Edge Studio VO Tip #1
Take a few minutes to learn about the job. Pity VO auditioners of yore, when they had to go to a studio facility, and before their turn to audition, find an isolated corner to rehearse as best they could — without a computer or smartphone to visit the client’s website, or to look up a pronunciation. Nowadays, you have these resources, so … use them! It takes only a bit of time to put the audition script in perspective.
1) In this case, you’d see that the product has a LOT of functions, so the ultimate instruction video will probably be fairly long. So, adopt a pace and manner that you can sustain consistently. Equally important, it should be a tone that your listener will enjoy throughout. And make it a conversation that they can easily follow, step-by-step. Some auditioners missed the mark. Many reads were too fast for any typical narration, let alone an instruction guide. The listener needs a bit of time to grasp what you say, and the producer will need to synch your voice with video. Furthermore, some submissions, rather than being “friendly, charismatic, fun-to-listen-to,” sounded more like they were introducing the teams at a football game.
2) In the same few minutes online, you can learn about this countertop appliance, envision the typical user, and get a feel for the manufacturer’s “product personality.” You’d see that this is NOT a handy-dandy slicer/dicer seen advertised on late-night TV. It’s a professional-grade machine that some cooks might consider part of the family. Thus the desire for “friendly.” And, “charismatic, fun-to-listen-to” — its new owner may or may not have a lot of experience with such equipment. Don’t make it seem intimidating.
3) And it shouldn’t have to be said that the client won’t want to be burdened with mispronunciations and oddly emphasized words that need correction. For example, the word “artisan” was mispronounced by many. “Artisan” means “a skilled worker, especially at making things by hand” — exactly the person who’d own this product. “Artisan” is pronounced “AR-tih-sn” (in US English; Brits include that final “a” just a bit, as “AR-tih-san). It has nothing to do with an “artesian” well. Bottom line: If you encounter a statement or word you don’t completely understand … look it up.
Some sites for checking pronunciations (these have phonetic spelling and audio links):
Edge Studio VO Tip #2
Clean up your audio as best you can. Preferably by making it clean to begin with. We heard some pleasant voices that would not have made the grade in a real-world audition for a job to be recorded in your own studio. The audio, studio and/or mic technique was not professional. (We allow more leeway in this contest, because some entrants are just starting out, and because this is a teaching/learning experience. In auditions for actual jobs cast by Edge Studio, we’re as picky as any audition screener.) Two things are correctable by almost anyone, regardless of experience or financial limitations:
1) Sound dampening (aka: sound treatment, sound conditioning, acoustic treatment). This doesn’t mean “soundproofing” which means keeping unwanted sounds out of your space – family, neighbors, pets, leaf blowers, trucks, fans, etc. Sound dampening involves enhancing the sound already within your space – you! You need your VO space to be as nonreverberant (aka: dead, dry, non-resonant) as possible. There are some subtle audio factors that may require professional analysis, but you’ll accomplish a lot by recording in a carpeted room/closet filled with cushy furniture, or surrounding yourself with drapes, cushions, blankets, and/or foam acoustic panels. Measures like these make your space more VO-ready.
2) Avoid distortion. Pros don’t let distortion happen. And if it does, they re-record. Many errors cause distortion, especially bad mic technique, or volume that’s too high at any point in the audio process. Learn to keep your speech volume consistent. Maintain constant distance from the mic. Adjust the volume controls in your hardware and software, so that the meter never goes into the red or above zero. Use a pop screen or filter, and position the mic so that you don’t talk directly into it. An error can cost you the job. Preventing it costs absolutely nothing.
Edge Studio VO Tip #3
Review the comments in our past contests, and read up in the Edge Studio Blog. You’ll be reminded of the many VO basics that even working pros sometimes forget. It’s easy to fall back into bad habits, such as slurred syllables, glottal stops, hasty edits, unnecessary pausing, lack of emotional variety, or “phoning it in.” Knowing what to listen for and how to critique yourself is part of being a pro. It’s one of the many things Edge Studio coaches will teach you.
