July 1st, 2009 - 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.
However, you need to prepare extensively for your recording. Preparation is key to make your whole project seamless. Below are some tips you can use in preparation for recording a quality piece.
1.Try your equipments. It is stated in the book “Producing Great Sound for Digital Video”, written by Jay Rose, that a lot of problems during production can be avoided by getting the correct equipments and testing them ahead of schedule. Equipments failing on production day will cost you time and money. Check your equipment on the day itself, before you record anything to ensure a smooth recording session.
2. Check if the room produces echoes. The only way to do this is to seal the room by shutting all the doors and windows and record some samples. Again, test all of your equipments to determine and lessen echoes.
3. Make use of a background music. A Narration should feel and sound like as if the narrator is having an intimate conversation with the audience. There should not be any ‘white noise’ to produce this effect. If you find that you’re recording a lot of ‘white noise’ and can do nothing about it, I suggest you use a background music to somehow mask those noises.
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. Ignore outside noises and minute sounds. In reality, anything can affect the quality of your voiceover recordings, from lightning fixtures to everyday outside traffic. The truth is most mics are not that sensitive to pick-up these noises. If these noises go through your recording, purchase a high-pass filter for your microphone for finer voiceovers.
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.
Also monitor always the recording session in real-time using your headphones. Utilize playback functions in a seperate room to ensure that all is in order. Doing this will allow you to solve problems real-time and spare you doing retakes.