de Melo Pestana Mouga Malheiro, João PedroCollegium Medicorum Theatri2026-05-072026-05-072026-03-25http://hdl.handle.net/10284/15397The objective assessment of artistic voice has traditionally relied on airborne microphones—the "gold standard" for radiated acoustic signals. However, in ecologically valid performance contexts, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is frequently compromised by environmental noise and instrumentation. While contact sensors have emerged as a robust alternative, scientific focus remains largely fixed on their ability to replicate the airborne signal. This session challenges the necessity of acoustic equivalence, proposing instead that contact-based sensors offer a distinct, complementary potential. Evidence suggests these technologies are not directly interchangeable: while airborne signals capture the glottal source filtered by the vocal tract, contact sensors provide a direct proxy of glottal tissue vibration. Consequently, frequency-based parameters show strong correlations between sensors, while amplitude-based parameters and noise components diverge. We propose a paradigm redefinition: contact sensors should be viewed not as secondary acoustic tools, but as primary instruments for measuring physiological sources—representing an entirely different measurement construct. This approach allows performers to quantify underlying mechanisms independently of the radiated sound, even in high-noise environments. We invite researchers and pedagogues to reflect on a dual-measurement model: utilizing contact-based sensors to robustly quantify the "physiological engine" and airborne sensors to capture the "artistic-acoustic result." This distinction facilitates a clearer analysis of cause (glottal mechanism) versus effect (radiated sound) in vocal pedagogy and science.engconference object