AL Yonovitz, Ph.D., CCC-A and Herbert Joe, M.A., J.D., B.C.F.E., D.A.B.F.E., D.A.B.L.E.E., F.A.C.F.E. are forensic tape analysts, experts and consultants. They specialize in – and only in – the unbiased and objective forensic analyses of all aspects of audio- and videotape recorded evidence.

I. GENERAL AREAS OF FORENSIC AUDIO EXPERTISE
· Forensic Audio/Video Tape Authenticity and Analysis
Has a tape been edited, tampered, falsified?
· Voice Identification or Elimination via Spectrography
Is the known person in question the same speaker as that on the tape?
· Digital Tape Enhancement
Can a tape recording be "cleaned up" for better audibility?
· Transcription Development and Verification
Can you testify as to the accuracy of a recording's transcription?
· Discourse or Linguistic Analysis
Can speech and intent of speakers be objectively determined?

II. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON ABOVE SERVICES
a. Forensic Authenticity Analysis of Tape-Recorded Evidence
As court-qualified forensic tape examiners, we can objectively and thoroughly authenticate both the content and magnetic patterns of the recording(s) at issue. For example, analyses of the electronic signatures on the tape and of the oxide side of the tape for stop-start signatures may reveal discontinuities in the recording process(es). Additional analyses may include visual analyses of the recorded signal, noise analyses of the entire recording, and waveform or electronic analyses of the voice signals. Such analyses ensures that i) evidence of any type of tampering will be demonstrated, and ii) any signs suggestive of falsification will be appropriately analyzed and explained. The originality of the taped recording by waveform analyses of the recording patterns themselves may also be determined, i.e, is the putative original tape truly an original, or is it a copy of the original? Any signs or evidence of tampering may be accompanied by demonstrative evidence, whether by our exclusive VideoScript, graphic display, microphotography, etc. The result is a scientifically objective report with demonstrative evidence that we can testify as to its accuracy and reliability. The most thorough analysis is of the original tape(s) and the corresponding recorder(s).

b. Voice Identification or Elimination via Spectrography
Spectrographic voice analysis and waveform analysis, including the analyses of the acoustic, phonetic and linguistic characteristics of voices, involve the reflection of vocal characteristics in a spectrogram. To determine whether a particular person is the same speaker on a particular tape(s), spectrograms are made from particular words from each exemplar and then compared. After objective analyses, results are given consistent with the general guidelines promulgated by the International Association of Investigation (IAI). Such factors as fundamental frequency (pitch), prosody, speaking rate, dialect, peculiar speech characteristics, fluency or disfluency, etc. are also accounted for. Note that Dr. Yonovitz has served on the certification and standards committee of the IAI. Please contact Herbert Joe (see below) for additional information.

c. Digital Tape Enhancement
For many recordings in which the speech is of questionable audibility or intelligibility, digital signal processing may "clean up" the recording significantly. For example, analog or computerized tape enhancement processes may eliminate or minimize extraneous noises. Certain background noises or voices can be enhanced to or beyond the point of audibility or intelligibility. By examining the frequency content, the speaker's cadence of speech and the content of noise between the spoken passages, we decide which algorithm or technique to employ. We can testify as to our credentials and expertise, to the enhanced version's content and the process(es) and equipment by which the re-recording was made, to the manner in which the relevant voices have not been distorted or altered in the process, and how the enhanced copy is a true and accurate reproduction of the recorded event.

d. Discourse or Linguistic Analysis
Discourse analysis is the scientific analysis of a conversation. It got its forensic start in the Abscam government bribery case where it was integral to the entrapment defense. To determine the intent of significance of speech on tape-recorded evidence, the conversation must be reconstructed in its entirety and in the proper context. By objectively explaining the structure and import of the conversation, discourse analysts provide a method for third parties to properly evaluate the conversation. This may include, under certain circumstances, testimony on how and why one's statements do not convey the significance that one side attaches to them. Spoken or written language has many forms and uses, but always is judged by three criteria: i) Coherence, ii) Cohesion, and iii) Social appropriateness. Discourse analysis, when prepared by a qualified language specialists experienced in forensic applications, may be a valuable adjunct to either the prosecution or the defense.

ABOUT YONOVITZ & JOE, L.L.P.

EDUCATION:

i. Al Yonovitz:
B.S., Audiology, Kent State University, 1969
M.A., Audiology, University of Connecticut, 1972
Ph.D., Acoustics, University of Connecticut, 1973

ii. Herbert Joe:
B.S., Biology, Baylor University, 1983
M.A., Biology, Southern Methodist University, 1986
J.D., Southern Methodist University, 1993

CERTIFICATION:
Certificate of Clinical Competence, Audiology (Yonovitz)
American Speech and Hearing Association (Yonovitz)
Admitted to practice law in the states of Texas and Oklahoma (Joe)
Board Certified Forensic Examiner, Forensic Audio (Joe)
Licensed Instructor, Texas Association of Licensed Investigators (Joe)
Diplomate, American Board of Forensic Examiners (Joe)
Diplomate, American Board of Law Enforcement Experts (Joe)
Fellow, American College of Forensic Examiners (Joe)

ASSOCIATIONS/MEMBERSHIPS:
Acoustical Society of America, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Forensic Examiners, American Speech & Hearing Association, International Association of Identification, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Council for the Advancement of Science in Law.

EXPERIENCE:
Professor Yonovitz's 24 years of teaching include appointments at the Speech and Hearing Institute, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the School of Public Health at the Univ. of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; Baylor College of Medicine; Dept. of Biomedical Engineering at the Univ. of Houston; Conley Speech and Hearing Center, Univ. of Maine; consultant to the VA Hospital; Director of the Electronic Prosthesis Laboratory, Mansfield Training School; former committee member for certification standards of the International Association of Identification (IAI); > 100 publications/paper presentations, > 25 grants.

Mr. Joe is a Board Certified Forensic Audio Examiner with two law licenses and two science degrees. He is also a Licensed Instructor for the Texas Association of Licensed Investigators, a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Examiners, a Diplomate of the American Board of Law Enforcement Experts, and a Fellow of the American College of Forensic Examiners. He has given presentations and authored publications on tape-recorded evidence.

Dr. Yonovitz and Mr. Joe have been analyzing tape-recorded evidence for decades (Dr. Yonovitz, over 22 years; Mr. Joe for over 12 years). They have testified in state and Federal courts throughout the years, and are intensely involved in the research and forensic application of the speech and hearing sciences. Well known cases include the David Koresh/Branch Davidian case, Routier case, and the Dan Peavy "DISD tapes".

TYPES OF CASES
Yonovitz & Joe, L.L.P. have been retained with respect to thousands of tapes in civil and criminal cases throughout North America. As for criminal cases, they have been retained in almost equal frequency between governmental agencies and criminal defense attorneys or public defenders. As for civil cases, representative clients include the spectrum of solo practitioners to large law firms, insurance companies, television stations, municipalities, etc. The majority or cases are i) authenticity cases (is this tape an accurate reproduction of the event that it purports to record?), ii) voice comparison cases (is the known person the same speaker as that on the tape or answering machine?), iii) digital tape enhancement (can a recording be made more intelligible without acoustically distorting relevant voices?), and iv) discourse or speech analysis (do the conversants on the tape understand each other, or is there hidden intent in one conversant's speech?).

Although the above four categories represent the bulk of YONOVITZ & JOE, L.L.P.'s cases, they have been involved in and are qualified and interested in taking all cases with respect to the objective analyses of tape-recorded evidence, sound, acoustics, noise, speech and hearing. See below.

ADDITIONAL SERVICES
· Speech analysis for purposes of entrapment
· Forensic audiology
· Linguistics
· Phonetics
· Sound or noise measurement and analysis, e.g., gunshots, train horn whistles,
· Electronic signatures analysis, e.g., is this an original recording? did this tape come form this particular recorder?
· Aircraft/building/environmental acoustics
· Hearing loss
· Assessment and evaluation of acoustic trauma, e.g., gunshots
· Alcohol, drug or stress effects on speech
· Evaluation of speech
· Speech pathology
· Voice and hearing disorders
· Voice or speech recognition
· Lectures and seminars
· Courtroom audio presentation

SUMMARY/CONTACT
For thorough and objective forensic analyses of tape-recorded evidence, YONOVITZ & JOE, L.L.P. is the choice for forensic tape analysts, experts and consultants. They have bring a unique combination of academic, scientific, forensic, research and legal credentials, as well as solid experience, to the legal community. Primary services include forensic authenticity analysis of tape-recorded evidence, voice identification or elimination via spectrographic analyses, digital tape enhancement, transcription development and verification, and discourse or speech analysis. They have been retained for the forensic analyses of thousands of tapes in the past 12+ years, from civil and criminal defense attorneys, governmental agencies, insurance companies, investigators, and TV stations from Canada to Mexico and from California to New York. Their main office is in Dallas, Texas, and they have another office in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Contact:
for additional information, fee schedule, references, instructions on sending evidence, etc., please call:

Herbert Joe, M.A., J.D., B.C.F.E., D.A.B.F.E., D.A.B.L.E.E., F.A.C.F.E. Managing Partner; Board Certified Forensic Examiner Licensed Instructor, Texas Association of Licensed Investigators Diplomate, American Board of Forensic Examiners Diplomate, American Board of Law Enforcement Experts Fellow, American College of Forensic Examiners

ph.: 405/943-TAPE, or
ph.: 214/505-TAPE, or
ph.: 800/650-TAPE
pager: 800/218-8271
e-mail: forensic_tape@compuserve.com