Quick question: What are certain things to keep in mind for people who wanna voice act?
Your microphone should be decent. Not exemplary, just decent. I use a Snowball Mic and it gets the job done. If you’re at a level that you actually need something more expensive, you’re past the point of asking someone like me for advice.
Don’t speak too close to the mic. Certain sounds (like hard Ks and Ps) will come out too loud. Try speaking perpendicular to your mic, that way your exhaling won’t directly hit. Pop filters are very helpful in this regard. If you still have issues with background noise, throw a blanket over yourself and the mic. I’ve never done that myself, but I understand it’s very effective in a pinch.
Standing and sitting have a notable effect on how well you speak. If you can’t get something to sound quite right, change your posture.
Have water on hand.
What sounds good on paper isn’t always the same as what sounds good spoken. If a line is giving you trouble, tweak it a bit if you can.
Be mindful of how fast you’re speaking. Even a character that’s supposed to talk fast still has to be intelligible.
Background music is good to use as appropriate. It can help hide a lot of editing seams that would otherwise be very easy to notice, and can help set the tone. Background music should stay in the background unless you have a good reason to do otherwise.
Timing matters!If you’re voicing a conversation, keep in mind who those characters are and how they would time their responses in that conversation. It shouldn’t be Character 1, pause, Character 2, pause, Character 1 again, and so on. Are they energetic and impatient? Have them respond almost immediately, or even interrupt. Are they more laid back or not interested in the conversation? Put a bit of space in before they respond. Play the clip back constantly until the timing actually feels like a back and forth.
If your throat tends to get scratchy, get Halls Breezers cough drops. They’re much more mild than regular lozenges (I can’t even finish a regular lozenge without getting nauseous). Don’t force yourself to power through it, lubricate your throat.
If you can’t get the voice just right, try it again another day.
