Recording Setup

Each recording session utilized the following hardware components:

• Throat Microphone: Accelerometer-based contact microphone attached to the participant's throat area to capture vocal cord vibrations directly.
• Acoustic Microphone: High-quality condenser microphone positioned at a consistent distance from the participant's mouth to record standard speech audio.
• Audio Interface: Digital interface for simultaneous capture of both microphone inputs, ensuring synchronized recording.
• Pop Filter: Used with the acoustic microphone to reduce plosive sounds and breath noise.
• Monitoring Headphones: Closed-back headphones for participants to verify recording quality in real-time.

To ensure optimal recording quality, the following environmental conditions were maintained:

• Sound-treated Room: All recordings were conducted in a sound-treated environment with minimal ambient noise and echo.
• Consistent Positioning: Specific distances and angles were maintained between the participants and microphones across all recording sessions.
• Temperature and Humidity Control: The recording environment was kept at a comfortable temperature and humidity level to avoid affecting vocal performance.
• Background Noise Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of ambient noise levels to ensure they remained below acceptable thresholds.

Each recording session followed a structured protocol:

1. Equipment Calibration: All recording equipment was calibrated at the beginning of each session.
2. Microphone Placement: The throat microphone was carefully attached to the participant's throat area, while the acoustic microphone was positioned at an optimal distance.
3. Level Setting: Input levels were adjusted for each participant to prevent clipping or excessive noise.
4. Practice Readings: Participants were given time to familiarize themselves with the recording setup and material.
5. Recording Session: Participants read the provided script at a natural pace with regular breaks between segments.
6. Quality Verification: Each recording was reviewed for quality before proceeding to the next segment.

The recordings maintained the following technical specifications:

• Sampling Rate: Acoustic microphone recordings at 16 kHz, throat microphone initially at 8 kHz (later upsampled).
• Bit Depth: 16-bit for all recordings.
• File Format: Uncompressed WAV format to preserve audio quality.
• Channel Configuration: Mono recordings for each microphone type.
• Storage: Original recordings stored with redundant backups to prevent data loss.