Benjamin Elie

Research Associate

  • Linguistics and English Language
  • School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

Contact details

Address

Street

Room 2.14, Dugald Stewart Building

City
3 Charles Street, Edinburgh
Post code
EH8 9AD

Biography

Background

I am a Research Associate at the University of Edinburgh, working on the ERC project PlanArt led by Prof. Alice Turk. My work aims at developing computational models of articulatory planning of spoken utterances.

I previously worked on various acoustics and articulatory models of human speech production, as a member of the MULTISPEECH at Loria (Nancy, France) and as a member of the TLP team at LISN (Orsay, France).

I have also worked on musical acoustics for assistance to instrument making during my PhD at LAUM (Le Mans, France) and as postdoctoral researcher at Ensta-Paris. 

Qualifications

- PhD in Acoustics (Université du Maine, France)

- Master's degree in Acoustics, Signal Processing and Computer Science applied to Music (Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France)

Research summary

Speech production, Signal processing, Acoustics 

Current research interests

Computational modeling of speech production

Past research interests

- Signal processing and inverse problems for phonetics: - Articulatory model - Acoustic-to-articulatory inversion - Compressed sensing for MRI speech reconstruction - Periodic/Aperiodic source decomposition of speech signals - Phonetics: - Strategies of production of fricatives - Articulatory models of speech production - Mechanics/Acoustics: - Musical acoustics for assistance to instrument making - Speech synthesis using acoustic models - Physical modeling of trill consonants

Knowledge exchange

Papers published in international peer-reviewed journals

[J1] Elie B., Lee D. N., and Turk A. "Modeling trajectories of human speech articulators using General Tau theory". Speech Communication 151 (2023) [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167639323000614]

[J2] Elie B., Cotté B., and Boutillon X. "Physically-based sound synthesis software for Computer-Aided-Design of piano soundboards". Acta Acustica 6(30) (2022) [https://acta-acustica.edpsciences.org/articles/aacus/pdf/2022/01/aacus210096.pdf]

[J3] Elie B., and Laprie Y. "Simulating alveolar trills using a two-mass model of the tongue tip". J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 142(5), pp. 3245-3256 (2017) [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/elie_trills_jasa2017.pdf]

[J4] Elie B., and Laprie Y. "Acoustic impact of the gradual glottal abduction degree on the production of fricatives: A numerical study". J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 142(3), pp. 1303-1317 (2017) [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/elie_fricatives_jasa17.pdf]

[J5] Elie B., and Laprie Y. "Extension of the single-matrix formulation of the vocal tract: consideration of bilateral channels and connection of self-oscillating models of the vocal folds with a glottal chink".  Speech Comm. 82, pp. 85-96 (2016)  [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/Elie2016SPECOM.pdf]

[J6] Elie B., Gautier F., and David B. "Acoustic signature of violins based on bridge mobility measurements". J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 136(3), pp. 1385-1393 (2014) [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/Elieetal_jasa2014.pdf]

[J7] Denis V., Gautier F., Pelat A., and Elie B. "Modal Overlap Factor of a beam with an Acoustic Black Hole termination". J. Sound Vib. 333(12), pp. 2475-2488 (2014) [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022460X14000972]

[J8] Elie B., Gautier F., and David B. "Estimation of mechanical properties of panels based on modal density and mean mobility measurements". Mech. Syst. Sig. Proc. 40, pp. 628-644 (2013) [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/Elieetal_mssp2013.pdf]

[J9] Elie B., Gautier F., and David B. "Macro parameters describing the mechanical behavior of classical guitars". J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 132(6), pp. 4013-4024 (2012) [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/Elieetal_jasa2012.pdf]

[J10] Daltrop S., Kotlicki A. Waltham C., Wolfe N., Gautier F., and Elie B. "Vibroacoustic characteristics of a Gothic Harp". J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131(1), pp. 837-843 (2012)  [https://asa.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1121/1.3651223]

Proceedings of international conferences

[P1] Elie B., and Turk A. "Estimating virtual targets for lingual stop consonants using general Tau theory". Interspeech, Dublin (2023) [https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/366879130/Interpseech_Tau_Theory_3_.pdf]

[P2] Elie B., Simko J., and Turk A. "Optimal control of speech with context-dependent articulatory targets". Interspeech, Dublin (2023) [https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/366205045/Dynamic_articulatory_planning_of_speech_articulatory_movements_based_on_Optimal_Control_Theory.pdf]

[P3] Turk A., Elie B, and Simko J. "PlanArt: A modular platform for computational modeling of articulatory planning". ICPhS, Prague (2023) [https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/344240289/ICPhS_PlanArt.pdf]

[P4] Elie B, Simko J., and Turk A. "Optimal control theory of speech production using probabilistic articulatory-acoustic models". ICPhS, Prague (2023) [https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/344241392/ICPhS_Proba_model.pdf]

[P5] Wu Y., Chen L., Elie B., Suchanek F., Vasilescu I., and Lamel L. "Who's speaking? Predicting speaker profession from speech". ICPhS, Prague (2023). [https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/367397320/icphs_2023.pdf]

[P6] Elie B., Gauvain J., Gauvain J.-L., and Lamel L. "Modeling the effect of military oxygen mask on speech characteristics". Interspeech, Brno, pp. 3306-3310 (2021) [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/is2021.pdf]

[P7] Laprie Y, Elie B., Tsukanova A., and Vuissoz P.-A. "Centerline articulatory models of the velum and epiglottis for articulatory synthesis of speech". EUSIPCO, Rome 2018  [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/velumEusipco.pdf]

[P8]  Tsukanova A., Elie B., and Laprie Y "Articulatory Speech Synthesis from Static Context-Aware Articulatory Targets". The 11th International Seminar on Speech Production, Tianjin 2017 [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/ISSP2017Tsukanova.pdf]

[P9] Laprie Y, Elie B., Vuissoz P.-A., and Tsukanova A., "Articulatory model of the epiglottis". The 11th International Seminar on Speech Production, Tianjin 2017. [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/epiglottisISSP.pdf]

[P10] Elie B., and Laprie Y. "Glottal opening and strategies of production of fricatives". Interspeech, Stockholm 2017 [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/elie_interspeech17.pdf]

[P11] Vuissoz P.-A, Elie B., Odille F, and Laprie Y. "High frame rate vocal tract MRI using compressed sensing on randomly Cartesian spoiled fast gradient echo". Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag. Reson. Med. 25 (2017)

[P12] Elie B., and Laprie Y. "Copy-synthesis of phrase-level utterances". EUSIPCO, Budapest 2016 [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/PaperCompressed.pdf]

[P13] Elie B., Laprie Y., Vuissoz P.-A., and Odille F. "High spatiotemporal cineMRI films using compressed sensing for acquiring articulatory data". EUSIPCO, Budapest 2016 [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/Elie_etal_eusipco2016.pdf]

[P14] Elie B., and Laprie Y. "A glottal chink model for the synthesis of voiced fricatives". ICASSP, Shanghai 2016 [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/ElieLaprie_ICASSP16.pdf]

[P15] Laprie Y., Elie B., and Tsukanova A. "2D articulatory velum modeling applied to copy synthesis of sentences containing nasal phonemes. ICPhS, Glasgow 2015 [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/ICPHS0283.pdf]

[P16] Elie B., and Laprie Y. "Audiovisual to area and length functions inversion of human vocal tract". EUSIPCO, Lisbon 2014 [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/Eusipco14.pdf]

[P17] Laprie Y., Sock R., Vaxelaire B., and Elie B. "Comment faire parler les images aux rayons X du conduit vocal". Congrès mondial de Linguistique Française 2014, Berlin 2014  [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/laprie_et_al.pdf]

[P18] Elie B., Gautier F., and David B. "Analysis of bridge mobility of violins", Stockholm Music Acoustics Conference, pp 54-59, Stockholm 2013 [https://perso.limsi.fr/elie/papers/elieetal_SMAC2013.pdf]

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