For years, I’ve been a self-proclaimed Voice Tools hater. That little app, with its pink-and-blue pitch bars and percent-gender readouts, always rubbed me the wrong way. But recently, my perspective has shifted. I still have some big issues with it (we’ll get into those), but I’ve also found new ways to use Voice Tools that are actually helpful for trans voice training.

So whether you’re someone who’s just downloaded it and doesn’t quite know what to do next, or someone who’s been using it religiously and feeling discouraged by the numbers it spits back, this blog post is for you.

Before we go further, here’s the video that goes along with this article. If you're more of a visual learner, you'll find examples, demonstrations, and maybe even a meme or two:

What Is Voice Tools?

Voice Tools is a phone app made by DevExtras designed to support transgender voice training. It offers feedback and analysis on pitch, volume, and tone via several tools: a pitch graph, a pitch tuner, a decibel meter, a spectrogram, and a gender analysis page (more on that later).

The pitch analyzer shows your voice's frequency in Hertz and categorizes it as "female," "male," or "androgynous" depending on the number. There’s also a pitch tuner that displays both note names and frequencies. The decibel meter measures volume, and the Analyse page gives you a breakdown of your voice's "percent female" and "percent male" after reading a sample text.

On the surface, it might seem like a useful set of tools. But here are the major problems I have with it—and how I recommend getting around them.

Problem 1: A Misleading View of Pitch

The app presents gender as discrete pitch bands. But voice pitch is actually not that simple and also highly overlapping. Many voices fall within a range that can be read as feminine, masculine, or androgynous depending on factors other than pitch.

Research supports this. For example, average pitch for women has changed significantly over time. One review found that the average speaking pitch of women dropped from 229 Hz in 1945 to 205 Hz in recent studies—right at the lower edge of what Voice Tools labels "feminine."

So if you're using the app and feeling like you haven't "made it" into the right range yet, that might have more to do with the app's oversimplified defaults than with your actual vocal progress.

Problem 2: Pitch Is Not the Main Factor

Voice Tools heavily emphasizes pitch, but in gender-affirming voice training, resonance is the real game-changer. Resonance refers to the brightness or darkness of your voice—or what some call vocal space. It has a much bigger impact on gender perception than pitch alone.

The app does include a spectrogram (which can show resonance), but it’s buried in the “More” section and doesn’t provide much guidance. Most users never touch it, and those who do often don’t know what to look for.

Problem 3: The Gender Analysis Tool

This one’s the worst. The Analyse screen gives you a gender percentage based on how much time your pitch stayed in Voice Tools' labelled ranges. One day, I tested it and got 36% female, 46% male. That doesn’t even add up to 100%, and it certainly doesn’t capture the nuance of how my voice is perceived—or how I perceive myself.

If you're using this tool and feeling disheartened by the percentages, please know: an app cannot determine your gender.

So, Should You Use It at All?

Actually, yes. With some tweaks, Voice Tools can be helpful. Here’s how I use it with my students:

1. Turn Off the Gender Markers

Go into the settings under "Pitch" and turn off "Show Gender Markers." This will remove the coloured pitch bands so you're not constantly being graded against someone else’s gender assumptions.

Instead, turn on "Show Target" and set your own pitch goals—ones that are personal, flexible, and aligned with your evolving vocal journey.

2. Use the Spectrogram for Exercises

Don't try to read resonance from speech—it’s too messy. But if you do steady-pitch exercises and unvoiced drills (like my "Big Dog / Little Dog" warm-up), the spectrogram can actually show clear visual changes in resonance.

If you're curious about this and want a whole video just on spectrograms, let me know.

3. Avoid the Analyse Tool Entirely

That pink/blue percentage graphic? Trash it. If you want to measure progress, try recording yourself saying the same sentence once a week or month and listen back over time. Or, if listening to your own voice is dysphoria-inducing, try my Trans Voice Emotions Evaluator, a no-recording-required progress tool in my freebies library.

Final Thoughts

I still have strong feelings about Voice Tools, but I’ve come to see it as just that—a tool. And like any tool, it depends on how you use it.

Want more guidance on your voice journey? Sign up for my free webinar where we go into the nuts and bolts of pitch, resonance, personal style, and more.

Until then, stay hydrated, stay curious, and keep making noise.

– Renée 💛