OT: Headphones for voiceover?

VOGuy wrote on 8/25/2005, 8:29 AM

Hi Nick,

Like so many of these kinds of questions, the answer is "It depends". The short form answer is "Yes, it's normal".

Most of the time, when I'm brought into a studio to record a narration, headphones are a necessary part of the "talkback" system, so the director can give me notes and direction during the recording. If I'm using headphones, the mic audio must be fed into the headphones or it drives me crazy. It doesn't matter whether the audio is processed a bit (there are exceptions to this rule), and sometimes the music/effects tracks are mixed in.

Some studios also have a talkback system which allows me to work without headphones. (Actually my favorite talkback system, which seems to work only in smaller/cheaper studios is the "shout through the glass" system, which doesn't require anybody to push a button to talk to me.)

There's a simple rule I've found for headphone use - If you want me to sound like an announcer, give me a pair of headphones... If you want me to sound like a human being, let me keep them off. (I like my work better when I sound like a human being.)

In my own "mini-studio" I have the option of working either way... My preference is to work without headphones, so that I might sound less "announcery". Many other announcers and voice actorsI know can't work without 'em.

Often, when the voiceover is done to existing, already edited video, I work with the music/efx tracks mixed into the headphones,and a video monitor in front of me - the idea is that I will be able to sense the "tone" of the production, as well as make adjustments for timing of the video. It takes a bit longer to do it this way, and the studio tends to be quite a bit more expensive, but it is a lot more fun, when I can see how my v.o. is being worked in to the picture, and I do get to make adjustments as I work. I'm not sure that this method produces a better product, however.

Travis
Travis Voice Services
www.announcing.biz

NickHope wrote on 8/25/2005, 11:37 AM

Thanks very much Travis! So not such a daft question after all then.

"Shout through the glass system"... I like that :) That's my kind of system.

I've made a marine life documentary DVD in my home studio. When I first did the voiceover I was using a not-so-great Fostex dynamic mic. The video was already edited and I recorded the voiceover "blind" (without watching the video) and over many many takes as I made speech errors and improved the script. It was a bit of a nightmare because I did it in a different room from the computer with more damping (of the hi-tech blankets-and-pillows-in-a-corner variety and away from the PC's fan noise, but it meant I couldn't even monitor what was being recorded. It all turned out OK though, but a lot of work.

Now I've got a better sound card and condenser mic so I want to re-record the voiceover. I also know the script pretty well so I'm going to have a shot at doing it in much longer takes this time, if not the whole thing. Thanks for your suggestions. I'll try and get to view a monitor during the recording to help with the feel and try with and without the headphones to see which works best. On a short test I did I found it kind of "encouraging" to hear myself back as I spoke, but I don't know if I was sounding any better.

By the way do you have a preference for sitting or standing if you're doing a long voiceover job? Do you warm up your voice much or just go for it? And should I be eating margerine and gargling on port?

Nick

seanfl wrote on 8/25/2005, 1:23 PM

Nick

I can tell you I've seen tons of different configurations. Many vo guys have a strong preference for the type of headphones they wear! I know it may sound silly, but if we get used to hearing ourselves a certain way, there's nothing worse than hearing your own voice sound different than you're used to.

If the VO talent has mainly an acting background, they will NOT want headphones (make sure you've got the mic set up to pick them up even if they move a few degrees).

A safe bet would be Sony MDR V6's, AKG, or my current favorite Sennheiser HD 600's. ($300). Some guys like to track with compression, some guys don't.

Sit or stand? Either. I stand in my booth; it usually gives me better breath support and reach. I like to sit when doing an intimate slower paced project.

Warm up yes...every day. It would be like running a race without stretching first...

Sean Caldwell
vo's currently on CNN, Weather Channel, Fox Sports, and my answering machine.
http://www.seancaldwell.com

VOGuy wrote on 8/25/2005, 5:05 PM

Hi Nick.

Some of the "Temporary" home studios actually work quite well, be careful not to overdo the padding or the V.O. will sould lifeless - A little bit of room reverb is a good thing.

Most beginners are better using headphones - the "feedback" process helps build confidence -- although after using the headphones, it's always a disappointment that you don't hear the "voice-of-god" that you heard in the headphones.

Everyone brings different skills to the microphone -- some people are "one-take" wonders (sadly, I'm not one of those) and can a twenty page narration pretty much in one shot. I've found that, for me, I work best in short paragraph-length snippetts, so that I can make sure I understand what I'm talking about, when I say it.

When I'm in a situation where I need to do the "one-take" thing, my concentration on getting the words right destroys the subtleties that make a voice-over interesting.

My recommendation? Get the timings for each paragraph in your narration, then do each one a paragraph one at a time, doing as many re-takes as necessary. If you can get an LCD monitor and keyboard into the location where you're recording, so you can play back and then re-take, that would be ideal.

Most imporantly, have fun with this.

-Travis

mariauserinfo wrote on 8/28/2005, 10:32 AM

Correct, In my studio the annoucer has to use his headphones!!!!!!

ReneH wrote on 8/28/2005, 11:12 AM

Travis,

I like your VO style & voice, what are your typical rates for a docu? I am planning a doc in the near future and I think it will require professional vo. Thanks.

NickHope wrote on 9/14/2005, 3:43 PM

Just to follow up with this, I wore my lovely Sony 7506 headphones to do the voiceover. I played back the background soundtrack to myself quietly, and played back my voice through the headphones as I spoke, and watched the video too.

I definitely noticed the "voice of god" syndrome that Travis refers to. Hearing yourself whilst speaking definitely makes your voice sound very full and powerful. But as a result I played down the expression of my voice quite a lot because it sounded so great that I didn't think I needed it. But now, listening back to the result, especially on regular TV gear, I think I sound a bit flat and dull. Although I'm sure this is partly due to me being over-familiar with the script, taking a bit of the spontaneity out of it.

Nick

alexz wrote on 9/15/2005, 5:09 AM

I'd agree with remarks about headphones, Nick.
Having engineered many documentaries with VO, I can give the following input:

Use a mointor, (if possble with timecode in the picture) - you may not need it now, but it's good practice for the future, when new speakers may need to get their cues from timecode. Also, if you use a monitor, you get a nice feel for the 'rhythm' of a scene - for example, it's sometimes nice to pause over cuts, rather than speaking over them - some scenes can be introduced with the voice from a black fade, other scenes can establish themselves for a few seconds and then the VO starts etc.

Headphones are useful for TV material, where production companies tend to be picky about technical standards - they don't like clicks, pops, slurps and sighs in their voice-over track. With voice overs to material with existing audio, turn the mic level up higher than the original audio level so you can hear your voice rather loud, and the original audio quietly, but loud enough to take cues from it.
Like this, you will be able to hear your own voice loud enough to keep your diction clear and as spit-free as possible.

The best voice-over actors I know are really that - actors. When I watch them in the studio, they tend to move, gesticulate, change their facial expression and so on - although without producing audio disturbances with their chair, clothes, paper etc. I find that such actors give lively and 'human' performances. The ones who sits staring at their script in great concentration seem to sound more mechanical and also make more mistakes. They're not having fun, so they're tense and anxious.

In addition to the above, I'd concentrate on voice quality. (This may be too much info for now, but maybe it's of use down the line ...)
If you start your recording a bit dry, a bit nervous, a bit husky or whatever, you'll notice that your voice changes after a time. It may go lower in pitch as you relax, it may become clearer as you speak more slowly (speaking too quickly is a common error) or you may even breathe more quietly as you get into the feel of the part. For this reason, you should start only when you're relaxed and ready - otherwise you'll have a slight, but perceptible, change in the quality of the voice over when comparing the beginning and the end of the film.

Doing voice overs is like most areas of film: there are established methods. If you want to improve in this area, you should also try catching a few good documentaries and really pay attention to:

Audio quality - is it dry or a bit reverb'd?

The vocal rhythm - is it smooth or relaxed, or fast and hectic?

The background audio - do they use music to 'dramatize' tha VO as with many 'real life' cop docs or sentimental stories? Is it too loud/quiet?

The cuts - does the voice-over agree with the cuts and scene changes, or does it cross over cuts and scenes?

The text - very important but often forgotten. Does it give useful and accessible info, or does it just 'illustrate' the image? Some voice over texts treat the viewer like an idiot, other texts are aimed at people who can concentrate on the image while taking in additional information. You have to decide what your audience is.

Hope it helps,
alex