A Practical Guide to Calculating Cepstral Peak Prominence in Praat

Abstract

The acoustic measure of cepstral peak prominence (CPP) is recommended for the analysis of dysphonia. Yet, clinical use of this measure is not universal, as clinicians and researchers are still learning the strengths and limitations of this measure. Furthermore, affordable access to specialized acoustic software is a significant barrier to universal CPP use. This article will provide a guide on how to calculate CPP in Praat, a free software program, using a new CPP plugin. Important external factors that could influence CPP measures are discussed, and suggestions for clinical use are provided. As CPP becomes more widely used by clinicians and researchers, it is important to consider external factors that may inadvertently influence CPP values. Controlling for these external factors will aid in reducing variability across CPP values, which will make CPP a valuable tool for both clinical and research purposes.