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Research | Tour de Fierce

Exploring the frontiers of vocal science, human evolution, and emerging technologies in the entertainment industry — with transparency, rigor, and a commitment to elevating truth in the creative arts.

Tour de Fierce Research operates at the intersection of scientific inquiry, artistic expertise, and technological analysis, leveraging principles from vocal physiology, anthropology, performance science, and audio-forensic methodology. Our mission is to deeply understand how the human vocal apparatus—its evolutionary design and its interaction with modern recording practices and AI systems—impacts human communication and creativity. Every study is guided by transparency, ethical responsibility, and accountability, providing data-driven insights to empower artists, educators, and the public with an unwavering respect for the complexity of human expression.

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Tour de Fierce maintains several active research streams exploring the past, present, and future of creative endeavors. Some areas already have formal reports; others involve multi-year timelines and investigations in progress. All are included here for transparency, academic integrity, and to reflect the full scope of inquiry guiding this work. This page functions as a growing archive of published findings and a public roadmap of ongoing research initiatives.

Areas of Research

I. AI-Generated Music & Audio Forensics

Investigating spectrogram patterns, encoder behavior, metadata anomalies, and statistical irregularities to evaluate AI-authored musical compositions in real-world audio files.


Current flagship report:
ISC AI-Detection Report (2024)

II. Human Evolution & the Vocal Apparatus

Research on how the human voice developed to its current stage, spanning anatomical adaptations, respiratory evolution, speech biomechanics, and the evolutionary pressures responsible for distinguishing our voices from all other primate species.


Flagship report:

[Set for publication in Aeon magazine, 2026]

III. Psychoacoustics & Human Perception of Voice

Exploring how humans perceive timbre, vibrato, resonance, pitch accuracy, and vocal expression; documenting how human perception can be used to distinguish human voices from early generative audio models.


Flagship report:

Forthcoming: "Ear-Based Detection of Early AI 'Singing'"

IV. Evolution of Musicality & Acoustic Communication

Comparative studies of human and non-human primate vocalizations, evolutionary functions of pitch manipulation, and music's evolutionary roots as survival in the wild.

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Flagship report:

Forthcoming: "The Lost Frontiers of the Human Voice"

Methodology & Scientific Approach

Tour de Fierce Research integrates:

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  • Audio-forensic analysis, including metadata, encoders, spectrograms, and expert human auditory analysis

  • Evolutionary Biology

  • Vocal Anatomy and Pedagogy

  • Performance science

  • Cognitive neuroscience

  • Acoustic engineering

  • Behavioral psychology

  • Ethical review principles

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Each study is accompanied by clear limitations, confidence levels, and source transparency.

About Tour de Fierce Research

Tour de Fierce Research bridges scientific understanding and artistic practice. Founded by Joseph Stanek, this initiative exists to protect human creativity, advance vocal science, and promote honest, evidence-based discourse as advances in technology continue to reshape the arts.

Contact / Press

For interviews, permissions, and collaboration requests: contact@tourdefierce.vip

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