With modern technology continuously creating cool things, it is easier to learn how to make your mic sound like a military radio.
To do this, you’ll need a radio voice changer, which you can download either as a mobile app or desktop software. These tools could turn your voice older, younger, deeper, clearer, or even add sound effects that mimic a military radio vibe.
Read on to find out which tools are best for your project.
Table of Contents
Step-by-step to Make Your Mic Sound Like Military Radio
Let’s say you’re recording audio for a commercial, starting a military-themed podcast, or building a passion project around your love for everything military. If you need to make your mic sound like a walkie talkie or get your voice to sound like a pilot from World War II, here are the things you’ll need.
What to prepare
- Well-composed script: You don’t need to be a former soldier to begin a military-themed podcast or project. However, if you want your audio to sound legit, you need to learn how military members communicate over the radio.
Aside from using callsigns (or military identifiers), the message also has to be short and use military conversation cues like “over.”
- Audio editing software: You have options for Mac or Windows if you’re planning to build a setup on your computer. Many software have mobile apps (Apple or Android), but the features are usually made less extensive.
- A functional computer or laptop: Audio editing programs require machines with different specifications, so you should refer to your program’s system requirements before downloading. Audacity, for example, requires a minimum of 2 GB in RAM for both Windows and Mac.
- Military background noise audio: You might need to download third-party background noises, such as military radio chatter, beeping, static, clicking, helicopter noises, or other military-related sounds that would make your audio more authentic.
Pixabay, for example, has over 250+ military background noises you can download and use for your project.
Steps to using military radio voice changer
When using audio editing programs or apps, you have two options: edit the audio after recording, or choose a program that can change voices in real-time.
After downloading and installing the software, the methods would vary slightly between tools, but these step-by-step guides should get you started.
1. CHANGE VOICE AFTER RECORDING
- Record your normal voice.
- Upload the audio into your choice of software or tool.
- Adjust mic settings to accomplish the military radio voice effect you’re after.
- Follow best practices for audio editing, such as removing barking from your dog or other unwanted noise.
Here’s an example for Audacity:
- Choose the audio you recorded, then click Effects -> Filter Curve.
- A box will appear, in which there’ll be an audio wave. Select the 400Hz point of the wave and drop it down to -30 dB.
- The 3000 Hz point should be 24 dB, while the 5000 Hz one should be around -3 dB. Click OK once you’re done.
- Next, choose Effect on the toolbar and select High-Pass Filter. Change the decibel as you like after listening to the sound and seeing which setting matches your preference.
- You can proceed to add a grainy effect by clicking Effect -> Distortion and increasing the Drive or Make-up Grain.
- If the resulting audio is excessively loud, it’s possible to adjust it by going to Effect then Normalize and make the dB -5.
2. CHANGE VOICE IN REAL-TIME
Instead of recording your message first, your goal is to fix the settings before you begin. Since your goal is to make your mic sound like a military radio, find a ready-made effect like VoiceMod’s walkie talkie voice filter or cop radio voice.
Configure voice input to be your microphone, then enable the Voice Changer feature in VoiceMod.
Once you’re sure that the audio settings and filters meet your requirements, you can now live-stream a podcast or begin your video calls with other people by selecting VoiceBox -> Radio Demon.
Top Radio Voice Changer Audio Editing Software
Radio voice changer for PC
1. Voicemeeter
Voicemeeter can edit audio from any source or change the audio settings of any applications within your system. It is compatible with Skype, ZOOM, and other messaging and VOIP programs. To make your mic sound like a military radio, you can use the voicemeeter radio effect when adjusting your audio.
- Free versions available
- Professional use requires a license purchase.
2. Audacity
Launched in 2004, this professional audio editing software is the most popular on this list. It is open-source, so you’ll find numerous user-created sound effects, plug-ins, and suggestions for the program.
Audacity old radio effect is possible through adjusting software filters or using plug-ins like iZotope, which could help you achieve your goal of sounding like a military radio.
- Open source, so it is updated regularly by a community of Audacity users
- No in-house customer support and no Android/iOs app
3. MagicVox
UniTool’s MagicVox is one of the newer programs available, which means it’s also updated feature-wise. MagicVox not only has a built-in library of 100+ radio voice effects, but it also lets users upload their own audio.
Perhaps the most impressive feature of MagicVox is the program’s cutting-edge AI technology, which guarantees minimal processing delay and high-quality voice modulation.
- Supports real-time voice change on multiple third-party platforms and devices like Discord, Twitch, Call of Duty, Valorant, and so on.
- There’s a learning curve to using MagicVox due to the wide-ranging features.
4. Voicemod
Voicemod is another real-time audio editing program that also acts as a voice modulator with multiple soundboard options, built-in voice-changing profiles, and sound effects.
Users will enjoy creating their own edited voice, which can be saved in their respective voice lab.
Voicemod perfectly complements OBS, Hangouts, Zoom, Discord, Skype, Twitch, and Teamspeak military radio.
- Massive sound effect resource
- Ads can be annoying; free version is limited.
5. Adobe Audition
Ideal for professional audio technicians and users that require advanced features, Adobe Audition fits the bill. It comes with a comprehensive sound-editing panel and a large user base that frequently shares usage tips and tutorials.
Adobe Audition allows multitrack and waveform displays, making it easy to drag and drop parts of your audio as you edit any project.
- Professional-sounding audio
- Expensive
Radio voice changer for mobile
If you’d rather use your phone, there are free and paid voice changer apps for both iPhone and Android.
You can download popular apps like VideoProc Vlogger, Funcalls, Super Voice Editor, VoiceFX, or Voice Changer Voice Recorder by Handy Tools Studio, among others.
Many of these apps allow users to save and share their recordings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I achieve the military radio sound without using plugins?
This will depend mainly on the software you’re going to use.
Some audio editing programs can alter the sound of your audio without using plugins. You just have to manually adjust settings or overlay effects like distortion, echo, or reverb.
Other audio editing software has a library of plugins you can use. For this purpose, you have the option to use a Vintage Voice Effect.
Can I use military radio sound effects for commercial purposes?
Yes, you can use military radio sound effects for commercial purposes, as long as the sound effects used are copyright-free, or if you paid for the sound effects for non-personal use.
To be sure, find military sound effects from “copyright-free” or “royalty-free” sources like SoundBible, Pixabay, Freesound, AudioMicro, and Orange Free Sounds, among others.
What microphone models are suitable for achieving military radio sound?
You don’t need to buy a tactical throat microphone, two-way radio, or a military-grade earphone with a mic to achieve the “military radio sound.”
Any radio-quality microphone, such as Neumann TLM 103, Shure SM7b, Warm Audio WA87, or Behringer B1 will do. The magic of turning the audio into military sound happens once it passes through the audio editing tool of your choice.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to make your mic sound like a military radio with the right software, sound effects, and technique, enjoy playing around with your military radio-sounding track and get busy with your projects.
Let us know how your editing goes as well. We love to hear from our readers.
John Cotton is Safecallnow’s copywriter. He is an authority on research and reviews. He is responsible for locating information and guidance on riot and disturbance control equipment, training equipment, correctional products, watch house products, tactical equipment, government regulation information, and more. His work guarantees a high level of proficiency and authority.