This java applet simulates sound waves in the human vocal tract to
The vocal tract acts as an acoustic filter to
shape the spectrum of the sound produced by the vocal chords. To
produce different vowels, we move the tongue and lips to create a
filter of a certain shape; these shapes produce the desired vowel
sounds. If we make a tube
with similar length and cross section,
and excite it with a source similar to the vocal chords, we can
make sounds that
like vowels. The applet simulates this process by calculating the
frequency response of such a tube and creating a digital filter with
the same response.
When starting up, the applet will be playing an "ah" sound. If you get a message
"Need java 2 for sound", then you should get the
change the vowel sound using the "Filter" popup menu at upper right.
You can also make a whisper-like sound by changing the "Input" popup
menu to "Noise".
Zip archive of this applet.
Version 1.0, posted 12/3/09