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The "Does my voice pass?" thread

Started by Isabelle, September 19, 2012, 02:14:55 AM

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Beverly

Quote from: Crt.rnA on September 21, 2012, 08:27:31 AM

Deep

The higher I can speak and articulate

I don't think I can do it, at least the pitch. The higher I raise the pitch, the less strenght I have.
I just listened to these samples. I cannot speak a word of spanish so the recordings are meaningless to me and spanish always sounds very monotone to my ear - much more so than english or french.

Having said that, the second sample is much nearer a feminine tone than the first. I think that the second sample could be used as a basis for a good feminine voice. I would be interested in hearing a recording in english.
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Apples Mk.II

Quote from: brc on September 21, 2012, 07:06:16 PM
Having said that, the second sample is much nearer a feminine tone than the first. I think that the second sample could be used as a basis for a good feminine voice. I would be interested in hearing a recording in english.

I had one, but deleted it out of embarrassment, after listening to my own pronunciation. When you work in english but 90% of your colleagues are not native speakers (it is more akin to latin for medieval priests), it is quite difficult to compare to others and see if you are doing it properly. In our department we keep correcting ourselves all the time, but we always need to ask a brit for help when it comes to recording audio messages...

I'll try to upload it tomorrow, but please don't laugh a lot (or don't let me know). The Flu is making it sound even more weird...
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Beverly

Quote from: Crt.rnA on September 21, 2012, 07:14:54 PM
... it is quite difficult to compare to others and see if you are doing it properly.

I think that many of us hear loads of flaws in our voices. When I used to hear recordings of my male voice I was astounded that anyone else liked it. It always sounded hideous to me. My female voice does not sound right to me, Keaira does not like hers either (she said so in her voice sample) and I know MTFs who do not like theirs and one even had surgery to correct it (not that the surgery made any difference I could hear). We are our own worst critics.

Having said that I have found that tweaking my computer setup to get a decent recording has made it a much better system to practice with so this thread has been great for me in that respect.
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Isabelle

Crt, I've never used a spectrograph for voice training once. Don't freak yourself out over numbers and notes. I listened to your voice samples.. I'm sorry I don't understand Spanish (the New Zealand public school system isn't that great on languages so I never learned any :( Your higher sample isn't as bad as you seem to think it is. You are dipping into your chest resonance quite often though. With the humming sample you gave, there's nothing wrong with it at all, Actually the 5th note you hum sounds like a good spot for you. Basically hum that note, you seemed to be pretty comfortable hitting it in the recording. Sit in a chair, with your shoulder straight, and look up at the ceiling so that when you make the note your neck muscles feel tighter around your voice box, hum that same note, and practice till you hit it easily, then open your mouth and say "ahhhhh" at that same pitch. Go though the vowels a,e,i,o,u holding that same note :) then try to move to singing words, all just at that one note.

Also, don't worry about people laughing or sounding silly. No one is going to laugh at you, we are all here for the same reason and we all know how hard it can be. I think it's awesome you're training, it took me over almost two years before I was brave enough to even try training. Feel good :) you're doing great!
X

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Isabelle

Also, I just wanted to point out that although the thread seems to be being dominated by feminine identifying people's, the masculine identifying people are more than welcome!
Maybe if the thread stays as popular as it has been it could get stickied?
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Keaira

Quote from: Erica on September 21, 2012, 01:33:02 PM
Keaira, I love your Orlando quote!  I love that movie : )

I'm glad you know it. ^_^
Quote from: brc on September 21, 2012, 07:29:51 PM
I think that many of us hear loads of flaws in our voices. When I used to hear recordings of my male voice I was astounded that anyone else liked it. It always sounded hideous to me. My female voice does not sound right to me, Keaira does not like hers either (she said so in her voice sample) and I know MTFs who do not like theirs and one even had surgery to correct it (not that the surgery made any difference I could hear). We are our own worst critics.


It's true, I think you are all bonkers. :P


So, since I wasn't happy with my voice sample, I made a new one. ^_^
http://soundcloud.com/keaira-finlay/new-sample
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MadelineB

Quote from: Crt.rnA on September 21, 2012, 03:01:25 PM
I am even afraid to look at, it will depress me even more. My range is so limited... I want to have a bit of hope, But.. Getting those cd's, and being able to get over the pitch... If I try to raise it, the spectrograph goes crazy unless I am in my natural tone, and keeping that unstable pitch raised becomes painfuls so quickly. Not even the falsetto is functional.

Take heart. I had many of the challenges you are dealing with. Finally in February of this year I was able to take enough time off to get some major sinus surgery. Not only did it eliminate my recurring migraine headaches, it dramatically opened up my vocal range especially in the upper registers.

The thing to remember is that even if it is difficult right now to practice pitch, that is the least important part of gendering your speaking voice.

You can focus on your intonation, resonance, word choices, rhythm, emotionality, and expressiveness.  That way, when the blocked pipes are clear, you will suddenly go from sounding like a woman with a bad head cold, to sounding like an utterly natural woman who doesn't have a bad head cold!

Practicing your female voice with your head stuffed up is great training, as long as you work AROUND the physical limitations. It is like jogging with weights on.

By the way, my daily speaking voice is now a little higher pitched than my mother and all three of my sisters, but I used to speak in a very resonant baritone. My mother and one of my sisters are definite tenors, and the other two sisters are low altos. I mention that because NOBODY misgenders my mother or sisters when they speak. I feel fortunate that I couldn't use higher pitches early on, because I might have gotten complacent and skipped the more important stuff that makes a voice feel male or female.
History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.
~Maya Angelou

Personal Blog: Madeline's B-Hive
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Beverly

Quote from: Keaira on September 22, 2012, 04:04:05 AM
It's true, I think you are all bonkers. :P
We are merely all works-in-progress Keaira   ;D

Quote from: Keaira on September 22, 2012, 04:04:05 AM
So, since I wasn't happy with my voice sample, I made a new one. ^_^
http://soundcloud.com/keaira-finlay/new-sample
I have some comments on your voice recording which I hope you will find helpful. Listening to it, it seems to me that you modulate more like a woman than a man, your tone shifts are more feminine than masculine and I think that if you could move your pitch up a little then it would smooth out some of the lower tones and feminise it even more. I am working at gradually taking my own voice up another 20Hz or so over the next few months and I want the higher overtones to get louder to put more 'brightness' in my voice as it sounds a bit flat to me at present.

I am quite enjoying making the recordings. This could become a habit...
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Keaira



I hope this helps because I cant tell much about what it shows. lol
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Erica

Quote from: brc on September 22, 2012, 06:14:33 AM
I am quite enjoying making the recordings. This could become a habit...

Totally!  I told Isabelle that this is probably the most fun I've had in a thread, ever : )
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Beverly

Quote from: Erica on September 23, 2012, 03:48:02 PM
Totally!  I told Isabelle that this is probably the most fun I've had in a thread, ever : )

I know. Here is my latest... http://soundcloud.com/brc2012/improved/s-ZLchA

Also, people my find this youtube video interesting (it is NOT me)    I find it very hard to understand why someone who could be passable would want a male voice.
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Ave

#71
Monitoring how my voice will change/"drop" off hormones so here's my day 1 (sort of?) lol

I can see me
I can see you
Are you me?
Or am I you?
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LizMarie

HRT does not reverse the voice changes that puberty does to a male, but my endo, a kind gentleman who has been handling MtFs since 1975, claims that HRT does increase our potential vocal range upwards a bit. How much varies per individual and it still requires practice to get there but HRT may make it easier for someone to reach their target pitch.
The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.



~ Cara Elizabeth
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PaigeMtl

Hi,
I have been practicing for a few months now but just recently started using the Overtone Analyzer. I just can't 'hear' myself and need feedback.
It is not my best but not my worst so probably a good version to work from.

Please be honest but gentle on the constructive crits.

http://soundcloud.com/brutzein/voice-oct2012
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Isabelle

Cool beans, will take a listen shortly :) also, yay for the thread staying alive :)
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Alyx.

http://vocaroo.com/i/s00Kvhl8IuGC

This is how I normally talk... I think it sounds like a woman's voice, but not a young woman. It doesn't really match my face...

Sorry for the >-bleeped-<ty mic. :P
If you do not agree to my demands... TOO LATE
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pretty

Quote from: alyx. on October 05, 2012, 01:39:13 AM
http://vocaroo.com/i/s00Kvhl8IuGC

This is how I normally talk... I think it sounds like a woman's voice, but not a young woman. It doesn't really match my face...

Sorry for the >-bleeped-<ty mic. :P

It was hard to tell because of the short clip and idk what you were saying.  :)
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sandrauk

Quote from: PaigeMtl on October 04, 2012, 02:07:08 PM
Hi,
I have been practicing for a few months now but just recently started using the Overtone Analyzer. I just can't 'hear' myself and need feedback.
It is not my best but not my worst so probably a good version to work from.

Please be honest but gentle on the constructive crits.

http://soundcloud.com/brutzein/voice-oct2012

It sounds definitely in the female range and would be seen as female with good cadence. I find it a bit breathy and you could try to move the resonance into your mid mouth to get a richer sound. I think the bit where you say "at 200 hz " is spot on.
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PaigeMtl

Quote from: alyx. on October 05, 2012, 01:39:13 AM
http://vocaroo.com/i/s00Kvhl8IuGC

This is how I normally talk... I think it sounds like a woman's voice, but not a young woman. It doesn't really match my face...

Sorry for the >-bleeped-<ty mic. :P

I agree that it is too short of a clip and the sound is making it difficult to hear properly.

Quote from: sandrauk on October 05, 2012, 04:54:02 AM
It sounds definitely in the female range and would be seen as female with good cadence. I find it a bit breathy and you could try to move the resonance into your mid mouth to get a richer sound. I think the bit where you say "at 200 hz " is spot on.

I was starting to think it was terrible because I wasn't getting any feedback. The old say of 'if you have nothing good to say don't say anything'.
Thanks Sandrauk. I will work on moving the resonance into my mid mouth. I am not sure if you found it to have good cadence or not though?
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eloij

Hi there
So i have been going to a voice therapist for some time now and this is what se recomend me to talk like. I have no problem at talkning like this but I don't know if it sounds feminine or just like a guy trying to talk like a woman but fails. Also put a short version of my male voice in there for reference... ???

http://soundcloud.com/eloij/emma-with-male
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