Does hearing your own voice on recording sound completely different?

Question

Accepted Answer

The Science of Auditory Perception

When a recording of a voice is played back, the discrepancy between internal perception and reality is striking. This phenomenon occurs due to bone conduction and air conduction.

Internal Perception: When speaking, sound vibrations travel through the skull directly to the inner ear, adding low-frequency resonance that others do not hear.
   External Perception: Recordings only capture sound waves traveling through the air. This eliminates the bass-heavy bone conduction, leaving a thinner, higher-pitched tone.

Why It Matters

The brain is wired to interpret the self-generated bone-conducted sound as the authentic voice. Consequently, the air-conducted version feels alien or even unpleasant. This is a universal biological reality rather than a defect in the recording equipment or the vocal apparatus. Embracing this difference helps individuals understand how they sound to the outside world, providing a professional edge in public speaking and communication mastery.