Voice message sound wave art

What makes a voice message look good

Speech has a ragged, rhythmic pattern: bursts of words, short pauses, a rising shape when someone laughs. Even a ten second message creates a shape you will recognise as a person rather than a song. Shorter is usually better, because each word stays visible.

The best messages are ones with feeling. A grandfather saying your name, a child's first sentence, a partner saying "I love you", a voicemail you listened to twenty times.

How to get the audio out of your phone

• Voice memo apps. On most phones you can share a voice memo as a file by email or a messaging app, which gives you an M4A or similar file.
• WhatsApp, Telegram and similar apps. Long press a voice note and look for Share or Forward. Some apps save voice notes as OPUS or OGG files, which most tools can handle.
• Voicemail. On many phones you can save a voicemail as a file. Check your carrier or phone settings.
• Video messages. If the message is a video, extract the audio from it first with the video to audio tool.
• A new recording. If you can, record a message on purpose: ask a relative to say a few sentences in a quiet room.

Choosing the best seconds

Listen through once, and note the line you would like to hang on the wall. Trim to a clean section of 5 to 30 seconds: the full sentence, with a little silence before and after. If a message has several sentences, think about whether you want the entire message in one long wave or only the most important sentence.

Background noise, such as a TV or traffic, adds a low hum under the voice. If you can, pick the quietest part so the shape of the voice stands out.

Design and wording

• Add the words the person says as text underneath, or add only their name and the date.
• Use one colour on a plain background for a voice with lots of detail.
• Make a circular design for short messages, such as a name or a single word.
• Add a short line of context: "Dad, Christmas 2019" or "Her first word".

Sizes and printing

A horizontal waveform suits landscape formats: 12 by 8 inches (30 by 20 cm), A4 landscape, or a wide frame above a sofa. For portrait prints, a circular or stacked design uses the paper better. For a desk or shelf, 5 by 7 inches (13 by 18 cm) is a nice size.

Gift ideas

• A mother's or grandmother's voice for a family member who misses them.
• A partner's voicemail for an anniversary.
• A child's recorded greeting for grandparents.
• A group message from friends, made into a retirement or farewell gift.
• A recording from a long-distance relationship, framed for the shared home.