Now You’re Talking by Trevor Cox

Join Trevor, Professor of Acoustic Engineering at the University of Salford, as he explores the most exquisite acoustic source: the human voice. Your voice is integral to your personal identity. We judge others not just by their words, but also by the way they talk: their intonation, their pitch, their accent. This was first scientifically examined in a remarkable mass psychoacoustic experiment in the 1920s. Hear about the project to recreate this experiment for the BBC. Talking comes naturally to most of us so it is easy to overlook how truly remarkable the voice is. Mixing scientific analysis with musical interludes, the talk will explore the workings of the voice and how it adapts to different styles. The voice is always in flux, and in recent years changes have been accelerated by technology. Rich in sound examples, the talk will draw on Trevor’s latest popular science book, Now You’re Talking (Bodley Head 2018).

The event is organised by the Institute of Acoustics (IOA Midlands) and Audio Engineering Society (AES Midlands Group).