--- pretty_name: Overtone Singing (Preview) license: cc-by-nc-4.0 size_categories: [n<1K] tags: - audio - music - dataset - vocals - overtone_singing - harmonic_singing - khoomei - throat_singing - extended_vocal_techniques - world_music - folk_vocals - acoustic_voice - ethnomusicology - sound_design - expressive_voice - ai_training_data - sampling_96khz - bitdepth_24bit - mono task_categories: [other] language: [und] thumbnail: thumbnail.png description: "A high-fidelity vocal dataset demonstrating overtone singing โ€” a complex extended vocal technique found in multiple world singing traditions โ€” designed for AI training, music research, and creative sound development." --- ![Dataset Thumbnail](./thumbnail.png) # Harmonic Frontier Audio โ€“ Overtone Singing (Preview, v0.9) **A high-fidelity vocal dataset designed for AI training, music research, and creative sound development.** **Overtone Singing (Preview)**, created by **Harmonic Frontier Audio**, provides a compact reference set demonstrating the quality, formatting, and metadata conventions used in the Harmonic Frontier Audio *Extended Vocal Techniques Spectrum*. --- ### ๐Ÿ”Ž Summary This dataset provides high-quality, rights-cleared recordings of **Overtone Singing** โ€” an extended vocal technique in which harmonic partials are selectively amplified above a sustained fundamental through precise vocal tract shaping. The recordings emphasize harmonic isolation, spectral clarity, and controlled overtone movement, making them valuable for **AI voice modeling**, **spectral analysis**, **harmonic synthesis**, and **human-aligned vocal control research**. Developed by **Harmonic Frontier Audio**, this preview follows *The Proteus Standardโ„ข* for dataset provenance, transparency, and ethical AI use. Learn more about the Proteus Standard โ†’ https://harmonicfrontieraudio.com/proteus-standard Full dataset details and licensing information are available at: https://harmonicfrontieraudio.com/datasets/overtone-singing It offers clean, consistent audio files capturing overtone singing across stable fundamentals, moving harmonic trajectories, vowel-modulated resonances, and controlled expressive gestures. If you find this dataset useful, please consider giving it a ๐Ÿค on Hugging Face to help others discover it. --- ## ๐ŸŽถ About Overtone Singing **Overtone singing** is one of the worldโ€™s most striking and acoustically fascinating vocal arts. Practitioners manipulate the shape of the vocal tract to filter and emphasize individual harmonics, creating the illusion of multiple pitches from a single voice. While it is best known from **Tuvan** and **Mongolian** traditions (such as *Khoomei*, *Sygyt*, and *Kargyraa*), variations of overtone singing appear across many cultures โ€” including Tibetan chant, Sardinian *cantu a tenore*, and modern Western choirs. This dataset presents a **neutral, non-traditional representation** of overtone singing. It is designed not to imitate any specific cultural style but to serve as a **technical and expressive study** of harmonic isolation and control โ€” useful for both acoustic analysis and generative modeling of the human voice. --- ## ๐Ÿ“‚ Contents **Audio Files (.wav)** - Recorded at **96 kHz / 24-bit** WAV format - Exported as **mono** - Fade-ins and fade-outs of **3โ€“5 ms** applied for transient consistency - DC offset minimized and normalized to maintain consistent loudness - No compression, normalization, or external processing applied - High-pass filtered at ~40 Hz to remove subsonic rumble ### Categories in this Preview 1. **Sustained Fundamentals** - Long tones on single fundamentals with isolated harmonics 2. **Harmonic Intervals** - Alternation between two harmonics within a sustained fundamental 3. **Arpeggio Gestures** - Sequential harmonic articulations forming triadic or scalar structures 4. **Glissando** - Continuous overtone sweeps across the harmonic series 5. **Short Melodic Exercise** - Simple original melody emphasizing controlled harmonic shifts and transitions --- **Metadata (.csv)** Includes structured fields for file name, category, content, fundamental pitch, harmonic numbers and pitches, microphone, channel configuration, sample rate, bit depth, recording chain, and dataset version. --- ## ๐ŸŽค Recording Notes - Recorded in a treated studio environment using a **single-mic setup**: - **Microphone:** Rode NT1-A condenser microphone - **Recording chain:** Rode NT1-A โ†’ Zoom F8n Pro - Recorded at **96 kHz / 32-bit float**, rendered as **96 kHz / 24-bit** mono WAV for release. - Room tone and subtle breath noise were preserved to retain the natural acoustic realism of overtone production. --- ## ๐ŸŒˆ Spectrogram Preview Below is a spectrogram showing the clear separation of harmonic peaks above the sustained fundamental pitch, characteristic of overtone singing: ![Spectrogram Preview](Spectrogram_Preview.png) --- ## ๐ŸŽง Demonstration Audio This repository includes **three audio examples** for listening and comparison: **1. Dataset in musical context (mixed & mastered)** A brief musical excerpt demonstrating the Overtone Singing dataset integrated into a musical arrangement, highlighting expressive timbre and real-world usability. **Track:** *โ€œOvertone Singing Exampleโ€* **Producer:** Blake Pullen **Source Audio:** Harmonic Frontier Audio โ€“ Overtone Singing (Preview) **2. Raw dataset recording** An unprocessed audio excerpt taken directly from the datasetโ€™s audio files, representing the actual licensed source material without musical context or processing. **3. AI-generated melodic proxy (overtone singing not represented)** A fully AI-generated reference track created without using any Harmonic Frontier Audio recordings. Because current generative music models do not support spectral melody or overtone-based pitch structures, this example uses a conventional high-pitched melodic instrument as a **proxy**, illustrating the limitations of existing systems when attempting to approximate overtone singing. --- ## ๐Ÿ“œ Demo & Licensing Note The `Demos/` folder contains **demonstration material only**. **Only the raw recordings in the dataset audio files constitute the licensed dataset.** AI-generated reference tracks are **not part of the dataset** and are **not licensed for training or reuse**. --- ## ๐Ÿชถ Production Notes - Instrumental accompaniment in the contextual demo was generated using **Suno (Pro plan)** under a commercial license. - A dataset recordings were **performed, recorded, and produced by Blake Pullen** for Harmonic Frontier Audio. --- ## โšก Usage This preview pack is designed for: - **Evaluation** of Harmonic Frontier Audio dataset structure and fidelity - **Testing** AI and DSP systems that model or classify harmonic timbres - **Creative sound design** and **extended voice synthesis** research ๐Ÿ‘‰ Note: This is **not a full dataset**. The complete Harmonic Frontier Audio dataset for **Overtone Singing** will include: - Expanded harmonic and vowel variations - Dynamic overtone transitions and melodic gestures - Additional tuning modes and glissando articulations --- ## ๐Ÿ’ก Full Dataset Availability This is a **preview pack** of the *Overtone Singing Dataset*. The complete dataset โ€” with extended harmonic content and melodic variation โ€” will be available for **licensing**. For licensing inquiries: ๐Ÿ“ฉ info@harmonicfrontieraudio.com --- ## ๐Ÿ“ฅ How to Use This Dataset in Python You can load the Parquet-converted version of this dataset directly with the `datasets` library: ```python from datasets import load_dataset dataset = load_dataset( "Harmonic-Frontier-Audio/Overtone_Singing_Preview", split="train" ) print(dataset) ``` > โš™๏ธ *Note: Parquet conversion and `load_dataset()` support will be available within 2โ€“3 days of publication.* --- ### ๐Ÿ”— Explore More from Harmonic Frontier Audio - [Scottish Smallpipes (Preview)](https://huggingface.co/datasets/Harmonic-Frontier-Audio/Bagpipes_Scottish_Smallpipes_in_A_Preview) - [Highland Bagpipes (Preview)](https://huggingface.co/datasets/Harmonic-Frontier-Audio/Bagpipes_Scottish_Highland_Bagpipes_Preview) - [Irish Tin Whistle in D (Preview)](https://huggingface.co/datasets/Harmonic-Frontier-Audio/Irish_Tin_Whistle_in_D_Preview) - [Subharmonic Phonation / Vocal Fry (Preview)](https://huggingface.co/datasets/Harmonic-Frontier-Audio/Subharmonic_Phonation_Vocal_Fry_Preview) - [Kalimba (Preview)](https://huggingface.co/datasets/Harmonic-Frontier-Audio/Kalimba_Preview) - [Kazoo (Preview)](https://huggingface.co/datasets/Harmonic-Frontier-Audio/Kazoo_Preview) - [Overtone Singing (Preview)](https://huggingface.co/datasets/Harmonic-Frontier-Audio/Overtone_Singing_Preview) - [Whisper and Aspiration (Preview)](https://huggingface.co/datasets/Harmonic-Frontier-Audio/Whisper_and_Aspiration_Preview) - [Plosives and Non-Lexical Consontant Bursts (Preview)](https://huggingface.co/datasets/Harmonic-Frontier-Audio/Plosives_and_Non_Lexical_Consonant_Bursts_Preview) *(All datasets follow The Proteus Standardโ„ข for ethical dataset provenance and licensing.)* --- ## ๐Ÿ“œ License Released under **[CC BY-NC 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)**. - Free for non-commercial use, testing, and research. - Commercial licensing available via Harmonic Frontier Audio. - A formal rights declaration is included in this dataset bundle. --- ## ๐Ÿ“ง Contact Harmonic Frontier Audio ๐Ÿ“ฉ info@harmonicfrontieraudio.com ๐ŸŒ https://harmonicfrontieraudio.com/ --- ## ๐Ÿ”ฎ Future Roadmap This preview release is part of the **Harmonic Frontier Audio โ€“ Extended Vocal Techniques Spectrum**. Upcoming planned datasets include: - **Whisper Phonation** - **Falsetto** - **Vocal Percussion** - **Growl / Metal Vocals** - **Subharmonic Phonation / Vocal Fry (Full Dataset)** Over time, Harmonic Frontier Audio will expand the Extended Vocal Techniques Spectrum alongside its Folk & World Instrument catalogs โ€” creating the first unified library of ethical, rights-cleared world and human vocal datasets for AI training, synthesis, and sound design. --- ## ๐Ÿ—’๏ธ Release Notes **Version 0.9 (Nov. 2025)** โ€“ Initial Preview Pack release for Overtone Singing. See `CHANGELOG.md` for detailed version history. --- ## Citation If you use this dataset in your research, please cite: Pullen, B. (2025). *Overtone Singing Dataset (Preview)* [Data set]. Harmonic Frontier Audio. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17812972 ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4527-0178](https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4527-0178) ### BibTeX ```bibtex @dataset{pullen_2025_overtone_preview, author = {Blake Pullen}, title = {Overtone Singing Dataset (Preview)}, year = {2025}, publisher = {Harmonic Frontier Audio}, version = {0.9}, doi = {10.5281/zenodo.17812972}, url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17812972} } ```