Feedback Forum
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Hi! Upload your recordings, and get feedback from your peers!
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Hi All! After a few years I’m finally getting back into the VO game/training so I’m a little rusty. I’m working on sounding less performance and more conversational on my commercial reads, also let me know what you think about the pace (Creative feedback only, not working from a professional home studio yet, NO technical feedback, please!).
Side note – any tips on raining in the extra saliva while recording is greatly appreciated (I’ve tried lots of water although I’m sure I could always drink more, as well as mouthwash before recording). Thank you!
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You have a great sound. HookOnPh. read is really nice. I think, based on my own coaching, if you take out some of the glottal stops and smooth out the read just a smidge more, it would be *chef’s kiss* and would likely be the conversational sound you are looking for. The last two sentences were great and a reference for what I mean in smoothing it out. And the Aruba take is also very nice. The natural smile in your tone will get you a lot of work. Spit balling here: I wonder what would happen to your energy level if you did the script in 15 seconds and also got rid of the micro pauses within sentences.
Mouth noises are such a pain in the b***y. Green apples help (something about the acidity) and honestly, de-mouth click software is a LIFESAVER. I use RX9 software.
Great work!
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These are really engaging! Hooked on Phonics has such a great inviting feel to it. When listening to Aruba, your voice sounds great but I think I wanted to see the picturesque views in the read. Like listening to a friend who just got back from the best trip of their life.
I also struggle with extra saliva and am still exploring options for that. Lately, I’ve been popping in a honey throat lozenge before recording and it seems to thicken the saliva so it isn’t so noisy.
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Hi, all. I had my first coaching session, and now I’m just uploading a couple of practice recordings for feedback.
Re Decoding N**i Secrets: I was told that I needed to go slowly enough that one could imagine the narration working over documentary footage but that I also needed to avoid pausing in ways that would make it sound weird given that it is actually audio-only. I was also told to give individualized inflections to the items in the list that starts about 23 seconds in so that that part wouldn’t sound boring. How did I do?
Re Corneal Epithelium: I was told that I ought to sound friendly and personable. Again, how did I do?
Other feedback is also appreciated!
Lastly, I’m still figuring out my home-studio setup, and I’m not very familiar with any DAW yet to boot. I’m realizing that I have sound-quality problems that I don’t know how to solve. Does anyone have a favorite YouTube tutorial for learning Audacity or REAPER, or for trouble-shooting home-studio issues?
Thanks much!
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Wow. That is some of the best reading I’ve heard on here.
I think the speed of the first is bordering on too slow, but with the subject matter’s seriousness, you certainly don’t want to rush. As to delineation of the items, you could vary some more. They almost sound like separate sentences if they’re not individualized (pitch-wise) enough.
With the second, it sure sounds good and informative. Friendly and personal descriptions of the eye are what everyone is clamoring for, of course. But, if it’s less stodgy and more relatable(?) that are the goals, I’d say maybe speed it up a bit and use some higher tones. When you’re dictating facts, it’s tough to think, and therefore sound that way – at least it is for me.
I find Audacity to be a great tool and it’s simple. Maybe check YouTube for a 5 Step video by Serge M. It’s old and bare bones, but a good framework to build from. At least it helped me.
Keep up the good work!
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Hello Folks,
The Attached was for an audition. The direction was “Male or Female – USA voice over. Professional and business sounding but not too vo sounding. Some warmth and connection.”
Also, the direction asked for two takes so the file includes two which are identified.
I am looking for feedback as to how well the two takes align with the direction. I am not looking for feedback regarding recording quality.
Thanks for any feedback.
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Well, I recorded my narration demo yesterday. Yay! A bit nerve-wracking, but I feel pretty good about the whole thing.
So, concentrating on wrapping up commercial. I grabbed some stuff from the library and thought I’d give it a shot with the narration pointers/ideas/methods still fresh in my mind. I purposely loosened things up to contrast, ala commercial. I have a “seems ezif” and a “y’see” in Mailboxes, Etc., for sure. What is the consensus? How informal can you go and still remain clear?
Recorded the radio station ID first, as an ice breaker after yesterday’s demo anxiousness. Listen for the differences in the two KATT takes– they’re very subtle. (That’s a little joke you’ll get only if you listen. Does anyone really record VO like that anymore?) There is a big blast at about 4.5 second mark in KATT DJ that I’m not sure I sufficiently tamed with software. Any thoughts on it being too much?
Loving this stuff. Thanks for the reviews. I look forward to the input!
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I really enjoyed listening to these.
I think, even in your attempts to make them informal, these are all very clear. I think the Geico one was very well done in particular.
On your DJ read for KATT, I think you need a cleaner break between each phrase, or maybe to take a deeper breath before you start. I can imagine that was a bit challenging considering how you’re changing your voice.
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I prefer your second read. (I felt like the first one had an air of “Once upon a time” to it, as if you were going to tell me a fairy tale–which actually suited the opening perfectly, but which I think might have seemed a better overall fit to me if the copy had given you more of an extended narrative arc to work with.)
Four small notes:
1. I think that “the server carrying a Big Mouth Burger to a customer” ought to be said as a single fluid utterance, because the participle phrase “carrying a Big Mouth Burger to a customer” functions as a necessary modifier for “the server,” identifying which server at that restaurant you are talking about (i.e., not a different server, such as the one carrying a tray of nachos). Your pause gave me the potentially confusing initial impression that the restaurant had only one server.
2. You might try seeing what happens if you rein in your emphasis of “delicious” about 10-15%. I found it fun but just a *tad* much.
3. I suppose Chili’s is not known for being authentically Mexican, so perhaps you made the right call. But you might try pronouncing jalapenos without anglicizing the penultimate vowel and see how you feel about it.
4. If you want to, I think that you have more room to have fun with “on a collision course with destiny.” In any case, I would suggest avoiding ending with a fading cadence.
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Still practicing clear and alternate attitude choices in my commercial reads. Did 3 for this first one as the copy was short enough to push myself. Feedback appreciated.
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In Nike 1 you’re evidently “pushing” for a certain performance. Think of a situation that gives you the attitude you want(think of the face of the person you’re speaking to in that situation). Then, just let it go, be in the moment with the person you’re talking to. It helps me to imagine their reactions to what i’m saying, it’s like multitasking to imagine a person and read the script so it takes practice to do it.
You were pushing less in Nike 2. You uptick the phrases “keep your feet planted firmly on the ground.” and “presses against you” as if you’re asking a question and that hinders the confident and assuring tone of the message in the copy.
Nike 3 was the best of all three with the least pushing and uptick that weakens the confident sound. “It’s Nike” could be said with more confidence. It sounded to me like you were pleading to the audience to buy Nike in the phrase “It’s Nike.” So relax and be confident in what you’re saying.
Nike 1 attitude seems to be on a mission and has a passion about the topic. Nike 2 is more caring in tone. Nike 3 is most confident in what is being said. Though Nike 1 and 3 seem more different in the beginning of their audios but don’t seem that different in tone when you listen to both of them in full. Nike 2 stands out as most different in tone from the other two.
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Hi everyone!
I’m practicing colouring my reads with various believable attitudes. I would love feedback on the believability of my attitude. Let me know if you sense a different attitude than what I intended. I would also appreciate any technique advice, like on the flow of the read, glottal stops, and pauses. Thanks in advance!
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I like this one – I read it a while back. Good work, no matter the inflection, getting your mouth around all of it.
Definite differences in what’s coming across. I would say you could feel the enthusiasm in #3, but you could probably crank it up a bit more – might be easier with a different subject, but, y’know. As to detached, I would call it more “sleepy.” It sounds as though you’re reading it as though bored, not as though you’re narrating something that just happens to be dry.
Your voice is very approachable. I bet, with a different script – one with acting and required emotion – you’d REALLY shine. As for taking this one on as a control – great idea.
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Hello,
I’ve attached two reads in advance of my next session. I’d appreciate any feedback on the reads themselves. Many thanks in advance!
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The Beringer read is believable(doesn’t sound like you’re reading) and confident. It’s great that your attitude shifts to be more warm when mentioning that “everything we’ve learned is yours to enjoy, every time you pour a glass of our wine.” because more warmth fits what’s being said there. I advice practicing the script with other attitudes as this one was very serious. Try more warm attitudes for example, like thankful, Playful, reminiscent.
The serious attitude of the Wachovia read fits, though it’s always helpful to practice with other attitudes than the obvious. Try to incorporate more flow from word-to-word, in Wachovia the words are very blocked off from each other so that it sounds a little choppy.
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Happy November to all! Please feel free to review and critique these two recordings. All feedback is very much appreciated by this novice 🙂
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Nice read on Jack the Ripper, very engaging and kept my attention also your flow is good
Be careful with over exaggerating your words.Financial Advise-The pace is slow and should be a little faster, your pausing frequently causes the read to be choppy try reading this script the way you did at the beginning of Jack the Ripper. Also, be aware of glottal stops as you had quite a few in this read, be mindful also of Ta which should be Too.
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Nice read on Jack the Ripper, very engaging and kept my attention also your flow is good
Be careful with over exaggerating your words.Financial Advise-The pace is slow and should be a little faster, your pausing frequently causes the read to be choppy try reading this script the way you did at the beginning of Jack the Ripper. Also, be aware of glottal stops as you had quite a few in this read, be mindful also of Ta which should be Too.
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