > List of Articles

Original Article

Assessing the Reliability of a Mobile Phone Recorder in Acoustic Voice Analysis: A Cross-sectional Study

Anagha A Joshi, Nishigandha V Nehete, Pushkaraj A Kulkarni, Vaishnavi R Sangle, Renuka A Bradoo, Varun Dave

Keywords : Coronavirus disease 2019 infection, Dr Speech software, Microphone, Mobile phone recorder, Voice analysis

Citation Information : Joshi AA, Nehete NV, Kulkarni PA, Sangle VR, Bradoo RA, Dave V. Assessing the Reliability of a Mobile Phone Recorder in Acoustic Voice Analysis: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Phonosurg Laryngol 2023; 13 (1):5-8.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10023-1243

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 30-06-2023

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2023; The Author(s).


Abstract

Aim: To study the variability in acoustic voice parameters captured by different recording devices using the Dr Speech™ software program. Materials and methods: A total of 60 participants were evaluated in a cross-sectional study for a period of 4 months from September to December 2019. A total of 25 of these participants had no voice abnormality, whereas 35 had a known voice disorder. Voices of study participants were recorded using an inbuilt mobile phone and the microphone provided by Dr Speech™ software company. The voice recorded by mobile phone recorder was converted in 16-bit, 44100 Hz, .wav format using Audacity™ software as it was the requirement to analyze voice in Dr Speech™ software. Both sets of voice recordings were then analyzed using the Dr Speech™ software. Results: Voice recordings were made using the microphone provided by Dr Speech software company and compared with the recordings made using the mobile phone recorder. We observed no statistically significant difference between voice parameters from both recordings except in a few parameters like shimmer and harmonic to noise ratio (HNR). We conclude that there is a correlation between the acoustic voice parameters of voices recorded by the microphone of Dr Speech™ software company and the in-built recorder of a mobile phone except few. Using the mobile phone recorder, the voice parameters of study participants with normal voices were compared with those with voice disorders, and the difference was found to be statistically significant. This suggested that mobile phones could differentiate between normal and diseased voices. Conclusion: The result of this cross-sectional study indicated that voices recorded using a mobile phone could be effectively used for voice analysis in certain difficult conditions. Clinical significance: Patients can record their voices on their personal mobile phones and send the recording as an attachment to the treating laryngologist. This will be convenient and cost-saving, with no requirement for a patient to travel to the healthcare center repeatedly; it also helps in reducing the risk of transmission of any infection, especially coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).


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