Which measure quantifies the ratio of harmonic energy to noise in a voice signal?

• A. Harmonic to Noise Ratio
• B. Jitter
• C. Shimmer
• D. Fundamental Frequency

Answer: (A)

The idea is to assess how much of the voice signal comes from a regular, periodic (harmonic) component versus random noise. The Harmonic to Noise Ratio captures this balance by comparing the energy in the harmonic part to the energy in the noise part. A voice with clear, periodic vibrations has strong harmonic energy and fewer irregularities, so the ratio is high. If the voice is breathy or rough, noise components increase and the ratio drops.

Jitter measures tiny cycle-to-cycle timing variations, not the energy balance between harmonics and noise. Shimmer looks at cycle-to-cycle amplitude variation, again focusing on amplitude, not the harmonic-to-noise energy ratio. Fundamental frequency is the pitch, the rate of vocal fold vibration, and does not quantify the harmonic-to-noise energy ratio.

Thus, the measure that quantifies the ratio of harmonic energy to noise in a voice signal is Harmonic to Noise Ratio.