Why does my voice sound different in a recording?
The short answer
When you speak, you hear some of your voice through the air and some through vibrations that travel through your throat and the bones in your head. A recording mostly plays back the sound that traveled through the air, so it can sound unfamiliar.
Two ways your voice reaches your ears
Small folds of tissue in your throat, called vocal folds, vibrate to make your voice. Some of those vibrations travel through the air and enter your ears. This is called air conduction.
At the same time, some vibrations travel through your throat and the bones in your head to the part deep inside your ear that senses sound. This is called bone conduction. When you speak, you hear a mix of sound from both routes.
Why a recording sounds different
A microphone records the sound that reaches it through the air. When you play the recording, a speaker or headphones send the sound through the air to your ears again. They do not replay the vibrations that traveled through your skull while you were speaking.
That is why your recorded voice can sound different from the voice you hear while speaking. Other people also hear your voice mainly through the air, so a recording can be closer to what they hear. The microphone, the room, and the speaker or headphones can change the sound, too.
Key points
- While you speak, your voice reaches your ears through both air and vibrations in your head.
- A recording mostly plays back sound that traveled through the air, which can make your voice seem unfamiliar.
- A recording can be similar to what other people hear, but the microphone and playback equipment affect it too.