Tuesday VO Tech Tip: It’s OK to Hand Off

None of us are truly independent. Reaching out for help or simply getting an outside perspective can reset us in ways we don’t appreciate until we do it. There are countless times I stared at a stubborn problem for way too long until someone stepped into the room (figuratively and literally) and asked the most basic of questions… often times something as simple as “why didn’t you turn it on?” which immediately solved the issue.

Even the simplest of studios contain significant complexity. Focusing on a single aspect can pull our attention away from another. At some point, deciding to keep fewer plates spinning may be a beneficial approach. It’s OK to hand off tasks which simply add stress to the process.

Voiceover agents have been requiring their talent to have Source-Connect for a few years now. During the pandemic, there were few other workable options for running a live recording session. Though connecting remotely facilitated remote recording, it did shift another task on to the VO’s shoulders. Since we all have a finite amount of attention, that means slightly less can be used for performance.

Generally we can handle a little extra cognitive load for our bread and butter work. But, with a higher stakes session there’s nothing wrong with letting someone else deal with the mechanics of connection, recording quality, and file delivery. I’ve encouraged a number of other voice actors to find a few local studios – whether commercial or even belonging to other talent – that could be booked to deal with the actual logistics of a higher value session. It’s really freeing to just hand that over to someone who does that every day. Obviously, that does add cost to the operation, but bigger budget projects can easily offset a minor studio fee. Especially if it allows us to focus on what we do best.

The same cost vs. benefit equation occurs on tasks such as proofing our own long-form recording projects. While it’s theoretically possible to monitor our accuracy against provided copy, that takes time and concentration. Using an outside proofer can bring a fresh perspective and will be more likely to hear things as they are, rather than the way we “think” we said them. That allows us to invest our focus to more important tasks.

Have you tested your studio’s audio quality to make sure it meets professional standards? For a free review of your vocal recordings, please use the upload tool on my Audio Review page.

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