Voice and Hz

[Izen Ears]

So we all have this idea that around 1 kHz is the average freq for human voice. Maybe it's between 800 and 2,000 Hz? I've read how our hearing is particularly attuned to those frequencies because of this. My recent activities have brought this into question.
 

I just got a free phone app called Pano Tuner, which features an active, moving note-and-frequency display.  I've been experimenting with trying to hold pitches and guess at notes (learn perfect pitch), which is super fun.  My lowest note is about 96 Hz in between A and G flat. (Throat singing can bring that down to about 56 Hz.) My absolute highest pitch is around 1446 Hz, between F and G flat. (But I have pretty epic squealing and falsetto ability haha!) But DAMN 1K is super high!  My voice doesn't go NEAR that frequency unless I'm squealing, not even falsetto singing gets anywhere near that high. I spoke into the app and used a "high voice" and that was only about 300 Hz. My very surprised "what are you talking about?!" tone goes up to about 500 Hz. My regular speaking voice freq range is only around 120 - 300 Hz.

 

I realize I am a male but I do not have a particularly deep voice, and even if I speak in a high voice the frequencies are still way under 1K. What am I missing? How did that number come into being? 
 

Just put this in the "random musings while I wait out the strike" category.
 

Dan Izen

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

Don't know where that idea came from, but you're right, it's not correct.  My reference for "middle voice" is A440 (440 Hz), a full octave lower, and even that is more of a midrange for female voices, not male ones (male go an octave lower, around 200-300Hz).

The peak in human hearing *is* around 800-2,000 Hz, and my guess is that it is that way because it helps emphasize frequencies important for distinguishing consonants in speech, which *is* in that range.  So, it's not so much that the peak is centred on voices so much as it's centred on the vocal elements that help speech recognition.

 

I've also heard a theory that it's the frequencies of babies cries, on the assumption that it helps parents know when their children are in trouble.

[Matthias Richter]

if you are singing, shouting you are using vocals. They do produce the most energy / loudness but what you need for speech intelligibility are consonants. Like S and T. Those are produced from your teeth and are much higher in frequencies then your vocals. That’s why you push 4-5k to enhance speech intelligibility. 
 

 

[The Immoral Mr Teas]

I always thought that '1kHz + 10kHz' was average for voices ... at least that's the average for the voices of my Nagras ...

 

Jez

[Rick Reineke]

EQ wise, the human voice contains frequencies from 100Hz> 10kHz (including sibilant  'ess' and 't' mouth sounds. Many folks apply a high & low pass filters at these points. This does not indicate a singer's range though.  For instance, on a good day, I can sing songs (full throat) with high notes up to around G4 (above middle C) which is 392Hz.

[John Blankenship]

 

Harmonics are what give any sound its full character. The fundamental frequency is essentially just a pure sine wave.

 

The various harmonics extend much higher depending upon the complexity of the sound. Then, add to that, the aforementioned sibilants and you can see (okay, hear) why we're dealing with so much more than just a fundamental frequency.

 

 

[Constantin]

As far as I know, our hearing is particularly attuned to the 1-4kHz range, because that is the reaonate frequency of our ear canal. 

That‘s why we can hear that range particularly well, not so much, I am guessing,  for conversations. Although there mighr be a reason behind the reason, but I don‘t know what it is

[Izen Ears]

On 6/14/2023 at 1:57 AM, Matthias Richter said:

if you are singing, shouting you are using vocals. They do produce the most energy / loudness but what you need for speech intelligibility are consonants. Like S and T. Those are produced from your teeth and are much higher in frequencies then your vocals. That’s why you push 4-5k to enhance speech intelligibility. 
 

 

DEERRRRRRR Of course this must be where that 1kHz comes from - intelligibility!  Which are those hissy sibilant consonants, not the main fundamental freqs of the voice.
 

Thanks everyone for chiming in!

 

Dan Izen