Do you use a Discord voice changer for online play?

[aramis erak]

Inspired by this video, and how many online games I'm running nowadays (about two a month, with the potential for more).


I am an Old and don't know enough about Discord (aka the fun Slack) to know much about voice changer apps, beyond that they exist. (And no, I wouldn't use them constantly -- like in the video, they'd be for BBEGs and the like, to keep it special.)

While I use Discord, I don't use changer apps.
I wrote and use my own die-roller in python....

 

[CptMuffin]

I actually tried using a voice changer for a couple of NPCs in my weekly campaign, mostly when I wanted to add that extra creepy vibe for bosses or supernatural creatures. I found it pretty fun, but I always made sure to test it first since some filters can make your words hard to understand, especially for players that may not hear as well. I didn’t stick with it full-time, just busted it out for special moments, so it didn’t distract or annoy anyone.If you’re just looking to dabble with different voice effects or want something easy to toggle on and off, there are options that work across Discord, Zoom, and even game recordings. There’s actually a lot of practical advice on movavi for picking and setting up voice changer tools in games or chats, plus tips on getting decent audio quality without too much hassle if you want extra info.

 

[plecostomus]

I've endured someone using it a few times for demons and the like and it's incredibly annoying at best and unintelligible at worst.

edit: Mostly it's the worst version btw - where the person screeches for a minute, then we have to ask for every single word to be repeated without the voice changer because we didn't know what they are saying.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I've endured someone using it a few times for demons and the like and it's incredibly annoying at best and unintelligible at worst.

edit: Mostly it's the worst version btw - where the person screeches for a minute, then we have to ask for every single word to be repeated without the voice changer because we didn't know what they are saying.

My plan, if I do it -- it's been a busy few months and I haven't tackled this yet -- would be to have my eldest kid, who's constantly on Discord, to help me set it up and test it, and to go over best practices for him.

If it interfered with me being intelligible to my players (who range from ages 22 to 82), I would drop it like a bad habit.

 

[plecostomus]

My plan, if I do it -- it's been a busy few months and I haven't tackled this yet -- would be to have my eldest kid, who's constantly on Discord, to help me set it up and test it, and to go over best practices for him.

If it interfered with me being intelligible to my players (who range from ages 22 to 82), I would drop it like a bad habit.

I watch a lot of GTAV roleplay, and one of those streamers uses a device called a GoXLR to do vocal effects sometimes. He can do deep and demonic voices that are still intelligible - I find some of his high pitch effect voices annoying, but lots of people like them so that may be me. And so that's my only further recommendation I guess - buy an expensive physical soundboard and be a professional streamer who can afford to spend hours tweaking their audio. Not a huge ask right?

I'm going to guess it can be done on lower budget, in terms of both time and money. But yeah, testing is so critical. Any GM out there reading this, you better test first! As I said, I as a player have never seen a voice changer work in-game, but that's probably an approach problem, and too much trust in the technology.

 

[Piperken]

Inspired by this video, and how many online games I'm running nowadays (about two a month, with the potential for more).


I am an Old and don't know enough about Discord (aka the fun Slack) to know much about voice changer apps, beyond that they exist. (And no, I wouldn't use them constantly -- like in the video, they'd be for BBEGs and the like, to keep it special.)

It has more currency (as in necessity) in online spaces where disguise is paramount. I'm thinking in terms of live GTA rp servers or similar, where speaking in a different voice helps reinforce the server guidelines over recognizing character in game.

I'd share concern over just messing up on accident (having hot mic on vs. push to talk) by having the wrong voice set up.

 

[MNblockhead]

I'm wondering if this tech would actually be better at the table during live play? It is so hard to account for the tech of all the players in an online game. For example, I've played around with ambiance music and like it during live, in-person play, but it always feels like a distraction in online games, both as a DM and a player.

I like to geek out on tech. For a while, I played around with connecting a stream deck and using it with Foundry for special effects. But it was mostly a distraction and added to game prep without great dividends during play. Besides, I didn't want to deprive my players of my vocal sound effects. Nothing like to an aging DM with no acting experience yelling out "whoosh", "bang", and "zap" to bring a game to life! ;-)