| |
| | SYNTH SECRETS |
 | | Measurement and acoustic theory have demonstrated that the centre frequencies of these formants are related to simple anatomical properties such as the length and cross-section of the tube of air that comprises the vocal tract. |
 | | Now, ignoring the sounds of consonants for a moment, it's the formants that make it possible for us to differentiate different vowel sounds from one another (consonants are, to a large degree, noise bursts shaped by the tongue and lips, and we can model these using amplitude contours rather than spectral shapes). |
 | | In addition, the amplitudes of the formants are not equal, and the widths of the formants (expressed as 'Q') vary from person to person, and from sound to sound. |
| www.soundonsound.com /sos/mar01/articles/synthsec.asp (3430 words) |
|