And Now For a Little Something Different:
Last week, we found out about color perception; today, we’re going to find out about sound perception – specifically, our own voices.
Why does our voice sound different on recordings than in real life? The editors of FYI of Popular Science answer:
It sounds different because it is different. “When you speak, the vocal folds in your throat vibrate, which causes your skin, skull and oral cavities to also vibrate, and we perceive this as sound,” explains Ben Hornsby, a professor of audiology at Vanderbilt University. The vibrations mix with the sound waves traveling from your mouth to your eardrum, giving your voice a quality — generally a deeper, more dignified sound — that no one else hears.
You can find the entire article here.
That made me wonder: what do I sound like on recordings? It’s been a long time since I’ve bothered to record myself, because I always cringe at the result.
But then I remembered that I had recorded a rendition of Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” when I had a few minutes’ access to some semi-pro recording/mixing software (sadly, though, we didn’t have access to any pro equipment). I played the piano and recorded it with my computer mic, then I tried to put the horrible cold I had on hold long enough to sing the song (also recorded with a computer mic).
At any rate, if you are so inclined, you can hear how I sound here (and please try not to cringe too much, especially when I fall flat on “light”!):
(mp3 file hosted at mediafire until I get a computer that has decent ftp software)
http://download747.mediafire.com/dncmnm9yj4lg/yzyjgentu2y/Hallelujah4.mp3