Voice Overs

G

Guardian

New member
I've never done a voice over before, and just did a 'demo' for a friend from work..anyone mind listening to one or 2 of the thingies, and seeing if it sounds 'ok' ?

I produced/directed, recorded, mixed, etc...



That's the first one we did..I told her to 'whore it up' :)



So I figured 2 'sexy' ones, and then something more ad oriented



We did 2 others, a public service announcement type, and another straight out 'ad'...


Anyone familiar in this field have any comments? Im not 100% sure about the music rights, but someone told me it shouldn't be a problem for a demo..

Thanks,
--Sal
 
I started in radio in 1987 and now I'm self employed, doing voice overs (read: desperately seeking work!) I've been fortunate to hear, learn and work with some amazing voice talent. But I'll be the first to say I'm no expert. That being said, here we go:

This is aimed at the voice talent but producers need to listen for all of these elements, too!

1.) Black Opal: The open and general delivery is great but the word "beautiful" is stressed in a way that screams "I NEVER DID THIS BEFORE!" Its fun to try out "sexy, sophisticated reads" but the bulk of voice-over work is not like that - its just straight, natural reading. Get that down first, then move on to sounding sexy, cute and cuddly.

2.) Revlon: Same thing. The open sounds good but the "naughty" girl act sounds like just that - an act. If you think of Voice Overs like acting, you'll begin to understand why James Earl Jones does what he does and Jeff Goldblum does what he does... Its called range. Exploring it is fine but understanding it is crucial. You never hear James Earl Jones doing screaming car dealer ads do you?

3.) Honda: This one is pretty bad. It shouldn't be, however, becasue this is the only example of what the voice talent REALLY sounds like. But there are some obvious problems with inflection and diction. Listen to how these words sound: minature golf, unexpected hugs and did I hear BIRFday parties??? Maybe not but it sure comes across like that. These are the kind of things that crush any chance your demo might have. Work on them.

The production sounds fine but these are VOICE OVER DEMOS so they're mixed wrong for that application - music isn't usually an issue for demos but songs with vocals or vocal elements isn't wise. (Check the music in Spot # 2)

If you think I've been harsh, you haven't had the pleasure of seeking V/O work yet. Its not for the timid or faint of heart. The only thing that will get you work is persistance. So persist!

1.) Practice speaking clearly, naturally and confidently. Not just in front of the mic - but always!

2.) Smile when you speak - ALWAYS. Before your lips begin to open, they better be fully engaged in a wide, heartfelt smile. Your audience can hear it. (This is really rule number 1)

3.) Forget about sounding like those sexy sounding voices or being anyone who isn't YOU. Its your voice you're trying to sell. If they wanted a sound-alike, they could just go hire the real thing.
Sound confident and energetic but never scream or get out of control.

4.) Demos should be fast paced showing a wide range (your range) of reads. Until you get actual work, go from fast to slow to fast to medium paced spots - no more then 20 seconds of each.
But make sure each one is perfect. Mumbled phrases on a demo mean you don't work.

5.) Get used to bad feedback or no feedback at all. Most demos go directly into the trash. Some don't even get opened. All the cassettes the came into our station (on the east coast) were dumped into a desk drawer and we used them to record over. Don't fool yourself. Make your demo good, then make your submission better. Its a tough business.

Go where ever you can to gain experience - cable tv stations, internships at radio stations, record yourself often and listen critically.

Email me with updated demos. I'll gladly tear into them again. (j/k)

Z
 
haha

Thanks, I'll have her come in again and work on that..She's new to this, and a single mom..I was doing her a favor because she knew I had a recording studio..didn't even charge her, she's someone I work with at my crappy part time for health insurance night job (UPS).

I definitely agree with most of the comments there, and I'll try to have her fix it up..I really liked the honda one personally tho..I thought the way she enunciated the words added character and personality..she does have an 'ethnic' voice, which might typecast her..

Thanks :) This is exactly the kind of thing I wanted to hear.

I know about the process of submitting tho..I'd never advise anyone to send in a tape or a CD just blindly..you need to write and ask for permission first, otherwise it's unsolicited, and tossed right out..you need to get your foot in the door first somehow,..right?

--Sal
 
Your music is too LOUD for a voice over. First, reduce the volumes on the music on all of the mixes. Then pan the music away from the vocal a bit more. The vocal should be "noticeably" out front in a VO mix. Here you have the vocal too low (or the music too high depending on your perspective).

E
 
I didn't want to dwell on the production aspect because that's not what people listen to with demos - although it is important.

I had a similar situation with a lady I worked with - except that she had 10 years of radio experience under her belt - there were certain words she just could not say correctly. Its actually pretty sad because she really has a beautiful voice and female voice talent is generally in higher demand then male... I could have provided her with some steady work had she been willing work on these specific words and habits.

You've done the right thing by giving her a chance and you could continue to coach her but the real key is experience. Its a catch 22 but you have to get experience to be comfortable in front of the mic. Once she relaxes and learns to be herself, her voicework will improve dramatically.

As a producer, you have to coddle talent into feeling safe and secure in your environment and that process starts over each time they leave and return. Keep them smiling but don't make them talk too much! Talk all you want AFTER the session.

You have to listen to every word carefully because you can't always fix it after the talent leaves - both you and your talent should have the same script to work from so you can make edit notes and identify trouble spots for your talent.

You won't do her any favors by being polite about flubs and poor announciation. She's trusting you to guide her. Even if she is your boss, you're the one in control in your studio. The most important thing to stress with her is, "it ain't easy."

Where demos are concerned, you need to ask for help. Its not your job to find her work but if you want to know more about how to do a good job as a producer, call a few radio stations, production houses or even telephone message-on-hold companies and explain your situation - but be humble about it. Chances are, you'll find someone who will be willing to help. People love to help. Just look at the success of this web site!

Phrase your question as "I'm new at this and I have a girl who has potential but I could use your help to see if I'm on the right track?" Hopefully your demo will find its way into the right hands.

In the meantime, get her working on regular demo copy. Not the sexy, esoteric perfume spots or funky reads with character voices but that Honda ad, and other natural delivery type stuff. Get her good at - and used to - just sounding normal while reading, like she's telling it to a friend - always sincere and SMILING!!!

ZK
 
Didn't get a chance to listen to these yet, but I will.

I had to just poke my head in hear and give kudos to Zombie King for one of the most helpful and insightful responses I have ever seen on this BBS.


Brad
 
ya

It was helpful, although I personally liked some of her inflections here/there, because it added character, I thought..the 2 'sexy' spots were mainly to just show her trying to play a role with her voice. I've got her doing some more traditional stuff now, which is probably better suited for a demo.


--Sal
 
Hey these are BETTER!

The Walmart spot let's her sound like she is speaking (not reading) and its completely natural. A good choice of music for the spot and her voice is right where it should be in the mix for this application.

Now we can really hear HER!

The same is true for the second spot. Compared to the first set, these would be what I'd recommend you put on a demo tape.

She has some obvious problems with her diction which she CAN overcome through practice. Diction excersizes would be helpful but she needs to focus on speaking and announciating at all times - even in everyday conversation, to improve.

Her annouciation of "Authur" pretty much describes where she lives. Its not a *bad* thing but it would help if she could learn to turn the "local charm" on and off.

I spent years trying to lose my "virginia twang" and the moment I have a conversation with another twanger, I fall right back into it, ya'll... So its a constant struggle...

But all in all, these are much improved over the first set of spots. The music really fits the mood, the levels are much better and she really sounds sincere. I never got the impression she was reading - only that she was telling me something.

The secret is: Its not about "voice." Its about communication.

Z
 
Cool

Gotcha, thanks again :) She's gonna be taking some voice lesson type things for improving her diction, etc..I gave her a homework assignment of listening to spots on TV and Radio, taping them, and then writing them down, and practicing them.. Let's just hope Tori and the Coors don't get pissed :) Picking music for these things just comes natural to me somehow..everything was a first choice..I dunno if that mean I should be looking into getting into advertising somehow.

-Sal
 
These sounded pretty good. I thought the music backround was still a bit loud. Try fading the music a bit while she is reading.
 
Adding music to voice over

Hi:
I'm new to Voice Over and with the help of a lot of people here have set up my computer home studio and have my first clip on my site - (I'm aware that I still have a lot to learn - mic technique, etc.) www.joanhallhovey.com/Voice.html
My question: What are the steps to adding music to your voice over? ie making sure the music is softer than the vocal, merging tracks, dah! etc. My software is Cool Edit 2000. Thanks.
 
Excellent critiques and advice, Mr. King.

But one small question:

How would one enunciate the word "announciate"?

(Sorry, couldn't resist...;) )
 
Hey LD, I'd pronounce it the same as "A Nun, She Ate my lunch..." -

Guardian, I'm not very familiar with CE 2000, but I'd check and see if anywhere in its menu you can find an effect called "Ducking" - If not, check to see if there's a compressor that allows sidechain inputs. with those tools, you can set the music bed up at nominal volume, then have the voice "duck" the music. Done right, it sounds very pro.

If you don't have that ability, Samplitude does. If you're going to do much professional work, you might want to look at higher end tools as you can swing them.

I have a really slow connection and little time right now, so didn't even try to listen. Just going from what you said here. Best to both of you... Steve
 
Your advice, Steve

How about some step by step for a newbie. I haven't got a clue what some of that terminology means , ducking, etc. Joan
 
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