# Letting others hear your voice the way that you hear it. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 20, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-others-hear-your-voice-the-way-that-you-hear-it/728345 "2015-08-20T13:30:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **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:** [August 20, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-others-hear-your-voice-the-way-that-you-hear-it/728345/1 "2015-08-20T13:30:19Z")
Is there any device or app that distorts your voice so that people can hear your voice the way that you hear it when speaking? People tell me that I have a nice voice but I can’t stand it and I know that this is a common sentiment. I’d like them to hear what I hear just to see their reaction. My googlefu is weak. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-others-hear-your-voice-the-way-that-you-hear-it/728345/2 "2015-08-20T13:38:15Z")
I sincerely doubt it, since the reason it sounds different to the person speaking has to do with resonance. Considering that all of us have different throat, sinus, and skeletal structures, I doubt we could get a consistent filter on a voice recording that works for everyone. I’m not even really sure how one might develop one, since one would need a large sample of sound engineers listening to their own voices, manipulating them and seeing how close they can get it to their own, then comparing the settings. Oddly, the complaint I usually hear is the opposite, that the voice we hear ourselves is often richer and fuller than what we hear recorded and people complain that they hate what their recorded voice sounds like. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-others-hear-your-voice-the-way-that-you-hear-it/728345/3 "2015-08-20T13:45:04Z")
You basically need a [Binaural](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording)microphone. I haven’t used one myself, but the way these work is by capturing sound at the same place you hear sound; within your ears, one mic in each ear. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-others-hear-your-voice-the-way-that-you-hear-it/728345/4 "2015-08-20T13:52:22Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > Oddly, the complaint I usually hear is the opposite, that the voice we hear ourselves is often richer and fuller than what we hear recorded and people complain that they hate what their recorded voice sounds like. This is my complaint but I guess I didn’t state it very well. I hate the sound of hearing myself recorded, not the sound that I hear in my head when I’m speaking. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-others-hear-your-voice-the-way-that-you-hear-it/728345/5 "2015-08-20T13:59:53Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > You basically need a [Binaural](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording)microphone. I haven’t used one myself, but the way these work is by capturing sound at the same place you hear sound; within your ears, one mic in each ear. I don’t think that is a solution to the OP. Binaural microphones will record external sounds so that the stereo effect sounds natural when replayed through headphones. This is different from a normal stereo recording because of the distance between the microphones and the shape of the head and ear, but it is still recording the sound as it travels in air. What the OP asks is a way to record the internal sound of his own voice. This is different to the external sound as it is mostly transmitted by the tissues and cavities of the head rather than open air. This will alter its tonal character as different frequencies will resonate or be absorbed differently. ---
**Author:** ![halfreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@halfreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/halfreal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-others-hear-your-voice-the-way-that-you-hear-it/728345/6 "2015-08-20T16:43:04Z")
In principle, an audio editor like audacity will do. Just manipulate a recording until it sounds to you like your “inner voice”. Of course, that can be tricky if you’re unfamiliar with audio editing. But just playing around for a while might let you create an approximation. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-others-hear-your-voice-the-way-that-you-hear-it/728345/7 "2015-08-20T16:54:21Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I hate the sound of hearing myself recorded, not the sound that I hear in my head when I’m speaking. I always used to really hate my voice on recordings. And it wasn’t just an objective “man, my voice sounds suckier than I though”, but a visceral sense of discomfort and almost disgust. I’ve heard the same from others, that when they hear their voice recorded, they feel a need to cover their ears or jump at the playback device to switch it off. I guess that it’s a hijack, but does anyone have a clue why? I say used to, because while I was learning the guitar, I recorded myself a lot playing and singing. And then I got really used to it. Or, actually, I still hate recordings of myself speaking. But that is mostly because I sound like a blithering idiot. Even though that obviously has to be because of some strange auditory illusion, as in reality, every word out of my mouth is pearl of wisdom. 😉