F0curve

F0curve is a term used in digital signal processing and speech synthesis to represent the fundamental frequency of a sound over time. The fundamental frequency, often referred to as F0, is the lowest frequency of a periodic waveform and is perceived as pitch by humans. The F0curve essentially plots these fundamental frequency values against time, creating a visual representation of how the pitch of a sound changes.

In speech, the F0curve is a crucial component in conveying prosody, which includes intonation, stress, and rhythm. Variations in the F0curve allow speakers to express questions, exclamations, or statements, and to emphasize certain words or syllables. For instance, a rising F0curve at the end of a sentence often indicates a question in many languages.

The generation and manipulation of F0curves are central to speech synthesis systems. By accurately modeling and reproducing the F0curve of human speech, synthesized voices can sound more natural and expressive. Conversely, analyzing the F0curve of recorded speech can aid in tasks such as speaker recognition, emotion detection, and speech analysis. The data for an F0curve is typically extracted from audio signals using algorithms that detect periodicities in the waveform.