University of Michigan
Phonetics and Phonology

Recording Room

Our lab is located on the fourth floor of Lorch Hall. It is equipped with a sound attenuated recording booth, DAT recorders, response boxes, and a variety of software available for performing and analyzing acoustic, perceptual, and aerodynamic experiments.

Portable Equipment

We also own a set of portable devices, including portable recording devices (DAT and cassette tape, flash drive), microphones, laptops, and response boxes, for the purpose of performing data collection and perceptual experiments off-site, as far as Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Greece.

EVA2

The EVA2 system measures oral and nasal airflow simultaneously, by measuring air pressure differences during continuous speech. The system is able to measure oral and nasal pressure independently by way of separating the airflow - oral airflow is directed by a silicone mask, while nasal airflow is captured by tubes placed at the entrance of the speaker's nostrils.

This type of machine is a pneumotachograph, in which air from the mouth/nose is passes through the mesh screen, and pressure transducers (in the white box) measure the drop in pressure across the screen. Because airflow equals pressure divided by the impedance of the pathway (this is the pneumatic version of Ohm's law), and the impedance of the mesh screen is known, airflow can thus be calculated directly.

The system is also capable of measuring intra-oral and sub-glottic pressure, through the creative use of catheters.

For technical specifications, please refer to the EVA2 homepage.