Audacity Forum

Hi - I'm wondering if there would be a way to find my vocal range using Audacity. Is that possible?

I always wonder what my vocal range. I have a really low singing voice for a female. I've tried matching my notes to a piano and whatnot but I don't have a great ear - I have trouble figuring out what octave I'm singing. I mean, my voice doesn't sound like a piano. I can generally match a C to a C (I think?) but I can't really figure out which C I'm singing. Obviously I'm not a professional singer or anything. I'm just curious how abnormally low my voice is.

Theoretically, can I do this with Audacity? Is there a way to see the frequencies of the notes I'm singing if I record myself? And match them up with a list of frequencies of notes somewhere - I assume that information is available on the internet? Has anyone tried this?

Thanks!

Meet Joseph Fourier.

We can totally tell you which tones you're singing. The problem, if you're a rich, full, pleasant contralto is you're not just singing "C." You're singing quite a number of them each related to the others by harmonics, multiples, and overtones.

This is one single piano note, G, two octaves down.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/piano_G1.jpg

The lowest tone (as read from the frequencies along the bottom) is around 47Hz which is approximately G1. I remember vaguely that's the actual note I pressed.

That's why you can't immediately tell by comparing with your ears what's going on. Your voice has all those overtones in it and the piano has all those overtones in it.

But if you want to try anyway, by all means record your voice singing as pure as possible your high and low notes into a microphone. "Slate" each one. "This is my low note. OOOOOOOOOOO"

Stick with OOO sounds. They have fewer overtones.

You are going to encounter all the problems of Live Recording. You can't have a TV running in the background and you can't have traffic noises outside the window. You shouldn't overload Audacity from being too loud and you have to be loud enough for there not to be noise in the system.

Good luck.

Write back when you get something. We may listen and give opinions.

Koz