What is layered voice analysis?

Layered voice analysis (LVA) is a technology that reads a person’s voice for signs of stress and emotional risk. It analyses the small, involuntary changes in how someone speaks, and turns them into an objective read of how they are responding to what they are being asked. It is used to add a defensible layer to high-stakes decisions: who to hire, who to trust with high-value cargo, who to place in a property.

How is LVA different from a polygraph?

A polygraph measures the body through sensors; LVA measures only the voice. A polygraph straps cardiovascular, respiration and skin-conductance sensors to the subject, takes 90 minutes to three hours, and has to be run in person. LVA needs none of that. It works from a normal video or phone call, so there are no wires and no room to sit in.

It is also not a “lie detector” that flips a red or green light. LVA does not return a verdict. It produces a profile: a risk score, a reading of emotional and cognitive markers, and the questions where the signal is strongest. That profile informs a human decision. It does not make it.

What does layered voice analysis measure?

LVA measures involuntary changes in the voice, the small shifts that follow the body’s automatic response when a question carries risk for the person answering. Because those signals sit below conscious control, they are hard to coach or rehearse. It reads a wide range of vocal characteristics across the whole signal, not a single narrow band of stress.

The output is not “true” or “false”. It is a structured, question-by-question read of how someone responded, which a trained reviewer can act on. For the full mechanism, the autonomic nervous system and why the signal is so hard to fake, see how layered voice analysis works.

Where is LVA used?

LVA underpins integrity and risk work across several fields:

• Hiring and workforce screening, especially for sensitive or cash-exposed roles (hiring use cases).
• Logistics, to screen drivers who move high-value cargo, before hire and on route (logistics use cases).
• Tenant vetting, alongside credit and background checks (property use cases).
• Insurance and fraud, to prioritise which claims deserve a closer look.

Is layered voice analysis accurate?

LVA is a screening signal, not a proven detector. Independent testing of voice-based methods is mixed, and no voice-based method is definitive proof of truth. That is why every flag is reviewed in context and confirmed with evidence, and why a result should inform a decision rather than serve as the sole basis for one. We set out the independent evidence in our comparison of the polygraph, VSA and LVA.

The short version

LVA turns a short, remote conversation into an objective read of stress and risk. It is non-intrusive and hard to game, and the report comes back within 24 hours. Our team reviews every medium and high-risk flag in context before the report reaches you. It does not tell you someone is lying. It tells you where a closer look is worth your time, which is often exactly what a high-stakes decision needs.

Frequently asked questions

Is layered voice analysis the same as a lie detector? No. A lie detector implies a definitive true-or-false verdict. LVA produces a risk and emotional profile that informs a human decision, and it should never be the sole basis for one.

How long does a result take? An assessment is a short structured interview, and the report is typically returned within 24 hours. See what to expect from an assessment.

Can someone trick it? It is designed to be tamper-resistant, because it reads involuntary signals that are hard to control, coach or rehearse. No method is impossible to game, which is why the result is treated as one input among others.