This script automatically moves all boundaries in a given tier in a TextGrid file to zero-crossings, which is important for extracting sound intervals. Specifically, it adds a tier ’to0x’ at the top of the TextGrid that is identical to a given input tier, except that all boundaries are at zero-crossings.
You can also download the script as a .praat file.
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### Hans Rutger Bosker, Radboud University
### HansRutger.Bosker@ru.nl
### Date: 22 July 2022, run in Praat 6.2.12 on Windows 10
### License: CC BY-NC 4.0
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###>> This script takes a single .wav and matching .TextGrid file as input
###>> and moves all boundaries in one particular tier to zero-crossings.
###>> Specifically, it *adds* a new 'to0x' tier at the top of the TextGrid
###>> that is identical to a given tier except that all boundaries are
###>> at zero-crossings. The old TextGrid is then overwritten with the
###>> new extended TextGrid, but no information is lost (only added).
###>> This script works best if the script also subtracts the mean from
###>> the audio signal, and overwrites the original audio:
###>> 'method' option 1 (default).
###>> If you need to move the boundaries for more than one TextGrid file,
###>> you can merge this script with 'batch-processing.praat',
###>> see: https://hrbosker.github.io/resources/scripts/batch-processing/
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### Form to enter variables
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beginPause: "Enter settings"
comment: "Provide the directory of the sound and TextGrid file (no slash at end of string)"
text: "directory", "C:/Users/hanbos/mysounds"
comment: "Provide the name of the sound file"
comment: "(should be identical to TextGrid name)"
comment: "NOTE: do NOT include any extension (no .wav)"
text: "filename", "syll1"
comment: "Provide the interval tier number (typically 1)"
real: "tierNumber", 1
choice: "method", 1
option: "Subtract mean and overwrite audio file"
option: "Do not subtract mean"
clicked = endPause ("Cancel", "OK", 2)
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### Before we start, let's check whether you've entered sensible
### input for the variables above...
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### Let's check if the directory exists.
### This script will throw an error if the directory doesn't exist
### (i.e., it won't write to a mysterious temp directory).
### First check whether the input directory ends in a backslash (if so, removed)
if right$(directory$,1)="/"
directory$ = left$(directory$,length(directory$)-1)
elsif right$(directory$,1)="\"
directory$ = left$(directory$,length(directory$)-1)
endif
### Then create a temporary txt file in the folder
### and try to write it to the input folder.
### NOTE: The "nocheck" below asks Praat not to complain if the folder
### does *not* exist. We'll manually check whether the saving of this
### temp txt file has succeeded or not further down below.
temp_filename$ = directory$ + "/" + "my_temporary_Praat_file.txt"
nocheck writeFileLine: temp_filename$, "This is just to check if the directory exists"
### Can the file be found?
file_exists_yesno = fileReadable(temp_filename$)
if file_exists_yesno = 1
# if you *could* read that temp txt file,
# this confirms that the directory is valid.
# Then you can delete it.
deleteFile: temp_filename$
## Let's also check whether the specified wav and TextGrid filenames exist
## inside this particular directory.
filepath$ = directory$ + "/" + filename$ + ".wav"
wavFileExists = fileReadable(filepath$)
if wavFileExists = 0
# if the wav file does not exist
printline Could not find 'filename$'.wav in the folder 'directory$'
exit Could not find 'filename$'.wav in the folder 'directory$'. Check spelling.
endif
filepath$ = directory$ + "/" + filename$ + ".TextGrid"
tgFileExists = fileReadable(filepath$)
if tgFileExists = 0
# if the TextGrid file does not exist
printline Could not find 'filename$'.TextGrid in the folder 'directory$'
exit Could not find 'filename$'.TextGrid in the folder 'directory$'. Check spelling.
endif
else
# if the temporary file wasn't readable, that means that the directory wasn't valid.
printline The folder 'directory$' was not found
exit Your directory doesn't exist. Check spelling. The directory must *already* exist.
endif
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################################# SCRIPT #################################
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Read from file... 'directory$'\'filename$'.wav
if method = 1
Subtract mean
Write to WAV file... 'directory$'\'filename$'.wav
endif
Read from file... 'directory$'\'filename$'.TextGrid
nInts = Get number of intervals... 'tierNumber'
Insert interval tier... 1 to0x
for i to ('nInts'-1)
select TextGrid 'filename$'
intEnd = Get end point... ('tierNumber'+1) 'i'
intLab$ = Get label of interval... ('tierNumber'+1) 'i'
select Sound 'filename$'
zxEnd = Get nearest zero crossing... 1 'intEnd'
select TextGrid 'filename$'
Insert boundary... 1 zxEnd
Set interval text... 1 'i' 'intLab$'
endfor
intLab$ = Get label of interval... ('tierNumber'+1) 'nInts'
Set interval text... 1 'nInts' 'intLab$'
Write to text file... 'directory$'\'filename$'.TextGrid
Remove
select Sound 'filename$'
Remove
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# End of script
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