Hello all,

Throat microphones! - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throat_microphone

I am wondering if any of you have experience with these devices? I know they are not for recording the acoustic voice. In fact part of the design to allow for a whisper, so as not to give away locations in conflict.

They work via some kind piezo/transducer that sits on the larynx to create a signal. They seem like potentially fruitful devices partly due to the hands-free, no background noise and no worrying about directionality.

My main use case is to reproduce a signal from of a human humming a simple melody with enough accuracy so that DSP could convert the signal to a midi with note on / note off and frequency. It would be awesome if this could be done in real-time.

Any thoughts or ideas? Please rip it to pieces if you can. I'd like to know straight off the bat if it's an avenue worth perservering with...

Thanks!

 

I have no clue but it's a cool idea.

 

You can just use a regulr mic and sing/hum/whistle and in realtime turn it into MIDI with Jam Origin MIDI Guitar 2.

 

This here might interest you.

It's set to play at the throat microphone part, but the whole video is pretty damn interesting, even if you're not a fan of the genre. Especially interesting is that this guy built pretty much all of his equipment himself.|

Okay, so it doesn't start at the right point. Sorry! Skip forward to 8:26.

Sorry again, @DoubleSharp

 

Last edited: Mar 19, 2023

Is this a standalone iOS app or can it be ran from a daw? I'm curious to know how that app performs with complex polyphonic guitar to midi. IE if I gave it a neatened Tommy Emmanuel signal, will it convert it into midi? Im skeptical of how good it is, and it would need to be good for the money.

I think my friend has Sonuus Mono Guitar to Midi which is maybe a possibility. I'm pretty sure monophonic to midi is very easy, low performance op which theoretically pretty easy to hook up.

It's really all about how effective throat mics are at capturing the fundamental f or someone humming.

 

Ah no, that doesn't fill me with confidence. It does look like an old school piece of airforce kit, perhaps a more modern mic would be good. I've heard of throat mics being used in acting, so they must be pretty good for voice. Thanks for suggesting the vid.

 

I've no doubt much more modern ones a way better. But you're very welcome! Good luck with your hunt!

 

Jam Origin MIDI Guitar 2 is awesome! It handles polyphonic (in realtime) with ease. But a voice is monophonic. I'm not sure what you are asking anymore. What is it that you want to do, originally?

 

@DoubleSharp I've been thinking because I knew I had seen something before, and I managed to find it. It don't know if this is exactly what you're looking for, and it is a bit pricey.

https://vochlea.com/

Or this.

https://bace.app/

 

Hey y'all,

Thanks for all the feedback.

Ah yeah, so I wasn't thinking of using that with the throat mic. I was generally intrigued by how effective the app is. I own a couple of Rock band pro guitars, which I think are reasonable attempts at midi guitar interfaces. I mainly use them for fingerstyle. But I'd deffo try Jam Origin Midi2 if it was polyphonic and accurate for fingerstyle. I'm skeptical, just because guitar signals and techniques aren't simple to midify.

The reason I want this as a pre-requisite is that I don't want the instruments I am playing to be picked by the mic. I want to be able to play a guitar or piano and be able to hum melodies and the meter as improv. In the hope I can cover more creative ground quickly and help with lyric writing. I also don't want to have to worry about singing into the mic.

For my use-case realtime isn't really a problem, I believe the daw I use, LogicX already has a pretty good audio to midi feature. I imagine the midi would nead some neatening up even if I went realtime, but realtime would provide for some other interesting use-cases.

I have a cheap throat mic on order, I'll let peope know how things go...

 

I can see advanced throat mikes being used with a vocal software to accurately replicate, duplicate any persons voice changing and controlling the timbre, inflection, dynamics and vocal charachteristics to anyone else's voice. I was thinking about the possibilities for this type of use with an early software product called the Lateral Solution Guitar Synth, developed around 2000 by its sole creator and developer, Ian Mold, who passed away from cancer in 2005. His software was a forerunner using ASIO that tracked all the strings on a guitar just like the Jam Origin Guitar Synth. Perhaps Jam origin bought his design and developed it into their product because I can't think of any other software that worked like this. With all the technology of today I can really see this being used for vocal replication, imagine being able to sing, talk and sound exactly like Louis Armstrong, Pavarotti, John Lennon or anyone else, the possibilities are endless. Vocal recognition, analysis and characteristics and inflection emulation will evolve into the forefront of software design. Perhaps I'm just getting a bit ahead in envisioning this, but the possibilities are endless, just imagine ......

 

Last edited: Mar 23, 2023

You can be how skeptical you want, but I'm telling you it's awesome (for both polyphonic guitar and monophonic voice). It tracks perfectly, in realtime. You don't need a "throat mic" for what you want to do (unless I'm missunderstanding what you are actually trying to do). Just set up a regular mic.
Good luck!

 

I can't stop thinking of Linda Lovelace.

 

I used to be a crew in soviet tanks at some point in my life. As a crew we had those soft-helmet (I don't know how to describe that gasket) with headphones implemented in the sides and below (on your throat) it had this leather strip that was used to hold the gasket on your head and 2 mics on your throat. You didn't have to tighten in till you choke. The mics only need to touch you. But we had lots of noise in the radio. Maybe due to transmission, maybe because of the hums generated by the engine, maybe the engine itself. But it sure wasn't something with low noise floor