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Whole Song Analysis (Link)
Vibrato:
Ross uses an extreme amount of vibrato, noticeable both on the spectrogram and in hearing the vocal track. Each vibrato lasts between one and eight seconds, indicating an effort to sustain vibrato for longer periods. There is little to no use of straight singing. Below I have circled 18 noticeable instances of sustained vibrato from the entire rendition. I adjusted the settings on Praat to minimize the effect of background noise on the pitch track.
Below I have highlighted two time stamps where vibrato is prevalent:
Zooming in to 55-64 seconds, where Ross sings “bombs bursting in air, gave through to the night," you can see just how utilized vibrato is. I have circled four distinct instances – Ross uses it most clearly on the “bursting” (four cycles), “in air" (nine cycles, though slightly weaker compared to the other three), “through” (seven cycles), and “the night" (six cycles, though her pitch decreases slightly throughout the vibrato). Below I have included more specific vibrato analysis for the "through" and "bursting":
"In air" (second box in Praat screenshot) -
Duration: 1.6s (57.0-58.6 sec) = 1600 msec
Num cycles: 9
Average vibrato rate: 9/1.6 = 5.625 Hz
Average pitch: 492.1 Hz (B4)
Average max pitch: 501.9 Hz
Average min pitch: 484.4 Hz
Full range: 513.37 Hz to 469.53 Hz
Extent: 8.75 Hz
Extent in semitones: 5.625*log_2(501.9/484.4) = 0.288
Extent description: 492.1 Hz ± 0.288 st
"Through" vibrato details (third box in Praat screenshot):
Duration: 1.5s (61.1-62.6 sec) = 1500 ms
Num cycles: 7
Average vibrato rate: 9/1.5 Hz = 4.67 Hz
Average pitch: 457.15 Hz (A4)
Average max pitch: 479.42 Hz
Average min pitch: 423.49 Hz
Full range: 489.03 to 408.99 Hz
Extent: 27.965 Hz
Extent in semitones: 4.67*log_2(479.42/423.49) = 0.8357
Extent description: 457.15 Hz ± 0.8357 st
Pitch:
Average Pitch: 394.2 Hz
Lowest Pitch: 249.3 Hz
Highest Pitch: 1037.3 Hz
Pitch Range: 788.0 Hz
Ross's pitch range is very respectable. However, it is not as large as some of the other singers (which is elaborated on more in the "Song Comparison" page).
Presence of autotune:
Ross's rendition does not use autotune. I should also note that her rendition does not involve background music, so she can demonstrate her vocal mastery all on her own, which makes it all the more remarkable.
Belting:
There is clear use of belting in Ross's rendition, with several partials on the FFT with a higher dB than that of the second prominent prominent partial (highlighted in red).
48.75 sec - 54 sec
48.75 sec - 54 sec
Pitch Interruption:
Ross maintains a smooth tone without interruption or breath. However, she subtly alters to a slightly higher pitch throughout "And the Rockets" before singing "Red Glare," in which her pitch is the highest of the five words.
Although this is not visible on the spectrogram, this rise in pitch is audible when hearing her vocals. The lack of evidence on the spectrogram (and the sudden change in pitch between the green and blue boxes, despite no evidence of such a corresponding change in her voice) might be due to the effects of the background noise, which I tried to minimize. Nevertheless, when hearing it, one can tell there are no noticeable interruptions or changes.
Vibrato:
There is presence of moderate vibrato on the "glare," with nine noticeable cycles. Below I have included more specific analysis:
“Glare” vibrato details:
Duration: 1.5s (52.45-53.95 sec) = 1500 ms
Num cycles: 9
Average vibrato rate: 9/1.5 Hz = 6 Hz
Average pitch: 554.0 Hz (C#5)
Average max pitch: 597.3 Hz
Average min pitch: 517.7 Hz
Full range: 500.7 to 618.0 Hz
Extent: 39.8 Hz
Extent in semitones: 6*log_2(597.3/517.7) = 1.23 st
Extent description: 554 Hz ± 1.23 st
Below is a screenshot from Praat illustrating the "glare," where you can see the nine cycles. Towards the end, the derived pitch slightly deviates, yet the distinct pattern remains discernible (as well as being clear in the audio):
Intelligibility of the consonants:
All of the consonants, especially the "r" in "rockets","red", and "glare," the "g" in glare, and the "s" in rockets are highly enunciated clearly. All five words are sung smoothly and cleanly, and their transitions are also clear, with no indication of rushing or difficulty in distinguishing them when hearing the audio.
Singer's Formant:
Using the peak intensity of 52.5 dB, which is boxed in red, there is a clear indication of a strong singer's formant. The highest prominent around 3000 Hz (specifically at 3425 Hz and boxed in blue) has an intensity of 44.3 Hz. This intensity is much closer to the frequency of the highest partial compared to the 30dB threshold of 22.5 dB.
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