How to Record Professional Voiceovers
Creating a professional voice over project on your own can be achieved using computer programs and tools. This will allow you to save on the cost of hiring a videographer or a production team. You just need to hire talents and have a script and you are all set to record.
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. Test your equipments. Having your talents on standby waiting for a faulty equipment setup to be fixed will cost you time and even money if you book them by the hour. Make sure you get the right equipment for the job and test them well ahead of production day, says Jay Rose, the author of "Producing Great Sound for Digital Video". You have to go as far as testing them hours before your actual production to make sure your project goes without a hitch.
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. Use background music if necessary. A professionally done recording must not contain any white noise. This is specially true for a narration wherein the viewer must sense that the narrator is directly in front and having a conversation with them. If the white noise goes beyond an acceptable level, you should definitely think about adding a background music.
4. Look for the perfect spot to record in the room. There are no concrete guidelines when it comes to finding the best position for your mic and other equipments. This can only be done through trial and error by adjusting the position of your microphone. Find the best spot but just make sure your recordings don't sound unnatural in anyway.
5. Don't stress on ambient noises. A lot of things produce ambient noises and most them are out of our control. Ambient noises, e.g. outside traffic and chatter, don't always go through your microphone. However, consider having a high-pass filter on your mic for a cleaner recording when these noises are gravely affecting your project.
6. Switch off fans and blowers. Fans on computers, air-cons and other blower devices can affect the air atmosphere of your recording room as they produce turbulence. This is more evident in a small room than a large one. The solution to this is to switch of these equipment while doing a recording. You can turn them on in between segments.
You should also be able to monitor the recording throughout the production cycle using a pair of headphones. Take advantage of playback functions in a different room to make sure that everything is going smoothly; this will reduce the need to do another 'take' and can also help you address any problems with the audio quality right away.
Author Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Provided the Voice Talent for Hundreds of Projects and Advertisements Since 1991.
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