Mic Skills
Tips to help your voice go places.
I am starting out in the world of voice overs. I have no first hand experience in the world of voiceover work, but I think I have a good idea of what to expect.
First and foremost, I’ve seen enough clips of Toast of London to know how to handle a potential Clem Fandango situation.
More seriously, having been a professional actor for the past 19 years, I’ve acquired knowledge from others in the trade, performance skills from various jobs and, from a lot of driving with a lot of radio listening, an education in what sounds good to listeners.
I’ve already stated that I am just starting out in voiceovers, so my forthcoming tips are more to help those that are thinking about starting out themselves or maybe wanting to self-produce their own work that can’t afford to hire someone.
- 1: Know your equipment. We’re fortunate these days that recording software is easy to come by and microphone can be reasonably affordable. It would be advisable to invest in higher quality equipment, but if you are on a budget there are still some good offers out there. My main point here would be to give yourself time to familiarise yourself with what you’ve decided to use. Some microphones have a point where the sound comes through best. Find that point and find a comfortable way for you to speak clearest into it. Use a pop shield to your mouth getting too close to the mic and practice your delivery volume so you know the distance required so as not to distort the sound. As for software programmes, I use Wavepad Audio Editor. It’s simple to use, with a very good free version that has more features than you would expect. Many others would recommend Audacity.
- 2: Practice your reading. I know it sounds obvious, but in some instances you may not have a lot of time to practice your script when it comes time to record. Give yourself time to practice sight reading. Get a book of any kind, from a novel to a cookbook, and read it aloud. Try doing so without hesitating. If, like me, you tend to stammer, practice your flow by reading a few words ahead of what your mouth is saying. This will help you to anticipate what is coming next without making you panic. Also make use of the punctuation. It’s all there for a reason. Just because you’re not wanting to hesitate doesn’t mean you can’t pause. But most of all, practice so that you are clear at all times.
- 3: Perform. One of the biggest assumptions people make with voiceovers is that the voice is the only thing that is needed. I beg to differ. You need to fully perform. Your face needs to be animated in order to express anything. Think about the times you’ve ever been emotional. You’ll always have express that emotion with your face. That translates to the voice. The more you use your body to express emotion, the more natural it will sound. Use gestures in your body too. If the script does not call for an emotional performance, you still need to gauge how to perform it. The last thing anyone wants to hear is a disengaged voice. Read through to get a sense of what the piece requires.
- 4: Be directable. If the job is for a client that requires something specific, they will tell you. Even if you think you’re doing the job exactly as it should be done, the client may not agree. It might be the slightest of details and critique, but you have to grin and bear it. Learn to adapt.
- 5: Experiment. One of my issues is not playing with ideas, experimenting with different ways of performing. Always be open to different ways to express the words you are speaking. Yes, sometimes there is a certain way the writing needs to be said. I’m not saying perform a sad piece in a wacky way. I mean that performing in different ways can make you realise what you’re capable of. You could discover a way of expressing something that you can use for the next job.
If these tips were of any use, or if there are any other you think would be useful to know, then do let me know. Thanks for reading.
