When you hear your voice recorded, you might experience a sense of surprise or even disgust. To you, your voice doesn't sound like the way you hear it in your head. It can sound unfamiliar, and the difference between the voice you perceive in your head and the one captured by a recording has puzzled many. Understanding the science behind this phenomenon can not only provide clarity but might also empower you to embrace or even change how you sound.
The Science Behind How Sound Works
Sound travels as vibrations through the air, a physical phenomenon we often take for granted. When sound is made, it produces sound waves that travel through the air. The sound waves are vibrations that move through air in all directions. When you speak in an open space like a park, your voice tends to get lost quicker than speaking in an enclosed room. These waves can travel over considerable distances, depending on factors such as the intensity of the sound and the environment but the vibrations are looking for a hard surface to bounce off, otherwise, the waves of the vibration eventually fade away. When these sound waves encounter a hard surface, like a wall, mountain, or building, some of the energy is reflected back towards the source of the sound. This is similar to how light bounces off a mirror. Remember being in a school hall/gymnasium and the sound being loud compared to a classroom? If the surface is soft, the sound is absorbed by the material of the fabric. Eg. Your bedroom has less of an echo than your bathroom. The size of the room also is a factor in how fast you can hear the sound. If the room is quite big but empty, it will sound more echoey than a small room full of pillows and toys.
You can hear echos in the mountains of your voice because of the same reason. When you speak the sound waves travels to the nearest mountain for the vibrations to bounce from and by the time it comes back, there is a delay in the sound when you hear it. This is the same for thunder and lightning, you see the lightning first and then you hear the sound.
How You Hear Your Voice
When you speak, the sound vibrations produced by your vocal folds travel in three primary ways: through the air (airborne sound), through the bones of your skull (conducted sound), and through the tissue surrounding your neck (tissue-conducted sound). Your skull being the hard surface and the tissue around your neck is the soft surface.
When you hear your voice as you speak, you are receiving a mixture of these sound routes. Approximately 30% of the sound you hear comes from the vibrations conducted through your bones and tissues, which is why it tends the sound seems much fuller and richer to you. This bone conduction amplifies lower frequencies, resulting in a deeper tone than what is typically captured through a recording. Additionally, the sound vibrations have to bounce around the hard and soft surfaces of the room and bounce around your ear canal before it enters your eardrum.
Your Recorded Voice
In contrast, when you hear a recording of your voice, you are only hearing the air-conducted sound. This version lacks the richness of the bone-conducted sound, making your voice sound thinner and higher than what you perceive.
Many people find their voice in their head and their recorded voice unsettling, often leading to themselves being self-conscious or dissatisfied with how they sound. But it’s essential to recognise that the cringing moment, when you listen to how you actually sound is a common experience for everybody unless they have worked in the field of voice, eg. actors or singers who are trained to use their voice.
The Importance of Vocal Training
For those who wish to take charge and own their voice or perhaps want to change how they sound, vocal training can be beneficial. Vocal training and Voice coaching aren't just for singers and actors. Voice coaches employ techniques that focus on breath control, resonance, and articulation. By learning how you actually sound, you can use your voice correctly, to enhance your clarity, your volume, and the overall quality of your voice. The more you practice with your 'real' voice, the more you can accept how you really sound.
Instead of shying away from your sound, consider embracing and refining it. If you find yourself dissatisfied with how you sound or have a desire to alter your voice, do not hesitate to reach out to me for professional guidance. With practice through vocal technique, you can embrace the voice that is uniquely yours. If you're ready to take the next step book a call with me.
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