5 Practical Tips For Mastering Your Voiceovers
Looking for professionalism is every film producer’s quest. The vast majority of audiovisual projects out there have indeed the potential to amaze viewers — in the end, all that producers and directors need to do is seamlessly match the moving images with audio tracks and start refining from that point on.
That said, it is no secret that every audiovisual project needs both elements: good images and good audio. If either is lacking, then the project will certainly come across as an amateur version of whatever the director and the producer had in mind in the first place.
Let’s take a closer look at the aforementioned elements for a second.
Every film pays special attention to two different sets of elements: moving images and sound. Let’s elaborate on the latter. Sound, as mentioned in other articles, is a universe on its own — many different things converge and happen to be intertwined with the former set, the moving images. Sound effects, foley, ADR, voiceover, and more are elements of audio sooner or later appear during the audio post-production process, but many aspects of these elements share a similar nature: many need a proper location, techniques and subsequent tests to be carried out.
When it comes to voiceover, there are many aspects you can actually control in order to have a successful voiceover session. Let’s take a much closer look.
Start With A Good Location
Many aspects of audio depend on where the sound is going to be recorded, and voiceovers are not the exception. Regardless of whether you are an experienced audio professional or just getting started, finding the right spot is pivotal.
If you’re just getting started and have limited resources, then you’ll need to find the best spot in your home studio to record the lines. In order to do this simply read the script aloud in each room available and listen carefully to find out which room appears to be more suitable. Here you’re looking for any issue that can be easily taken care of, such as dead sound or maybe reverb.
Grab Your Popcorn
But not because you’re going to throw the baby out with the bath-water. The popcorn and seashell test is a good tool to find out whether you’re recordings are showing any popping and hissing noises (also known as plosive and sibilance). That said, it is always a good idea to invest in a pop filter. A pop filter is a shield that sits between the individual reading the script and the mic. There is a wide range of pop filters in today’s market, with prices between $10 — $30. However, if you’re getting started and are on a budget, then resort to the aforementioned popcorn and seashell test.
Start by recording yourself saying words that begin, or include, the letter ‘S’ and ‘P’. Then, listen to the recording and look for any hissing or popping sounds. If the recording actually shows a considerable presence of plosive and sibilance, then, depending on the degree to which you can lower these during the editing stage in your DAW, it might be a good idea to get a pop filter.
Don’t Turn The Page Yourself
And by this we mean, literally, don’t turn the page with your own hand. Regardless of whether you’re close or far away from the script, it is likely that, at some point, you will need to turn the page whilst recording your lines, damaging the recording with the sound of the paper rustling.
Invest in a simple and cheap book stand so you can hold the script still. Additionally, consider the number of breaks in the script before printing it — get rid of unnecessary spaces and try to print it off in a way so you can display each section without having to even touch the paper yourself.
Listen, Listen, Listen…
If you happen to be an audio enthusiast, here’s a piece of advice: never, never record your lines ‘deaf’, hoping to correct any possible issues during the editing state. That’s a bulletproof recipe for disaster. At this point, you must have certainly invested in a good pair of headphones or monitors, which happen to be as important as your high-quality microphones.
Listening to what you record, as you record it, allows you to pick every detail that you might have missed if you had recorded those lines the other way around. Thus, you’ll be able to monitor your process much more closely.
An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away
And not only the doctor — it will keep you away from the bathroom as well.
It is widely known that in order to get the best vocals, you will need to have your mouth slightly wet; however, if you are constantly drinking water you will certainly spend more time in the toilet than in front of the mic.
A great way to achieve this level of moisture is by keeping an apple at hand. A bite will definitely provide your vocals with the clarity they need.
