Recording and Voice Processing, Volume 1

2The Voice

The voice, the vector of speech, can also be considered as a wind instrument. Talking, shouting, whispering, humming and singing, this way of communicating using the voice, is one of the characteristics of human evolution.

The voice is the result of complex interactions within our body. Thousands, even millions of variants, exist, giving each individual a different tone.

In this chapter, I will describe the vocal apparatus that we use to emit sounds and how it works. I will then approach the spoken or sung voice, the breath, the tessituras, the vocal quality and the characteristics attached to the timbre.

2.1. The vocal apparatus and its functioning

A set of anatomical structures located in the thorax, neck and head must coordinate in order for us to make sounds. Everything depends on our breathing; without it, no sound could be formed.

The process begins in the airways with an inspiration. The diaphragm stimulates the rib cage to expand and the air reaches our lungs and bronchial tubes, which form the lower airways.

The air pressure will then vibrate the vocal cords, located in the larynx, at which point the breath reaches the phonation stage. The more the air pressure generated increases, the more the vibratory frequency of the vocal cords increases and the note emitted rises towards the treble. Control of this frequency controls the pitch of the sound emitted.

Figure 2.1. The stages of sound creation in a human being

The trachea, formed by the tracheal rings ...