Secrets of Beatboxing Revealed By MRI

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Secrets of Beatboxing Revealed By MRI

Posted by samzenpus on Monday July 15, 2013 @02:38AM from the mind-of-doug-e-fresh dept.

united_notions writes "An international team from UCSD and Philips Research have published a paper (article paywalled; extensive free related resources at UCS here) in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, showing the results of real-time magnetic resonance imaging conducted on a beatboxing performer. The authors make interesting comparisons to sounds in many minority languages around the world (such as the 'click' consonants in many African languages); they also show how beatboxing sounds can be represented using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)."

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That weird part of YouTube by filmorris · 2013-07-15 02:43 · Score: 2

Looks like these researchers landed on that weird part of YouTube again.

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good use of grant money by mwessel · 2013-07-15 02:45 · Score: 3

They use an mri machine for this? They charge patients 11k for it's use when they're sick.
1. Re:good use of grant money by gstoddart · 2013-07-15 02:54 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  So they should stop all forms of research until there are no sick people left? I'm sure they're not bumping critical patients to do this work.
  Sometimes in the process of learning how some of these things work, you can stumble on ways to help with other things.
  
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  Lost at C:>. Found at C.
2. Re: good use of grant money by Ferante125 · 2013-07-15 03:26 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  They do the scans on Sunday night when they are no patients ( I've been a subject in other experiments). But apart from that, if you think that there's no medical value to this research, you need to sit back and do something that enhances your imagination. They've also studied how cancer patients swallow. Besides the vocal tract, the heart is another organ that needs real time mri, so it's no gimmick. Also this research was from USC, not UCSD.
3. Re:good use of grant money by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 03:32 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  I once worked in a medical research center where they had a MRI machine, as well as a CT scanner. The funny thing is that a MRI has to be always powered on, so they were always looking for uses, because it was going to use energy whether you used it or not. For example, several coworkers that needed a scan had them done at the center and then transferred to the hospital, on the condition that the center would keep a copy of the data for future use.
4. Re:good use of grant money by Hatta · 2013-07-15 06:12 · Score: 1
  
  And they charge patients $400 for an aspirin. Actual costs have nothing to do with what a hospital bills.
  
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5. Re:good use of grant money by Hentes · 2013-07-15 07:40 · Score: 1
  
  No, he said that we should stop forms of research that cost a lot and produces no gains in economy, well-being or knowledge. While collecting random data can sometimes prove to be useful, concentrated research is far more efficient.
6. Re:good use of grant money by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 08:26 · Score: 0
  
  We all know the people to blame for that 11K cost are insurance providers --not researchers, doctors, patients, or anyone else.
Prior art? by PPH · 2013-07-15 02:46 · Score: 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bpIbdZhrzA

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Have gnu, will travel.
Secrets revealed? of Beatboxing? by TWX · 2013-07-15 02:52 · Score: 1

Sometimes I think that the world can stand for a little mystery...

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Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Re: Dammit... by stackdump · 2013-07-15 02:55 · Score: 2

Get a PhD
Re:Dammit... by TWX · 2013-07-15 02:55 · Score: 3, Funny

Step 1, spend about a decade getting a PhD.

Step 2, work for another, more senior researcher for a decade, building up credit in academic research.

Step 3, spend another decade writing grant proposals and doing research that ties into others' research or acts to confirm or refute others' research.

Step 4, write this grant proposal and begin this study

Step 5, profit!

Don't worry that it only took 30 years to get there...

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Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
A good example of the genre. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 02:59 · Score: 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gOwFjyl8Zg
A good example of the genre.
Live in Kalifornia, where Feinstein can earmark by raymorris · 2013-07-15 03:05 · Score: 0, Flamebait

Move to the People's Republic of Kalifornia, where Dianne Feinstein will earmark billions of dollars of taxpayer money for whatever stupid crap you want, in exchange for some favors of course.
1. Re:Live in Kalifornia, where Feinstein can earmark by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 03:17 · Score: 1
  
  Nevermind the fact that the UC system was gutted by Reagan when he was governor...It used to be nobody paid for college education at UC schools at all.
2. Re:Live in Kalifornia, where Feinstein can earmark by similar_name · 2013-07-15 05:52 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  California pays more in Federal taxes than it receives in earmarks. By and large, Blue states pay in more than they receive while Red states receive more than they pay in (Texas is one of, if not the only, exception to this). So, while Democrats are generally thought of as being for bigger federal government and Republicans are for smaller federal government, the Blue states pay for it and the Red states get the benefit. Go figure.
Editing by bgeezus · 2013-07-15 03:12 · Score: 3, Insightful

Note: USC is not the same thing as UCSD is not the same thing as UCS... But for all you naysayers, keep in mind that there is a tremendous amount we don't understand about the way humans produce sound. By studying the fundamental mechanisms behind human speech production, we can gain insight into that process, and can understand more accurately what happens when things go wrong.
Huh? by Reliable+Windmill · 2013-07-15 03:13 · Score: 1, Funny

I didn't even know that people cared about "beatboxing". What's next, revealing the secrets of twerking and queefing?

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ah, science you ignorant fool by Jmc23 · 2013-07-15 03:17 · Score: 1

Science might progress faster and cost less if it wasn't conducted by people clueless about their bodies. Everything they discovered is already known by anybody with beat-boxing and linguistic skills. Bring back the introspectionists I say, cheaper than MRI!

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1. Re:ah, science you ignorant fool by R.Mo_Robert · 2013-07-15 04:13 · Score: 1
  
  Science might progress faster and cost less if it wasn't conducted by people clueless about their bodies. Everything they discovered is already known by anybody with beat-boxing and linguistic skills. Bring back the introspectionists I say, cheaper than MRI!
  Actually, people's impressions about what they're doing with their bodies (in terms of speech production) is often not actually what is physiologically happening. Other times, it's very difficult--if not impossible--for the subject to tell what is happening, much less describe it accurately. That's why it's useful to use MRI or other techniques like they did in this study. (Trust me, I'm a linguist?)
  
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  R.Mo
2. Re:ah, science you ignorant fool by Jmc23 · 2013-07-15 05:41 · Score: 1
  
  (Trust me, I'm a linguist?)
  Is that a question?
  That's a good reason not to trust you. People frequently study the things they don't intuitively grasp.
  Introspectionists are trained to be aware of what's happening in their bodies. That or use well trained autists. Being well versed in echolalia and ipa, saw no surprises with the beatbox stuff. Not being a good singer, I did find the different types of vibrato interesting. Natural talents are usually useless for explaining what is going, those who have had to struggle and train themselves to even get to average competency are goldmines of information.
  
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  Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
Rim shot 'sucking in' by nozzo · 2013-07-15 03:21 · Score: 1, Funny

Rather you than me frankly.
TFA by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 03:23 · Score: 1

http://sail.usc.edu/span/beatboxing/mmedia/Proctor-Beatboxing-JASA2013.pdf
uh, what? by poetmatt · 2013-07-15 03:36 · Score: 1

I'm fairly sure that the actual cost for an MRI is nowhere near 11k.
1. Re:uh, what? by Holi · 2013-07-15 03:42 · Score: 1
  
  No, I am pretty sure it is a tad bit higher.
  
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2. Re:uh, what? by umafuckit · 2013-07-15 03:55 · Score: 2
  
  Firstly, what patients are charged and what it actually costs are two very different things. Secondly, there are a lot of scanners out there, and plenty of them are there for research purposes. Their presence is due to funding from research organisations and their running costs are funded from research organisations. The reason we have real-time MRI and fMRI is because of people doing pure research. Both of these techniques have clinical applications. It is because of this pure research (which you are rubbishing) that partients have access to MRI in the first place.
  
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3. Re:uh, what? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 04:10 · Score: 0
  
  I'm pretty sure he meant the actual cost of a single scan by an MRI is nowhere near 11k. which is most probably accurate.
  but, to reclaim the cost to purchase the machine, the cost to train. the cost to operate( both electrically and staff), the cost to analyze the results, and to reclaim the cost for the computers/monitors they use to analyze the results (can be upwards of $50,000+ for a computer + monitor) .... It is probably more than one would think to have a single MRI done.
4. Re:uh, what? by Jahta · 2013-07-15 04:42 · Score: 1
  
  Firstly, what patients are charged and what it actually costs are two very different things. Secondly, there are a lot of scanners out there, and plenty of them are there for research purposes. Their presence is due to funding from research organisations and their running costs are funded from research organisations. The reason we have real-time MRI and fMRI is because of people doing pure research. Both of these techniques have clinical applications. It is because of this pure research (which you are rubbishing) that partients have access to MRI in the first place.
  I don't think anybody could reasonably object to research. It clearly has an important role.
  The issue is more whether, in patient care scenarios, you choose to operate your MRI as a profit centre or not. There are many countries whose medical systems give people who are ill access to MRI scanners, and other diagnostic technologies, without charging them extortionate fees for their use.
5. Re:uh, what? by umafuckit · 2013-07-15 07:29 · Score: 1
  
  Forget MRI scanners. This issue is *everywhere* in healthcare. Read the Bitter Pill article in Time: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2136864,00.html
  
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  soylentnews.org
Deja vu by Tolkienfanatic · 2013-07-15 03:45 · Score: 0

There was a similar study about half a year ago that focused on freestyle rapping as opposed to beatboxing. I imagine the results will probably be very similar
Sooo by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 03:52 · Score: 0

Which "secrets" did actually get revealed?
No paywalled articles by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 03:59 · Score: 0

If it's paywalled, don't give them the satisfaction of linking to them! If they want to wall up research so it isn't accessible, let them - more power to them - the world is not a better place because of this stupid "research" - that's their decision - but please don't promote them. Don't promote newspapers with paywalls. Let them wither and die, like cells cut off in the Game of Life. Link only to openly accessible content.
Re: Dammit... by Khyber · 2013-07-15 04:07 · Score: 1

Don't need a PhD but it helps. I have no degree and I'm still in my role as research director for a horticultural company.
It just helps to have the degree to show that you can read, write, and understand other technical papers in the field that your degree would typically produce.
Anyone with enough dedication, and some proven results + luck, can get such a job. But you best make sure your work is top-notch.

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Re:Dammit... by Khyber · 2013-07-15 04:09 · Score: 0

I'm about to turn 31, and I hold a postion that would normally be occupied by a PhD, yet I only have a GED and a few college classes with no associated degree, I just took the classes because they were necessary for my field of interest and germane to my need to make a product.

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Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
Re:Dammit... by 0100010001010011 · 2013-07-15 04:36 · Score: 1

Because this research could in no way be used to help people with speech problems.
Beardyman by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 04:39 · Score: 0

Nuff said
Beardyman
Yep; it's pronunciation by Millennium · 2013-07-15 04:39 · Score: 1

I'm told I do decently enough at beatboxing. I don't speak the languages mentioned in the article, but my big secret has always been to reduce each sound to a pronounceable syllable. Then it's just talking in meter, even if what you're saying is nonsense.
Whew! by briancox2 · 2013-07-15 04:39 · Score: 1

We solved that mystery just in time for 1988.

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Acronyms by united_notions · 2013-07-15 04:56 · Score: 1

Oopsy... both 'UCSD' and 'UCS' should be replaced with 'USC' (i.e. University of Southern California). That'll teach me for concentrating on the HTML.
USC not UCSD by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 05:33 · Score: 0

The authors are not from UCSD. They are from USC.
Re: Dammit... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 05:43 · Score: 0

I have no degree and I'm still in my role as research director for a horticultural company.
Does growing weed count?
Paste of html article, tables by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 06:30 · Score: 0

Tables hosted here
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America / Volume 133 / Issue 2 / SPEECH PRODUCTION [70] / Back to Abstract
Paralinguistic mechanisms of production in human “beatboxing”: A real-time magnetic resonance imaging study
Michael Proctor1,a, Erik Bresch2, Dani Byrd3, Krishna Nayak1, and Shrikanth Narayanan1
1 Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, 3740 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90089-2564
2 Philips Research, High Tech Campus 5, 5656 AE, Eindhoven, Netherlands
3 Department of Linguistics, University of Southern California, 3601 Watt Way, Los Angeles, California 90089-1693
a
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Current address: MARCS Institute, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic mail: michael.proctor@uws.edu.au
(Received 06 Mar 2012; accepted 17 Dec 2012)
INTRODUCTION
Beatboxing is an artistic form of human sound production in which the vocal organs are used to imitate percussion instruments. The use of vocal percussion in musical performance has a long history in many cultures, including konnakol recitation of solkattu in Karnatic musical traditions of southern India, North American a capella and scat singing, Celtic lilting and diddling, and Chinese kouji performances (Atherton, 20071). Vocal emulation of percussion sounds has also been used pedagogically, and as a means of communicating rhythmic motifs. In north Indian musical traditions bols are used to encode tabla rhythms; changgo drum notation is expressed using vocables in Korean samul nori, and Cuban conga players vocalize drum motifs as guauganco or tumbao patterns (Atherton, 20071; McLean and Wiggins, 200922).
In contemporary western popular music, human beatboxing is an element of hip hop culture, performed either as its own form of artistic expression, or as an accompaniment to rapping or singing. Beatboxing was pioneered in the 1980s by New York artists including Doug E. Fresh and Darren Robinson (Hess, 200710). The name reflects the origins of the practice, in which performers attempted to imitate the sounds of the synthetic drum machines that were popularly used in hip hop production at the time, such as the TR-808 Rhythm Composer (Roland Corporation, 1980) and the LM-1 Drum Computer (Linn Electronics, 1982). Artists such as Biz Markie, Rahzel, and Felix Zenger have advanced the art form by extending the repertoire of percussion sounds that are emulated, the complexity of the performance, and the ability to create impressions of polyphony through the integrated production of percussion with a bass line or sung lyrics.
Because it is a relatively young vocal art form, beatboxing has not been extensively studied in the musical performance or speech science literature. Acoustic properties of some of the sounds used in beatboxing have been described impressionistically and compared to speech sounds (Stowell and Plumbley, 200838). Stowell (201037, 201236) and Tyte (2012)42 have surveyed the range of sounds exploited by beatbox artists and the ways in which they are thought to be commonly produced. Splinter and Tyte (2012)34 have proposed an informal system of notation (Standard Beatbox Notation, SBN), and Stowell (2012)36 has outlined a modified subset of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to describe beatbox performance, based on these assumptions.
Lederer (2005)17 conducted spectral analyses of three common effects produced
And people still have doubts... by Alejux · 2013-07-15 08:06 · Score: 1

about the singularity!
To anonymous doofi: by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 09:08 · Score: 0

Yeah, like . . . .WTF? I have had a spinal injury for the past decade, already had some cervical vertebra removed, but then, as I couldn't get hired anywhere to save my life--perhaps literally--my medical insurance ran out a long time ago and I am left with none. While my wife can get insurance (but she doesn't want it) through medicaid (she also has one of those priceless employers whose medical plan provides nothing for the family, only for the employee), I (as an adult male) can get nothing. So, yeah, I'm more than a little perturbed when I see some d-wad a-wipe peeing away all sorts of money and technical expertise for the purpose of understanding . . . BEATBOXING?
You know, things like this make me want to say I wish 'researchers' like this would die in a fiery inferno, but I won't stoop that low.
1. Re:To anonymous doofi: by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-15 09:19 · Score: 0
  
  Totally!
  This research I'm sure in no way has applications to speech therapy or better human-computer voice interaction, etc,
  and it definately won't generate any research funds that might be applied to those areas!
  I'm completely certain that absolutely nothing positive will come of this!
1 person study and we know everything!!!! by Nyder · 2013-07-15 10:04 · Score: 1

I love science. They take the MRI off 1 person who was beatboxing and now secrets are revealed? What happened to studying a bunch of beat boxers with MRI's and studying the result of all the tests?
What if this beat boxer is a special person, has a brain unlike anyone elses in the world? How do we know what is normal from this study?
Beatboxers are NOT rare, so why study just 1?

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Put Rahzel in an fMRI next please by Anonymous Coward · 2013-07-16 09:04 · Score: 0

p'p'p'p'p'p'p'p' if your mother only knew
p' ts: k:' ts:'p'f:' ts:' x: ts:' if your mother only knew
p' kÃ:' x:' ts:' p'f:' ts:' x: ts:' (p')if your (N!)mother only(N!) knew p' ts:k:' ts:'p'f:' ts:' x: ts:'