# Do you like the actual sound of your voice? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 30, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530 "2010-07-30T00:29:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/1 "2010-07-30T00:29:15Z")
I have been told that I have a very nice voice. I’ve had many strangers tell me “You have a deep voice” which I guess surprises them because I look and act like a complete geek. I’m perfectly happy with the voice that I hear in my head but absolutely cannot stand having to hear my voice in a recording. Do you like the way your voice sounds? ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/2 "2010-07-30T00:32:33Z")
I hate my recorded voice; I like what I hear when I speak. The two sound different to me. ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/3 "2010-07-30T00:44:00Z")
Can’t stand how I sound… I sound like Mickey Mouse, if he was tone deaf. For some reason other people don’t notice it… this poor girl I met actually thought I was a singer… it was pretty sad… her being a professional musician and all, probably hearing loss from playing noisy venues. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/4 "2010-07-30T00:45:24Z")
Normally, yes. When I hear recordings of myself, not at all. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/5 "2010-07-30T00:47:15Z")
Not really. It sounds okay to me, but recorded, the way other people hear it, is far too high for my liking. I’ve always wanted a deep bass voice. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/6 "2010-07-30T00:55:21Z")
I generally don’t like recordings of my voice - but for some reason, I sound really good on NPR. I’ve been on a few shows, and I’m always struck by how NPR-ey I sound. Probably because I’ve spent so much time listening to NPR stations. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/7 "2010-07-30T01:02:55Z")
I hear my recorded voice every day, as well as the resonant voice inside my head. I like it fine. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/8 "2010-07-30T01:11:20Z")
My actual voice(not the sound bouncing around my head) sounds almost identical to that of my sisters, similar enough that we get confused by family and friends on the phone. So yeah, I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/9 "2010-07-30T01:39:08Z")
You missed the option for hell no. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/10 "2010-07-30T01:46:02Z")
In person, sure. I have some vocal training and sing well. I’ve also done a lot of practicing reading aloud and such. On recordings, not so much. I tend to sound reedy, though I may just be reacting to not hearing my own head roar. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/11 "2010-07-30T02:16:22Z")
I’m much like the OP. I’ve received compliments about my voice, so I believe that I have a pretty good voice. It’s just that my voice sounds so much better to me resonating around in my skull that I don’t like my recorded voice in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/12 "2010-07-30T02:30:23Z")
NO. I sound like Kermit the Frog. I have had three different people in three far-separated locations tell me this (a guy at work; two drunk girls on a country road near Huntsville, Ontario; and, sadly, a Doper, who thought it was a compliment). My voice is a major reason I don’t get a lot of dates. ---
**Author:** ![TheBori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@TheBori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBori)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/13 "2010-07-30T03:27:15Z")
My recorded voice, of course, sounds different from the (one of many) voices in my head. I do voice over work, so I hear myself quite a bit…editing and such…I’ve come to like it. It does take getting used to. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/14 "2010-07-30T04:32:41Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > You missed the option for hell no. +1 (if not more). To me, I sound as if I have terminal adenoids. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/15 "2010-07-30T04:33:12Z")
Yes, I have a deep voice. This year two people told me I should be on the radio. ---
**Author:** ![banjoDavid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@banjoDavid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/banjoDavid)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/16 "2010-07-30T04:38:20Z")
For what it’s worth- The voice that you hear is almost all bone conduction from the skull bones vibrating the 3 small bones in your ear. The resonance comes from the air in your sinuses, which are holes in your head. A microphone picks up the air vibrating from your vocal chords, and the resonance of your skull colors the sound. By the way, the reason your voice sounds wonky when you breathe helium from a balloon- the lighter than air helium replaces the air in your sinuses, and the resonance of your skull changes. It doesn’t affect the vocal chords I have been listening to my recorded voice for many years, and I like it. I like the sound of my voice in my head, too. David ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/17 "2010-07-30T04:56:05Z")
Absolutely not. I cannot stand the way my voice sounds. I have a rather deep voice for a female but I’m okay with that part. It’s my deep voice combined with what sounds like an adenoid issue and a slight southern accent that results in my voice having a perpetual “DUH!” essence to it. Ugh. It’s awful. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/18 "2010-07-30T04:59:08Z")
I have a strong West Coast accent and I don’t like hearing it. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/19 "2010-07-30T05:00:14Z")
Sounds forced/strained and a monotone. Hate it. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530/20 "2010-07-30T06:26:43Z")
The good news: I have a very deep, basso voice. The bad news: My phrases drop off at the end, making me sound like [Snagglepuss](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L807pDZLWKs&feature=related) (though I don’t end every sentence with “even”). Of course I can’t correct it, because I don’t hear it that way at all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-the-actual-sound-of-your-voice/548530.md?page=2)