Saw a talk today at the Brown Center for Faculty Innovation and Excellence at Stetson by Assistant Professor of Voice, Chadley Ballantyne, titled What’s the Buzz? Auditory roughness and vibrotactile awareness. It was fantastic! I admit, I know very little music theory in general (and absolutely nothing about vocal theory!), but Chad’s talk was still accessible and engaging. He both sang and demoed different voices in a spectrum analysis view with VoceVista. The talk highlighted intentional roughness and vibration that singers utilize, even though they exist at a spectral level that is almost undetectable and usually eclipsed by higher frequencies. Rather it affects the tactile sensation we experience when listening to their voice.
Kudos to Nathan Wolek booking such great guests as the Interim Director of the Brown Center this year. Thanks, Nathan!