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Latest Training
Audio Buzz: VO Tips and Tricks
How to record better voice tracks for your productions
Hosted by Jeff Earley
SEASON: 1 EPISODE: 109 RELEASE DATE: MARCH 6, 2007
Jeff shares expert insights and time-tested secrets for recording clean, clear, professional sounding narration.
User Rating: 
4.64 (63 ratings)
User Views: 10022 User Views Today: 1
Downloadable Versions
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- DJTV-AudioBuzz-s01e109-iPod
mp4 - 320x240 - 39 MB
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48 User Comments
I have done some VO work (Not professional) and one thing that helped me a lot was to actually open my mouth when I spoke hehe. That may sound obvious but many people talk with only their lips and hardly move their jaws at all (We Australians are notorious for it, almost mumbling). Freeing up my jaw made pronunciation better and easier.
Really enjoyed this episode as I have the others. I especially appreciated being introduced to the variety of mics available and how to find what works best.
As a voiceover talent who's been heard on most major TV networks and around 70 radio stations nationwide, I can tell you that Jeff's tips are golden. A few more thoughts:
1. While Jeff may like the RE-20 mic, I consider it a boat anchor. Just goes to show that not all voices sound good on the same mics.
2. I wish Mars Music was still in business. They had mic rooms where you could test a variety of mics, side-by-side. This was invaluable to me when I chose my first condenser mic.
3. To a some extent, you get what you pay for with mics. Jeff didn't even touch on the subject of mic preamps. Get a tube one.
4. For those who asked, the way you hear yourself on playback is the way you sound to everyone else. Sorry.
5. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that your video will come off as MUCH more professional if you'd budget for a pro V/O talent. I've seen great video that was ruined by lame sounding V/O talent. Yes, I'm available...and affordable. brownmedia.net
Good stuff Jeff,
As regards VO work, breath from the diaphram (your gut), adopt an intimate one-to-one report (you're talking to one person only) and a physical smile will do wonders to help you feel and sound relaxed.
Use a mirror to check that you're smiling from time to time.
I should have watched this yeasterday... had to do a voice over for a clients advert... very good show Audio Buzz. Thank you.
Another great segment! The tip on writing out large numbers or complex words was really helpful. Don't forget to keep smiling! People can hear it.
Keep up the great work.
Great all around information, and yes my voice sounds bad to me, but I'll probably use it anyway.
R. Vejvoda
Video Visions Unlimited
Hal is right with his comment. The medical term for this is bone conduction. Simply put, our voices sound different because the sound waves are conducted from the original sound source (the vocal folds) through all the bones until the sound reaches our ears (mandible, jaw, sinus bone, skull). Naturally, this will lead to some distortion. The sound will be further distorted by various other aspects of the body (such as the space in the cranium).
Great article on the whole, but definitely have some issues with the last statement. If you can afford it, always take the opportunity to get experienced VO talent. One of the comments made was that Jeff doesn't use a U87 and prefers the RE-20. While the U87 is the industry standard for VA, it's not for everyone. More to the point, it (and other LDC mics) aren't as forgiving as a dynamic mic (RE-20). An experienced talent won't need a less detailed mic because they won't be making the mistakes in pronunciation, teeth grinding, breathiness, e
I only wish I'd heard some of your great tips before I completed narrating a 2 volume book onto 24 CDs! I have a pretty good mike and a popper-stopper, all mounted on an ajustable mike stand. But my environment (a "sound-proofed" garage) leaves a lot to be desired! (i.e. computers running, floresent lights buzzing, dogs barking down the street plus occasional car and jet noises.) On a shoe-string budget, it forces me to spend a lot of time editing. While recording, I always wear headphones to hear exactly what's coming in--and then hope not everything I hear will be "visible" to the listener! Nevertheless, it was a fun project and plan on doing more (and better prepared thanks to your show!).
I'm lovin' Digital Juice!! Thanks!
Good, solid info here, Jeff. Thanks! I'd like to see, in a future episode, a breakdown of how you do the audio for your own segments. Wireless or wired lavalier? Boom? Both? Do you pull the audio from the video session or do you record none/some/most/all as a VO?
I can tell that you're taking the comments and suggestions of the audience seriously. Thanks!
Thanks Jeff,
As a full time freelance voice talent I would rather a producer hire me to (very afforably) voice their project(HA)...
However...you have provided very good basic information anyone can use that will make a huge difference in the quality of their production. Keep up the good work!
Dave DeHart
VoiceOver USA
281-355-7771
info@voiceoverusa.net
Jeff,
I love your segments. You provide good solid advice and suggest products that we could look at for our own productions. Thanks for your help.
Great Session. One thing I would caution people on is how to pronounce numbers depending on your client. For instance, if you are working with some type of scientific firm, your need to know that in the science community the word "and" in a number usually denotes a decimal. Example: $123.45 is pronounced one hundred twenty three dollars and forty five cents rather than one hundred and twenty three dollars and forty five cents. It's good to check how they want you to pronounce punctuation too. If you are to read about a version of software, you need to know if they want you to say version two dot three or version two point three. Also check how they want you to pronounce certain words that are commonly mispronounced or have more than one pronunciation, like the word data. Knowing these things ahead of time will save you a lot of time in post and will show your client that you take there business seriously.
Great episode Jeff. Many great tips. However, I would say to your audience .....for the good of everyone who has to listen to many of the productions done by you all, don't consider your own voice a "go-to voice" unless you really have to..... or you are a seasoned VO professional as well as a producer. Saving money is one thing, but damaging your own reputation with amateur sounding material will have a much longer lasting effect than saving $200 or $300 dollars on the VO. Get a pro to do the VO. A great voice is like a great soundtrack. And believe me, nobody wants to hear the "wanna be" VO. Think of your projects as a symphony.....are you going to sit in on violin for a solo because you had some lessons when you were 10?
Great show Jeff...lots of nice information to consider and as always well put together. I would like to see a 'behind the scene's' or 'making of' piece some day....what wireless mikes you guy's use, how they're hidden that kind of stuff....cheers.
Great tips. I thought about doing the VO for my site, but luckily I decided against it and ended up with a lot better product. I still haven't finished the site, but you can hear a preview at my site. You'll recognize the voice. Fatheadmedia.com
Good advice on many points. Having spent a lifetime producing audio and video sessions, I can attest to the validity of what you said. One point to make though is that amateurs and some professionals often sound like they're reading the copy, particularly if they haven't rehearsed it well. It's important to strive for a conversational or naturalistic approach even if it has to be read with authority. Even if you have to alter the copy to make it comfortable for the narrator. We've left the March of Time era thankfully....which will give you an idea of how old I am.
Great shows!
As a former-but-occasional video producer who now concentrates on audio and voiceover, I can't say that I would encourage too many video producers to do their own VOs.
There are many things good producers do well independently as business owners, but VO -- unless you have a lot of experience with it and do it regularly -- shouldn't necessarily be one of those things. Your clients have high expectations for both video AND audio - particularly voiceover.
Rates for voiceover work are not always in the stratosphere. There are many good voice talents who will work with you and your budget. $50 to $100 spent on a good VO can really 'make' your show (and create repeat clients).
I ditto all of Mark Suszko's comments above, particularly that water or other beverages for a session be room temperature or warmer. If you have talent coming to your studio to record, they'll appreciate having the option of non-chilled bottled water! :-)
Eric Wylie Productions
Excellent ! Informative, simple dialogue and well-timed!
I just started to record an artists for voice over work!
Now to make some adjustments before re-recording!
Thank You very much - D.J. !!
Great info Jeff! I really needed this right now.
Can you possibly give some info on small studio mixers & speakers that work well for editing? I'm sure others would benefit from it like I would. Keep up the good work.
This is excellent. I would add one tip: When you're doing your read, be sure to gesture, naturally. This is a great way to add expression and avoid a monotonous read.
A media trainer I once worked for demonstrated this with a test. Have a group of people close their eyes and listen to someone say, "I'm mad as heck and I won't take it anymore," both with and without gestures. You can easily pick out which is which, and the read with gestures is more convincing and real.
You certainly do have a great voice, Jeff, and it is an understatement to say you certainly know a thing or two about voiceovers. This episode was a bit basic for me, but I do learn more in the other episodes. BTW...just one small detail about one of your titles, isn't "accessorize" spelled with two "s" not one (you have it spelled "accesorize")?
Thanks for sharing. DJTV has become a ritual for me! I like how they are delivered throughout the week instead of on a single day. Please keep 'em coming!
Good information! Tough part is finding the mics to use for comparrisons.
Gary
Marketing By Video
Eden Prairie, MN
Nice job, Jeff! I continue to be impressed with the quality of Digital Juice products and effort you guys put forth each week in producing these very helpful videos.
Thank you to the entire Digital Juice team!
Larry White
www.larrywhitevoice.com
He's right that you should not drink dairy before voice work, also STAY AWAY from candy & sugary drinks or super-cold drinks which will tighten up your vocal cords as well. Plain water, lukewarm to moderately cool, is the safest bet. Marking up copy makes a HUGE difference. Make your own shorthand symbols to indicate pauses, inflections, breathing spots. Double or triple-spacing the lines leaves rooms for such marks as well as little notes on which take number was best, etc. Add question marks in front of sentences like in Spanish to cue you in advance of the inflections. Do plenty of deep breathing before the read, and reads are always better delivered standing up, to give your lungs room. Match your face expression to the copy's emotions: people CAN "hear" a smile in your voice. Compression & downward expansion are your friend, they add the depth you want better than reverb. A slight pitch bend will also add some "LaFontane". Slate/countdown every takes to make editing WAY easier.
Great info. One question you didn't answer though: For what types of projects do you typically VO? For example, are all the DJTV episodes VO'd or do you just use the audio from wireless or boom mics? Seems like a lot of time would be "invested" trying to synch the audio and video for things like DJTV where the actor's mouth is usually front and center. Does it usually require several takes becuase people speak at different speeds during VO or do you change the duration/hold pitch in editing software?
Ok, I can see this was just the tip of the iceberg :-) Good show!
Great tips....
Thanks for verifying that everybody hates the way they sound. A lot of people will ask me to record them or put their vocals into music, but they always say, "can you do something to hide the way I sound?".."add reverb or something..".. to me they may sound fine, but to them, they hate hearing themselves. I think everyone hates the way they sound.
I LOVE your VO's. Your voice is just the right depth, has a full tone, is very smooth, and you sound extremely relaxed when you speak. I hope you are one of those people you mentioned who are doing VO work for $1000 for a 15 second spot.
Great episode, and very informative. I never thought about typing out long numbers to help with the pacing.... even though it should be common sense. It just never dawned on me to do that. Great tip!!
Thanks for another great show. I'm more addicted with every DJTV episode.
Your work is truly appreciated!
I spent some years as a radio DJ before getting into audio/video production. These are all excellent tips. Although, if you can afford to rent studio time to test mics, why not just record there?
As for the question about hearing your own voice, unfortunately, the playback is the way everyone else hears you. What you normally hear is a combination of your voice in the air and the vibrations conducted through bone and other parts of your body. The good news is, with the right microphone, technique and processing, you can sound bigger than life in your recordings.
Great stuff Jeff.
Hal Robertson
Robertson MediaCraft
Lots of cool and useful info in there Jeff. Nice show
And, why is it that we always hate our voices when we here it?
It is like when we talk throughout the day, we hear ourselves a
certain way, and then when we hear our voice over video, it sounds
so alien. Which way do we really sound? The way we hear it ourselves,
or the way we sound on video? Which means, everyone else hears us like
that too. So why dont we?
I have always wondered that. Is there really an answer to that?
Thank you! I appreciate the insight on mics and look forward to getting set up! Great episode!