# Disfluency — VoiceNet dimension guide

*Category:* Rhythm & Timing · *code:* `vn_DFLU` · *slot:* 46

This dimension measures the presence of fillers, false starts and self-corrections. Merge the `__high` / `__low` LoRA from `laion/moss-voicenet-dimension-loras` at 25/50/75/100/125%. Costs are shifts vs. the 24-sample neutral baseline.

**TL;DR.** **Disfluency** controls the presence of fillers, false starts and self-corrections. The **__high** LoRA shifts it +0.06 at 125% (worst cost: burst-blend -0.19); the **__low** LoRA shifts it -0.24 at 125% (worst cost: burst-blend -0.31). The **__low** direction is the stronger, more reliable knob here.

## ▲ HIGH — Disfluency __high

| dose | target | Δtarget | Δgenu | Δblend | Δqual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| baseline (0%) | 0.320 | — | — | — | — |
| 25% | 0.317 | +0.00 | -0.01 | -0.03 | -0.03 |
| 50% | 0.305 | -0.01 | +0.02 | -0.02 | -0.03 |
| 75% | 0.359 | +0.04 | +0.01 | -0.07 | -0.03 |
| 100% | 0.302 | -0.02 | +0.03 | -0.05 | -0.03 |
| 125% ★ | 0.377 | +0.06 | -0.01 | -0.19 | -0.07 |

- **EmoNet emotion** — ↑ Fatigue/Exhaustion (+0.51), Impatience and Irritability (+0.45), Fear (+0.45); ↓ Contentment (-0.53), Contemplation (-0.52), Affection (-0.37)
- **VoiceNet dimension** — ↑ Cognitive Load (+0.62), Respiration (+0.52), Tension (+0.50); ↓ Recording Quality (-0.87), Background Noise (-0.74), Smoothness (-0.73)

Merging **Disfluency __high** drives the dimension: at the recommended **125%** dose the measured Disfluency score moves from a 0.32 baseline to 0.38 (a +0.06 shift). The dose-response is mostly ordered but noisy between doses. That reach is a real cost — the biggest hit is to **burst-blend** (-0.19); across the board genuineness -0.01, burst-blend -0.19, speech quality -0.07. Emotionally it reads as Fatigue/Exhaustion (r 0.51), Impatience and Irritability (0.45) and Fear (0.45), and it moves away from Contentment, Contemplation and Affection. On other voice dimensions it co-moves most with Cognitive Load (0.62), Respiration (0.52) and Tension (0.50), while pulling down Recording Quality, Background Noise and Smoothness. Practical call: merge __high at **100–125%**; expect Fatigue/Exhaustion and Cognitive Load to rise and burst-blend to fall. If you don’t want Fatigue/Exhaustion bleeding in, offset it with a prompt cue toward Contentment to keep the disfluency shift without the side-effect.

## ▼ LOW — Disfluency __low

| dose | target | Δtarget | Δgenu | Δblend | Δqual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| baseline (0%) | 0.320 | — | — | — | — |
| 25% | 0.231 | -0.09 | -0.06 | -0.08 | +0.08 |
| 50% | 0.205 | -0.11 | -0.06 | -0.06 | +0.01 |
| 75% | 0.095 | -0.22 | -0.12 | -0.30 | +0.07 |
| 100% | 0.084 | -0.24 | -0.11 | -0.28 | +0.10 |
| 125% ★ | 0.083 | -0.24 | -0.14 | -0.31 | +0.10 |

- **EmoNet emotion** — ↑ Fatigue/Exhaustion (+0.66), Relief (+0.57), Longing (+0.48); ↓ Emotional Numbness (-0.42), Concentration (-0.37), Embarrassment (-0.27)
- **VoiceNet dimension** — ↑ Genuineness (+0.83), Cognitive Load (+0.80), Perceived Gender (+0.61); ↓ Structure (-0.84), Background Noise (-0.83), Smoothness (-0.82)

Merging **Disfluency __low** suppresses the dimension: at the recommended **125%** dose the measured Disfluency score moves from a 0.32 baseline to 0.08 (a -0.24 shift). The dose-response is clean and monotonic — each step pushes the dimension further. That reach is a steep cost — the biggest hit is to **burst-blend** (-0.31); across the board genuineness -0.14, burst-blend -0.31, speech quality +0.10. Emotionally it reads as Fatigue/Exhaustion (r 0.66), Relief (0.57) and Longing (0.48), and it moves away from Emotional Numbness, Concentration and Embarrassment. On other voice dimensions it co-moves most with Genuineness (0.83), Cognitive Load (0.80) and Perceived Gender (0.61), while pulling down Structure, Background Noise and Smoothness. Practical call: merge __low at **100–125%**; expect Fatigue/Exhaustion and Genuineness to rise and burst-blend to fall. If you don’t want Fatigue/Exhaustion bleeding in, offset it with a prompt cue toward Emotional Numbness to keep the disfluency shift without the side-effect.

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