VOICE COMPARISON PROCESS
CRITICAL LISTENING
In any realm of forensic audio, an expert needs to apply critical listening. Voice comparison experts hone this skill with training and experience. While some people have very distinct, atypical speech patterns, not everyone does. Experts will listen for notable pauses, pronunciations, dialect characteristics and rhythm on both recordings during the critical listening stage.
EXEMPLAR RECORDING
This first step in forensic voice comparison is critical to the voice analysis process. The exemplar recording is audio from the suspected speaker on the presented evidence. Once an expert has the exemplar file, they can begin their comparison.
BIOMETRIC TESTING
Voice biometrics is a way of translating a voice into a visual fingerprint. With the right technology, experts can create these fingerprints and look for shared physical characteristics between voices. This process applies to the full length of the audio clips and short segments.
FREQUENCY & WAVEFORM
This step in voice comparison involves looking at the audio files of the presented speakers. During this stage, experts can examine the frequencies and waveforms of a person's voice. While behavioral and technological limitations may exist, they can use this analysis to identify similarities in single words or sounds.