Create More Professional Voice Overs

Professionalism is key in all aspects of work, and the voice over industry is no exception. Sounding more professional in your voice over can make all...

Professionalism is key in all aspects of work, and the voice over industry is no exception. Sounding more professional in your voice over can make all the difference in landing the gig. Whether you're a voice actor for explainer videos, podcasts, or audiobooks, here's a comprehensive guide to help you sound more professional.

How to Sound Professional in Voice Over

1. Warm Up: The sound of your voice significantly depends on the state of your vocal cords. Warm-up exercises before starting your voice over recordings can make your voice sound better. These exercises help to limber up the vocal cords and ensure clear enunciation.

2. Good Enunciation: Clear and concise articulation of words contributes to a good voice over. Improper enunciation can lead to confusion, misunderstanding, or distraction for the listener.

3. Control Background Noise: Your recording space matters a lot. To prevent plosives and other unwanted sounds, use a pop filter. Also, ensure your home studio or recording studio is well-insulated to minimize background noise. Noise reduction techniques can be employed to clean up an audio file in post-production.

Becoming a Professional Voice Over Actor

Becoming a professional voice over actor involves honing your skills and showcasing them to potential employers. A great way to gain exposure is by creating tutorials or explainer videos. These can demonstrate your ability to portray different characters, emotions, and tones.

While it's not strictly necessary to be a professional voice actor to do voice over work, being professional in voice acting can certainly help to improve the audio quality of your voice over recordings.

How to EQ Your Voice for Voiceover

Equalization (EQ) is a powerful tool in audio production, enabling you to shape the tone of your voice recording. Here's a simplified step-by-step guide on how to EQ your voice for voiceover:

1. Identify the problem areas: First, record a snippet of your voice and listen for any frequencies that stand out. You may need to boost (increase) or cut (decrease) certain frequencies to balance your voice recording.
2. Low Cut/High Pass Filter: Apply a high-pass filter to remove low-frequency noise like hums or rumbles. For voiceovers, you can typically set this at around 80-100 Hz.
3. Taming the 'Boominess': If your voice sounds overly resonant or "boomy", you might want to cut some frequencies in the 200-500 Hz range.
4. Enhance Clarity: To make your voice clearer and easier to understand, try boosting the frequencies in the 2-4 kHz range.
5. Sibilance and Harshness: Sibilance (hissing sounds on 's' and 'sh' sounds) often resides in the 5-8 kHz range. If this is a problem, you can apply a gentle cut in this area.
6. Apply a De-Esser: If sibilance is still an issue, you may want to apply a de-esser, which is specifically designed to control these harsh frequencies.
7. Brightness: Adding a slight boost in the 8-12 kHz range can give your voice a brighter, airier quality.

Remember that every voice is unique, so these are starting points. Always use your ears and adjust the EQ according to what sounds best for your specific voice.

Why Does My Recorded Voice Sound So Bad?

There are several reasons why your recorded voice might not sound as good as you'd like:

1. Poor Audio Quality: This can be due to a low-quality microphone, bad acoustics in your recording space, or too much background noise. Investing in a good microphone, soundproofing your space, and controlling background noise can significantly improve your audio quality.
2. Lack of EQ and Compression: As mentioned earlier, equalization can help balance out your voice's frequencies, while compression can help manage the dynamics of your voice, ensuring that there are no parts that are too loud or too soft.
3. Poor Mic Technique: If you're too close to the microphone, you can end up with a boomy, bass-heavy sound, or too many plosives (popping sounds on 'p' and 'b' sounds). If you're too far away, your voice can sound distant and thin. Practice good mic technique to capture your voice accurately.
4. Lack of Voice Training: The way you use your voice is crucial. You need to learn how to control your breathing, articulate your words clearly, and use the right tone and inflection for the script.
5. The Sound of Your Own Voice: It's also worth noting that most people don't like the sound of their own voice when they hear it recorded. This is because when we talk, we hear our voice resonating through our skull, which gives it a fuller, bassier quality. When we hear it recorded, we're hearing it 'from the outside', which can make it sound thinner and higher-pitched. Over time, most people become more comfortable with the sound of their own recorded voice.Benefits of Audio Engineering TrainingAudio engineering training is an invaluable asset for voiceover artists, and it offers numerous benefits:Best Voice-Over MicrophonesChoosing the right microphone is crucial for achieving professional voice-over sound. Some of the best microphones for voice over include:Requirements to be a Voice-Over ActorProfessional Voice Actor for Voice OverYou don't necessarily have to be a professional voice actor to do voice over work, but professional training and experience can greatly enhance your skills and opportunities in the industry.Sounding More Professional in Your Voice OverYes, it's possible to sound more professional in your voice over. This can be achieved through voice training, practicing good mic technique, using high-quality recording equipment, and enhancing your audio files during post-production.Difference Between Voice-Over and Voice ActingVoice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters, while voice-over is a production technique where a voice is used in radio, television, film, theatre, or other presentations. Voice acting is actually a type of voice-over work, but not all voice-over work involves acting.Making Your Voice Sound More Professional
1. Better Quality Recordings: Understanding how to properly set up and use your recording equipment can drastically improve the quality of your audio recordings.
2. Post-Production Skills: You'll learn how to edit and enhance audio files, including mastering EQ, compression, and noise reduction techniques.
3. Sound Design: You can create your own sound effects or audio landscapes, enhancing the overall production value of your work.
4. Software Proficiency: You'll become familiar with various audio editing software and DAWs, making you more versatile and capable in your voice over work.
1. Shure SM7B: A popular choice for its smooth, flat, wide-range frequency response ideal for voice over and broadcasting.
2. Neumann TLM 103: Known for its high-quality sound, precision, and durability. It's particularly good for voice over artists looking for clear, crisp audio.
3. Audio-Technica AT2020: A great budget-friendly option offering high-quality sound and versatility.
4. Rode NT1-A: Renowned for its low self-noise, making it an excellent choice for voice-over work where noise must be kept to a minimum.
5. Sennheiser MKH 416: A premium microphone loved by voiceover artists for its clarity, consistency, and durability.
1. Voice Training: A good voice-over actor should be able to control their voice in terms of pitch, speed, tone, and volume.
2. Acting Skills: A voice-over artist must be able to convey emotions and mood through their voice alone.
3. Understanding of Languages: Good pronunciation, articulation, and knowledge of languages are crucial.
4. Technical Skills: Familiarity with recording equipment and software is important.
5. Persistence and Patience: The industry is competitive, so perseverance is necessary.
1. Practice Breathing Techniques: Proper breath control can greatly enhance your vocal performance.
2. Articulate: Practice clear pronunciation and enunciation.
3. Warm Up Your Voice: Vocal warm-ups before recording sessions can help prevent strain and improve vocal quality.
4. Watch Your Pace: A common mistake is rushing through the script. Take your time to deliver the lines clearly and naturally.
5. Master Your Equipment: Knowing how to properly use your microphone and recording software can significantly improve the quality of your voice recordings.
6. Post-Production: Learning how to properly edit your voice recordings can help eliminate minor mistakes, reduce background noise, and improve the overall sound quality of your voice.Here are the top eight voice over software that can help you deliver professional voice-over sound:1. Adobe Audition: A comprehensive toolset that includes multitrack, waveform, and spectral display for creating, mixing, and editing audio content.2. Audacity: A free, open-source, cross-platform audio software. Audacity is well-known for its broad range of features and user-friendly interface.3. Reaper: A complete digital audio production application, offering a full multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing, and mastering toolset.4. Pro Tools: A digital audio workstation developed and released by Avid Technology. It provides high-quality editing and mixing capabilities.5. GarageBand: Ideal for Mac users, GarageBand offers a whole music creation studio with a complete sound library.6. FL Studio: Known for its intuitive interface and powerful editing features. It is particularly popular among music producers.7. Logic Pro X: A complete professional recording studio on the Mac, it gives musicians everything they need to go from first note to final master.8. Ableton Live: A software music sequencer and digital audio workstation for macOS and Windows. It's known for its versatile functionality in live performances.Becoming a professional voice-over artist takes practice, patience, and the right tools. With these tips and the correct audio recording and editing software, you're on your way to sounding more professional in your voice over.Remember, what matters most is the emotion and meaning you bring to your script. A great voice over is one that resonates with the listener, and achieving this requires more than just a good voice – it requires acting skills, understanding of the content, and, of course, a high-quality recording.