# Sound Effect in "When Doves Cry" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 28, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760 "2008-11-28T03:42:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/1 "2008-11-28T03:42:01Z")
I’d post a link to a Youtube video, but apparently The Purple One is a bit touchy about having his songs on Youtube, so there are none. Anyway, about five seconds into the song, there is a weird sound that goes on for a few seconds. You can pick it up right away. It cycles in and out, and sounds like a high-pitched growl (sort-of). Anyway, if you’ve heard the song, you know what I’m talking about. What is that? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/2 "2008-11-28T03:54:22Z")
[AOL Music](http://video.aol.com/video/prince-when-doves-cry/1128162) has it. Sounds a bit like an electric motor, like in a shaver or something. But I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/3 "2008-11-28T04:00:23Z")
I always thought it was Prince “singing” that noise. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/4 "2008-11-28T04:12:07Z")
I’m pretty sure it’s Prince’s voice, manipulated by sound effects. The movie _Purple Rain_ alluded to his interest in experimenting with manipulating tape loops and such. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/5 "2008-11-28T05:50:33Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [AOL Music](http://video.aol.com/video/prince-when-doves-cry/1128162) has it. > > Sounds a bit like an electric motor, like in a shaver or something. But I don’t know. About 14 seconds in, not five? I also would WAG that it is his voice through some weird electronic voodoo. Anybody got a link to complete credits by track? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/6 "2008-11-28T07:15:52Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > I also would WAG that it is his voice through some weird electronic voodoo. I was going to mention that (especially when the sound first starts) as a WAG, but two other people had already posted. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/7 "2008-11-28T12:00:15Z")
> [@3 posters](#): > > Prince himself Hmmm. I always wondered (perhaps naively) if it wasn’t the sound an actual dove makes when upset or threatened. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/8 "2008-11-28T16:27:21Z")
When you listen to the song, Prince’s voice\* often has that kind of sound, though not as extreme. e.g., the “How can you just leave me standing.” part. \*I assume it’s also Prince, but it’s the background voice, not the lead voice. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/9 "2008-11-28T16:34:42Z")
It’s just Prince shaving his balls. He’s fastidious like that. Really that is definately his voice manipulated in some fashion. The beginning of that noise sounds like his voice, and then they synth it out and oscilate it. It’s oddly out of place in the song, but it is what it is. ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/10 "2008-11-29T02:10:18Z")
I’ve always thought it was the [Talkbox](http://www.music123.com/Rocktron-Banshee-Talk-Box-154218-i1124807.Music123) that Peter Frampton uses on “Do You Feel Like We Do” but not as distorted. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/11 "2008-11-29T14:47:07Z")
I have to agree with everyone that says this is Prince singing. Heck, I can make that sound myself. There may be a flanger in it, ala the Daleks on Doctor Who, as I can mimic those flangers. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effect-in-when-doves-cry/474760/12 "2008-11-29T19:54:18Z")
[Ring modulator](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_modulation)? It’s an easy way to produce monster voices.