Set up the room
Choose a quiet room and keep the same microphone and distance across recordings. Follow the microphone's placement guidance; avoid breathing directly into it and reduce the input level if the signal clips.
Use natural continuous speech
Read the same passage naturally for each comparison, using comfortable ordinary speech rather than a held vowel or a deliberately lowered voice. A vowel test measures a different task, not everyday speaking pitch.
- Warm up by speaking for a few minutes
- Use the same passage for comparisons
- Keep volume and posture comfortable
- Repeat three times and compare medians
Judge result quality
A narrow distribution can reflect a monotone delivery; wide variation can reflect normal intonation. Neither a narrow chart nor the stability score validates accuracy or vocal health. Review the task, noise and repeatability together.
Troubleshoot jumps before comparing
If readings alternate around 110 and 220 Hz without an audible change, suspect octave tracking rather than a sudden voice change. Move away from noise and repeat natural speech. The numbers here illustrate doubling, not normal limits.
If the microphone does not start
Open the HTTPS page, allow microphone access in the browser and check that the intended input device is selected. If access was denied, change the site's permission and retry. Close other applications using the microphone if input remains unavailable.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked: