Am I going crazy? I think my voice sounds strange...?

Question

Recently I applied as a tour guide at a local establishment and just last night when I was practicing my speach's in my bedroom with the computer recording it, I noticed durring playback that my voice sounds strange (To me anyway). I have nothing against gay people, so dont take it that way, but to me, my voice almost sounds like that of a Gay person, even though I'm not. It's not really "High pitched" I don't think, it just sounds different than any other voice I have ever heard.

No one around me has ever mentioned it, and no one has a hard time understanding me or anything, so I'm wondering if It's all in my head or If I really sound like that?

Thanks

>>> I'll post wav file of my voice in a few hours for people to judge....

A sample of my voice is here:
http://www.geocities.com/landon1600/test.wav

I promis it does NOT contain any spyware, Adware or Virus. Tell me what you think of my voice... I still think it sounds strange.

Answer 1

It's all in your head.

Answer 2

Ages ago, I read a nifty way to put your voice at its natural place. You need a piano or a second person who can play an instrument down to low notes. You make a sound on the piano and say "ah" with the same sound. Go down the scale note by note, piano sound followed by your "ah", not too quickly, until you hit bottom. Then, back up five or six notes. See if that sound / pitch doesn't feel comfortable. Talk a little bit at that pitch, and then record your voice, staying at that pitch. Go ahead and sound enthusiastic and knowledgeable, like a tour guide, and listen to how you sound. If you like it, practice and go for it.
People don't always tell you when you're doing something that someone else might look at differently because they love you and know what a great person you are and they might take your "quirk" as a given.
If you are really worried about how you sound, you can go to a school, or find someone in theater or music, or ask at the place where you worship if it includes singing. Just say that you want a candid evaluation of your voice. Don't tell them what you think until you hear what they say.
Your enthusiasm and deep knowledge of your subject will make you a good tour guide, not the quality or pitch of your voice. But, it's always good to sound as pleasant as you can. Oh, and smile when you talk. It improves the sound of your voice even when no one can see your face.
Light, higher pitched voices ARE less comfortable to listen to for long periods of time, in general, at least in many cultures.

Answer 3

It sounds a little soft, but thats a good thing. It doesnt sound female or gay at all. I think it sounds kinda sexy.

We can only hear the vibrations when we are talking, so we dont actually hear our own voice until we record it and play it back. Its always going to sound a little different then. Dont worry!

=)

Enjoy your new job!!!

Answer 4

No, Landon, you sound normal to me. I have these very same thoughts when I hear myself talk. To me, I sound like a guy when I talk!!! Nobody has ever told me I sound weird or anything either. I think maybe our sound is better coming from our head. Maybe what we hear on a tape recorder isn't really how we sound. I don't know!!! But, you sound fine. You have a little southern twang - that's cool. I'm in California but will be moving to Texas in 6 months, so I'll probably get a twang of my own!

Answer 5

Everybody thinks they sound weird when they hear their voice on a recording. When we talk, we hear our own voices reverberate through the bones in our skulls. But when we hear others, we hear it through the medium of air, and it sounds a bit higher. Some people think higher means gay.

Okay, I listened, and it is a bit soft and sing-songy. Yeah, it sounds kind of gay. Sorry! My son listened and noticed a little bit of a lisp on your s. Keep practicing.

By the way, I know gay guys who don't sound gay at all. Funny how that works, huh?

Answer 6

There are gay people whose voice doesn't sound like that, so use the word "feminine" next time. Your voice is the way it is. If no one is around snickering when you talk, then it must not be as bad as you think it is. Everyone doesn't like something about themselves. I know when I hear myself on my answering machine or on tape, my voice sounds deeper, but everyone else says they like it. Don't feel bad about it, I'm sure you sound fine... There are people with much worse problems than this, trust me... Good luck!!

Answer 7

Everyone thinks their voice sounds weird. And recordings don't accurately reflect the way other people hear your voice anyway.

Don't give it another thought -- good luck applying for that tour guide position!

Answer 8

It's because when you speak, your voice bounces around your mouth and resonates before heading to your ears, where it bounces around some more... all that bouncing around (reverberating) makes it sound really good. When it's been recorded, it goes from your mouth to the recording device without so much resonating, and in the playback it also doesn't resonate so much, making it sound different, and not as good.

Answer 9

1. Voices sound different when recorded, and to others, than they do to those who speak. 2. VOices change when people turn 13. So don't let the different sound distrub or stop you, from speaking in public. I have the same prob, but I don't let it bother me, these days.

Answer 10

Post the recording of your voice on the internet so we can all hear it. Otherwise we really have no idea how normal or silly you might sound.

Answer 11

my voice always sounds different when i use devices.
NO OFFENSE, but when i talk on the answering machine i sound white(i'm hispanic) and when i talk on the phone, i have a really bad lisp and you can't understand me, and when i use a recorder, i sound like a little girl. so i think it's just the device you are using.