Speech Processing and Synthesis Toolboxes
Strike a balance between theory and practice! With this text, you'll, find a balance between theory and practice that allows you to build your understanding of the basic concepts, assumptions, and limitations of the theory of speech analysis and synthesis. The methods for data analysis as well as the theoretical background are provided to help you comprehend the analysis results. And you'll be able to study the features and properties of speech as a signal without having to record data and write software to analyze the data. The text includes two CDs that contain stand-alone and MATLAB software and speech and electroglottographic data. The CDs illustrate the effects that speech models and speech analysis procedures have on the quality of synthesized speech. An extensive speech database provides numerous speech files and other data. Examples included in each chapter demonstrate how to use the software. The CDs allow you to:
* Calculate the parameters of linear prediction speech models.
* Examine procedures for converting the speech of one speaker to sound like that of another speaker (i.e., voice conversion).
* Analyze and alter the temporal structure of the speech signal. This allows you to automatically parse speech into various features, such as voiced segments, unvoiced segments, nasal and non-nasal segments, fricatives, stops, and more.
* Create speech with a "high speaking rate" or generate speech with a "slow speaking rate."
* Adjust the parameters of the vocal fold model to change the vocal fold tension, length, thickness, mass, etc., in order to observe the effects of these parameters on the vibratory motion of the vocal folds.
Why Read This Book
You will get a pragmatic bridge between speech‑signal theory and hands‑on algorithm development: the book explains the assumptions and limitations behind common analysis and synthesis methods while supplying ready‑to‑run toolboxes and a large speech/EGG database so you can experiment without recording data. You will learn how standard DSP building blocks (FFT, spectral analysis, digital filters, LPC, vocoders) are applied to real speech problems and how analysis choices affect synthesized speech quality.
Who Will Benefit
Practicing engineers, graduate students, and researchers in speech/audio and DSP who want MATLAB‑based, experimentally validated tools to analyze, prototype, and synthesize speech signals.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Basic signals & systems and probability (undergraduate DSP level), linear algebra, calculus, and familiarity with MATLAB (or willingness to learn it).
Key Takeaways
- Implement and interpret spectral analysis and FFT‑based methods for speech signals
- Apply linear predictive coding (LPC) and source‑filter models to analyze and synthesize speech
- Design and use digital filters and windowing strategies appropriate for speech processing
- Synthesize speech with vocoders and evaluate how model choices affect perceived quality
- Analyze glottal source behavior using electroglottographic (EGG) data and associated tools
- Prototype and validate DSP algorithms using the included MATLAB toolboxes and datasets
Topics Covered
- Introduction to Speech Signals and Toolboxes
- Time‑Domain and Perceptual Properties of Speech
- Spectral Analysis and the FFT: Windows, Resolution, and Smoothing
- Linear Predictive Analysis and Inverse Filtering
- Source–Filter Models and Vocoder Synthesis
- Pitch, Prosody, and Voicing Analysis
- Formant Extraction, Tracking, and Applications
- Electroglottography (EGG) and Glottal Waveform Analysis
- Digital Filter Design and Implementation for Speech
- Adaptive and Statistical Methods in Speech Processing
- Evaluation of Synthesized Speech and Perceptual Considerations
- Using the MATLAB Toolboxes and Stand‑Alone Software (CD datasets and examples)
- Case Studies and Worked Examples
- Appendices: Data Formats, Software Notes, and Reference Materials
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
Compared with Rabiner & Schafer's classic, theory‑centric texts, Childers is much more hands‑on—providing MATLAB toolboxes and data—while newer texts like Gold & Morgan emphasize modern audio applications; Childers stands out for its practical software and EGG data focus.
