New Technology and Equipment in the Voice Studio
Music and technology are combining to enhance both the production of music and the capacities of the human voice (Moore, 1992). Electronic musical instruments such as synthesizers and sequencers have changed the face of traditional music and when they were introduced, these technologies were seen as a logical step in the development of music as an art form (Moore, 1992).
More recently, computerized and other electronic technologies have been created that reproduce singers' voices and permit the analysis and encoding of singers' voices and singing styles (Neesham, 1996). New synthesizers and other equipment known as spectrogram technology have been created that augment traditional methods of studio teaching (Nair, 1997).
Nair (1997) identified the spectrogram as a computer-generated display that produces a visual representation of the partials of an acoustical signal over time. The spectrogram has been in use since the 1940s and is recognized as an indispensable tool in the hands of voice researchers. Until relatively recently, the technology has been too expensive and therefore unavailable to anyone except those working in extremely well-equipped laboratories. Nair (1997) pointed out that some teachers, such as Richard Miller at Oberlin, have had the luxury of budgets permitting the purchase of spectrographic equipment have employed these tools in practical studio application.
Nair (1997) has argued that the spectrogram should be widely utilized in the voice studio. The spectrogram functions as a diagnostic tool, a primary feedback tool for use in the voice studio and practice room, and as a corollary to more traditional methods of voice instruction.
The research problem to be addressed in the proposed thesis is stated as the following question: Is there any new technology and equipment that can be utilized in the voice
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