How to Do Voice Over Like a Professional
For many people, the thought of recording their voice and sharing it with the world is horrifying. Or at least genuinely uncomfortable.
But it doesn’t have to be difficult or stressful!
So how do you record voice overs that grab and keep your audience’s attention?
You’re about to find out!
You may under the impression thatMale Voice Actors is pretty easy. You don’t really should do anything. Just stand in advance of a microphone, speak some lines it’s done. Get compensated and go back home. Right?
Most beginners make the mistake of over-producing their demo with lots of sound effects and music. This is the worst thing can possibly simply. You will mimic an amateur to agents and directors and buyers.
Most workshops are held by agents and directors in their studios. Viewed as give you an opportunity to network with those who are able to get or recommend you for career. These classes have not been that expensive in earlier 90’s (when deep voice actorsdid start to get popular). But, as one would suspect the fee has risen. It is actually investment. A person are keen on this profession you can have to maintain your day job in order to compensate the incidentals.
Look to determine if something looks “actory.” Why achieved it look that way? Be sure and watch the “great” older actors also, even though they consist of a different generation and may act differently.
The essential elements of a good voice over
When most of us think of great video voice overs, we probably think of great actors like Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones. We tend to associate voice over with having a really great voice. And, while that can help, it’s not necessary.
In fact, with practice, nearly anyone can do professional-quality voice over work.
Great video voice audio over comprises several elements:
1. Audio clarity and volume
The clarity of your voice and a comfortable volume may be the most essential parts of great audio. If your voice over recording is fuzzy or muddy sounding, it will be difficult for people to understand. Audiences will be distracted and unable to absorb the information or may simply move on. Either way, they miss your message and you miss an opportunity to share what your knowledge.
Similarly, if your audio’s volume is too low, it may be difficult for people to hear. Too loud and you risk annoying distortion.
Luckily, there’s a pretty solid sweet spot for volume. See the section on recording your voice over for more information on audio levels.
2. Pacing
Ever talk with someone who has a really exciting story to tell, but they’re so excited about it that they rush through it and when they’re done you can’t even remember what they were talking about? Or, someone who drones on and on with no end in sight, threatening to put you to sleep?
This is pacing. Too fast and your audience won’t know what hit them. To slow and they’re likely to get bored. The best voice overs have a natural and deliberate pace. Start with a script and practice it before you record to help you speak at a more natural pace.
And remember, pacing also includes things like pausing occasionally to take a breath, for effect, or just to give them listener a break to process important information.
3. Vocal tone and inflection
Like pacing, vocal tone and inflection refer to ensuring you speak in a natural and pleasant manner. You want to be friendly and engaging, but not so much that you sound fake.
No one wants to sound like a game show host. But, you also want to avoid monotone robot voice which, like pacing that’s too slow, can be boring and off-putting for listeners.
4. Pronunciation and enunciation
The final element of great voice over work is ensuring that you pronounce each word correctly and that you speak clearly enough to be understood. Avoid mumbling — but don’t shout or over-enunciate, either.
Be mindful of your regional accent (yes, we all have them) and pronunciations as they relate to your audience. While it’s perfectly acceptable to “warsh” your hands in Missouri or have a great “idear” in New England, those pronunciations may confuse people from other locations.
Don’t worry, though. No one expects you to sound like a professional voice actor. The best thing you can do is speak naturally and clearly and the rest will follow with practice.
How to record a voice over
Preparing to record
Not all videos need a ton of preparation. Quick one-off screencasts or a fast demonstration of a new user interface for a colleague probably can be done mostly on the fly.
But, for videos where you want a more polish or that need to cover more information, a bit of preparation goes a long way.
Find a quiet place to work
I’m sure you’ve seen what a typical recording studio looks like. Professional voice over artists typically have a room somewhere with walls covered in sound-absorbing foam, a fancy microphone setup with a pop screen and a computer workstation that looks like it could be straight out of NASA’s Mission Control.
Luckily, you don’t have to go that far to achieve great results. You can create a great voice recording space with minimal effort and very little expenditure.
Choose a microphone
Next, you need a decent microphone.Most importantly, you want a space free of distracting noises and where you aren’t likely to be interrupted. Most decent microphones pick up even faint ambient sounds, and those sounds will ultimately make it into your recording.
If your space is at work, avoid areas where you can hear your coworkers conversing, etc. Or, plan to record when no one else is in the office.
Thank you for your reading. Good Luck!