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Hi! Upload your recordings, and get feedback from your peers!
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Hello everyone, glad I can share some practice recordings with you all as I’m starting my work towards a commercial demo.
Here are two scripts that I used from Edge Studio script library.Crayola Color Wonder Markers:
“Crayola Color Wonder Markers color only on special paper. So your kids can express their creativity more often…in more places…with less mess. Crayola Color Wonder. It starts with Crayola.”Spotify:
“With Spotify, it’s easy to find the right music for every moment – on your phone, your computer, your tablet and more. There are millions of tracks on Spotify. So whether you’re working out, partying or relaxing, the right music is always at your fingertips. Soundtrack your life with Spotify. Subscribe or listen for free.”Can’t wait to hear your feedback!
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Hi Daniel! I can hear a smooth voice! Good choices! In my opinion, these reads are too laid back. More energy and intention would be good. In the second clip, in a couple places in the latter half of the read, some consonants are getting lost. Enunciation would help. The overall effect may be exaggerated by the fact that the volume level is quite low. As I was once advised, bring up the gain levels in your recording system as much as possible (without causing distortion). You can take volume away later, if need be. Looking forward to hearing more.
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What I liked about the Spotify read was that you really went with a non-hard sell approach…It had some genius moments of really not trying overly hard, which is, “a Gen Z or Millennial read”. It doesn’t work for everything, by all means, but if it’s your natural voice and character, it comes off as sincerely “I’m not selling this to you…it’s just obviously the best thing out there.” That being said, I think ending tagline, and some choice phrases could use a bit more “This is some cool sh*t” vibe.
Crayola is probably harder for your voice type to sell. 99% of the time, this script would go to a mom-sounding woman. But things are always changing in marketing, and obviously dads take care of kids and house-cleaning too. How would you read it differently if you were talking to a fellow dad, or if you were talking to a small group of elementary school teachers? I love that you’re exploring all the avenues your voice can go in. Keep up the good work–your voice is selling to a key demographic these days!
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Hello hello! Just dropping a character commercial from the script library wanted some feedback.
We don’t cotton to your kind coming around here, Mr. Big City Hypnotist! Always waving your watch in front of other people’s faces, snapping your fingers, and expecting folks to be doing things you tell them to do. It just ain’t right!
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Hello! Just wanted to say that you’re voice is great and it was so fun to listen to the character speak. I think the tone and the way of talking for the character is great, but perhaps it would be a little bit better to slow down your pace. Clearly in both takes you can tell the difference since the second take is much more aggressive and a little bit faster.
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Love this!! Amazing contrast between the 2 takes!! Love that! I think what the quieter, less-assertive character lacked that the louder character had in spades, was emotional specificity. It seemed like she didn’t feel anything in particular toward Mr. Hypnotist…I loved that she was sweeter, but I think she could let out her annoyance more to help carry the story. Thank you for these delightful takes–what a talent!!
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Hi Official81! Great voice. Good character creation. I preferred the second take. I felt you were more confident about your read. Also, minor note, but in the first take there was what sounded like a brief over-amplification at the word “Always”, as if maybe you suddenly got closer to your mic. Nice work!
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Hello all – The feedback has been VERY helpful and I am trying to work it into each subsequent performance.
These are today’s homework as I work toward my Commercial demo. I’m also trying to apply what I am learning about how to use the new graphic EQ control in Audacity.
All feedback welcomed, as always. Chas
Popeye’s Chicken
Got a cravin’ for Cajun? Come along for some New Orleans style fried chicken, cajun battered fries, and buttermilk biscuits. Love that chicken at Popeye’s.Campbells Chunky Chili
Introducing Campbell’s Chunky Chili with Beans – four delicious, hearty varieties loaded with succulent, seasoned meat. It’s the perfect pre-game warm-up.-
Hey Chas! These are really nice improvements from the last versions I heard. The Popeye’s sounded good so I will only nitpick the recording. There’s a definite click at the end that you’ll want to remove, and just before you start I hear a trace of an inhale or something. I’m learning Audacity also and I’ve found the “button” that removes absolutely all signal from any selected segment very helpful. On the Campbell’s, also very good, although the way you say “succulent, seasoned”, while showing good variation in tone, doesn’t seem to fit. Perhaps you slowed down just a little too much? Anyway, overall, significantly better reads! Good luck with the demo!
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Could use some feedback on this audition.
Client brief: strong, warm inviting, real, authentic, anthemic sounding. (Was asked to attempt to “match the read and performance…as much as possible” in this sample video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAk1mY71SaY
Script:
We will always face challenges. The only constant we face is changeThis is the nature of the world around us.
But nothing replaces the need for safety and security,
and a proven solution to your needs is what we strive for.
We bring clarity,
We bring safety,
We bring focus.
Our reliable and secure camera technologies and innovations lead the industry in safeguarding you, your businesses, and your assets.
Pelco provides solutions to every situation, because challenges will continue to change.
It is the nature of our world.
But property is valuable.
Safety is important.
And life is too precious to trust to anyone else.
Put your business in focus.
More Powerful, More Pelco
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Hey, this is a good take but I think it’s missing some of the rousing quality asked for in the audition notes. I hear moments of it here but overall it could be stronger, more confident, more reassuring. You sound slightly unsure or tentative to me. A couple spots where you deliver the requested tone: “to your needs is what we strive for” and “we bring focus” and “put your business in focus.” Needs more of this. Also, be careful with pitch/intonation. I would keep your range even more narrow. It jumps too much in places, such as “the only constant we face…” Control is essential for this one, I think…a narrow range. Listen to the YouTube example and your own to note the difference with regard to this quality. Nitpick: there should be no delay when I click the play button, no silence at the start. Good luck. Bill A.
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Hey everyone,
Here is another read I did for some practice today. Let me know how ya’ll feels about it.
Thanks
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Hi Jay! Nice read…you have a pleasant voice! Two things I noticed, first, I get stuck on your pronunciation of the word important…it seems too long or something! Not sure what it is. Your enunciation is really good throughout, but maybe TOO good on that one word! I think I’m used to hearing it slurred a little…like…’importnnt’ instead of ‘impor-tant’. Probably just a ‘me’ thing. Also, at the end, “fish, ducks, frogs, and other creatures.” Lists are one thing I’m working on, trying to change my tone a bit on different words, so it doesn’t just sound like a slightly monotonous checklist of things. This was really a good read; those are just two things I noticed. 🙂
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Hey everyone,
Here is my first upload to the forums. Please let let me know any feedback you may have.
Thanks in advance!
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Hi everybody. Please feel free to provide feedback on my performance and recording quality. Thank you.
Clem the Prospector
Howdy folks, Clem the old prospector here to tell you how you can strike it rich, and you don’t even need a pick and shovel, all you need is a new Quick Pick from the Nebraska Lottery. With 6 chances to win, odds are you’ll do better than me diggin in this old mountain here. The new Quick Pick, from the Nebraska Lottery.
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One more post, then I’m calling it a night! With the benefit of great feedback, I’ve redone the American Express ad (and posted it together with my first attempt). Hopefully, it’s a noticeable improvement. I’m sure there’s more room to improve, though, so please don’t hesitate to nitpick! Lol. 🙂 Thank you!
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Yes, I noticed the difference as well. In my humble opinion, your first read comes across as a straightforward, non-interpreted reading of a script, while your second read brings that script to life and makes me feel, as a potential customer, that you really believe in the service that American Express provides. Very, very professional interpretation of a script! John
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I noticed the difference and think it’s an improvement. Great example of how voice actors must decide who they are when they perform a script. Is this an entrepreneur? A celebrity? Knowing who you are helps you make choices when preparing a read. I like the grin/wink on “because my private information is my business.” Nice job. Bill A.
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Hi all. This time I’m trying an audiobook format. This is an excerpt from Jack London’s turn of the century (1902) short story, To Build A Fire. Feedback very much appreciated. It’s been very helpful!! Thank you!
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I especially like your performance up to “…there must be no failure.” He is in a grave predicament and he’s trying to stay calm as he meticulously builds the fire. You convey this really well. The gravity of the situation becomes more clear as you go on with, “When it is seventy-five below zero, a man must not…to build a fire” but I think your inflection is off on this line. It is the main clause but you deliver it like you would a subordinate clause, and so loses the impact on the reader. If he doesn’t successfully start this fire, he will freeze to death. What could be more sobering than that! You get back to the original tone after this and it’s sooo good. Great pacing, by the way. You allow the images to form in the reader’s mind. Thanks for sharing. Bill A.
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Here’s the copy for the Jack London excerpt:
To Build a Fire – Excerpt 2
He worked slowly and carefully, keenly aware of his danger. Gradually, as the flame grew stronger, he increased the size of the twigs with which he fed it. He squatted in the snow, pulling the twigs out from their entanglement in the brush and feeding directly to the flame. He knew there must be no failure. When it is seventy- five below zero, a man must not fail in his first attempt to build a fire–that is, if his feet are wet. If his feet are dry, and he fails, he can run along the trail for half a mile and restore his circulation. But the circulation of wet and freezing feet cannot be restored by running when it is seventy-five below. No matter how fast he runs, the wet feet will freeze the harder.
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Hi folks! Here is an audition I submitted for a cookbook audiobook. I was trying to give two reads – the first one more relaxed and the second more upbeat. They were going for a cheerful and informative read. Any feedback is appreciated! I always struggle to come up with 2 reads that are varied from each other.
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Hi, Katelyn. The main difference I noticed was a bit more smile in the second version. You wouldn’t need to sustain that for the entire cookbook, really. It’s a great attention-getting tone for the introduction of a new chapter, section, or recipe though. One way to come up with two different reads is to change the emphasis from one key word to a different one. For example, in the first line, you emphasized “intimidating” in both reads. You could keep this emphasis in one read but in the other place the emphasis on “seems.” By emphasizing “seems,” you convey a different meaning: it’s not really intimidating; it only seems to be. You can alter the emphasis in a few other places as well and your second read will be quite different. After all, how can we be completely sure where the emphasis should always fall, unless the script writer underlines such words? More importantly, you want to show that you can, with just a few subtle changes, deliver options to the producer. Perhaps one of you reads, though not what they originally imagined, will be the one they want! Good luck. Bill A.
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Hi Katelyn, I liked both reads, and you can tell the difference which read is informative and which read is upbeat and cheerful. I like the second read better. Cooking is a fun activity which involves food, which we all love. I think a happy/cheerful tone is better suited for the copy. But the audition is for a cookbook in which a constant cheerful read will be hard to maintain, although I’m not certain because i’m still a beginner. Also the recording quality and pace of both reads are very good. Great job.
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