(((GUIDE)))

Getting Started Guide

Turn your voice into visible imagery. Like looking in a mirror, see what happens inside your body when you sing.

🚀 Quick Start

No vocal knowledge needed — just follow along.

Step 1: Open SonaLab, Allow Microphone

On first launch, allow microphone access when prompted. If using an external mic or audio interface, click the 🎙 button in the top-right to select your device.

Step 2: Click "Start Measuring"

Click the ▶ Start Measuring button in the toolbar. Speak or sing into your mic and watch the charts come alive — like an EKG for your voice.

Step 3: Sing an "Ah" and Watch

Sing a comfortable, sustained "Ah~". You'll see the waveform move, pitch display your note, and the TA/CT Balance show your vocal weight.

🪞 Think of SonaLab as a "voice mirror". A regular mirror shows your face — SonaLab shows how sound is produced inside your body.

💡 Congrats! You've completed the basics. Let's explore each area of the interface.

🗺️ Interface Overview

SonaLab's interface is like a car dashboard. You don't need to understand the engine — just know what each gauge means.

Toolbar (top)	Start/stop measuring, select mic, switch tier	Car ignition & dashboard switches
Sidebar (left)	Check which charts to display	TV remote channel list
Chart Area (center)	Real-time voice data display	Health checkup indicators
Playback Bar (bottom)	Record, playback, timeline annotations	Music player progress bar

Tier Levels

L0 Student (Free)	✅ Voice Health Score, ✅ Symptom Detection	Beginners
L1 Basic	✅ Pitch · Weight · Closure · Depth · Singer's Formant · Waveform	Serious practice
L2 Advanced	✅ Formant Tracking, ✅ Sagittal View · Spectrogram	Deep research
L3 Expert	✅ Three Balances, ✅ Vibrato · AI Diagnosis	Teachers & pros

💡 Start with L0 or L1. Unlock more charts as you get comfortable.

⚙️ Engine View

These charts show how your voice is produced — like monitoring a car engine.

🎵 Pitch — What Note Are You Singing?

Shows your current note (e.g., C4, A3) and how far off-center you are.

🫘 TA/CT Balance — Vocal Weight

An olive-shaped slider: left = TA (thick/chest), right = CT (thin/head). Shows your current vocal fold thickness balance.

💡 When singing high, the cursor naturally moves right. The key is a smooth transition — no sudden jumps.

🤝 Vocal Fold Closure — How Tight Is the Tap?

Pressed 🔴	Tight throat, squeezed sound	Try lip trills to relax
Flowing 🟢	Clear, comfortable sound	Keep it up!
Breathy 🟠	Airy, weak sound	Try "Gug" exercises

🏊 Depth & 💎 Singer's Formant

Depth measures how full and resonant your voice sounds. Singer's Formant measures how well your voice cuts through — its carrying power.

👄 Acoustic View

See what's happening inside your mouth — tongue position, larynx height, soft palate opening.

🗣️ Formant Tracking — Vowel Map

A 2D map showing where your vowel sits. The cursor moves as you change vowels. Closer to a target = more accurate pronunciation.

🧠 Sagittal View — Vocal Tract X-Ray

A real-time side-view animation of your oral cavity. Watch three key areas:

Tongue 🟠	Pink = relaxed	Red = tongue root tension
Soft Palate 🟢	Green, raised	Too low = nasal sound
Larynx 🔵	Blue, neutral	Too high = tight; too low = muffled

📋 Composite View

All data summarized into a voice health report.

💚 Voice Health Score (0-100)

80-100 🟢	Excellent
60-79 🟢	Good — room to improve
40-59 🟠	Fair — needs attention
0-39 🔴	Needs work — targeted practice recommended

🩺 Symptom Detection

Auto-detects vocal issues and shows them as flip cards with teacher recommendations on the back.

⏱️ Vocal Load

Tracks how long you've been voicing today. Blue = go, orange = slow down, red = stop for today.

🎯 Common Scenarios

Quick Reference

High notes feel strained	TA/CT Balance + Closure	Cursor moving right? Pressed?
Want clearer tone	Singer's Formant + Depth + Sagittal	Enough projection? Tongue red?
Voice getting tired	Vocal Load + Health Score + Closure	Bar color? Score dropping?
Running out of breath	Closure + Onset Detective	Breathy? Soft onsets?
Too nasal	Sagittal + Symptom Detection	Soft palate position?

🍃 Vocal Health & Protection

Before Practice: Warm Up

Lip trills — relax lips and face
Humming — gently wake up vocal folds
Slides — stretch the voice
Simple scales — ease into it

After Practice: Cool Down

Gentle humming — let vocal folds cool
Sigh-like phonation — release tension
Warm water — keep folds hydrated
Rest 10-15 minutes — full recovery

⚠️ SonaLab is a training tool, not a medical device. If you experience persistent throat pain or hoarseness for over two weeks, please see a doctor.

📚 Glossary

Term	In SonaLab	Plain English
TA Muscle	TA/CT Balance (left)	Thickens vocal folds — like a thick guitar string
CT Muscle	TA/CT Balance (right)	Thins vocal folds — like a thin guitar string
NAQ / Closure	Closure Gauge	How tightly the vocal folds close
SPR	Singer's Formant Gauge	Voice carrying power
Formants F1/F2	Formant Tracking	Mouth shape determines voice "flavor"
Larynx Height	Sagittal View	How high or low your Adam's apple sits
Soft Palate	Sagittal View	The "curtain" at the back of your mouth
Jitter / Shimmer	Voice Stability	How steady your voice is
Vibrato	Vibrato Tracking	Regular, healthy voice oscillation
Belting	Strong Mix	Powerful high notes
Mix Voice	Mix	Blend of chest and head voice
Head Voice	Head Voice	Light, bright high notes

SonaLab Getting Started Guide · Based on Justin Feng Vocal Pedagogy

Questions? Every chart has an ℹ️ button — click for details.