Unfiltered Thoughts

2023.09.12 – 0985 – The Diction-ary of Voice – EEllipsis – the marking on a script (‘…’) usually indicating that a pause is requiredEmphasis list - if an author wants to stress a point, they an emphasis list such as “the country was utterly, totally and demonstrably broken” Encoding - converting your uncompressed audio files into a format more suitable for certain applications, say from a WAV file to an MP3Enunciation (or ‘diction’) – the clear pronunciation of a wordEqualization (‘EQ’) - the process within the DAW of altering various parts of the voice recording, such as the volume and to lower or boost frequency rates to enhance the soundEye-brain-mouth coordination - the ability to script-read fluently, accurately and effortlessly  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.09.11 – 0984 – The Diction-ary of Voice – D Part 2
Dry audio – a voice recording without any music underneath (which would be a ‘mixed’ recording)Dry mouth – literally having little saliva in one’s mouth, making talking difficult Dub – to make a copy of an audio or video recordingDub - to re-record audio and sync it to a video which shows someone talking and whose sound is muted. Dubbing is used to re-record a translated soundtrack in another language for different markets and also to replace the original spoken word recording in the original language and by the original actor, to replace audio that was poorly recorded on set (or due to a technical problem, late script change, remove a swear-word for a different audience and so on). The spoken word of any dub must sync with the mouth movements of the original performance. Although this is difficult for a translated script, the timings of each line must certainly be as close as possible to the originalDuration – the length of time it will take (or has taken) for a programme element such as a script, to runDynamic - audio that has wide variations between the quiet bits and the loud bits. See ‘Microdynamics’ and ‘Macrodynamics’Dynamic microphone – a mic which incorporates a diaphragm-type device which records sound by vibrating a magnet to create an electrical signal, when sound waves are detected, but which are less sensitive to higher frequencies. See ‘Condenser’Dynamic range - the ratio between the maximum and minimum sound levels in a recording. This ratio is usually expressed in decibels as the difference between the loudest possible undistorted level, and the level of the noise floor
**EEarly out – ending a programme or item earlier than originally expected “We come out in 1 minute, but there’s an early out in 20 seconds…”Edit – cutting down an audio piece for content or duration reasons Edit - to produce an audio piece, weaving a narrative from multiple interviews and other audio elementsEditor – in a newsroom, the manager of a team of reporters who’s responsible for deciding what stories goes to air and how, and for giving feedbackEditor - the person who assembles a show from raw material, who works to a producer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.09.10 – 0983 – The Diction-ary of Voice - D Part 1 DAW - Short for ‘Digital Audio Workstation’ (or ‘Workspace’), said variously D.A.W and DAW (as in ‘door’). The software you use to record, edit, mix and play back your audio. Either a computer which is dedicated to audio only, or a complete multitrack recording system (software) such as Protools, Cubase or Logic. Other examples include Audacity, Hindenburg and AdobedB - abbreviation for ‘decibel’, pronounced “dee-bee”Dead air – silenceDead cat - a type of mic wind-screen that has long synthetic hairs surrounding it and makes a long microphone look like a dead cat (!)Deadroll - sound or music that begins inaudibly at a specific time in a mix – so that it will come to its natural end at a specific time through the use of ‘backtiming’Decibel – a measurement of the volume of sound, abbreviated to ‘dB’. In the digital audio world, it refers to decibels relative to full scale (dBFS), where ‘0dBFS’ represents the maximum possible digital level, and so measurements in digital audio production are generally represented in negative values (say ‘-9 dB’).De-emphasize – to produce a less emphatic, dramatic readDe-essing – to reduce sibilance caused by high-frequency ‘s’ sounds. A ‘de-esser’ is a plug-in to the DAW that automatically controls sibilance in recordingsDemo - a recording of your professional voice work given to prospective clients as an example of your voice and variety. Demo as in a ‘demonstration’ of what you can do. A ‘demo reel’ or ‘demo tape’ is an audio portfolio of examples of a voice artist’s workDialect – a regional variation of a language with a particular accent. So, the English language may be spoken with a Cockney accentDiaphragm – the muscle which separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity and which is the main muscle used in breathingDiaphragm - the part of microphone that is affected by sound waves and turned it into electrical signals to be recorded or enhanced. See ‘Dynamic’ and ‘Condenser’.Diction (or ‘enunciation’) – the way you talk: your enunciation and the types of verbiage (words and phrases) you use.Digital – recording/processing with a computer in which audio signals are broken into numerical valuesDigital Analog Converter - DAC. Hardware that turns an analogue signal into numerical values, and vice versa. Anything that connects a microphone to any type of computer has a DAC, including Digital Audio Recorder and microphonesDip or Duck — to fade sound underneath a track or other audio that is at a higher volumeDirector – the person responsible for deciding how a programme is run while it is on air, or in charge of a recording project. The director may oversee or themselves be the writer producer or audio engineerDistortion – when sound has been recorded at too high a level making it difficult to comprehendDouble Ender - see “tape sync”Dramatic pause – when anticipation or tension is created by a pause within a script Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.09.09 – 0982 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 4 Cue – the instruction to a presenter to start talking or performing. This could be verbal or by a light or a audio ‘cue tone’Cue – the short script read by a radio presenter or newsreader to introduce a guest or other live or pre-recorded itemCut – an edit of a piece of audio to remove a portionCut - as a direction during a recording, to stop immediatelyCyst - usually unilateral (one vocal cord) mass that grows within a vocal cord. Fluid-filled, usually due to voice misuse or overuse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.09.08 – 0981 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 3
Conversational read (sometimes ‘transparent read’) – when a script doesn’t sound as though it is being read, so, using an authentic, friendly or realistic style that gives the impression the voice-over is talking with the listener one-to-one, telling a story or convincing them from what appears to be their own experience. A tone that personifies everyday speech. It is ‘non-announcery’. Think: everyday conversationConversational show - a show or podcast where the audience listens to a recorded or live conversation, discussion or ‘roundtable’Copy - another word for the script, the words written to be read out loudCopy - to duplicateCopy – ‘message understood’Copy marking – The system or annotating a script to remind you about issues such as inflection, pauses and pronunciationCPM - Short for ‘Cost per Thousands’ (confusingly, not ‘millions’, the ‘M’ is the Roman numeral for ‘thousand’). How much advertisers will pay to reach one thousand listenersCTA – the ‘call to action’, that is, the part of the commercial script that tells the user what to do such as “buy now”, “call this number for tickets”, “visit our website for details” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.09.07 – 0980 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 2 Clipped – when a recorded signal has gone past the 0db threshold (or any other maximum recording level set by the engineer) and the computer software has no more ‘headroom’ to record. This is often heard when a voice actor shouts, or when the microphone is too close to a speaker, or in a field recording, when a large vehicle passes by. To the ear the sound is heard as distorted. On a DAW, the waveform has its top ‘cut off’ and appears flat rather than in various peaks and troughs. Clipping is undesirable and should always be avoided by reducing the input sound. Clipped - when audio is missing the beginning or end of a sound element or word by a split secondCo-anchors – two presenters working together in partnership with an on-air role divided between themCold copy – a previously unseen script. You may be asked to ‘read cold’ or ‘read a cold script’Comb filtering (also called ‘phasing’, or ‘colouring’) - when two versions of the same sound play at slightly different times (measured in milliseconds), for example when two mics are live / recording and the voice of one speaker is heard not only though their mic, but also very slightly through the other. This can cause some frequencies to be cancelled out and slightly distorts the true sound. It can be fixed by reducing the possibility of one voice being picked up by two mics: lowering level of the second mic, moving them further away from each other, having a screen between them, or most simply, turning the mics slightly so each pick-up pattern works in an optimum wayComing out – ending a broadcast or recording: “we’re coming out in 30 seconds”Compression (file) – file compression reduces the file’s size. Very different from compression of sound (below)Compression - a process applied to audio recordings, which 'level-off' the peaks and troughs of a waveforms. This is done with a ‘compressor’ (below)Compressor - a device or plugin/tool in a DAW, which automatically boosts quieter sounds and supresses louder ones, so there is less variety in the levels, according to a set threshold. Doing this will mean that the listener has less manual work to do in adjusting levels when hearing the audio. Using a compressor is an art and over-doing it will make the whole track, well, over-compressed and restrictedCondenser microphone – a mic which reproduces sound with the help of an electric circuit and so needs a small amount of power to operate, either from a battery or from the recorder. See ‘Phantom power’, and ‘Dynamic (microphone)’Contractions – I’d suggest you’ll want to add abbreviated words to scripts so they’ll sound conversationalControl room (also ‘gallery’, ‘ops’ or ‘operations room’) – the room outside the studio where a director or producer may sit. Sometimes used to refer to the area where the main servers for a radio station are housed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.09.06 – 0979 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 1
 **CCadence - rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or word (see: ‘inflection’) Camera panic – anxiety about being in a video affecting someone’s ability to talk or act effectively (also see ‘mic fright’)Cans - headphonesCardioid – the pickup pattern of a microphone which is heart-shaped, with a larger area of sound detected from the front of mic and a little from each side and barely any sound from the backCharacter bleed - when the vocal attributes of one character voice (or sometimes the narrative voice) continue into the voice of another character or piece of narrationCharacter voice - the voice adopted to help portray an individual in the scriptChoppy – a way of talking in which the flow of delivery is broken up by frequent and unnecessary pauses   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.09.05 – 0978 – The Diction-ary of Voice - B Part 2 Binaural – a type of recording and/or processing that allows a 3D sound space to be conveyed over headphonesBit depth – refers to the quality of the recording, where higher ‘bit rates’ have a wider difference between the quietest sound they can record, and the loudest sound, and therefore allow you to record at lower levels. 16-bit is CD quality, 24-bit is preferred for recording, 32-bit uses lots of disk space. See ‘Headroom’.Bit rate - how much disk space is used per second of audioBleed – sound such as a music bed or other microphone voices ‘leaking’ from a presenter’s headphones and being picked up by their individual micBlimp - a type of wind-screen that entirely covers a microphone and looks like blimp. Sometimes called a ‘Zeppelin’Board (‘desk’) – the panel of faders and controls that are used to turn on microphones and other audio or video sources and control their levelsBoost - to increase, raise or make louder: to boost (sound) levels.Breathy voice – in which excess air escapes as someone speaksBSF (Basic Studio Fee) - the amount paid to the voice actor for the time that they spend in the studio sessionBuy out – a flat rate which gives the customer of the voiceover project all rights to a recording in perpetuity. So, a recording might be re-versioned as short soundbites and used forever without an additional fee paid to the voiceover artist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.09.04 – 0977 – The Diction-ary of Voice - B Part 1
**BB2B / B2C – different marketing or advertising models. ‘B2B’ stands for 'business to business', that is, an advert for a product or service services that targets other businesses, while ‘B2C’ is 'business to consumer', where the (in our case) audio advert is slanted towards a personal consumers, and so might use different selling points, words and styleBack-time – adding together the durations of remaining programme elements, and then taking that sum from the time by which the programme has to end by. The resulting figure tells you when you the time you need to start the elements to end on timeBandwidth - a measure of a range of frequencies in Hertz (Hz), or musical octaves Barks – the short lines of background dialogue often heard in gameplayBeat – a slight pause perhaps between words, lines or different character’s dialogue, as in “don’t come in straight away, give me a beat (or “half a beat”) first”, where a ‘half-beat’ is a shorter pause, and a large beat is a longer oneBed (‘music bed’) - the background music played underneath a presenter’s voice, or other ambient sound running under audioBending the needle – what a sound engineer might say when excess volume is indicated on a visual display and the needle hits the ‘end stop’ of the meterBi-directional – a microphone that picks up sound from two directions, usually directly oppositeeach other, such as an interviewer and an intervieweeBilabial (sometimes just ‘labial’) – if ‘labial’ refers to lips, then bilabial is ‘two lips’ and for our situation it’s when both lips are used to pronounce a sound, like the initial sounds in each word of ‘properly wonderful’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.09.03 – 0976 – The Diction-ary of Voice - A Part 2 Alveolus – the area just behind your upper teeth and where your tongue darts to in the final sound of the word ‘sin’Ambience (‘ambient noise’, ‘ambi’, ‘nat sound’, ‘sfx’ – ‘sound effects’) - The general sound at a location, such as traffic noise, a protest march, birds and wind in the trees, or the sound of a studio (such as the air conditioning, slight bizz of computers and so on. The sound can be used by itself or mixed under voice clips.Amplify – to increase the signal strength to make a louder sound Announcer – an on-air role of someone who has an authoritative or commanding way of speakingArticulation – the process by which you use your teeth, tongue, mouth and lips, to shape sounds into words. Sometimes used to mean ‘clear pronunciation of words’ such as the right tone, volume, pitch, and quality. (See: ‘enunciation’, ‘diction’.)Artifact - undesirable sounds around words, such as random humming noises Aspirate – the release of a puff of air in the pronunciation of a word. The air is not as pronounced as a plosive might be on the initial sound of the word ‘pronounced’, but softer as in Santa saying ‘ho, ho, ho’Attack time - the time it takes for a sound processor to begin adjusting the volume level, once the noise threshold has been reachedAttenuate - to reduce in force, or make quieterAttitude – speaking style that shows how a character (or the speaking actor/presenter) would feelAudacity - free audio editing software, a common first DAW (Digital Audio Workstation: the program on which you can record and edit audio)Audio book - the recording of a narrator reading a book Audio drama – the audio recording of book or play in which several voice actors take part, together with sound effects and music. Sometimes called ‘fiction podcast’ Audio engineer – a term used by different studios and stations in different ways for different responsibilities, but essentially someone who uses sound equipment/software to record and edit. Possibly also a ‘sound recordist’, ‘audio editor’, ‘audio mixer’, ‘mastering engineer’ (or ‘engineer’), or even ‘producer’Audition - Adobe’s paid-for DAWAuthenticity – a speaking style that shows credibility and generates trust Automation - in a DAW, the ability to automatically change an attribute over time, such as dipping the volume, or panning a sound from left to right, or any other attribute you’d like to change. See ‘envelope’AVO – Announcer Voice Over   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.