Unfiltered Thoughts

2022.11.16 – 0685 – ‘Punch And Roll’ Voice Recording
VOICE BOXLearn the ‘punch and roll’ technique to save recording time
This is when you mark (‘punch in’) the point in your recorded audio where you made a mistake. The  DAW (Digital Audio Workstation recorder), then plays back a few seconds of you speaking before that point (the ‘pre roll’), at which moment it starts recording again. This enables you to make your correction and continue recording.
Doing this will speed up your editing and because you are picking up by hearing what came before, you are more likely to match your original read (tone, intonation, speed, accent and so on) and your re-record will be better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.11.15 – 0684 – Voice Over Eye>Brain>Mouth Control Eye-Brain-Mouth Control – you have to be good at reading accurately, just sticking to the text. You will probably have skim-read the text before you start[1], and in the studio, you need to be able to scan ahead as you read: more mistakes mean more editing time, leading to a disjointed read and less money-per-minute for your work.
[1] You’re unlikely to have time to go through the book in advance, marking it up sentence -by-sentence.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.11.14 – 0683 – Narration Stamina  Stamina – you will need to read a lot of words in a short period of time: 4-6 hours in front of a mic each day is not unheard of for an audiobook narrator. So, you need committed energy and the ability to sound the same at the end of the day as you did at the start.
Performing a 30-second spot is like running a 50-yard dash; a 60-second spot is like a running 100-yard dash; an audiobook is like running a marathon.Marc Cashman, backstage.com[1]
[1] https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/10-skills-you-need-for-audiobook-narration-voice-work-67133/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.11.13 – 0682 – Natural Narration Foundations
Natural Narration FoundationsIn the main, we have been looking at short reads, commercials and news stories and the like, but sometimes you may have a longer read to perform, such as an audiobook. Longer reads need to be approached in a slightly different way than shorter ones. Instead of a series of short sentences about the attributes of a car for a commercial, or the misdemeanours of a politician in a broadcast news story, there are several sentences in each paragraph, and each paragraph is linked as an explanation or story arc develops for several or hundreds of pages.  You have to be familiar with the longer script so you know, and can express in your voice, how the different paragraphs are connected, give the listener confidence that you know where you are going, and make it easier for them to follow. Notice too in a longer piece that the writer may show how they want it to be read aloud, in the way they wrote it down. Look at the sense of the sentence, its length and the kind of words used.[1]
[1] A look at different narration styles in podcasts, with audio examples, here: https://theaudiostoryteller.substack.com/p/mic-drop- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.11.12 – 0681 – Audiobook Narration Audiobook narrationAudiobooks have become increasingly popular[1] as people consume books while commuting, exercising or doing chores and with the ease of listening via smartphones and Bluetooth.
There are broadly two different types of books: non-fiction and fiction, each with different skills required of the voice actor and also some cross-over themes.
Narrating your memoirsMemoirs are not quite fiction or non-fiction, and it makes perfect sense for you to narrate your own ‘story of your life’. After all, you’re the expert on what happened!
Use your text more as a prompt than a script: live your words as you say them as though the memories are just occurring to you, and imagine you are telling someone what happened, someone who is sitting right there in front of you.
[1] 2019 figures suggested that 50% of Americans had listened to an audiobook (Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamrowe1/2019/04/27/for-the-first-time-50-of-americans-have-listened-to-an-audiobook/#46157dc97d52)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.11.11 – 0680 – Voice Acting In Gaming Games  Voice acting in the video game business is similar to doing animation work, although the portrayals have to be more ‘realistic’ than say, those ‘cartoon-caricatures’ of people or animals. In fact, gaming actors are more like those in movies – they just can’t be seen on screen. Your skillsAdaptability - Although you may read as a cast ensemble together (so each actor ‘works off’ one another, because it may be easier to direct everyone ‘live’ and to get the same studio quality), it is also likely that you may read individual lines, alone, out of order and out of context (‘non-linear’). Indeed, as you may never see a full script, but just your part, you will need to take specific direction on the motivation and interaction of your character for that particular scene, as you jump around different timelines and emotional states minute by minute. That will affect your whole read: tone, projection, pace and intonation and so on. [1]Being able to do lots of accents and characters is very helpful in both video games and animation recordings. Just don’t audition with a character voice that you won’t be able to keep up for an entire recording session. Sight reading – reading a new script on the fly, on the spot is imperative in this fast-turnaround world. Practicing this will help you learn different tenses, moods and emotions and move effortlessly between them. 
[1] How producers create different voice effects in gaming: https://www.voquent.com/how-to-recreate-gaming-audios-top-5-vocal-effects/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.11.10 – 0679 – Concatenation ConcernsCharacter creep can cause particular problems when combined with concatenation. This is where a voice-over has to read a short list of incomplete sentences, and then a long list of places, numbers, or other ‘options’. You will have heard examples on transport services, telephone booking systems and sat navs: the original sentences are completed by the computer selecting the appropriate word or phrase from the second list (“The train now standing on platform 2 is the 15.36 service to London Waterloo…”). It takes a special skill, and a lot of patience to not only keep in ‘character’ while recording the different elements for such a service, but also to have the correct (and repetitive) intonation for every word or phrase – even though you are recording them in isolation from the rest of the sentence which would normally provide the sense!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.11.09 – 0678 – Character CreepCharacter creepIf you try and be someone who you’re not[1], then there is a chance that over the course of a contract or studio session, your ‘persona’ might change. It may mean that you cannot keep up the voice that you created for the role, perhaps because it is too demanding vocally, or you forget how to create it. Maybe it’s not a specific decision, but the voice may lose its edge, vitality or accent, which is why it is called ‘character creep’. This can cause a problem if you are recording say, an audiobook or lines for a video game as the voice will noticeably change during the reading, or worse if the lines have been recorded ‘out of order’, it will come and go … So, check back and listen to what you recorded previously, especially after a break to ensure your character voice and vocal quality remain constant. [1] Unless you are being paid to act, for example in a voiceover! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.11.08 – 0677 – Keeping In Character
When you have developed a voice from scratch and you’re comfortable with it and do it well, keep it and add it to your cast of characters, and then build another character that builds from that one. Merge the ‘evil witch’ with the ‘young woman’ say, to have another voice. Aim for quality not quantity of these voices. Write a few notes describing their voice, their personality and how they hold themselves (because the voice changes depending on the shape of the body it comes from) … and over time you will build a portfolio of about half a dozen character voices that you can dip in to, adapt or merge. Keep recordings of them, together with notes of how you felt as you recreate them, who you model the character on, and think of a key catchphrase that sums up your character and their voice, their attitude, so in the future, you can use these notes as a reference to get back into character. When you come up with a character voice, own it. And use it every day. Speak to family in that voice. Take on the characteristics. Hone the character… own it and make it your own. Then test yourself by coming up with a voice for each of these animations:·        A monster·        Dragon·        Witch·        Cartoon pig·        Villain·        Surfer·        ‘Valley girl’·        A chicken·        A robot… a villainous pig, a surfing chicken, a ‘valley-girl’ monster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.11.07 – 0676 – Vocal Exaggeration In AnimationVocal exaggeration in animation[1]You must have the muscular strength to host the vocal gymnasium that is required in animation. Work on the instrument daily to achieve vocal strength. The voice you use will, for much of the time, be more, well, animated in animation. More ‘over the top’, energetic, projected and with greater variety and intensity. So you need to be physically fit – it’s virtually a sport as you ‘inhabit’ the part. Because you can’t be seen and the portrayal of the characters visually is OTT, your voice has to match that representation.
But you are not just over the top in animation; there still has to be a reality in the exaggeration. That is, your characterisation has to be an authentic exaggeration of emotion from the storyline, and how your character interacts with others. The emotion and energy are big, but it’s still from a believable point. Know how your character feels and thinks, and embody them.
As we have seen before, gesticulation is even more important when people can’t see you. If your character is concerned, then frown, squint, purse your lips and hold your chin or whatever, so the emotion is heard in your line. And if you are not voicing an animation that’s already been drawn, but laying down the soundtrack first, then acting and reacting like this will help give the illustrators something to draw on when they’re drawing. [1] The story of the Canadian behind the voice of Bugs Bunny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaNO4KykWMY&t=39s Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.