idk who to ask this but my recorded voice is soooo baddd

for context ->i recorded a short video of me and my brother fixing a Paper Sky Lantern (using tape),and his voice in the video sounds exactly like he does in real life, but my voice sounds soooo weird in that video
so i tried again. I called a friend and recorded a few seconds of the call,and his voice sounds the same as he does irl and on a call, but my recorded voice is soooo fuckinn baddd
The problem is i wanna record music covers, but listening to my recorded voice has completely killed my motivation. nobody has ever told me irl that my voice sounds weird, and i actually used to like my voice, but after hearing my recorded voice, i don't even feel like talking anymore i keep thinking irl too, like what a fucking terrible voice i have.

I am guessing you are young because this is the exact reaction that every single human being on the planet had when they heard themselves for the first time

you are just hearing what your voice actually is, your perception of your own voice is actually distorted from reality as you’re getting a combination of the physical vibration of speaking through your bones and tissue. a recording is only playing the sound conducted and reproduced through the air, so there’s a slight difference between them

When you hear other people you are hearing it as someone not making the sound, just like a recording.

When you hear yourself, you are hearing it as the person making the sound.

It's like the difference between listening to a song from inside the speaker vs inside the microphone

Totally normal. Keep talking. Be yourself. You'll be just fine.

IM 19and
it’s not like this is the first time i’ve heard my recorded voice. i’ve heard it before, but i never really thought much about how it sounded. but now that i’m trying to record music covers, i’ve started paying way more attention to it, and now i just can’t stop thinking about how bad it sounds

When you speak, you also hear your own voice through your bones and your skull. Recordings only capture the sound traveling through the air.

I'm pretty sure your voice isn't weird, it just sounds unusual to you. You'll get used to it the more you hear it on recordings.

Just keep trying. Eventually you will appreciate your voice. Everyone feels this way when they first hear themselves. Don't psyche yourself out.

A tale as old as time

Everyone's voice sounds weird when recorded and played back. Just something you have to get used to.

I'm fortunate that my singing voice sounds almost exactly like my brother's, and he's been recording music since we were kids.

Almost nobody likes the sound of their own voice at first. You just have to keep recording and listen to it a lot so that you train yourself to hear it in your head the way it really sounds. Then you’ll develop a sense for what works for you and what doesn’t.

Famously, Billy Corgan hated the sound of his voice, but he ended up doing ok.

My biggest recommendation would be to keep making covers of easy-to-do songs until you’re more comfortable with it. Like, try for somewhat full production and learn to mix a little bit. Once you hear what you sound like in the context of a more complete song you’ll be more okay with it, and you’ll just get used to it with the increased exposure. You’ll also maybe come to the realization that certain keys or styles work better for you.

Plenty of singers are iconic for their unique voice. It isn’t a holdup unless it prevents you from being confident. I still struggle with this too, but it gets better the more you do it.

You know, a lot of professional broadcasters will train their voice to sound different. Joe Buck deliberately speaks with a lower voice. You don't have to talk like you talk.