What is a voice print identification?

Answer 1

Originally answered by Ed Primeau:

Voice print identification is an process used to compare a known voice to an unknown voice. Voice prints allow the forensic expert to determine the characteristics of the frequencies present in a persons voice through visual inspection. A voice print displays frequencies prominent in the voice measured.

The process of voice print identification includes reviewing the frequencies displayed in a known speaker voice print and comparing them to an unknown speaker voice print. This process was developed to better understand if a known persons voice matches the unknown persons voice.

A sonogram is a frequency measurement tool that can be used to create a voice print. Several years ago, voice print analysis evolved into voice identification. Voice identification uses a voice print identification and was complimented with crital listening and electronic measurement. Many software programs are available today for voice identification that accomidate all three processes.

Everyone has very distinct features to their voices, regardless of how slight or severe they might be. Physical characteristics that contribute to speech is the mouth, teeth, larnyx, vocal chords and throat to name a few.

When compiling information for a voice identification the forensic expert must critically listen over and over to the unknown voice taking scrupulous notes of all speech characteristics. This is called the critical listening phase. Experts focus on characteristics such as inflection, pronunciation of certain words, any form of an accent, stutters, and lisps, amongst other variables.

Think about a voice you know and are familiar with like afellow employee. You can have your back to the door and when they walk in and say hello, you know who they are without looking. This is the type of familiarity that has to be achieved during voice identification testing of the unknown voice as well as the known voice.

Experts also review the visual appearance of a voice which is the purpose of a voice print. They also measure the electric signals of each frequency present in a voice using spectrum measurement tools.