Over several years of experience in creating voiceovers, we have identified four things that define the essentials of great voiceovers.
- Audio Clarity and Volume
- Pacing
- Vocal tone and inflexion
- Pronunciation
The essential part of great audio is a comfortable volume and the clarity of voice. If the voice recorded is fuzzy or muddy sounding, it will be difficult for people to comprehend. There will be distractions in the audience, and one will not absorb the information resulting in people going wayward. The consequences of all these are people fail to engage with you, and the marketing effort fails.
Audio with high volume may annoy and distort the message, while a low volume message may be challenging to interpret.
Pacing a story is vital as experts know the correct speed to narrate an account to impact the audience. If narration of a story happens at a rapid pace, the audience won’t know what hit them. On the other end, people are likely to get bored if it is said slowly. Pacing also includes taking thoughtful pauses to take a breath and enables the listener to process information.
Inflexion and vocal tone refers to speaking in as natural a manner as possible. While sounding friendly and engaging is essential, you must not declare fake. It’s not advisable to say like a game show host while avoiding a robotic and monotone voice should be the top priority.
The last element of great voiceover is clear pronunciation. The voice over artist should not mumble or over-enunciate. In today’s world, regional marketing assumes prime importance. Hence voiceovers should adequately represent regional accents. One thing to remember is there are no universal accents and universal pronunciations.
Recommendation for Voiceover Actors from Studio 52
Studio 52 has worked in the Voiceover industry for years. The industry is ever-growing, and with regional voiceovers assuming more importance nowadays, a career as a voiceover artist is booming. These recommendations are for those budding professionals who want to make it big as Voiceover Artist.
- The Script is the most vital component of a Voiceover.
Let’s face it- a script makes a voiceover professional. Nothing ruins a good voiceover than a lot of hemming and hawing or 25 umms in a row as one tries to remember what you wanted to say next. The best scripts are those that include word-for-word everything you intend to say. It would help if you had everything written before so that you do not meander into unrelated topics. Write a full script on a pre-planned outline. With a hand in front of you, you have the chance to practice. It would help adequately rehearsed before going for the final recording while mindful of words and phrases.
- Do a test recording before the final recording.
You should always do a test recording to ensure that your equipment works properly and your audio levels are excellent. Even if you deem that nothing has changed from the last time you completed a voiceover, it’s still a great practice to test first! You do not require the complete Script for a test recording – a few paragraphs are sufficient to check whether the audio is clear, is at an adequate level and does not involve any stray and ambient noises.
Check the test recording with a headphone to determine the audio quality. Computer speakers are not the correct device for this. Headphones catch weird room noises and such and allow you to spot anomalies in the recording. Many of your viewers will listen via headphones, so it is better to ensure an optimal experience.
- Placement of the microphone
It helps if you never place the microphone too close to the mouth as it will be subject to all weird mouth noises and air puffs. Don’t place it too far away. It might sound lost in a large room. The ideal position of the microphone is six to eight inches from the mouth and slightly below the chin. It applies the same to a clip-on mic. It is also advisable to be mindful of the surface as some microphone stands pick up noises from the desk or table they are sitting.
- Check for volume levels.
The correct volume levels for your voiceover ensures it’s heard and there is no distortion. If it is low, people have trouble hearing what you say. On the contrary, too high an audio will blow out your viewer’s eardrums. Starting at the ideal audio level is always your best bet. For the most part, that is between -10db to -20db. The peak should be around -6db. Distortion happens over 0 dB.
Also Read : How To Create Custom On-Hold Messages Professionally
- Record your Voiceover
Once you are satisfied with your microphone placement and audio test, you should go for the kill! Yes, record your voiceover. You should speak slowly and clearly but not like a robot. Don’t sound too overjoyed-instead sound pleasant. Consider smiling while reading the Script, as it will help you communicate happier and more natural. Never stop if you think you have made a mistake. You can always edit it later. If the Script seems too challenging to continue seamlessly, take a pause. Rewrite the portions that are giving you trouble, and then start over again. Voiceovers get easier as you do it over and over again. So, could you not give up easily on it?
- Edit the Audio
Even for the perfect voiceover recording, one can spot portions for editing. Trim the beginning or end, for example, to remove dead spaces and achieve a compact form. Edit any abnormally long silences between sentences and statements and any weird sounds that don’t belong to the Script.
- The audio now needs to be imported to the video editor
While doing this, please ensure that you do caption and audio transcription for those viewers who will see the video without sound.
Studio 52 and Voiceover Services and Talent
Studio 52 is the premier Voiceover services company in the region and has worked for multiple companies across multiple industries. We search for the best Voiceover talent and then get them trained by our experts on tonality, voice, accent and diction to deliver quality voiceover services for our discerning clients.
For Further enquiries regarding voiceover services for your business,
please visit https://studio52.tv/audio/voice-over-artist.
