Abstract
An algorithm that operates in real-time to enhance the salient features of speech is described and its efficacy is evaluated. The Contrast Enhancement (CE) algorithm implements dynamic compressive gain and lateral inhibitory sidebands across channels in a modified winner-take-all circuit, which together produce a form of suppression that sharpens the dynamic spectrum. Normal-hearing listeners identified spectrally smeared consonants (VCVs) and vowels (hVds) in quiet and in noise. Consonant and vowel identification, especially in noise, were improved by the processing. The amount of improvement did not depend on the degree of spectral smearing or talker characteristics. For consonants, when results were analyzed according to phonetic feature, the most consistent improvement was for place of articulation. This is encouraging for hearing aid applications because confusions between consonants differing in place are a persistent problem for listeners with sensorineural hearing loss.
Highlights
This report describes outcomes from normal-hearing (NH) listeners of a real-time signal-processing algorithm, the Contrast Enhancement (CE) algorithm, which was designed generally for communication devices and for hearing aids
A brief description of the filter bank circuit used for contrast enhancement is provided here, a more complete description of the signal processing is provided in Appendix S1
Large impairments in consonant identification associated with spectral smearing were improved when speech in quiet and in noise was first processed with the CE algorithm
Summary
This report describes outcomes from normal-hearing (NH) listeners of a real-time signal-processing algorithm, the Contrast Enhancement (CE) algorithm, which was designed generally for communication devices and for hearing aids. The Contrast Enhancement algorithm is so named because it was born out of research that demonstrates how perception of speech is contrastive to the spectral features of neighboring sounds [1]. Classic examples of these phenomena, known generally as contrast effects, take advantage of severe context dependence created by the spatial and temporal overlap of successive articulatory activities that characterize coarticulated speech. It is well known that the second formant frequency (F2) of vowels is highly influenced by its context when produced between two consonants [2]. Similar observations are made for consonants that are articulated between two vowels [3]
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