The high frequencies of a whisper makes it ironically louder and more piercing than speaking with at least a little vocal cord vibration... especially with amplification. I was trying to listen on phone speakers so I'm likely not realizing the intended effect.
Seems like the ASMR relaxing tone could be achieved by speaking at a gentle pace, but delivering a wider arrange of frequencies with throat muscles instead of exclusively breath.
Yeah, in the military they told us that if you are trying to hide, whispering is louder and easier to distinguish than regular speech. What they recommended was exhaling until you didn't have much air in your lungs, then talking normally.
I'm not 100% sure where the idea that you have to whisper everything comes from, either. The voice you use for a guided meditation is classic ASMR, and it is definitely not a whisper; more of a super gentle and relaxed tone of voice.
Seems like the ASMR relaxing tone could be achieved by speaking at a gentle pace, but delivering a wider arrange of frequencies with throat muscles instead of exclusively breath.