Voice Acting For Dummies

by David Ciccarelli

  Each of these effects can be reproduced in the studio environment artificially through the use of reverb equipment or reverb software. Reverb is measured in the time it takes for the signal to decrease in amplitude by 60 dB. This is called RT60. There are two main elements which make up RT60: time and amplitude.

  In your recording software, you’ll likely be able to adjust the RT60, which may be called the time decay. Increasing the time decay gives the listener the perception that the recording was done in a larger space such as a stadium or a concert hall.

  Here are some facts about reverb:

  Reverb has multiple random reflections over time

  Early reflections of sound within a room first determine the perception of space

  Reverb is frequency dependent, meaning that higher frequency sounds are perceived to sound louder in a reflection than lower frequency sounds

  Each room has a unique density of reflections

  Too much reverb can really clutter up a mix. Going crazy applying reverb to each track, your voice-over, and music soundtracks make your mix sound busy and tiring to listen to. Less is more.

  Automatic double tracking (ADT)

  Reverb is multiple delays of the signal. A single slap delay was popular in music when Elvis started producing #1 hits in the 1950s. Elvis’s vocals had a 98 millisecond (ms) delay that gave them a touch of depth and sound as if he sang the song multiple times exactly the same each time. Yes, he had an amazing voice, but maybe you didn’t know he had a technical trick helping him: a common production technique called ADT or automatic double tracking.

  Instead of recording the same vocal track over multiple times and then layering the voices, ADT adds a 15 to 35 ms delay to simulate the effect of multiple singers.

  Delay processing

  Delay is a controlled audio processing element and can be heard if the sound bounces around and you hear different arrival times. In digital processors, the parameter pre-delay defines the initial perception of space.

  Digital delay line (DDL)

  Delay lines are distinct echoes heard at the exact same spacing as the beats of the music. A popular music technique, these delay lines can be easily calculated by figuring out the tempo of the song, measured in beats per minute and how long of a delay you want, such as a sixteenth note (short delays) or a quarter note (longer delays). The result is that repetitions happen in sync with the music.

  Whatever the depth of sound you’re trying to create, or lack thereof, stick with it throughout your entire production. If you decide that your entire recording should sound like you’re in an air-tight scientific lab, you’ll have no echo or reverb. Whereas if your recording should sound like you’re on stage giving a speech, it will have a touch of reverb to simulate that you’re in a performance hall. Either way, make your choice and stick with it.

  Pitch processing

  Phase shift is the time relationship between two signals. You can use phase shift to your advantage for a production technique called phase tuning. The way you make this work is by applying the rule of 3X. Set up your first microphone say 3 feet away. Then your second microphone should be 9 feet away. You can create a neat effect if you have two of the same type of microphone recording the same subject at the same time.

  Phase shift

  Digital processing plug-ins re-create the manual work of setting up microphones at exact distances to create the phase tuning effect. Phase shifters are an example of this. Check your plug-ins and try it out. Sometimes, it’s best to try an effect to hear how it sounds.

  Phaser

  A phaser, a popular guitar pedal effect, uses equalization to achieve phase shift by sweeping through multiple notch filters. It sounds like a whooshing sound that’s passing over the audio recording. Some people have even said that a phaser can have a dizzying effect. Be seated before trying!

  Noise reduction

  Music masks noise that exists at a lower level within the same bandwidth. If you reduce the bandwidth of an audio signal, the perceived noise is also reduced. A noise gate is a plug-in that shuts out all sound below a set volume threshold. Sounds above the threshold are allowed through the gate untouched. Sounds below the threshold aren’t allowed through. This tool can work wonders if you have a low-level hum or drone in the background that is audible between vocal passages. If you’re running into such an issue, experiment with a noise-gate to see if it helps.

  The noise floor of an audio device is the noise power generated by the device itself in the absence of any other equipment. This is measured as the signal-to-noise ratio: the loudness of the signal versus the loudness of the noise. In an ideal world, there would be no noise, but all devices and pieces of equipment make some noise, albeit often in miniscule amounts. Still, it’s an important factor to consider both in the initial building of your studio, the setup of each recording session, and when listening back to your recording. You just need to come to terms with the fact there will always be a little noise. If you think it’s louder than it should be, then perhaps a little troubleshooting is required to isolate and ultimately reduce or at least minimize the noise.

  Chapter 20

  Recording the Finished Product

  In This Chapter

  Decoding artistic direction in voice-over recording

  Being your own director

  Evaluating the finished product

  After you book a job, the fun actually begins. Taking a script and running with it can be one of the most thrilling aspects of working as a voice actor. The client or director has asked you to breathe life into the script, and now is the time for you to shine. Now is the time to actually record.

  As a voice actor, you get to shape how the voice-over sounds and vocally build characters to be believable, interesting, and engaging. Your voice is the vehicle for the words, and the client has hired you to do justice to what the author or copywriter has written. With your help, their words can be lifted from the written page and spoken aloud to give a new dimension of meaning and understanding in the audio medium. Chapter 5 helps you interpret a piece of copy and bring the words to life.

  You’re ready for the recording studio now. This chapter helps you interpret and decode artistic direction, figure out how to handle unclear direction, determine how to give yourself some direction when recording, and understand what to do when listening to the finished product.

  Cracking the Artistic Direction during Recording

  After you get a job and are ready to record, you may receive some contradictory information from the director. Artistic direction basically is how the director wants you to sound while reading the copy. Not all jobs come with artistic direction, and in those instances, you need to infer what you should do based upon the script and other clues the client provides you. You can also obtain this information by simply asking for direction regarding how they want the voice-over to sound.

  When artistic direction is fuzzy, you need to be able to decipher what the director really means when he asks you to do something. Most of the time, your director provides clear instructions. However, sometimes the artistic direction isn’t straightforward. In these sections, we identify different ways that you can help yourself in those situations and better understand the artistic direction you may (or may not) receive during a recording session.

  Receiving conflicting or contradictory direction

  Your director may tell you something that is unclear and pulls you in different directions. When this happens, be sure to ask for clarification if you can on what the director’s expectations are. If you’re unable to get clarification, try to figure out what the director wants and give a read that best reflects how you feel it should be read, given the target audience. Consider the following examples with some suggestions on how to address these confusing directions a director may give you:

  “We
want your read to be happy, yet sad,” or “You need to sound strong, yet vulnerable,” so how do you take it? Finding a happy medium between those two extremes or using subtle vocal nuance can help.

  “Read the text in a relaxed manner, but you need to put 45 seconds worth of copy into a 30-second spot.” Don’t you just love trying to cram copy into the time allotted? Doing so is kind of like running a verbal gauntlet. You need to keep the recording within the confines of the set time limit, but you still have a responsibility to deliver the text as it has been written.

  Speaking slightly faster than you normally speak can help to shave seconds off of what may ordinarily be a longer read. Some spots don’t have as much discrepancy between the time allotted and how long it really takes to record; however, sometimes meeting this request and recording a certain amount of text in allotted time is unrealistic.

  When you encounter this request, we suggest these few ideas:

  •Ask the client or director if the script can be edited down slightly to meet the allotted time.

  •Let the client or director hear first-hand by reading the script through (without breathing!) to show him how unreasonable this request is. After hearing the rushed, unnatural read, most clients and/or directors make changes to the copy so that it better fits with the time for the spot.

  •Record two versions. Make one recording where you’ve read the script verbatim with the time constraints. Make another recording, edited and pared down, to make the recording fit in the time allotted, while sounding natural.

  When making comments about the copy, gently make a suggestion in a friendly way to improve the text, especially if you know the client well. Just be careful with what you say and to whom you say it. A lot of work went into writing the script, and many of the people in the room or on the line (if you’re recording remotely) may have been personally involved in the writing effort. Tread lightly. The director and other individuals involved with the client may not be willing to make any changes to the script. Be professional, but don’t let people take advantage of you.

  Deciphering ambiguous direction

  Your director may give you some ambiguous direction, such as “Be a tree,” or “Sound more purple,” This kind of direction can often result in numerous takes with you grasping at straws, trying to figure out what the director wants.

  For example, maybe you’re recording for a voice-over for a grape juice commercial and the director tells you that your read isn’t “purple” enough. How do you make your voice sound like a color? Think grape? Oftentimes, just even putting yourself in the place of whatever it is that you’re supposed to sound like according to the direction can get the take at least somewhat closer to what is being asked for. You need this skill also for self-direction. Refer to the later section, “Directing Yourself When You Record Your Voice” for advice.

  When you receive this type of direction, look at it as an opportunity and try the following suggestions until you can get the money take (a money take is the final recording they end up going with):

  Let loose, explore, and play with your voice. Be creative and try different things. Don’t clam up or feel self-conscious. Remember that the goal of the casting director or director is to get the absolute best possible performance out of you. Finding that “voice” within you is just as important to him as it is to you because his job often depends on producing great performances.

  Ask questions for clarity. If you’ve just delivered a line based on the direction, you can ask something like, “Just like that?” or “That felt good. Do you want to go with this take?” The director may realize at that very moment that yes, it’s what she wanted and that you nailed it! (Refer to the next question for more information about asking questions when you want more clarification from your director.)

  Take a deep breath and keep everything in perspective. If you need to, excuse yourself for five minutes, go to the bathroom, and breathe deeply. When you’re frustrated or don’t feel appreciated, remember that you’re doing something you enjoy. You could be doing something much riskier to earn money.

  Directors who don’t know how to express what they want often give you the opportunity to do so. We hope (as much as you probably hope) that they’re patient and good humored. Not all directors have patience for voice actors who don’t understand their vision. At some time in your career, you probably will face differences of opinion and even physical challenges where your voice is concerned when recording a job. Just monitor how you feel and remember that nothing lasts forever. The recording session will eventually end; the longer you’re there, the more the client will have to pay you for your time.

  Handling questionable and offensive vocal direction

  Some voice actors unfortunately have received not only odd, but uncomfortable and embarrassing vocal direction, particularly relating to race and sex. If you find that you’re in a situation that makes you feel icky, remember that you do have rights, and we hope you exercise them to both remove yourself from the situation and stand up for yourself.

  When you let the people in charge of the session know that you don’t appreciate being treated in a particular way, they may apologize and you can start on a fresh page with them. However, if this behavior continues even after you have made your discomfort with the behavior toward you known, see if someone else can come in and direct the session in a more professional manner.

  Looking for clues when the artistic direction is lacking

  When you’re recording a job, you ideally will have some kind of artistic direction that explains what the client wants. Sometimes, though, you may not receive specific direction about the delivery and other aspects to the job.

  If you don’t receive any direction, you can take the initiative and figure out what the client wants. Put on your detective hat and start looking for clues by trying to answer the following questions:

  Who is meant to hear this message? Knowing who the target audience is can give you more insight on how to communicate to that demographic. The answer to this question may also give you a better understanding of the text and what is being asked of you.

  What does it mean? Do you have a firm grasp on what you are saying? You need to completely understand the text and what is being asked of you in order to effectively communicate the message to the intended target audience.

  Why is it relevant to the people hearing the message? Think about why those people intended to hear the message should care. Why should they listen to you? What’s in it for them? Understanding why the message is being shared with that particular demographic will translate in a more informed and believable read.

  Who would the person on the receiving end want to hear from? The messenger, or voice role in this case, is important to consider when positioning the read and selling the message to the target audience. If you were part of that listening audience, what sort of person or professional would you want to hear from? For instance, if it’s a commercial about spending time around the dinner table as an investment in your family, you’d probably want to hear it coming from another parent instead of a family therapist or psychologist.

  How can I best communicate the message? Taking all the information from this list into account, you need to figure out the best way to interpret the script, which character role to use, and how to understand the motivation for why the audience would care to hear and act on your message. Experiment with a few different takes and go with what you consider to be the most believable take that the audience would relate to best.

  Keep in mind that some clients or directors may not know what they need and are open to hearing all kinds of voices and interpretations. If the direction is lacking, give the client an opportunity to outline his requirements on a deeper, more creative level by using adjectives. Ask the client to write down the adjectives that describe how he wants the voice-over to sound.

  Alth
ough having that kind of information can be useful, you still may not get the guidance you seek. In that case you need to rely on your instincts, experience, and ability to self-direct, given the answer you come up with from the preceding list of questions.

  Getting clarification on artistic direction: What some pros say

  Before you’re ready to record (or audition), you may want some clarification from the client or director. Here are some tips from professional voice actors that may help you.

  Julie Williams: “It’s helpful to know the demographic and psychographic of the audience you’re talking to, but if the script is well written, you don’t need the client telling you who to ‘imitate’ or the sound they want.”

  Paul Plack: “Feel what you’re saying, and you will present the message they intended. If it has potential to be a satisfying job and is missing only a few clues, I’ll go online and use a search engine. Often, you can piece together a mental picture of who you’ll be talking to and the company’s approach in other media in as little as a minute or two. If you get it right, you may wind up with a repeat customer.”

  Paul Hernandez: “There are quite a few job postings out there that don’t give you much to go on in the way of direction. In the book Word of Mouth Susan Blu talks about ’The Basic Process,’ which is a way to prepare yourself to read the copy by asking questions like Who are you reading to? Who is speaking? Why are you doing this? It’s a great way to get creative and come up with your own take on the copy. Also I too like the idea of searching the web to get a feel for what the company is all about.”

  After you do a very quick analysis of the script and the answers to these questions, you’re ready to record (or audition) with more than just an educated guess, proving that a little thought goes a long way.

  When clients post jobs at Voices.com, they receive additional guidance from the job posting form and are shown through examples how to describe and communicate their needs to potential applicants in order to get the best responses possible. Keep in mind that not everyone who uses the site knows exactly what he or she is looking for. If the client had a preference or knew what kind of voice and attributes he wanted ahead of time, he would have indicated so in the script.