SOVT training: the difference between the SOVT-Trainer, voice straw, lax vox and bubbling

VOICEMAG

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SOVT-TRAINER,

VOICE STRAW, LAX VOX & BUBBLING.

Singing through tubes is a technique that can work wonders for the voice and is commonly referred to as “SOVT training.” Individuals familiar with the world of vocal training have likely discovered various methods of tube singing, including singing through a tube in a water bottle, using a straw, or using the SOVT Trainer developed by Mind The Voice.

How is SOVT training beneficial for the voice?

SOVT training is highly regarded in the world of vocal practice due to its proven effectiveness. However, it’s crucial to use the various tools available correctly to reap its benefits. That’s why it’s important to understand exactly what it can do for your voice.

SOVT is an abbreviation for “semi-occluded vocal tract,” which means partially closing off the vocal tract during vocal exercises.

The concept is simple: excessive lung pressure is a common cause of voice problems, leading to throat tension, hoarseness, poor sound conversion, limited breath support, and breath control. By partially closing the vocal tract during vocal exercises, the lung pressure is reduced, creating an opposing pressure or resistance. This equilibrium of air pressure at the top and bottom of the vocal cords facilitates healthy and perfect vibration of the cords, making it easier to produce both low and high tones, resulting in a clearer voice.

As a result, your vocal cords are able to vibrate more easily, leading to better vocal cord closure and a clearer voice. Additionally, your breathing control is balanced, making speaking or singing feel easier. After practicing SOVT exercises, you’ll notice a decrease in hoarseness and an overall improvement in your vocal performance.

Various types of SOVT training exercises

There are different ways to do SOVT exercises, such as singing through the SOVT Trainer, singing through tubes, bubbling, lax vox, lip trilling, or singing on a zzz. All of them have their benefits for your voice. All these exercises are helpful in partially closing your vocal tract and therefore help to some extent to learn to control your breathing and to make your vocal cords close/vibrate.

Lip rolls

Helps you regulate your airflow. When you’re unable to produce sound and keep your lips vibrating, it may be due to limited control of your airflow while singing or speaking, or to too much or too little muscle tension in your lips (think of the proper lip tension trumpet players need to create sound).

However, if you sing with too much air or tension in your throat, you may not notice this while doing your lip trill exercises. It’s perfectly possible that you’re doing them incorrectly because you don’t have a feedback system.

Singing on a zzz

A top exercise. Helps your vocal cords vibrate better and improve your breath control.

Think of a buzzing fly or bee, and all the air you let flow must be converted into sound, without any extra escaping air.

But even here: the only feedback you get is from your listening ear

Straw phonation

As soon as a tube is used in the SOVT exercise, you create a “fixed” resistance, namely the tube that has a certain diameter and length.

When singing through a tube, you extend your vocal tract, which has more benefits than exercises without tubes.

About bubbling or lax vox

When bubbling, a tube with a diameter of 9-12 mm and a length of 30 to 35 cm is used. This tube is immersed 1, 2, or 3 cm into a bottle of water to create resistance. The deeper the tube is inserted into the water, the more resistance is created. If you don’t have a tube yet, there are different options. Official Lax Vox tubes are available, but you can also go to a local DIY store to have an aquarium tube cut to size. This is not only cheaper but also works perfectly. If you follow voice coaching at Mind The Voice, you even get a free tube.

Advantages

Lax Vox literally means relaxation of the voice. Bubbling gives a massage to your internal throat muscles and vocal cords.

Your throat literally opens and closes a little during the exercise, your muscles are moved loosely, which is reminiscent of the vibration of your body in a bubble bath.

By loosening the muscles, any mucus is also loosened, making this an extra good exercise to do when you have a cold.

When do you use lax vox

When you have strained your voice and are fatigued (as a cool down or when you should not use your voice too intensively).
When you have a cold to help you cough up your phlegm.
When you have a lot of throat tension or muscle tension dysphonia (hoarseness due to muscle tension).
When you have more serious voice problems such as vocal cord nodules or reduced vocal cord closure to help you re-learn the basic vocal cord vibration.
As a cool down after an intensive speaking day or concert.

When not?

Since lax vox loosens your mucus, it’s not a good exercise to do just before a presentation or concert because the mucus may interfere with your performance.

Another reason not to do it just before a performance or presentation is that your voice is in “relaxation mode” instead of “activation mode”. An important nuance. You can find more about bubbling or lax vox in this blog!

The birth of the SOVT-Trainer

It’s time to introduce my husband, Kris Van Roy, into the story. Kris is not only my spouse, but also the managing director of Mind The Voice and CTO at WOLF44. He is known for his technical skills and is always open to developing new ideas.

He came up with a tube with four holes of 2 mm diameter each, inspired by a recorder. This way, you can create different resistances for the voice by closing off the holes, allowing you to practice even more intensively than with plastic straws.

So, the SOVT-Trainer is the answer to smaller diameters.

With the SOVT-Trainer Original, the smallest diameter is 2 mm and there are four holes, so you can close off one, two, three, or no holes, each providing a different resistance. If you close off the last holes at the length of the tube or the first holes, it will also have different effects on your breathing. Singing through a longer tube requires more airflow than through a shorter one. With the SOVT-Trainer, you can practice at 15 different levels. A brilliant idea, Kris!

The benefits of the SOVT-Trainer

Breathing

It improves your breath management, breath control, and breath flow.

Relaxation

It reduces throat tension.

Feedback

It provides immediate feedback = no sound when singing through it with too much breath pressure.

Clear voice

Your voice already sounds clearer after using it for 5 minutes.

Sounds

You can train your larynx position (lowered, neutral, and raised) with the amount of holes you close. This allows you to practice using your voice in all the colors and sounds you want, such as warm sound, shout, twang, belting, head voice, mixed voice, vocal fry, distortion, and scream.

Vocal range

It helps you to expand your vocal range.

Vocal magic!

The SOVT-Trainer is often described as a miraculous little instrument, but the best way to experience it is by trying it out yourself! This trainer has a voice restoring, activating, and optimizing function, depending on how you use it. But before you start training, just this:

When do you use the SOVT-Trainer?

Always.
Always start with level 1 and gradually increase if you have vocal issues.
If you are a trained singer, start with level 1 and gradually increase to level 6, 12, and then 15. Always end with level 1. (Follow the free online vocal course on www.mindthevoiceonline.com)
Take it with you and use it for about 5 minutes before you need to speak or sing intensively to activate your healthy setting and muscle memory. Practice longer poses on sliding tones on thirds (speakers), fifths, and octaves (singers) using the audio exercises on www.sovttrainer.com. Want more? Try the other audio exercises on the website.
If you have a cold or have overworked your voice and have an intensive speaking/singing session ahead (as a teacher, speaker, or singer), start in the morning with Lax Vox and switch to the SOVT-Trainer after 10 minutes to stimulate your vocal cord closure.
Repeat throughout the day when you feel the hoarseness or vocal fatigue returning. Even as a trained singer or speaker, always alternate between the higher and lower levels to practice different larynx positions.

When not?

There is no contraindication. You can always restart from level 1. Feel free to use your SOVT-Trainer daily and activate your voice with it just before you use it intensively.

SOVT-Trainer PRO & SOVT-Trainer ORIGINAL

There are two versions of the SOVT-Trainer: the “original” and the “PRO”.

The PRO has only two holes and consists of the final level of the SOVT-Trainer original with a 2mm hole, but it is also upgraded with an additional 1.2mm hole. This level can be quite challenging, as using too much air can make you “blow up”.

However, the advantage is that you can only use the correct vocal setting, breath control, and perfect vocal cord vibration, which can also help you expand your vocal range for singers.

Many public speakers and singers now swear by the SOVT-Trainer and use it primarily for vocal warm-ups, including famous artists such as Max Colombie (Oscar & The Wolf), Mathieu Terryn (Bazart), Helmut Lotti, Coely, Jasper Steverlinck, Ramkot, Evil Invaders, Camille, Metejoor, and Olivia Trappeniers.

I highly recommend it to everyone!

STARTING WITH THE SOVT-TRAINER!

It’s time to start with the SOVT-Trainer! In the videos below, I’ll give you a preview, but there’s much more to discover.

On the SOVT-Trainer website, you can find a comprehensive manual and a playlist of audio exercises to get started.

We also offer workshops and private coaching, both online and in-person, in Dutch or English. Want more information about this? Contact us via the contact form.

Good luck!