Digital waveguide mesh modeling of the vocal tract acoustics

The digital waveguide mesh is a technique used in the modelling of room acoustics and musical instruments. The paper details a project that applies the theory of waveguide mesh acoustic modelling to the production of human-like vowel sounds. A 2D software mesh model is created that approximates the shape of the vocal tract in different vowel positions, and a glottal flow input is applied. The resulting signal bears similar resonant frequencies or formants to that of recorded speech. Recommendations are made towards extending the model to include some of the more complex features of the mouth, potentially constructing an acoustical model of the human vocal tract capable of creating speech sounds of increased naturalness.