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Voiceover Pick-ups and How To Avoid Them

July 13, 2011 by Dan Friedman

It happened today. I was asked which of the two voiceover talent the client had chosen would be better for a 12 minute narration. “Talent A” and “Talent B” are both seasoned veterans and have great voices and deliveries. The difference is that “Talent B” requires a great deal of time for editing pick-ups, mistakes and fumbled words. On a project this long, the additional time that will be required to work with “Talent B” will be costly to the client. Needless to say, for a job like this, I recommended “Talent A”.

People with stage and live performance experience know that there is only one chance to get it right. Film actors know that film is expensive and multiple takes could become costly. People who have been in the voice over industry for more than 15 years will probably remember working with tape. Tape was also expensive and editing with it was much more difficult and time consuming then digital editing is today. So while many of these expenses and difficulties are less of an issue today, frequent pick-ups are still a tremendous waste of time and can be costly for the client and (as you read in the introduction) for the talent as well.

There is no question that some scripts and styles of reads can be difficult. Fast disclaimers and long scientific or medical narrations can be extremely tricky. But professional voice talent should not struggle with a typical script such as one for a grocery store, car dealership, restaurant, or bank. If the script is written well, a professional voice talent should have little trouble delivering it. It is frustrating when a voice over “talent” is unable to get through more than a few sentences without multiple pick-ups… and don’t even get me started on the editing.

Editing should be a tool for choosing the perfect nuances, eliminating clicks, noises and other anomalies, removing breaths and trimming a read so that it will fit into time constraints. It should not be required to simply get a complete read. The edit desk is not supposed to look like a ransom note (thank you Amy Snively for that analogy).

This is a customer service issue. The time it takes to edit audio full of pick-ups, mistakes, and fumbles can be costly to the client. Voiceover artists who are frequent fumblers require additional time for both recording and editing. Even on straightforward editing jobs, clients as well as voice over talent are often best served using professional audio engineers and editors to edit their audio quickly. When multiple pick-ups are involved, the editors speed is even more important. But even more critical than speed is the engineer’s ability to make disconnected reads sound cohesive (deliveries lacking cohesion can occur easily when multiple pick-ups are involved). His or her editing experience often produces better results than the client or talent can achieve when trying to edit the audio themselves.

Everyone makes mistakes. It is a fact of life. However, if you as a voice over talent routinely have more pick-ups in your reads than an auto dealership in the South has pick-up trucks, then (like those trucks) you’ve got work to do.

Here are some tips:

1- Begin by getting your eyes checked regularly. This should be obvious. If you can’t see the script, how can you possibly read the script?

2- Prepare. Clients don’t always send the script in advance. But, when they do, as a professional voice talent you have a responsibility to prepare. Read the script, mark it up appropriately and ask questions (if you have any) before you start recording.

3- Mentally focus. Do whatever you need to do to prepare yourself to perform the read you are about to deliver. Deep cleansing breaths, reading silently to yourself for a couple of seconds, imagine someone with who you will communicate the message, whatever it is that works for you. Once you are focused… stay focused.

4- Don’t try to memorize. Don’t take your eyes off the page and think you’ll remember what was there. Read the words in front of you.

5- Anticipate. Especially if you didn’t get the script in advance. Anticipate what is coming next based on the words, sentence structure and your experience.

6- Break it up. Break the word or phrase up into smaller components and then pull it together as you repeat it.

7- Repetition. If a word or phrase is difficult for you to say, repeat it over and over again until you get comfortable with it.

8- Adjust your speed. Subtle changes in the speed of your delivery can make it easier to say difficult words or phrases.

9- Practice. Practice reading, out loud and fluently, all of the time.

10- Relax. This is your job. It is what you do. Relax… and make it happen.

Remember, this is a customer service issue. Voice talent who read fluidly, communicate effectively and require minimal editing provide a better experience for their clients. They also save the client valuable time and money.

If you have any additional thoughts or tips, I’d love to hear from you.

10 Tips To Get the Most From Your Voiceover Session

July 1, 2011 by Dan Friedman

Your advertising dollars and your time are important to you. Do you know how to get the most from your voiceover session? Here are my 10 Tips For Getting the Most From Your Voiceover Session.

1- Choose Wisely – Who you choose to deliver your message is the first and possibly most critical decision you’ll make. The voice should personify the attitude and style of your company, product or character and should relate to your target demographic. Keep in mind that the talent should be able to communicate your message quickly and efficiently. Choose a voice talent who can deliver your copy with few mistakes or pickups. Just because audio editing is easier and faster than ever, doesn’t mean extensive editing should be required to get the result you want.

2- Check Your Script – Before your session, read your script out loud and use a stopwatch to time it. This process will help ensure that you’ve fixed any mistakes, grammatical errors and any other stumbling blocks that the voice over talent may encounter. Using a stopwatch while reading aloud will prepare you for the possibility that you may need to cut or add copy to fit your message within the time limits required for radio and TV commercials.

3- Formatting – The way your script is formatted plays a big role in the ease in which it can be read. Double spacing allows room to make copy edits when necessary. Use of punctuation is a must. Also be aware that WRITING IN ALL CAPS IS MORE DIFFICULT TO READ. Only use ALL CAPS, bold type, italics or underlines to indicate emphasis.

4- Numbers – Using actual numbers (1,2,3) rather than writing numbers (one, two, three) is helpful. However, in the case of a monetary value that is complicated to say or that can be said multiple ways, writing the number the way you would like it said is best.

5- Communicate – Communication is what this is all about… right? Let your voice talent know right from the beginning what your ideas are for your script and the approach you had in mind. Most of the time, the copy itself will indicate what approach the voice talent will need to take. Other times several approaches could be considered viable options. This brings us to…

6- Be Flexible – While you were getting ready for the session to begin, the voice talent was also preparing. Professional voice over talent will look over the script, read it to themselves, then read it aloud and anticipate what delivery will be best based on the script, the client, and any written direction that may have been provided. Oftentimes, the talent’s approach will be very close to what you were thinking. However, the talent may also deliver something slightly different or even completely unexpected. These differences could lead to results that are better then what you had imagined. Be open to what the talent brings to the table. Its one of the reasons you chose him or her.

7- Ask For Help – The audio engineers, producers and the voice talent are all there to help you get the most out of your voiceover session. Everyone involved wants the production to be a success. If while in a recording session, you are not quite sure about direction, script construction, copy edits, or have questions or concerns about the audio itself, then allow the talents and experience of these professionals to help you achieve your goals.

8- Be Specific – Vague terminology is confusing and not very helpful since it often requires further explanation anyway. “Make it blue” is not a clear direction and can be interpreted in several ways. “Bigger smile” and “descend on that word” are examples of very precise directions that the voice over talent can easily understand.

9- Keep it Positive – Everyone appreciates positive feedback. If the talent is communicating your message effectively, let them know it.

10- Make It Fun – The best and most memorable recording sessions are the fun sessions. They usually involve fun, creative scripts and people who love listening to their productions come to life. Even if the script is informational and straightforward, there is no reason the session can’t be fun while the work gets done. Sometimes, it can be so much fun… it seems strange to call it work. How’s that for getting the most out of a session?

The Best Voice Over Coach is… Your Ears!

June 13, 2011 by Dan Friedman

Recently there was a post on the Voice Artists United Facebook page that discussed coaches. The talent (who I do not know) wrote that he was discouraged by some comments that his most recent coach had made. At the time I write this, the post has 48 comments with some very popular names in the industry weighing in.

Don’t let the title of this article fool you. Getting some VO coaching is critical to your career. At a minimum, good coaches teach breathing, script construction, industry terminology, how to take direction and the mechanics of different styles and deliveries. They should also be teaching microphone technique, basic equipment needs and (hopefully) studio etiquette. Many coaches offer additional instruction on other topics related to voice over such as marketing, basic audio recording and audio editing. Coaches provide encouragement, direction and might even be able to get you a gig or two.

Voice coaches can be many things and their role and importance in your career can change as your career grows and progresses. The most important job of the coach is to be completely honest when evaluating your abilities and offering feedback. This feedback is important. But, at some point, you have to learn to hear “it” for yourself. The truth of the matter is, you have the best coach with you at all times… your ears.

Voice over coaches are indirectly trying to get every student to open their ears and truly listen. Learning to hear the differences and nuances in attitude, style, pacing, inflection, emphasis, amount of smile, etc. is, in my opinion, the real secret to doing voice over well. Almost anyone can learn to do these things with their voice if they are aware of what to do and practice doing it. However, being able to hear the subtle nuances of your delivery is what enables you to stop simply playing with words and allows you to become the communicator that every serious voice talent should work toward becoming.

Coaching deliberately teaches the techniques that get the brain, mouth and voice working together to physically do what needs to be done. But many voice talent fall short by failing to truly engage their ears. This is one reason why so many voiceovers are pieced together line by line by the engineers, whose job it is to use their ears everyday. While this is common in today’s world of fast digital editing and even clients have gotten comfortable working this way, this is not exactly how it is meant to be.

You have two ears and one mouth to remind you to use your ears twice as much. Record, read, playback, listen, adjust accordingly and do it over and over again. Learn to use your ears, use them purposefully and over time you will learn to trust them. You will know immediately what is working and what isn’t. You will learn to fine tune and self-correct. While you may still want to get professional voiceover coaching from time to time, for the most part, you will be your own coach. You will no longer need to feel discouraged by harsh critiques, or pay someone to give them to you. Instead you will get paid to take direction and be proud of the great work you’ve done for your clients.

The Space Between the Lines Affects the Listener Too

June 6, 2011 by Dan Friedman

A radio or television commercial is more than just words. The space between the lines helps to determine pace and establish mood. Space allows the mix engineer to create an environment in which the voice exists and where music and/or sound effects can be placed to help tell the story and communicate the message. This space and these elements are often key to the production.

Scripts often indicate that sound effects and music will play a key role at certain points within in a radio or TV production. These notes are great for the producer or engineer who mixes the spot. They give the mix engineer a clear idea of what the intentions of the client are and what the client is expecting to hear when the spot is finished.

However, what happens all too often is that the script is over written, leaving little or no time available for these elements to develop. They simply can’t have the impact they were intended to have. If a script, read out loud, is taking all of the time available, then what time is left for the music and sound effects to perform their role? Worse yet, the voice talent may feel forced to alter their speed or delivery to accommodate these elements. This may prevent the voice talent from communicating the message in the most effective way possible.

While there is little doubt that the message (the actual spoken words) should be the focus of most commercial audio productions, writing less copy provides space for music and sound effects to help communicate that message. In fact, these elements combined with the delivery of the voice talent, can often do more to communicate the overall message than including additional words in a script.

Radio and TV spots must fit into a specific time frame, usually :30 (:29.5 for TV) or :60 seconds. While these times are important, taking the time that will be needed for music and sound effects into consideration while writing and preparing a script can also be critical to your bottom line. The time saved in the studio by having a carefully written and timed script before recording begins, is time and therefore money saved.

Clients may insist on getting all of their critical information into a spot. But ultimately, clients want people to act (or buy something). Creative “ear catching” commercials are often more memorable and influential then a long string of words being forced upon a listener. The space between the lines, allows creativity to flourish.

Even if additional elements are not part of your radio or TV commercial, proper spacing and pacing will allow the listener to think about and hopefully act on what is being communicated to them.

Your Room and You

May 9, 2011 by Dan Friedman

While there are many elements to producing great voiceovers, few are as important as the room you produce them in. While it is important to carefully evaluate the sound of your room when it is completed, there are some basic things to consider in the beginning that will help ensure your space will sound great in the end. Here are some quick tips on choosing and creating your VO space.

Location
The space you choose should be a quiet place. Basements can be a good choice because they are often underground. Upper levels can also be a good choice because they are free from noise overhead. Spaces in your home farthest away from roads or other sources of outside noise are ideal. Begin by picking the right location based on what is available to you, and you will be off to a good start.

Size

You need a space that is comfortable and capable of containing you and your equipment. At a minimum you need room for yourself, a microphone, microphone stand and a copy stand and/or computer monitor. You may also wish to have a chair and some of your equipment in the space with you (the quiet pieces only please).

Dimensions

It is important to consider the dimensions of your room. Because of the way sound travels, square rooms are bad. Ideally the dimensions will be different or not evenly divisible by one another.

Sound Proofing

In a home studio setup, it can be difficult to completely keep outside sounds from entering your recording space. This is why choosing the best location is critical. If you are building your space, you’ll want to isolate it as much as possible by separating it from the rest of your structure. Using double thick walls, creating air-gaps between walls and floating the floor are commonly used methods. Think of it as building a room within a room. If you are simply creating a space or using a prefabricated “voice booth”, keep it away from noisy household equipment and keep all of your noisy studio gear (anything with a running fan) outside of the room and away from the voicing area.

Acoustic Treatment

Treating the acoustics within your space is the final step. There are many products on the market that can help you with this or you can create your own. Acoustic foam panels of various sizes, thicknesses and shapes are just one of several options (panels made from mineral wool fiber covered in burlap are my personal choice.) Whether you are using pre-cut foam, buying other acoustic control materials or creating your own acoustic panels, the thickness of the panels determines what frequencies they work best to control. To tame bass or low frequencies you need thick panels, usually no less than 6 inches thick. For mid range and higher frequencies 2 and 3 inch thick panels will usually do the job. Absorbent materials and varied surfaces (such as pyramid or triangle shapes on foam) help to reduce reflections that cause a room to sound reverberant.

Location, size, dimensions, soundproofing and acoustic treatment are the fundamental considerations. This article is meant to get you thinking about these elements as you work on your voiceover recording space. For more in-depth information about room acoustics and sound treatment I recommend the following links:
Acoustics101.com
GIKAcoustics.com
RealTraps.com

For more information about sound and how it relates to your voiceover career check out: Sound Advice – Voiceover From An Audio Engineer’s Perspective.

It is important to understand that effective sound control requires that you utilize space and use materials that have mass. While there are several products available that wrap around your microphone or even you and your microphone, none of these are as effective as treating the room you are in properly. If you are serious about your career in voiceover you will get serious about your room. Other than your voice, nothing is more important to your sound than your recording environment.

Audio Terms and Definitions

May 3, 2011 by Dan Friedman

Good communication is a key to success in all relationships. Often miscommunication and misunderstandings between people occur because they simply don’t know how to “speak the same language”. I’m not talking about the difference between English and Chinese. I’m talking about technical audio terms. In the business world, nearly every type of business, has a name for everything they do. The recording and voiceover world is no different.

In an effort to overcome the “language barrier” that often exists among engineers, directors, clients and talent, my friends and I have put together a glossary of voice over studio terms that everyone in this business should know.

While individual studios and production companies may also have unique terminology that is used internally, this list will provide you with key terms that are fairly universal throughout the industry.

Enjoy!

AUDIO TERMS and DEFINITIONS

ADR – (Automated Dialog Replacement) Also referred to as ʻloopingʼ. The process of replacing a voice over for an on-camera talent.

Compression – The use of an audio processor to control audio dynamics (loudness and softness) on a piece of audio. It can be arcoxia 90 applied to individual parts as well as to an overall production.

Data compression – Process designed to reduce the transmission bandwidth requirement of digital audio streams and the storage size of audio ﬁles.

De-breathing – The process of removing all breaths from a vocal performance.

Editing – The process of removing unwanted portions of audio, leaving only the portion that will be used in the final production. May or may not include de-breathing.

Equalization (EQ) – The use of an audio processor to manipulate the frequencies that exist within all sounds heard by the human ear.

Audio File Formats – Common uncompressed audio ﬁle types used in audio production are: AIFF & WAV. Compressed audio ﬁles are typically MP3.

ISDN – Integrated Services Digital Network – A communication standard allowing the transmission of voice (as well as video and data) from one studio to another over telephone lines in high speed, digital quality and with great fidelity.

Limiting – The use of an audio processor to keep audio from exceeding a certain level or threshold as determined by the engineer.

Maximization or Maximize – A mastering process that includes the use of an audio processor to bring audio up to a maximum level as determined by the engineer.

Mix – A fully produced, finished or broadcast ready audio presentation that may include voice, music, sound effects, all necessary processing and maximization. Usually provided in stereo unless the final format is mono only (such as a phone system)

Mixing – The process of manipulating and combining multiple audio signals or elements to create a final audio production or mix.

Noise – Any sound that is undesirable or unwanted.

Normalize – To increase or decrease audio levels to a fixed point based on the peak point or RMS equation.

Processing – Any alteration of raw audio through the use of audio tools such as compression, equalization (EQ), maximization, or time- based/space-based effects (i.e. – delay or reverb).

Raw Audio – Any recorded audio that is unedited and unprocessed. Delivery of “raw audio” means to provide clients with audio exactly as it was recorded.

Reverb – A space/time based effect that simulates an environment. All environments have an effect on a sound within that environment.
Example: A voice heard in a stadium sounds different than a voice heard in a closet. Reverb can be used to simulate the sound of both environments. Some people refer to this as “echo” (IMPORTANT NOTE: the use of reverb is very dependent on an overall production and therefore is rarely added unless a full mix is being produced).

Sample Rate/Bit Rate – Essentially the amount of digital information used by the computer in the creation of an audio file. The higher the rate, the higher the supposed quality of the file. However, beyond a certain point (for most people above 44.1kHz/16 bit) the difference in sound quality is undetectable. Therefore, the need to obtain/verify this information becomes necessary primarily for compatibility among files or systems.

44.1kHz/16bit = CD quality audio

48kHz/16bit = Video standard for audio

Slate – A recorded audio cue that identifies the audio that follows. Generally stated as, “take one (followed by the recorded VO), take two (followed by the recorded VO) take three…” etc.

Stems – Individual elements of a mix provided separately. Voice, music, and sound effects provided as separate files instead of combined in a full mix.

Takes – A separate file of recorded audio. Each take is identified by a separate file name and a slate.

Time Compression/Expansion – An electronic process using an algorithm which leaves the pitch of the signal intact while changing its speed (tempo)

Voiceover Pick-ups and How To Avoid Them

10 Tips To Get the Most From Your Voiceover Session

The Best Voice Over Coach is… Your Ears!

The Space Between the Lines Affects the Listener Too

Your Room and You

Audio Terms and Definitions

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