Tuesday VO Tech Tip: Lack of Standards

When auditioning, we need to deliver quality audio for our voiceover projects. However, that does not mean we are given clear instructions for how to achieve this. This quickly becomes obvious when listening in on some random threads in VO groups. It’s quite possible to hear variations on the following: “Normalize to minus -3 dB!”  “Normalizing audio destroys the dynamic range!” (wrong by the way) “Always compress!” “Never compress!” “Send everything as raw audio….” “Declicking is cheating!” and on and on. Inevitably, you’ll encounter diametrically opposed advice, sometimes in the same sentence.

The truth is there are no agreed upon processing or loudness standards for delivering our auditions. In the absence of any guidelines, it can be very frustrating trying to figure out what needs to be done to audio before it gets sent off for consideration. This lack of standards means we need a default strategy. It also means our strategy needs to be open to refinement. Expectations will inevitably change over time. What was appropriate last year may not be so in the future.

Our studio basics remain the same. Taking the time to create an isolated and well-treated recording space remains the foundation. Doing that correctly makes everything infinitely easier. Having a consistent approach to working within that space creates raw recordings that sound similar even when recorded at different times. Understanding how to set input gain (or using a solid gain-adjustment tool like the one in Focusrite’s Scarlett 2i2 Generation 4) prevents lost takes due to distortion or peaking. Those consistent foundational approaches are what let us focus on the creativity we need to bring.

What happens next is where the variables start to creep in. To be clear, I’m talking about preparing auditions rather than final deliverables. Other than ACX audiobook auditions, or the occasional video game project where the studio is kind enough to provide specific loudness targets, things get a little squishy, spec-wise.

As with most studio tasks, it helps to simplify things. We need our auditions to be appropriately present in terms of volume. We also need not to distract from our performance. Heavy processing, excessive debreathing, weird silences, and unnatural timing all snap the listener’s attention from what we achieved behind the microphone. Less is more here. A light high pass filter might be all that’s necessary.

After that, a little nudge in the amplitude department makes sure that the listener doesn’t have to change their monitoring level just to hear our audition. That’s the idea behind “competitively loud.”

Times and expectations will change, certainly. So, all of these should be open to refinement. Having consistency in how we deliver auditions gives us the stability of a solid starting place and clear destination. Having that stable workflow makes it easy to adjust things as needed.

The core standard we should maintain is a commitment to quality, while not letting any processing get in the way of a stellar performance. Any choice we make should support, not overwhelm the final deliverable. 

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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