Spatial Directivity Characteristics of Greek-Language Singing

This study examines the vocal directivity of singing in Greek across three stylistically diverse genres—operatic/classical, modern/pop, and Byzantine chant—performed under realistic, unconstrained conditions. Directivity data was captured in a hemi-anechoic environment using a 29-microphone hemispherical array, in a setup that allowed singers to make natural, performance-related micro-movements. The applied analysis framework combined sound projection (magnitude of radiated energy across space and frequency) and radiation patterns (normalized spatial distribution) with three established directivity metrics: Horizontal Directivity Index, Front-to-Back Ratio, and Upward-to-Downward Ratio. Results show that while directional shape remains largely consistent across styles and sexes, projection intensity varies systematically as a function of both. Male pop singers exhibit the strongest low-frequency output (125–500 Hz), while female classical and male pop/Byzantine singers display greater frontal focus in the 1–2 kHz range. Classical singers tend toward more balanced projection profiles. Beyond the release of publicly available datasets—including the first directivity measurements of Byzantine chant—this study introduces a structured analysis framework and offers comparative findings that inform vocal science, pedagogy, and spatial audio applications.