Saturday, March 03, 2012
The Shutup gun
Lots of foofaraw about a "new" Jap invention that uses delayed auditory feedback to confuse an unwanted speaker.
Nothing new about the technique at all. DAF has been used for 50 years in speech & hearing circles. Before digital tech, DAF devices were built as tape-loop machines with separate record and play heads. A microphone fed the record head, and the tape traveled about a half second before reaching the play head, which then went into earphones. Now you can do the same thing with software on just about any computer.
DAF is mainly used as a tactic to reduce stuttering in some people. Apparently the external delayed reverb cancels out an internal reverb loop in the brain, which is the presumed source of the stutter.
Based on known data about DAF, we can be sure that (1) The Shutup Gun won't work on everyone, because some people are immune to DAF; (2) With practice you can learn to ignore the delayed sound and pay full attention to your own speech; (3) Most experienced TV and radio broadcasters have already acquired this skill.
In short, it's an old idea, and for the Jap purpose it's a dumb idea. Determined speakers can arm themselves against it by practicing with software DAF. ¶ 4:42 AM
Nothing new about the technique at all. DAF has been used for 50 years in speech & hearing circles. Before digital tech, DAF devices were built as tape-loop machines with separate record and play heads. A microphone fed the record head, and the tape traveled about a half second before reaching the play head, which then went into earphones. Now you can do the same thing with software on just about any computer.
DAF is mainly used as a tactic to reduce stuttering in some people. Apparently the external delayed reverb cancels out an internal reverb loop in the brain, which is the presumed source of the stutter.
Based on known data about DAF, we can be sure that (1) The Shutup Gun won't work on everyone, because some people are immune to DAF; (2) With practice you can learn to ignore the delayed sound and pay full attention to your own speech; (3) Most experienced TV and radio broadcasters have already acquired this skill.
In short, it's an old idea, and for the Jap purpose it's a dumb idea. Determined speakers can arm themselves against it by practicing with software DAF. ¶ 4:42 AM
