Friendster’s Professional Voice Overs

You’re ready to do a professional recording after you’ve found a talent and have made a script. Doing a recording might seem daunting however there are some computer softwares that will provide you the tools you need to craft the whole project on your own even without the help of a videographer or a production team.

There is a significant amount of preparation required to ensure that the environment in which you record the voice over will help you create a quality piece. Here are some essential tips when preparing the room for your voiceover recording:

1. Check all your equipment. Booking the voiceover talent for the project and then wasting several hours testing equipment will cost you. Jay Rose, the author of the book “Producing Great Sound for Digital Video” suggests that you make sure you get the right kind of equipment and test it well before production day. Even testing it a few hours before production time can reduce unforeseen delays.

2. Test a room for echoes. You can find out if a room creates an echo effect by doing some test records in it. Close all doors, windows and check all your equipments to eliminate or at least minimize echoes.

3. Make use of a background music. A Narration should feel and sound like as if the narrator is having an intimate conversation with the audience. There should not be any ‘white noise’ to produce this effect. If you find that you’re recording a lot of ‘white noise’ and can do nothing about it, I suggest you use a background music to somehow mask those noises.

4. Find the best position in the room for the recording. There are no rules about where to position the microphone, so feel free to move the mic setup into different areas of the room to get the right sound. You don’t want to record when the sounds seem hollow or filtered in any way. Move around to find the best fit.

5. Ignore outside noises and minute sounds. In reality, anything can affect the quality of your voiceover recordings, from lightning fixtures to everyday outside traffic. The truth is most mics are not that sensitive to pick-up these noises. If these noises go through your recording, purchase a high-pass filter for your microphone for finer voiceovers.

6. Quiet vents, air conditioners and computer fans. If you’re working in a very small space, you may have left computers or an A/C on during the recording. Sounds from these machines can cause some turbulence for your recording, so it’s a good idea to turn them off for as long as possible during each recording segment.

As a final advice, oversee your production using a pair of headphones. Go to a different room and make use of playback functions to hear mistakes as soon as possible. This will save you a lot of time as it allows you to address audio quality issues on the recording day itself.

Author Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Provided the Voice Talent for Dozens of Companies and Agencies Since 1991.

When you’re searching for the right match in voice over talent, there are a few key traits that set apart the good from the great. Hiring great voice over talent means you can count on professional services and enhance your advertising for maximum impact. Whether you’re creating slogans, delivering a narration, or just need a voice over artist to stage a mock conversation, finding the right fit is an important part of your marketing plan. Voice over talent agents can work with you to narrow down a few choices, but the final decision rests in your hands.

Here are some of the key traits of great voice over talent:

1.A natural sounding voice. Unless you’re advertising an upcoming monster truck rally, you’re going to want a voice actor or actress who can speak in a manner that sounds natural. Just about anyone can speak in an exaggerated cartoon voice, or imitate the wooden diction of a newscaster - the real test of vocal skill is whether one can perform in a natural, fluid manner.

2.He or she demonstrates a mastery of tone and pitch. It isn’t simply chance that makes the voices of professionals stand out - voice over artists work hard to cultivate their vocal styles in order to create a unique and musical effect.

3.The voice over talent has quality demo tapes. Demo tapes are generally requested as part of the interview process, and you’ll need these to evaluate the talent after the interview and testing is over. Professional voice over artists will have these items prepared and ready for your review.

4.The voice over talent can change and adapt to different types of readings. You can ask the artist to read from different styles of literature to gain an understanding of how flexible and adaptable they are. This is especially important if you’re marketing to different types of people and need varied voices for each segment.

5.He or she exhibits a good vocal flow. In everyday speech, most of us stop and start erratically, and do not have much control over our speed. In the case of a professional voice over artist, this should not be so - a voice actor or actress should be able to speak in a fluid manner.

6.References. Checking into the references that you receive from potential hires is an essential part of the hiring process, as it will give you an invaluable chance to see whether or not your candidate truly is the seasoned professional he or she claims to be.

7.The voice over artist has a high energy level. You need to work with someone who can withstand the stresses and pressure of recording, re-recording, and in many cases, starting from scratch. Try to determine if they can articulate and develop a strong voice even when they may be tired or repeating the same piece for an extended period of time.

Interviewing potential voice talent may, at times, feel tedious, but in reality it is a key factor in the success of your project. If you can find a voice actor or actress with all of the aforementioned traits during the interview process, you will save yourself a lot of time and trouble down the road.

Author Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Provided the Voice Talent for Dozens of Companies and Agencies Since 1991.

The sheer number of voice actors vying for jobs today can be a little overwhelming when you’re looking for the one perfect candidate to represent your project.  Take your search online can be a great way to streamline the process of finding the right voice actor for the job.

The internet offers many resource and options for putting together your multimedia project.  You can locate scripts from a database, or create a script of your own and find just the right tone and theme by reviewing samples of other companies in a few clicks.  The web allows you to view artist portfolios and samples with ease;  many professionals upload clips of previous projects as samples which saves you time during your hiring process, and can help you narrow down your search.  From reviewing resumes to conducting online interviews, the internet is making the voice over talent search much easier and effective.

Though the web can definitely make your search for talent quicker and more efficient,  without the appropriate strategy it can turn into a gigantic waste of time. Potential voice actors you find online, for example, may not be as reliable as they first appear, and may delay your progress by failing to submit their samples in a timely manner. These kinds of obstacles can be easily surmounted, however, with a little bit of know-how.  Here are some valuable tips on hiring voice talent on the web:

1. Ask for web-based samples after initial contact.  Professionals will be able to send over an .mpeg sample or direct you to samples they have available online; this can make it much easier to distinguish the professionals from the amateurs, and save you time in sending and receiving demo tapes, or setting up an audition.  You can use this step as the first part of your screening process.

2. Request a formal resume.  All potential candidates should be able to submit a professional resume that includes references and experience working with various clients.  Don’t be afraid to contact previous clients for a testimonial or reference, and be sure to pick at least two different companies for a fair assessment of the talent’s ability to deliver on the project.

3. Ask the candidate for a preferred rate.  You should make sure you understand how much the actor would like to be paid, and when.  Actors may want to be compensated either per hour or per project, and though some do not mind being compensated on delivery, others may want a portion up front.

4. Conduct a telephone interview.  Telephone interviews are best for any talent you may not have the opportunity to meet with in person.  Telephone interviews can touch upon previous work, a brief script reading, and to gauge the confidence level of your candidate.

5. Ask if they can provide all services digitally.  Some professionals have the equipment and skills to record the voice over in their home studio, convert it into a media file for review, and allow you to download it directly from the web.  Find out what your options are, and plan accordingly to save on mailing fees, travel expenses, and other costs typically incurred for projects of this scope.

Author Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, MN and Has Provided the Voice Talent for Hundreds of Companies and Agencies Since 1991.

Considering it logically, you know how important it is for your TV commercial or presentation to have the correct voice over talent behind it. After all, voices are persuasive. In spite of the fact that they often take a backseat in our minds to the way a person looks, without the correct voice, looks ain’t nothin’. And if the voice is all you have to go on – for instance, in a radio commercial – then the voice becomes the most important thing in the world.

A person who knows just how to use their voice can control another person just by speaking. This is a startling concept the first time you consider it, but when you think about some of the most famous voices in the world, you will understand what a true statement that is. Consider, for example, the actor Michael Wincott.

He’s an attractive guy, but of course in Hollywood that doesn’t mean a whole lot. Good-looking guys are a dime a dozen. But this guy gets role after role after role based on the way he uses his voice He has a voice that can keep you make you walk on egg shells, long after the movie is over, because you’re just a little worried that the latest Michael Wincott character may just be lurking in the shadows. Remember the movie, The Count of Monte Cristo? He was the warden with the whip and the gravelly voice. Fans of the movie weren’t quite sure which was more frightening, the whip – or that voice. That voice is what gets him jobs.

Then there’s Clint Eastwood. Of course, that unflinching, squinty stare of his is something to write home about. But what do people do when they’re attempting their best Eastwood impression? They give some love to the stare, but mostly they give kudos to the way he said, “Come on punk. Make my day.” Like Wincott, Eastwood has a gravelly characteristic in his voice. But in his younger days, he knew where all the pauses were supposed to be, and that made him something worth watching. He was worth watching because he was worth listening to.

Another actor who knew what to do with his voice was Marlon Brando. Now this man had a nasally cotton-mouth voice that, untrained, would have driven people crazy. But he became an actor. He trained that voice. He took something that stood out and made it a trademark. The rest, my friend, was timing. When he said, “I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse,” as the Godfather, he didn’t just say a cleverly written line – he said it with emphasis. With weight. What we are responding to isn’t something these guys do inherently. They’ve been schooled. Therefore, when they said those lines, the audience never knew what hit them. But they knew that it was important.

Naturally, Michael Wincott, Clint Eastwood and Marlon Brando won’t be available for your commercial, but they make great models to study when you are learning how voices affect audiences. You want to use some of the same principals in picking out your voice actor, or in making up your mind whether to use one. You are not the only person with a message for the public. There are thousands of other messages out there in addition to yours. You will have to seduce listeners, and that means getting and keeping their attention. A powerful voice can accomplish that.