Vocal fry on podcasts. Anyone immediately put off by a voice?

[auberginefortea]

I listen to quite a few podcasts, mainly from the UK and US. Is anyone else immediately put off by certain voices? I really struggle with the kind of vocal fry I sometime hear. It seems that it's often US journalists, and it's a real shame as the topic can sound quite interesting ... but the voice, oh my god.

I am not sure what vocal fry is but I can hardly listen to any female American podcasts because of that nasally baby voice they all seem to have.

Yes but wirh audiobooks. I've learned my lesson and always check the reviews and listen to a sample before buying now!

Yes. I stop listening (or scroll on by reels on FB or instagram) all the time due to voices. It's not just vocal fry that I can't tolerate.

Agree. Can be put off by some voices. I have been known to avoid an Audio book version before and instead, bought the Kindle version and play it through the Alexa app. Have preferred to choose my own Machine voice! They are sounding so much better these days!

I can't listen to vocal fry. Like nails on a chalk board. How do people not know they are doing it?!

Yes - don't know if it counts as vocal fry but I struggle to listen to the zoe podcasts for this reason.

I have always felt like this with any audio or video whether it's radio, podcasts or audio books. If the voice is annoying I can't listen.

Yes, yes, yes!

Yes - don't know if it counts as vocal fry but I struggle to listen to the zoe podcasts
Me too

I was oblivious to vocal fry, until one day I listened to an episode of This American Life which was about the subject. Now I hear it immediately and have to turn off every instance of it.

I struggle to listen to anything in an American accent.

Katherine Ryan.
Also very hoarse female voices in particular. Seem to be more than average on radio. Currently one appears in Chris Evan’s Breakfast Show on Virgin. Want to given her a lozenge!

Totally agree, its unlistenable.

Not vocal fry, but I can’t listen to They Walk Among Us (true crime podcast if you haven’t heard of it). The host has a really bizarre delivery, which manages to be simultaneously overly dramatic and crushingly monotonous. Every sentence has the same emphasis and cadence, whether he’s revealing a twist or giving a banal background detail. He was flogging water bottles on it and put exactly the same weird emphasis into that. It’s unlistenable for me.

I think it was Kim Kardashian who made it popular. That woman has a lot to answer for!

What IS ‘vocal fry’?

The presenter of the Zoe podcast has a similar thing at the end of sentences and it makes it hard to listen to, which is a pity because it’s a really good podcast otherwise.

Yes! There's a podcast called "Stuff you missed in history class" and the content is right up my street but I can't get past the voices of the female American presenters. Really awful nasally vocal fry!

@Loopytiles it's a particular way of voicing. You can produce it yourself by speaking until you run out of air, then your voice will get increasingly croaky with less and less clear voice. However, it's also used as a way of sounding 'chilled' and unemotional in conversation in some groups, or sometimes for deadpan comedy. A few years back it was highly associated with Californian laid-back voices but you hear it in a lot of younger people now. I don't mind it when it's being used as a vocal effect but when it's become habitual it's awful.

I often turn off podcasts when they have guests with awful voices. I used to quite like the They Walk Among Us host though, found it oddly soothing.

Same here. The presenter has the worst voice for podcasts.

I can live with a bit of vocal fry but there are some very over the top American accents that I can't listen to. Feels like they're shouting at someone.

Louis Theroux does a good vocal fry impression on one of the Adam Buxton podcasts

There's a particular bbc 6 music presenter that I cannot listen to through headphones due to wet mouth noises. Shame really as the music is good.

I find Elise Hu from Ted Daily unlistenable; at least she only introduces them, so I can skip ahead.

I used to quite like the They Walk Among Us host though, found it oddly soothing.

I’ve heard people say they like the podcast because it’s good to go to sleep to!

Vocal fry -

Think of Kim Kardashian saying "I'm so excited you guys" whilst sounding anything but!