VO Workflow Refinement: Back to the Batch – Tuesday VO Tech Tip

I’ve spoken a few times recently about batch processing in the studio, and the benefits it can provide once you’ve dialed in consistent quality in your voiceover recording workflow. In those cases, I’ve been discussing it in the context of software: handing off repetitive tasks to the computer so we can focus on the things which we do best.

That same approach can support other areas of our voiceover workflow. Outside of software applications which support Batch Processing (such as Twisted Wave or Izotope RX), there are practical benefits elsewhere. This can let us have a more strategic approach by gathering similar tasks together. It’s a simple but powerful approach of “batching” similar processes we do every day.

This certainly is not an idea I’m claiming as original. Any decent resource on creative efficiency will point out that the transition between tasks is what knocks the wheels out from under us. When we shift attention, it takes a while to refocus. This shift also demands energy. Constantly jumping back and forth is needlessly tiring. We’re better off finding a way to gather like tasks in a group and work through them sequentially.

Most voice actors use this approach with agency auditions. It’s my recommendation that you find the time when you perform at your best, and book that time period with yourself. This is easier when you are receiving agent-sent auditions with set deadlines, but the same idea can be implemented for those marketplace auditions that appear without warning and demand immediate attention. A set time to evaluate those open opportunities and then respond will likely let us prioritize the best in the bunch. Otherwise, we are using a “first-in, first-out” method which does not take value into account. We know that not all audition opportunities are created equal.

While we might approach our auditions with rigor, it’s important to confirm nothing is trying to nudge our attention away. Do email pings, messaging alerts, Discord pings, or Slack notifications keep showing up on the corner of the screen when we are are recording? Is there a Facebook feed open and easily accessible in another browser window? Are any of those necessary? Shutting off those intrusions allows deeper focus. It’s the shifting of our attention which causes problems. Studies have shown that it can take more than 23 minutes to get back on task after an interruption.

Granted, it’s not always possible to achieve this in everything we do. But, by carving out small areas where our focus is undisturbed, it’s possible we might realize that certain things can wait their turn, and we can simply engage more fully with the task at hand.

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