Fiona Thraille - Voice Actor, Audio Adventurer
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Using Music in your Audio Drama

2/3/2013

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Hearing a song or a piece of music from our past can, as Richard Carpenter put it so melodically 'melt the years away'. It can transform your mood immediately - and so it is a powerful element of audio drama. From my own experience, and from chatting with other mixers/producers, it can be the most challenging, frustrating, but fun thing of the mix to work on.

There are several places and ways you might want to use music in your audio drama: as a theme tune or intro/outro to your piece, as source music from objects and locations within your drama, as an underscore to dramatic scenes to heighten the mood, or as 'stings' to indicate a change of scenes.


Theme Music
This sets the whole tone of your show and it's the first thing that listeners will hear (unless you bring in the theme tune after an initial, gripping scene), so it's arguably the most important piece of music.  Often you'll want a title voice-over during it, so 
lower the volume slightly under that, before swelling again and fading out.

Shows vary in what they use under closing credits. Some use the opening theme again, some use a separate closing theme, and some use a different track every episode to reflect the mood.

Stings
These were used a lot in Old Time Radio, and still have a place in modern shows, too. They could be a short phrase or even just a chord - perhaps a discordant one if the mood was tense! Nowadays, they are also a great opportunity for electronic sounds, too, depending on your show.

Diegetic Music
This is music that happens within your storyline. It's music that the characters can hear (or make), so it includes things like car radios, background music in locations they visit, or even instruments they play if it's part of the action and others know that they're doing it. So in a film like Casablanca, Sam's piano playing is diegetic - the characters listen to it and respond to it.

If you use this kind of music, you may need to play around with it to indicate its source. For example, if your character turns on the car stereo you might want to split the music into two tracks and pan each of them hard left and right, as if it's coming from speakers in the doors. You could run it through a high pass filter to make it sound a little tinnier.

In each case, think about where the sound is coming from in relation to your characters, whether it's moving - or they are, and how it might be distorted by the environment.

Non-Diegetic Music
This is the mood music outside your storyline, the music or sound that the characters are unaware of. If the lone character tiptoeing down to the basement after a cat could actually hear that menacing tone that you'd just put under their footsteps, they would be running back upstairs and out of the door!

You can use this in a few ways. Imagine you have two characters who have steadily fallen in love and are now, finally alone and confessing their feelings for one other. You can put some lovely, romantic theme under their scene to make the audience cry with joy for them (or quite possibly retch). 

Alternatively, you could underscore it with an ominous tone. The audience will pick up the message that perhaps one of these characters is lying. Or perhaps one is about to die. Whatever, something will go terribly wrong...
Alternatively again, if you underscore it with the same music you used under those steps to the basement, the audience will be preparing for horror ahead.

Leitmotifs
Some producers use a certain theme for a location, rather than emotion. If the music comes in before the scene starts, then you can set the scene that way. Another possibility is to use recurring themes for characters, or even ideas. These are all called leitmotifs.

Imagine you start a scene with a beach, seagulls, rolling waves, the sound of children playing nearby.
And now mix in the music from Jaws.
Dun dun. Dun dun. Dun dun...
Immediately, many - if not most - of your audience will know what's coming. In the same way, with repetition, you can build your own show's sound vocabulary in your audience's heads.

How Much Music?
This is entirely down to personal taste - and also logistics. For Red Sands, apart from the theme, I used only stings and diegetic music. It was partly stylistic, as the noir-ish setup fitted with an Old Time Radio approach - but I was also grateful for that, as finding enough music to underscore 40 minute episodes would have been challenging.

Some mixers use music under every scene, or at least under the emotional part of it. Others prefer a more stripped-back approach. It's also worth thinking about how many other effects and background noises you want, so how rich the whole picture is going to be. It's worth experimenting a lot - and remembering to give yourself plenty of time to find the right music. You may need to loop it or stretch it slightly to fit it with the dialogue.

Sourcing Music
You need to find Creative Commons music if you are making a free production - and even then read the small print about how and where you can use the music. Some sites such as Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech or Jamendo offer some CC music with clear guidelines for use. 


Otherwise, you can always approach composers - and in fact, I'd recommend that you do. I used many tracks from Newgrounds, where I contacted the composers directly, explained why I liked their particular tracks and how I would like to use them - and every one of them was more than happy to have their music used as long as they were fully mixed in and credited. Composers tend to like to hear their music being used and promoted, so it's a win-win situation.

All the best with using music and with finding that perfect track that fits your scene, character, location, emotion, idea, etc. etc.  

MUSIC:                         FADE OUT


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Voice ActingCoping with Rejection - and Coping with Acceptance, too.

29/12/2012

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There's no getting away from the fact: rejection is an integral part of voice acting. So if you want to do voice work it's worth looking at how  you respond to rejection generally and how you best want to handle it when it comes. 

Voice work takes a good deal of energy, so you need to make sure you can keep your spirits up and your confidence un-dented for the next audition.

This article, "Dealing with rejection: Five Ways to Cope with 
No" puts forward an interesting theory that acceptance is a natural human craving that comes from humans originally living in much smaller communities, where we relied 
on each other for survival. If you got rejected back then, not only did everybody know about it, but it was also risky to your survival.

Whatever the cause, being rejected is not fun, no matter how 
self-confident and stable you may be in other areas of your life. But rejection is inevitable, so it's good to think about how you're going to deal with it in advance. Just this year a British school ran a 'failure week', where pupils learnt about failing, and most importantly, coming back from it. 

Here are some suggestions for dealing with failure and 
rejection in voice acting from a home studio. As usual there are as many ways to approach this as there are people out there, so this is by no means a definitive list.
It goes without saying that you'll be honing your acting and 
vocal skills anyway in the ways that work for you. These are just thoughts on dealing with the rest of it.

1. Look at your setup
Before you start, make sure that all the client is going to be 
judging you on is your vocal performance. You don't want to get rejected on sound quality before the client even listens to you speak. Listen to all your auditions with headphones or ear buds. It's startling how suddenly you can hear all the breaths, puffs, crackles, the clock in the room, the neighbours' dog snoring, etc.  
  • Use a pop screen. 
  • Listen to your takes and redo them if necessary. 
  • Clients and producers all have different rules for how they like their files recorded and labelled. It's worth taking time to reread their exact instructions so you don't get caught out.

2. Don't stop moving
As soon as one audition is in and awaiting response, start on 
the next one or the next project. Once you've sent it then nothing that you now feel or think about it is going to change it or the outcome. So don't waste time wondering or worrying, just focus on what's next. 

By having more than one thing to focus on, rejections won't 
hit as hard. And if you do get the gig, then that will snap you straight back into that place of enthusiasm and excitement for the project again. 

There's an inspiring article in the "We're All Freelance" blog which refers to people doing creative projects as 'Makers of Things...the blacksmiths of the twenty first century' and urges them to keep adding irons to the fire. I'd add that not only is that practical from a job viewpoint, but from an emotional one, too.


3. Learning through doing
Every time you audition you are practising and stretching your 
skills. Every one may demand something different: from obvious things such as accent, pitch and pacing, to the less obvious like trying to appeal to a new audience, working on specific jargon, tongue-twister scripts, or even practicalities like exporting into .ogg format.

If you look at each audition as valuable experience in itself 
then rejection does not mean a waste of time.

4. Seeing through a producer's/client's eyes

Some of the most philosophical people with regard to rejection have one thing in common: they've held auditions. They've listened to dozens of actors reading the same lines and, while maybe the choice for that specific role has been very clear, they know that many or all of the others were also good, just not what they had in mind.

It is nigh on impossible to predict a client
's ideal voice for the part. If there are multiple parts then it all depends how your voice fits in with other voices around it, 
too. All you can do is your best in your interpretation and hope that it fits with their interpretation.

5. Rejection can be a positive thing! 

Take a look at this. 
Doesn't it make you almost yearn for rejection? 

Coping with Acceptance 

You do the audition, you wait... and then you get the job! 

Once the first flush of excitement has died down, that's when 
anxiety and self-doubt can creep in. Now you actually have to *do* the job. The client's trusting you to live up to the impression you gave in the audition. There's far more text. You're on a deadline. You have to keep up that same energy and delivery for maybe hours at a time... but no pressure, eh?

Whatever the deadline, it's worth setting to work on it as soon as possible. 

Re-read the client's instructions. Re-read the script and if there's time you can always rearrange text to make it easier to read while recording by spacing out paragraphs or phrases, colouring the background to make it easier on the eye, whatever helps you to feel comfortable. 

If requests for retakes come, don't take them as a criticism but as part of the process of getting the most suitable delivery. Remember that, while your voice and how you use it is obviously a part of you, the client is focused on the end product. If you do the same then you can work together to get there, rather than feeling that the client is attacking your approach.

While it is a good feeling to succeed, in the same way as with 
failure, it is best not to measure your own self worth by the jobs you get or do not get. Get that, instead, from other areas of your life so that you come to auditioning with a steady centre and less fear of failure - or anxiety about success.

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Aspects of Audio Drama Done Well #1 Dramatic Irony Done Well  

18/11/2012

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Dramatic Irony Done Well  

Cornucopia Radio Podcasts no.36 The Tight Ann Hic 
written and Produced by Chris Bellamy. Edited by Peter Beeston.
Aural Stage Sudios: Dialed In - Straw Into Gold written by Perry Whittle


These short plays are lovely examples of the humour that can be derived when the audience knows more about the situation than the characters – or more about the characters than they, themselves, do. Done extremely well in these two plays, the listener can predict the characters’ fates or foibles and laugh almost before the punch-line.

In The Tight Ann Hic the writer does it by starting with a tale from history where, as quoted from the website:
“Declan Deck has invented something which he feels will change the very nature of what we consider standing and what we consider sitting. He calls it an easy-to-erect-and-collapse-one-size-fits-all-canvas-covered-chair (although he’s flexible on future name changes). He thinks that perhaps a soon-to-be-launched, metal-clad, yet unsinkable boat (featuring four funnels, five decks & one lifeboat), will be the perfect place to demonstrate his new sessio-esque device. But somewhere, out in the Mid-Atlantic, sits a lonely and tone-deaf iceberg who has a very different idea… “

What follows is a fun twist on events around that familiar background with invented characters who are also funny in their own right.

In Straw into Gold it is one of the main characters who is familiar, and the joy here is seeing that personality in an unusual situation.
“A princess (Linda Mason) contacts a ghostwriter (Matthew J Boudreau) known for his unusual success to write her story. However, the cost of success may be a little too high for her liking.”
Again, a fair part of the humour comes from agreeing with the writer – of course the character would say that, and in seeing how that affects the outcome.

Dramatic Irony is only one aspect of these plays and only one part of their fun, but it is a real benefit of writing a spin on something/someone from history, mythology or popular literature. Other benefits can be the immediacy with which the audience can connect with the play, and the reduced need for exposition. It can be enormous fun for writer and listener alike as the writer then takes that start into brand new territory, just as done in these two short plays.

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Aspects of Audio Drama Done Well

18/11/2012

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I enjoy listening to a range of audio drama and, like everyone, have personal opinions on individual shows and what makes good audio. Much of the audio drama today is created by passionate people in their free time and is free of charge for listeners to download.

This is one of the greatest qualities of modern Internet audio drama, in my opinion. It not only makes drama accessible to anyone with an internet connection who wants to listen, it makes it accessible to anyone with a computer, microphone, an internet connection and the time and energy to make audio drama. They are not inhibited by their background, their location, by any need to make commercial art - and for a very small cost they can transport listeners anywhere, through the magic of the airwaves, or should that be airwavs?

As someone also enthusiastic about making audio, there's almost always a moment, or many, listening to any good audio drama where you say 'Wow, now that's how to do A,B or C - or all of them."

And that's what gave me the idea to share some of those 'wow' moments.

I've never been into reviewing. I'd rather be doing. These are not reviews. These are simply mini-articles, with links, on an aspect of Audio Drama that I think is really well done and so want to rip off shamelessly one day.

Here's the thing - and I apologise in advance - I will be writing these as and when they happen naturally, which is likely to be one every few months. I can't take requests to listen to shows or to mention particular shows. They will be mercifully short. They will also be my opinion only – just notes on what I think really worked, as a listener.

What I do hope is they might be useful in some way to other people just like me: also trying to improve their understanding of the best of audio drama. And, my goodness me, there's a lot of it out there to learn from and emulate now.


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Peaking, Puffing and Popping: a beginner's guide for voice actors

18/9/2012

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When recording, all sorts of things can happen that can affect the quality of your lines. The three big problems that can often occur if you're not careful are: peaking, puffing and popping.
This is a guide for dealing with these problems, both in your recording and also in editing if you're otherwise happy with the take and want to try to rescue it.

All of the examples are taken from the audio file illustrated above.
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Peaking
Peaking

This is distortion caused by speaking or screaming too loudly for the poor, sensitive microphone. The wave form goes vertically right out of the box.

Even reducing the volume can't save this file: as you see, the quieter file is still cut off flat along the upper and lower edges, so it will still sound distorted.

The remedy? Re-record. If the lines need to sound loud, you can experiment with stepping back a little from the microphone, turning your input volume down, or attempting the opposite of a stage whisper- sounding as if you are loud, whilst actually not hitting the decibels.
It's not easy and it can take quite a bit of experimentation, depending on your equipment, but it's essential.

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Puffing

Plosive sounds, particularly 'p's, can cause puffs. When listening, you can hear the air puff across the microphone, which can be distracting for the listener.

These are usually preventable in recording by using a pop screen, which is a must for any voice actor.

You don't need anything fancy and there are very straightforward instructions for making one from nylons and an embroidery hoop here.

You can also angle your microphone so that it is above, below, or slightly to one side of your mouth.

Sometimes the odd puff will breach the pop screen's defenses, but it may be possible to save the take. If you zoom in on the beginning of the syllable with the puff, you'll see something like the picture above: the puff is in that backwards 's' shape. You can zoom in very close and remove the highlighted part in the picture, leaving the very first dot of the sound and matching the end up after the puff where it crosses the middle horizontal line, to keep the sound smooth. It doesn't work every time with every puff, but many times it will. If you're removing your own puffs, you do need to listen carefully afterwards with headphones to make sure that it is unnoticable.

The above solution is time-consuming and fiddly, though, so if you're puffing with any kind of regularity, you should readjust your recording setup rather than give your post-producer or yourself such a lot of work.

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Popping

Popping is made by saliva. It produces tiny, high pitched clicks in the words.
To avoid this problem, keep drinking water while recording - and eating a slice of green apple beforehand keeps pops at bay for quite some time.

Pops are sometimes very difficult to find in sound waves. If they're big enough, you'll notice them as a blot on the wave.


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Up close, they are furious zig-zags, like tiny accordians.
The rest of the sound wave tends to follow some smooth kind of pattern (here an 'm'-like shape). To remove the pop, make sure to cut out the entire sound wave shape to ensure a smooth cut. Here, the highlighted piece starts at the tail of the previous 'm' shape and so continues until the tail of the next 'm' shape with the pop in it. Remove that shaded grey area and the line flows seamlessly. You can use one of the horizontal lines to help you to cut in the right place.


Again, this is usually, but not always successful. Listen with headphones.

A final note
Most post-producers for audio drama may be happy to remove the odd puff or pop - as long as they are fairly rare. This, however, is aimed at auditions, professional projects or others where you are doing your own post-production.


It is, of course, sometimes quicker to do a retake, but hopefully this gives you the option of trying to save that one, perfect take!
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Approaching an Audio Book Narration

11/6/2012

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Approaching an Audio Book Narration

This isn't meant to be any kind of definitive guide. These are simply some notes on my own personal discoveries and approaches so far, but if you're  about to take on an audio book project and you and your microphone are  facing several hundred pages of text, then some of this might be of  interest.

The book

Ah, that exciting moment of looking at the book for the first time! If you don't have time to read the entire manuscript before giving an estimate or accepting the job, still have a good look through it and read all of it that you can. This is going to be a big undertaking, so you'll want to be enthusiastic about the story or subject.

Questions you might want to bear in mind while weighing it up are:
  • How long is the book?
  • If it is non-fiction, how heavy is it in technical vocabulary?
  • If it is fiction, how many characters does it have and what voice types and accents do they have? (This is covered later in Narration Style,  but if you're planning on performing different voices for each of them,  then this will affect how long it takes to record the book, which leads  us to...
Estimating the workload

You may be recording the book purely for the fun of it: Librivox is a lovely example of a vast library of free audio books read by volunteers. There, you can opt to read a full book or just a chapter. 

Otherwise, some audio books are paid on a royalties (percentage) basis, others on a one-off fee.
Royalties rely on numbers of downloads, which are always uncertain, so you have to go on your instinct for the book.
One-off fees are a little different. You may have to estimate the fee, or decide whether the fee on offer is enough, so in that case a little maths is required:

If you've not done any long narration projects before, it's worth recording a random, full page aloud. Do actually record, because once the microphone is on you may find you make more stumbles than when it's off! Also you will find how well-written and typo-free the book is, as that will also affect how long it takes to complete.

Now take that recording time and you can probably multiply it by two and a half to include time to edit it down if you've stumbled or decided to re-record lines, especially if there is character dialogue.  Now multiply that new number by the number of pages and you have a good idea of how long it will take.

For example, if it takes 8 minutes to read one page of a 200 page book, then it might take 20x200 minutes to complete, so, approximately over 65 hours if it goes smoothly. See later section on working with your editor, as they may trim out stumbles if there aren't too many, but you will still want to listen through first to make sure it all recorded and there are no puffs, odd noises, or breaks in the recording etc.

Now you have a number of hours, you can decide how much you can do every day/week and settle a deadline with your editor or publisher.  It's a good idea to break up recording time with listening/editing time to give your voice a rest.


As an extra tip: people with dyslexia can find that a tinted page helps to stop the words from appearing to move around. In the same way, while I don't have dyslexia, I have found that I stumble less if I tint the page background a very light blue, grey or green. 
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Approaching the text

With a large project it can help to break it down, to organise your time and see your progress.

On the first read-through, I make two tables: one for the overview of the book itself and one for the characters.

For the book, I make a calendar-style table, assigning a chunk of chapter or editing slot to each day that I can work on it. As I finish elements I colour the blocks in, as it helps to see the progress! I  don't always work in strict order, so use colours to denote 'done'  'overdue' and 'done in advance'.

In the table it can help to put a brief description and number of pages involved, if you're dividing it by chapter rather than equal sets of page numbers.


Narration Style

Listening to audio books, you'll hear that readers vary quite considerably in their narration style. Some narrators keep the same voice throughout, narrating character lines with perhaps more animation, but with no change of pitch or accent. Others change pitch a little depending on gender, or they may give a very light suggestion of accent. At the other end of the scale, they will try to distinguish between the characters with pitch, accent, rhythm, etc.

In my own case I tend to fall into the latter style, as much out of necessity as choice: I have mainly narrated American fiction with quite distinctly-written character voices and references to the characters' home towns or countries. As my narration voice is a general Southern English one - a little different from my natural accent in the same way people often have a 'telephone' voice - it would sound downright peculiar if I didn't change it to read the dialect-heavy dialogue of a New York detective.

So I have to do a lot of research and practice. And that brings us to...

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Approaching the characters

This can be the most challenging part - if you do decide to go down the route of differentiating the characters from your own voice. While I try my hardest to get an accent as authentic as I possibly can, I don't pretend to be expert at this. It's a question of trying to listen carefully and practising to improve, but in the meantime I focus on narrating, and then in trying to get a flavour of the characters'  voices, and to be consistent in their pronunciation, so as to avoid, as much as possible, native speakers of that dialect cringing!

There are some fantastic resources on the Internet for accents. First of all, I visit the Speech Accent Archive. It boasts a very full library of examples of native speakers from many countries and areas, with details of their age and sex.
They all read the same text, which is designed to contain every sound you might encounter, so it's extremely useful. It also has a transcription for each accent that you can use if you're familiar with phonetics.

A similarly useful resource is the International Dialects of English Archive.

It can also help to visit youtube.  Type in '___ accent' and you will often find people have uploaded samples of themselves speaking. There are also videos where their friends with different accents may make fun of them. These can actually be quite useful because they highlight, in an exaggerated way, some of the distinctive sounds and phrases that make that dialect unique.

For foreign languages, you can often find pronunciations just by searching online. Forvo is a site devoted to this and is, again, invaluable.

Then it is a question of trying the accent yourself, copying phrases and sounds as you hear them - and then finally moving on to reading different texts, trying to take the accent with you. In a well-written book, the author has also written the characters voices in that dialect, so you should find it flows once you start reading the dialogue.

I record each line of dialogue more than once, often up to a couple of dozen times. Then later, when editing, I try to listen for the best of the efforts. Alternatively, if there are many people in a scene with different voices I have recorded all of one character's lines separately in one session, while 'immersed' in the accent. It makes more work in editing, but it can help when working on a new accent among many others.


Working with your editor

Your editor - if you are not self-editing - will check for errors, edit and mix, unless you have another arrangement, and they will ask for any retakes. Once you've completed all of that, then your book is finally clear to be released.

Different editors have different levels of involvement in projects: You may be sending files into the ether with little feedback, or you may find yourself working more closely with them and spurring each other on to finish the project.

I found that sharing files via Dropbox or something similar is an easier way to work collaboratively than sending files back and forth. That way, you're both aware of files being updated and can both edit plans or notes without needing to save and upload each time.

Self-editing

If you are self-editing then you may deal directly with the publisher or writer, or with an agent. You will check your own files for errors, pops or puffs and either redo or edit them out with your audio program. There is debate as to whether you should edit out breaths (replacing them with the same length of neutral background noise): in a long book it can be a mammoth task. Otherwise, you'll want to perform noise reduction and possibly de-essing, some light compression and anything else such as equalisation, depending on your microphone and recording environment.

If you are new to audio editing, there are superb resources online that you can find by searching those terms. Communities such as those at Audio Drama Talk forums are always friendly places to read interesting posts and ask for help if you get stuck. As with all jobs working from home, developing positive, supportive relationships online can ward off the loneliness of the long-distance reader and really help to make the marathon of audio book narration a fun and rewarding one.


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A Complete and Utter Beginners' Guide to Voice Acting

20/5/2012

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What do I need to set up so I can start voice acting?
A complete and utter beginner's guide
This article was originally published in Radioplay Magazine, Issue iv, November 2008

This guide is designed for people who enjoy acting and would like to get involved in satellite audio drama productions, but don't know where to start in recording lines at home. If that sounds like you, please read on...


Equipment you need - Hardware
  • A microphone
Voice acting needn't be an expensive hobby. The biggest outlay an actor has to make is on a microphone. These range in quality and price. There is a microphone review thread here.
Most cheaper or mid-price microphones plug directly into your computer - either into a USB drive, or into a microphone socket. Generally, it's better to use a free standing microphone than a headset one, to avoid puffs of air distorting your lines.
If you decide that voice acting is definitely for you, then you will want to look into condenser microphones, which require an interface with phantom power.  Many established music stores sell recording bundles, including microphone, interface, cables, and often a pop screen.
  • A pop screen
If you talk directly into a microphone, the air from your voice will hit it, causing a distortion in the sound. This is usually impossible for a mixer to remove, so using a pop screen is essential. A pop screen creates a thin barrier that allows the sound to get through but not the air. You can buy one from audio retailers or make one very cheaply by stretching a pair of nylons around an embroidery hoop or coat-hanger. There are excellent instructions on making one here.
  • Earphones
These can be everyday ear-buds, or over-ear phones, but these are essential for listening to your lines clearly for any puffs, mouse clicks and other strange sounds before sending your lines. It can be hard to pick up these things on speakers.
  • A blanket/towel
No, not for recording on cold nights. This is a cheap way of reducing echo. If you are recording in a room with a flat wall in front of you, you may find the recording sounds echoey, or even distorted. A pillow or soft fabric on the wall behind the microphone absorbs the sound and reduces echo. If you really want to reduce background noise, too, you can also use the blanket by draping it over your head and the microphone - making sure it doesn't touch the mic. Hot and uncomfortable, but it does the job brilliantly.

 Equipment you need - software

You need a piece of software to record your lines. Windows Sound Recorder is not suitable for recording broadcast quality lines. If you don't have a favorite program already, there is a completely free, user-friendly program out there that many voice actors use for recording lines, called Audacity. It is suitable for both PC and Mac users and
is free to download here.

Once you have a program, you are now ready to record, but there's just one more thing to set up. Most producers ask for Mp3 files. Audacity needs an extra free download called a lame encoder, available free to create Mp3 files. All the information you need is here.
Congratulations. You're now ready to begin recording.

 Recording lines in Audacity

First, plug in your microphone. Check your audio settings on your computer and check that you have set this microphone as your default one. Now open up Audacity.
  • Quality
Check the producer's requirements, as they can vary, but generally most ask for 44100hz 16-bit Stereo MP3s of 128kbps or 192kbps. To change your preferences, click on the top menu
Edit>Preferences>File Formats   Here you can click on the boxes  to alter export format and bit rate.
Edit>Preferences>Audio I/O   Here you can change from stereo to mono recordings.
  • Recording
Use the big buttons to start and stop recording and play back. Make sure the microphone input level is loud enough so that your lines  are audible without being too loud. Usually around -12db is fine.

When you record your lines, always leave a 'tail' of a few seconds at the end where you record, but don't speak or breathe. The mixer will be able to take this room ambiance as a sample which they can then remove from your lines to make them cleaner.


Listen to your lines for delivery, but also quality. Make sure there are no strange noises or distortion like breath puffs and edit out mouse clicks. Many producers do their own noise reduction etc. so send them 'raw'.


Check with your producer how they want the lines. Some like them cut up into individual numbered files. If numbering, always put the line number first. eg. 034_character name. That way, they are easy to order.  Some prefer scenes in one long file.


When you're happy, use the file menu to export the whole file or sections as Mp3s - or, more rarely, as .wav files.  Label them carefully and then zip them into one file. Depending on file size, you may be able to send the lines as an email attachment or via a cloud system like Dropbox or a free delivery service such as Yousendit.


Welcome to the world of online voice acting. Have fun!

Useful resources

What do I need, Where do I get it, How do I use it?  Individual links for software, microphones, tutorials, etc.

Audacity Free Download and User Manual


Finding auditions

Individual radio groups often hold auditions. Check out their websites on the Audio Drama Talk Forums and join their group or forum for casting calls. Also smaller groups and individuals list on other boards:

Audio Drama Talk Forums

Voice Acting Alliance boards

Voice Acting Club
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    I've been working on audio projects for several years now as an actor, writer and audio mixer. Exploring the audioverse and reporting back a little here.

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