We first provide a brief introduction to the Gong system, available free for non-profit use from ... more We first provide a brief introduction to the Gong system, available free for non-profit use from http://gong.ust.hk. We introduce current features of the system and provide some indications of how they may be used to enhance learning. We then describe new features of the Gong system to be supported in the forthcoming release, version 6. This version will include the ability to broadcast any voice board in the system as a podcast, with no extra effort required by Gong users. Furthermore, the Gong system will support the import of any podcast. This provides an easy way for learning materials to be taken into the system. Such materials can then subsequently operate as a regular Gong voice board, and can be repeatedly played, commented on by students and staff, indexed for advanced content access, and so on. It is anticipated that these features will greatly enhance the usefulness of the Gong system for learning.
Abstract The Gong system is a Web-based voice communication,system (http://gong.ust.hk). It allow... more Abstract The Gong system is a Web-based voice communication,system (http://gong.ust.hk). It allows people to communicate,in discussion groups using text and audio over the Internet. Major features of the system include voice indexing, selective word/phrase playback, voice speed-up/slow-down, real-time recordable voice chat and the support for multiple languages such as English, Chinese and Japanese. This paper discusses two different aspects of content development and management,using the Gong
1D and 2D digital waveguides are already established as important elements in physical modeling c... more 1D and 2D digital waveguides are already established as important elements in physical modeling constructions. This paper describes a program which has been developed for sound experimentation using three dimensional digital waveguide structures. Arbitrary waveguide structures may be created and displayed in three dimensions. They may be rotated and viewed in a number of visualization modalities. Acoustic impulses may be applied to any element within the waveguide structure through the use of a `virtual' hammer. A `virtual' microphone may then be positioned to determine the acoustic response at any other point within the waveguide structure. Impulse sequences may be read and written to sound files at a sampling rate of 44100Hz. 1 Introduction A digital waveguide is a method that has been developed for simulating the propagation and transformation of waves across a medium (such as air, or strings). One dimensional waveguides have been employed for the simulation of vibrating ...
The series of beats in an arbitrary piece of music typically do not have a precisely consistent i... more The series of beats in an arbitrary piece of music typically do not have a precisely consistent interval of time between them. A study was carried out to analyze beat deviation. Five musicians tapped beat sequences for 50 recordings taken from 16 different categories of music. A power curve was proposed to represent the beat deviation. The curve is shown to capture the majority (96.9%) of the beat data entered by the subjects in this study, with a minimum chance of nonbeat events being accepted as valid beats. The proposed power curve equation is compared to others in published research. Measures of BPM deviation used in previous studies are also considered.
This paper considers the nature of real-time visual feedback for vocal analysis and development a... more This paper considers the nature of real-time visual feedback for vocal analysis and development and presents a new software tool, called ALBERT (acoustic and laryngeal biofeedback enhancement in real time), designed for use with those developing their voices professionally. This tool embodies several important issues in the provision of real-time visual feedback, including: (a) support for user-configurable visual displays, (b) the ability to use colour as a complementary or sole medium for the presentation of information, (c) the ability to combine algorithmically any number of vocal parameters to create a new single parameter representative of some aspect of vocal measurement which may be displayed and updated in real time, and (d) a rate of information update which may be altered by the user at any point for the most appropriate use according to the context of the feedback task. Several examples of system use are given, including the real-time display of fundamental frequency, ji...
ABSTRACT Web services provide efficient development and deployment of interoperable and reusable ... more ABSTRACT Web services provide efficient development and deployment of interoperable and reusable applications. Multimedia Web services is an implementation of multimedia applications within the Web services framework. However, current Web services standards are not sufficient to cater for multimedia streaming, the commonly used delivery method for large multimedia objects. In this paper, a SOAP-based streaming content delivery framework for multimedia Web services is proposed. The framework uses an extension of existing SOAP standards which allows streaming content to be transmitted between two SOAP nodes over the HTTP protocol. The extension includes a new SOAP streaming message exchange pattern and its corresponding SOAP HTTP binding. The proposed framework is capable of delivering quality adaptive multimedia content to users with heterogeneous configurations and requirements. By incorporating a proxy server between the service provider and requester the efficiency of the content delivery can be improved using multimedia caching.
Seventh IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT 2007), 2007
... org/TR/ws-arch/ [6] G. Vossen and P. Westerkamp, “E-learning as a Web service ... part2/ [14]... more ... org/TR/ws-arch/ [6] G. Vossen and P. Westerkamp, “E-learning as a Web service ... part2/ [14] N. Mitra (eds.), “SOAP Version 1.2 Part 0: Primer”, W3C Recommendation, W3C, 24 ... 17] P. Dodds and SE Thropp, “SCORM 2004 3rd Edition Content Aggregation Model (CAM) Version ...
ABSTRACT In order to increase the power of virtual environments, several different attempts have ... more ABSTRACT In order to increase the power of virtual environments, several different attempts have been made to incorporate sound interactivity in some form. For example, several implementations of virtual environments permit the playing of a previously recorded soundfile upon the triggering of an associated event. The user may then, for instance, perceive the sound of a creaky door when one is opened. However, a relatively more effective system for entertaining joint audio and visual response may be derived by using physical modelling techniques. We have undertaken a pilot investigation in which virtual objects are implemented in a manner such that they implicitly possess vibration properties analogous to that of the real world. Consequently these objects are able to vibrate in response to stimulus. The vibrations may be visually perceived as, for example, wave patterns on the surface of an object, and acoustically perceived by mapping values representative of surface displacement to a loudspeaker. This paper discusses the current state of the project.
ABSTRACT Previous studies have indicated that trained and untrained voice users exhibit a mean sp... more ABSTRACT Previous studies have indicated that trained and untrained voice users exhibit a mean speaking voice fundamental frequency (FO) at a particular percentage point relative to their complete voice FO range. However, as these observations are based on separate groups of subjects, it may be that there are physiological reasons for this. This paper presents a pilot investigation into the relationship between FO and complete voice range. For the study an assessment is made of the mean FO performance of two subjects assessed before, during and after a short course of vocal tuition. It is observed that the mean speaking voice fundamental frequency of both subjects exhibits a generally consistent tendency towards a point at approximately 17% of the total FO range.
This article reports the design and implementation of a graphical display that presents an approx... more This article reports the design and implementation of a graphical display that presents an approximation to vocal tract area in real time for voiced vowel articulation. The acoustic signal is digitally sampled by the system. From these data a set of reflection coefficients is derived using linear predictive coding. A matrix of area coefficients is then determined that approximates the vocal tract area of the user. From this information a graphical display is then generated. The complete cycle of analysis and display is repeated at approximately 20 times/s. Synchronised audio and visual sequences can be recorded and used as dynamic targets for articulatory development. Use of the system is illustrated by diagrams of system output for spoken cardinal vowels and for vowels sung in a trained and untrained style.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1996
This paper describes an investigation into the developmental nature of the voice under training w... more This paper describes an investigation into the developmental nature of the voice under training with and without the influence of real-time visually presented biofeedback. Two subjects who had not previously experienced any form of vocal training took six singing lessons. One was taught conventionally, while the other was taught with the aid of a system known as Acoustic and Laryngeal Biofeedback Enhancement Real Time (ALBERT). Real-time biofeedback was presented based upon measures of (i) larynx closed quotient (CQ), (ii) spectral amplitude in the singer's formant frequency band relative to the spectral amplitude of the full band (ratio), and (iii) both parameters combined in a manner based on previously observed correlations between them. Results indicate generally increased sound pressure levels (SPL) of acoustic output and generally consistent increases in the level of CQ and ratio across consecutive lessons for both subjects.
ABSTRACT The transfer of streaming data is not well supported by current web services standards. ... more ABSTRACT The transfer of streaming data is not well supported by current web services standards. To include multimedia streaming support in the web services domain, this paper presents a novel multimedia streaming web services framework for the transfer of streaming multimedia content. First, the framework includes an implementation of a query service for publishing a description of the multimedia content that is input to or output from a multimedia web service. This query service is specified in an extension of WSDL. Using MPEG-7 metadata, content descriptions can be queried before the invocation of a multimedia web service. Second, two new MEPs and their SOAP HTTP bindings are created for the exchange of streaming data between two SOAP endpoints. The implementations of these new MEPs use the MIME multipart/related structure and MTOM packaging when transferring the multimedia packets as SOAP messages. To reduce the transfer overhead introduced by the packaging method, this paper investigated extensively the application of various compression schemes for the SOAP messages as well as for the packaging of the binary packet data. Experiments show that the proposed framework can achieve a performance comparable to a simple HTTP multimedia streaming method.
Advanced Tools, Technologies, and Applications, 2010
... Jogesh K. Muppala (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China), Sea... more ... Jogesh K. Muppala (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China), Sean McMinn (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China), David Rossiter (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong ...
We first provide a brief introduction to the Gong system, available free for non-profit use from ... more We first provide a brief introduction to the Gong system, available free for non-profit use from http://gong.ust.hk. We introduce current features of the system and provide some indications of how they may be used to enhance learning. We then describe new features of the Gong system to be supported in the forthcoming release, version 6. This version will include the ability to broadcast any voice board in the system as a podcast, with no extra effort required by Gong users. Furthermore, the Gong system will support the import of any podcast. This provides an easy way for learning materials to be taken into the system. Such materials can then subsequently operate as a regular Gong voice board, and can be repeatedly played, commented on by students and staff, indexed for advanced content access, and so on. It is anticipated that these features will greatly enhance the usefulness of the Gong system for learning.
Abstract The Gong system is a Web-based voice communication,system (http://gong.ust.hk). It allow... more Abstract The Gong system is a Web-based voice communication,system (http://gong.ust.hk). It allows people to communicate,in discussion groups using text and audio over the Internet. Major features of the system include voice indexing, selective word/phrase playback, voice speed-up/slow-down, real-time recordable voice chat and the support for multiple languages such as English, Chinese and Japanese. This paper discusses two different aspects of content development and management,using the Gong
1D and 2D digital waveguides are already established as important elements in physical modeling c... more 1D and 2D digital waveguides are already established as important elements in physical modeling constructions. This paper describes a program which has been developed for sound experimentation using three dimensional digital waveguide structures. Arbitrary waveguide structures may be created and displayed in three dimensions. They may be rotated and viewed in a number of visualization modalities. Acoustic impulses may be applied to any element within the waveguide structure through the use of a `virtual' hammer. A `virtual' microphone may then be positioned to determine the acoustic response at any other point within the waveguide structure. Impulse sequences may be read and written to sound files at a sampling rate of 44100Hz. 1 Introduction A digital waveguide is a method that has been developed for simulating the propagation and transformation of waves across a medium (such as air, or strings). One dimensional waveguides have been employed for the simulation of vibrating ...
The series of beats in an arbitrary piece of music typically do not have a precisely consistent i... more The series of beats in an arbitrary piece of music typically do not have a precisely consistent interval of time between them. A study was carried out to analyze beat deviation. Five musicians tapped beat sequences for 50 recordings taken from 16 different categories of music. A power curve was proposed to represent the beat deviation. The curve is shown to capture the majority (96.9%) of the beat data entered by the subjects in this study, with a minimum chance of nonbeat events being accepted as valid beats. The proposed power curve equation is compared to others in published research. Measures of BPM deviation used in previous studies are also considered.
This paper considers the nature of real-time visual feedback for vocal analysis and development a... more This paper considers the nature of real-time visual feedback for vocal analysis and development and presents a new software tool, called ALBERT (acoustic and laryngeal biofeedback enhancement in real time), designed for use with those developing their voices professionally. This tool embodies several important issues in the provision of real-time visual feedback, including: (a) support for user-configurable visual displays, (b) the ability to use colour as a complementary or sole medium for the presentation of information, (c) the ability to combine algorithmically any number of vocal parameters to create a new single parameter representative of some aspect of vocal measurement which may be displayed and updated in real time, and (d) a rate of information update which may be altered by the user at any point for the most appropriate use according to the context of the feedback task. Several examples of system use are given, including the real-time display of fundamental frequency, ji...
ABSTRACT Web services provide efficient development and deployment of interoperable and reusable ... more ABSTRACT Web services provide efficient development and deployment of interoperable and reusable applications. Multimedia Web services is an implementation of multimedia applications within the Web services framework. However, current Web services standards are not sufficient to cater for multimedia streaming, the commonly used delivery method for large multimedia objects. In this paper, a SOAP-based streaming content delivery framework for multimedia Web services is proposed. The framework uses an extension of existing SOAP standards which allows streaming content to be transmitted between two SOAP nodes over the HTTP protocol. The extension includes a new SOAP streaming message exchange pattern and its corresponding SOAP HTTP binding. The proposed framework is capable of delivering quality adaptive multimedia content to users with heterogeneous configurations and requirements. By incorporating a proxy server between the service provider and requester the efficiency of the content delivery can be improved using multimedia caching.
Seventh IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT 2007), 2007
... org/TR/ws-arch/ [6] G. Vossen and P. Westerkamp, “E-learning as a Web service ... part2/ [14]... more ... org/TR/ws-arch/ [6] G. Vossen and P. Westerkamp, “E-learning as a Web service ... part2/ [14] N. Mitra (eds.), “SOAP Version 1.2 Part 0: Primer”, W3C Recommendation, W3C, 24 ... 17] P. Dodds and SE Thropp, “SCORM 2004 3rd Edition Content Aggregation Model (CAM) Version ...
ABSTRACT In order to increase the power of virtual environments, several different attempts have ... more ABSTRACT In order to increase the power of virtual environments, several different attempts have been made to incorporate sound interactivity in some form. For example, several implementations of virtual environments permit the playing of a previously recorded soundfile upon the triggering of an associated event. The user may then, for instance, perceive the sound of a creaky door when one is opened. However, a relatively more effective system for entertaining joint audio and visual response may be derived by using physical modelling techniques. We have undertaken a pilot investigation in which virtual objects are implemented in a manner such that they implicitly possess vibration properties analogous to that of the real world. Consequently these objects are able to vibrate in response to stimulus. The vibrations may be visually perceived as, for example, wave patterns on the surface of an object, and acoustically perceived by mapping values representative of surface displacement to a loudspeaker. This paper discusses the current state of the project.
ABSTRACT Previous studies have indicated that trained and untrained voice users exhibit a mean sp... more ABSTRACT Previous studies have indicated that trained and untrained voice users exhibit a mean speaking voice fundamental frequency (FO) at a particular percentage point relative to their complete voice FO range. However, as these observations are based on separate groups of subjects, it may be that there are physiological reasons for this. This paper presents a pilot investigation into the relationship between FO and complete voice range. For the study an assessment is made of the mean FO performance of two subjects assessed before, during and after a short course of vocal tuition. It is observed that the mean speaking voice fundamental frequency of both subjects exhibits a generally consistent tendency towards a point at approximately 17% of the total FO range.
This article reports the design and implementation of a graphical display that presents an approx... more This article reports the design and implementation of a graphical display that presents an approximation to vocal tract area in real time for voiced vowel articulation. The acoustic signal is digitally sampled by the system. From these data a set of reflection coefficients is derived using linear predictive coding. A matrix of area coefficients is then determined that approximates the vocal tract area of the user. From this information a graphical display is then generated. The complete cycle of analysis and display is repeated at approximately 20 times/s. Synchronised audio and visual sequences can be recorded and used as dynamic targets for articulatory development. Use of the system is illustrated by diagrams of system output for spoken cardinal vowels and for vowels sung in a trained and untrained style.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1996
This paper describes an investigation into the developmental nature of the voice under training w... more This paper describes an investigation into the developmental nature of the voice under training with and without the influence of real-time visually presented biofeedback. Two subjects who had not previously experienced any form of vocal training took six singing lessons. One was taught conventionally, while the other was taught with the aid of a system known as Acoustic and Laryngeal Biofeedback Enhancement Real Time (ALBERT). Real-time biofeedback was presented based upon measures of (i) larynx closed quotient (CQ), (ii) spectral amplitude in the singer's formant frequency band relative to the spectral amplitude of the full band (ratio), and (iii) both parameters combined in a manner based on previously observed correlations between them. Results indicate generally increased sound pressure levels (SPL) of acoustic output and generally consistent increases in the level of CQ and ratio across consecutive lessons for both subjects.
ABSTRACT The transfer of streaming data is not well supported by current web services standards. ... more ABSTRACT The transfer of streaming data is not well supported by current web services standards. To include multimedia streaming support in the web services domain, this paper presents a novel multimedia streaming web services framework for the transfer of streaming multimedia content. First, the framework includes an implementation of a query service for publishing a description of the multimedia content that is input to or output from a multimedia web service. This query service is specified in an extension of WSDL. Using MPEG-7 metadata, content descriptions can be queried before the invocation of a multimedia web service. Second, two new MEPs and their SOAP HTTP bindings are created for the exchange of streaming data between two SOAP endpoints. The implementations of these new MEPs use the MIME multipart/related structure and MTOM packaging when transferring the multimedia packets as SOAP messages. To reduce the transfer overhead introduced by the packaging method, this paper investigated extensively the application of various compression schemes for the SOAP messages as well as for the packaging of the binary packet data. Experiments show that the proposed framework can achieve a performance comparable to a simple HTTP multimedia streaming method.
Advanced Tools, Technologies, and Applications, 2010
... Jogesh K. Muppala (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China), Sea... more ... Jogesh K. Muppala (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China), Sean McMinn (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China), David Rossiter (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong ...
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