by Larry Quinn

With a little daring and a lot of showmanship, Carrying Voices can be achieved in a simple and straightforward manner. As described in the “Challenge” each spectator is given a small, keychain style digital voice recorder. They each mark their recorder with a signed decal/sticker that ensures the performer is in no way swapping or switching their recorders … however you might want to embellish this is fine since no swap is necessary.

Per the challenge, each spectator records a short message into their respective recorder. I think the effect is made stronger if the spectators are of the opposite sex … so their voices are instantly distinguishable. Otherwise the audience, not knowing each man’s (or woman’s) natural voice, is left trying to determine whose voice they’re actually hearing and trying to remember who said what. Let’s assume you have a gentleman helper to your right and a lady helper to your left.

You, the performer, take each recorder into an open, outstretched hand and at no time bring them even remotely close to each other. Approaching the mic stand, you then bring the recorder in your right hand to the mic and tap it a few times testing the microphone. You ask the spectator on your right if he’d mind stepping forward and ensuring that the recorder is indeed his by verifying the signed sticker. He does so and it is his recorder. Again you tap the mic and then press the play button … to everyone’s amazement, the voice everyone hears is that of the lady to your left. Her recording has somehow been transferred to the man’s recorder. And of course when her recorder is played, it’s his voice and message that is heard.

The Method:
In addition to the stand-mounted microphone, the performer is wearing a wireless transmitter with the mic pinned near the leading edge of his jacket (or perhaps near his belt buckle). The tapping of the stand-mounted microphone is simply a ruse to fix in the spectator’s minds that the sound is coming from the recorder next to it. In reality, the play button of the recorder held nonchalantly at waist level is actually pressed and the wireless mic picks up the sound of the other spectator’s recorder while the audience assumes it’s the recorder next to the mic. The source of the sound is indiscernible to the audience since they’re hearing it through the PA … and since most PA’s will have a stage monitor, not even the two assistants will be the wiser since they’ll only hear the recording from the amplified speaker as well.

Of course, when the recorder in the left hand is brought to the mic, the right hand drops naturally to waist level and is in perfect position to pull the ruse off again. Not exactly a diabolical solution, but a workable method that is easily accomplished.