5.1 Preparation

In this lesson, you will learn how to prepare for recording voiceovers. This is not rocket science, but the simple steps will help to make the process much smoother and save you time. The first thing to do when you are getting ready to record is read through the script at least once, if not a few times. This will help you develop a flow and it gives you a chance to practice any tricky passages before you are recording. You are also gonna wanna look up any words that you do not know how to pronounce. For American English, a good pronunciation resource is the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, which includes audio examples. If there is a product or company name that you don't know, call the company's customer service and ask about it. YouTube is another good resource for pronunciations of names and places. You wanna practice reading the script with the right tone and attitude for the project. In a sense, this is a performance, and you need to practice it in order to get the right vibe. If you are reading from a paper script, you're going to wanna put it on a stand positioned pretty high up, so that you are not looking down or away from the microphone. Holding the paper may result in unwanted noise from the paper rustling no matter how hard you try and hold the paper still. If you are reading from a tablet or smart phone double check that you have put these devices in airplane mode temporarily. Sometimes the radios used for data in these devices can cause some strange interferences when they are in close proximity to microphones and audio cables. It will also help to make sure that the distractions are minimized so that you can focus on your performance. Have the temperature set at a comfortable level for the space. You'll probably have to close the door to whatever room you are working in, and this may cause the heat to build up. If this is the case, you might want to aim for a bit cooler to compensate for this effect. If you are recording solo, you wanna be on the lookout for mistakes when you are in performance mode. Stopping every time you make a mistake will sound unnatural, and it'll be harder to patch back together in the edit. You will probably want to record a few takes of the script to make sure you are getting everything you need. If you have to go back and patch up any lines, make sure you start at the beginning of the sentence or thought idea so that it makes for a more natural flow in tone and speed. This will make it much easier to edit back together in post-production. Using these techniques, you will be able to record a great performance without missing any critical information. Now that you are prepped for the recording, you are ready to move on to the next lesson where you will learn about setting up the microphone.