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Recording Voiceovers - Everything You Need To Know

Mike Thornton

Recording voice-overs, podcasts and other types of spoken word has its own unique set of demands. There are lots of gaps between syllables and words and problems with the room acoustics as well as noise, both electronic and acoustic, are going to be very obvious. However, it’s still possible to capture professional-quality sound without spending a fortune and in this article, we show you how. 

The Microphone

For voice-over and spoken word, one of the most important links in the signal chain is the microphone. We recommend a large-diaphragm cardioid condenser mic, but it does need to be a really expensive one. There are plenty of more cost-effective condenser mics, and for a small setup check out USB condenser mics like the Rode NT USB Mini. The USB output allows you to bypass an audio interface and plug directly into your computer where the digital signal can be recorded and mixed using your favourite recording software.

For larger setups then an interface and a conventional phantom-powered condenser mic are going to be the order of the day.

Note that if your room acoustics are not brilliant or if you suffer from background noise consider using a shotgun mic like the Sennheiser 416.

What Is The Voice-over Microphone Everyone Should Own?

We are often asked, what is the best microphone to buy for voiceover recording? We usually reply with more questions such as...

  • What is your budget?

  • How much room treatment do you have?

  • Do you have phantom power?

  • Is this for narration or for ADR?

  • Which mic pre-amp do you have?

But to try and help the community, and the help of Richmond Film Services and KMR Audio, we undertook a series of tests in four groups under carefully controlled conditions using the same mic preamp, the same voiceover artists, a standard distance from the mic and all files carefully loudness matched.

We invited professional voice-over artists, Andrew Bicknell and Posy Brewer, to give us examples of both male and female voices to demonstrate each microphone.

  • We used a common mic pre-amp, the Focusrite ISA One as it is both typical and affordable by most.

  • We kept the input impedance at the ISA110 standard setting (1k4ohm), and engaged the high pass filter (75dB knee frequency with 18dB/Octave roll-off) to avoid pops.

  • No foam pop shields were used, just a mesh filter.

  • The distance to each microphone was kept uniform, with the special straw measuring tool, at 6.5”

  • Any multi-polar pattern mics were recorded set to cardioid.

  • All mics were recorded at 24bit 48KHzas close as possible to a level of -23 LUFS (using Nugen’s VisLM loudness meter) with NO compression or EQ or ANY plug-in.

  • The test rig was running Pro Tools 11.2.2 HDX on a Pro Tools PC (OSX 10.8.5) and the audio interface was an Avid Omni clocked to a Rosendahl Nanosyncs.

After the recording session was over, each microphone recording was top and tailed, and then mastered to exactly -23 LUFS with Nugen Audio’s LM-Correct to ensure each recording sounds equally loud using the K-weighted curve and BS1770-3 universal standard algorithm. Each microphone was allocated its own dedicated playlist in our master session.

With the release of v1.3, the Townsend Labs Mic Modelling System plug-in became available as an AAX DSP plug-in. With v1.4 released today, they have added 10 new mic models including one specifically aimed at the audio production sector, a 416 model.

In this free video tutorial, our audio post-production specialist Mike Thornton shows how the Sphere L22 Mic Modeling system now fits into the audio post-production workflows, not only for voiceovers but also for ADR.


Isolation

With voice-over, it’s essential to capture the voice cleanly, with very little room ambience/background noise. The ideal situation is a separate, isolated space, like an iso booth, which is treated inside to reduce reflections as well.

If an iso booth is impractical or too expensive, you can set up your workspace to minimise unwanted background sound.

Reduce Background Noise

The computer can be a source of serious noise due to the fans, drives and various moving parts. Keep it as far away from the mic as possible. If you’re working at a desk or table, keep the computer underneath.

Placing a piece of acoustically absorbent material in front of the computer can also reduce noise, but be sure to leave a little space to allow airflow to the fans. If you’re using a laptop, keep the fans to their lowest setting possible. Also, position the laptop directly behind the mic to maximize the off-axis rejection of the cardioid pickup pattern.

Treating The Recording Space

Treating the walls of your workspace with specially made acoustic panels, heavy curtains or any material that absorbs sound will help reduce reflections from the room. Treating the walls directly to the sides and especially the rear will do the most good. If you’re sitting, a table or any other flat surface can be a source of reflection as well. So place a mat or other soft material on the tabletop.

If this is not possible then you can consider some kind of reflection filter might be a solution. However, there are a lot of products that are out there that may not perform as well as the well-designed products. We recommend you look at the Aston Halo Portable Vocal Booth and the Reflexion Filter products from sE Electronics.

If you are absolutely stuck then recording voiceovers under the duvet in the bedroom can yield excellent results. We know radio presenters and journalist that record their VOs under the duvet in their bedroom, for a real studio-like sound. 

If you do not have the opportunity to record in a quieter space then you’ll need to work out the best time of day, or night, when the noise is at its quietest. By scheduling a time to record when the outside world is at its quietest you will reduce the chance of background noise in your takes and the number of retakes too.

Other Issues

If you’re using a music stand, position it below and behind the microphone. Placing a soft material, like a piece of felt cloth, across the stand can also help to minimise reflections. If you’re speaking fairly close to the mic, use a pop filter to prevent plosives created by hard consonants, such as “p” or “b”.

Ways To Improve A Voiceover Without Spending A Penny

Recording good voiceovers isn’t all about spending money on a good microphone, good acoustics and so on. Some things don’t require you to spend any money.

  1. Script Style - Writing for reading, for either off the page or off the screen is a different style to writing for listening. The real test is what it sounds like not what it reads like.

  2. Preparation - Get the right information from the client, as well as a copy of the script, don’t share a script, you need to be able to mark up your copy of the script ready for the edit session.

  3. Mouth Clicks - These can be a real problem in VO sessions. Have water available but suggest the VO artist only takes sips. The other solution is for the VO artist to eat some apple, a tart apple like a Granny Smith tends to work best so have one ready just in case.

  4. Backups - Have at least one backup. Don’t just depend on Pro Tools. Record onto another machine as well so if Pro Tools does fall over you still have the session. Afterwards, make sure you backup the session onto another drive too as well as the cloud.

  5. Find Out What The Client Needs - Make sure that you talk to your client before the VO session and make sure that you understand exactly what they need. Do they only want the raw audio files or a full mix? What format does the client want it delivered in? 48/44.1 sample rate, 16 or 24-bit depth etc. How are you going to deliver it?, CD, hard disk, USB stick, or via the cloud using services like Dropbox, or Box. Again do this before the VO session.

  6. What Is Your Role? - Try not to be the engineer and producer if possible. If there is a producer, consider the session dynamics, it may be better to leave the producer to produce and you as the engineer to concentrate on the recording, but if there is an issue, don’t stay silent. 

  7. Listen Carefully - Be encouraging and reassuring with the VO artist and producer, if they are confident the session will go so much better. Listen carefully and check everything. If you aren’t happy then ask for another take, but be positive about it, I often ask for “another one for me please” as it makes the VO artist feel it wasn’t their fault that I am asking for another take.

  8. Don’t let noises or words that aren’t clear go past just because no one else spotted it. It's too late after the VO has gone.

  9. Make Copies Of The Scripts Ready - Make sure you have copies of the script already printed out for the voiceover artist, client and yourself or on a tablet before they come in. If it’s a remote VO session then make sure to email the script in good time and that they have received it. Prepare it in a format that is easy to read and understand. It's very helpful to have additional space in the artist's script to write in changes or notes that come up during the session.

  10. Mark Your Script - Mark your script up with the takes and retakes. I have a system of symbols for marking a script up. I use locate points and then mark the script with the take and locate numbers. If a word doesn’t articulate properly I mark it with a take number. if the VO artist makes a slip, I mark where the slip was and where they went back to as well as the take number.  All of this makes the edit session so much easier.

  11. Always Name Tracks - Always name your VO recording track with the VO Artist’s name as well as the programme or episode name. When you forget their name (due to session pressure or Alzheimer’s) it enables you to have a look and see. Also, months down the line, when you think “ah yes that’s the voice I would recommend” to one of your other clients, you have a record. It also helps if you suffer from stray files!

  12. Microphones - Mic pops are a real no no, and are especially a problem with VO work. Cheap headphones or speakers won’t reproduce the low frequencies so make sure you use the best quality monitoring possible.

  13. Put The VO Artist At Their Ease - Ensure the artist has everything they need to feel comfortable so always have a glass of water within arms reach on the table in the recording room. Make sure they sit on a comfortable chair as it reduces the risk of the artist getting tired too soon especially during long sessions.

  14. Give Detailed And Positive Feedback - It's very important to give instructions and direction and to be positive and encouraging. If you need to redo a line in the script, tell the artist exactly what you didn't like. It can be very frustrating for the artist if you just say "Let's do this line again." without telling them specifically what you didn't like about a certain line.

  15. Don’t Leave The VO Artist Hanging… - Don’t leave it along time before you speak to the VO artist after a take. When they are in the same studio as you, it can be very disconcerting seeing you and the client talking, but not being able to hear. So if you need to have a chat, just explain that over talkback first and then have the discussion with the client. Again with a remote session, this is even more important as a long silence could mean anything from they don’t like it through to the connection has gone down. If it is a remote session, the VO artist probably won’t be able to see you, so take that into consideration when using talkback as what you say and how you say it will be even more important as they cannot see your face or body language.

  16. Get The Pronunciation Correct - Make sure you know the correct pronunciation and emphasis, especially of brand names and product names to prevent costly retakes.

  17. Avoid Using Expansion Or Gates - When recording voice-overs or ADR, do not use expansion or a gate (even if you have rumbling air-con) - it makes the noise floor variable in level and therefore harder to track when using Cedar DNS One or with iZotope RX when mixing. Sort the problem either at source - or after the recording, but not during.

From The Voiceover’s Perspective

We are going to feature two voiceover artists, Emmy award-winning producer, actress and voice-over artist Claudine Ohayon and Steve Cripps. We start with Steve…

PTE: How did you start?  Tell us about your journey to setting up your company.

Steve: My voiceover career began when an opportunity arose to voice liners for a radio show whilst working as an audio producer at a London based broadcast company. From there I went freelance and landed the gig of male station voice for BBC Radio 1. Shortly after I set up my own production company Sixty Six Sound and built a studio in Dorset of which I now run both my voiceover and production businesses.

PTE: Tell us a bit about your company and the products you produce?

Steve: Sixty Six Sound produces live intros, podcast and radio imaging for high profile dance DJs including Carl Cox, Armin Van Buuren and Paul Oakenfold. This element of the business runs in tandem with my voiceover work which includes commercial, imaging, corporate and web video-based projects.

PTE: What challenges are you facing at the moment?

Steve: With running my own business - balancing production, voiceover and administration is always a tricky process, but staying out in the market place is very challenging. Saying that I am blessed to have many strings in my bow so can adapt if things get tough financially!

PTE: What plans do you have for the future that you can share with the community?

Steve: There are some amazing things on the horizon, but I can’t talk about them right now!

PTE: What is your favourite audio tool (excluding any of your own products)?

Steve: For voiceover work, my favourite tool is, of course, my microphones. I am particularly smitten with the Neumann TLM 107 which plugs into an SPL Channel One, which I absolutely adore. I am a big fan of Pro Tools which I have used since version 3! Plugin-wise for sound design I am always using Sugar-bytes Effectrix and Turnado. More recently I have been loving Output’s Movement plugin. My staple audio processors are PSP Audioware’s Vintage warmer 2 and the Massey L2007.

PTE: What one thing gets you annoyed about the audio business?

Steve: Nothing really apart from the occasional creativity zapping DAW bugs! I feed off the creativity and success of others and get a real buzz out of working on my own stuff, which keeps the bad thoughts away!

Claudine Ohayon is an Emmy award-winning producer, actress and voice-over artist, who has appeared in countless commercials and network promos.  In this video, from our friends at Sonnox, Claudine talks about recording/mixing at home and discusses her favourite mic and plug-ins. Learn more about the world of voiceover artists and how they work with this video from Sonnox.

What About You?

What are your techniques for recording voiceovers? Are they different from ours? if so do share them in the comments below.

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