It’s usually a weird feeling hearing the sound of your own voice played back to you, but it’s probably more disturbing to hear that same voice sing.
It is for me.
I’m not a singer, so I fall into the trap of comparing my untrained vox with people who can sing. Regardless, I’ve spent the last few weeks recording vocals for a number of songs. If it weren’t for extensive editing I couldn’t sit through hearing myself.
First off, I have a hard time staying in tune. I never seem to hit a note right on, and in some cases, I can be slightly more than a half-step off. I don’t stay steady on long notes, and the nasal timbre of my voice could be considered an acquired taste.
Post-editing, though, is a different story. After I’ve fixed the off-notes and eased some of the warble, my voice is actually … tolerable. In fact, I actually found myself beginning to appreciate some of its qualities.
But it depends on the material. I think my voice is well-suited for singer-songwriter-y kind of stuff, not so much on commercial pop. It’s not strong enough for heavy rock, unless it’s processed to hell, but it seems to work for introspective stuff.
And while there are some questionable ethics issues with editing vocals, I need it. I need to hear what my songs sound like when I’m singing them in tune, and all that post-processing has actually instructed me to handle my voice differently.
That said, here’s what I sound like. Or rather, here’s what I would ideally sound like: