The reason your voice sounds different when recorded is because your ears are used to hearing your voice through bone conduction, which creates a fuller and warmer sound than what a microphone picks up.
Here's a breakdown:
1. Bone Conduction: The Secret to Your Beautiful Singing Voice
When you sing, you hear your voice through two main pathways:
- Air conduction: Sound waves travel through the air to your eardrums.
- Bone conduction: Vibrations from your vocal cords travel through your skull and bones to your inner ear.
Bone conduction adds a rich, resonant quality to your voice that you perceive as beautiful. However, microphones only pick up the sound waves traveling through the air, missing the bone conduction component.
2. The Microphone's Perspective: A Less Flattering Reality
Microphones capture a more accurate representation of your voice as heard by others, without the enhancement of bone conduction. This can make your voice sound:
- Thinner: The lack of bone conduction makes your voice sound less full and resonant.
- Nasal: Microphones can pick up more of the nasal resonance in your voice, which can be perceived as unpleasant.
- Harsh: Without the warmth of bone conduction, your voice might sound sharper and less pleasing.
3. What You Can Do to Improve Your Recorded Sound
- Experiment with microphone placement: Try different positions and distances to find what sounds best to your ears.
- Use headphones: Listening to your voice through headphones can help you hear how it sounds to others.
- Practice and refine your technique: Improve your vocal projection and breath control to create a stronger, more consistent sound.
- Get feedback from others: Ask a trusted friend or voice coach for their honest opinion on your recorded voice.
Remember, it takes time and practice to develop a strong and pleasing singing voice. Don't be discouraged if your recordings don't sound perfect at first.
