Getting Kitted Up – Tuesday Voiceover Tech Tip

Recently I threw on the Chucks, pumped up the tires on my utility bike and rolled across town for a couple simple errands. Heading back home with the aid of a small tailwind, I thought a bit about the power in that simplicity. When I’d built that bicycle up from the pile of parts discovered to the side of a garage sale, I wanted it to be useful. The bike has a rack, a roomy zippered bag, a comfortable saddle and simple platform pedals. I don’t need special shoes or padded shorts or any number of things often deemed necessary to engage in proper “cycling”.

On the other hand, it isn’t that I don’t have more specific cycling gear. There’s something to be said for the ritual of laying out the proper kit for a long ride. The preparation breeds a sense of anticipation, which in turn forms a focus for the act which will follow. That plays out in all kinds of arenas – the pregame process can be found in all disciplines. 

How does that relate to voiceover? It gets back to how we focus our efforts in the recording booth. In our home setup, we’re prone to an array of distractions: neighbors, phone calls, distracting emails, deliveries, social demands, or the simple impact of our environment upon us. There’s an ever-changing set of variables vying for our attention. 

Darkening the room, closing the door, setting the software into record – all of that becomes part of our process of focus. “Kitting up” for the audition can help us find the spark of the elusive perspective which is often required. 

Rolling home in my sneakers and flapping shirt, it struck me how that ease and freedom felt analogous to the “other” reads. The ones when the client wants “real”, “non-announcery”, or the dreaded “shouldn’t sound like a voice actor”. Is there a way to roll into the booth without any extra pretense or need for perfection? How do we capture the ease at the other end of the spectrum? Do we end up putting so much pressure upon ourselves to sound “right” that we lose the fun? Is this a shorts-and-t-shirt kind of read? Or do we need to feel like we’re wearing an expensive suit?

Those considerations can help keep things in perspective. 

Loudness Survey Results 
In case you missed the Commercial Audition Loudness Survey results last week, they are now posted here. I want to again thank all of you who took the time to dig into the numbers and share your findings. It helps to know what others are doing. 

This information recently went out directly to my email community. Each week I send out a new article about using technology in the home voiceover studio, and how to balance those challenges with the need to be creative behind the microphone.
If you would like to join in to receive those emails the day they publish, please take a moment to share your contact information through this sign up form.
Thank you!