The Art of Voice Acting: the art and business of performing for voice over (19 page)
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Authors: James Alburger
Microphone technique
is a subtle but powerful way of enhancing your character or the emotional impact of your delivery. Mic technique refers to how you use the microphone to your advantage while in the booth.
Before you can use a microphone effectively, it is helpful to first have a basic understanding of how these marvelous instruments work. The basic purpose of a microphone is to convert acoustical energy (sound waves) to electrical energy that can be manipulated and recorded. There are several designs for each of these types of microphones,
dynamic
and
condenser
being the most popular.
- Dynamic
mics use a moving coil attached to a diaphragm (much like a loudspeaker in reverse) to convert acoustic energy to electrical energy. Dynamic mics are relatively inexpensive and rugged. Sound quality is generally better with the more expensive models. Simply plug it in to the appropriate equipment and start talking. - Condenser
mics use two fixed plates very close to each other, but not touching. A constant voltage is placed across the two plates, provided by a power supply (usually from a battery or external power source). As sound waves strike one plate, a change in the electrical energy is the result. Condenser mics are more expensive, far more sensitive, and more fragile than dynamic mics. The sound quality of a condenser mic is generally cleaner and “crisper” than that of a dynamic mic.
Microphones come in two primary pickup patterns:
omnidirectional
and
cardioid
(
unidirectional
). Of these, the most common type of microphone for recording is the cardioid. Omni and cardioid mics can be either dynamic or condenser. A third, less common, mic design is
bidirectional
.
- Omnidirectional
mics will pick up sound equally from all directions and are not very common for high-quality voice recording. They are, however, usually the least expensive and most rugged. Cardioid
mics (also called unidirectional mics) come in a wide variety of designs, but virtually all of them pick up sound best from directly in front of the mic. The sound pick-up reduces or fades as you move off-axis
Figure 7-1:
Basic microphone pick-up patternsof the front center of the mic. The back of the mic is the point of maximum sound rejection.
- A
bidirectional
mic is a single mic that has the pick-up pattern of two cardioid mics placed back to back. With a bidirectional mic, maximum rejection is from the sides at 90° off-axis.
In a recording studio environment you will generally be standing in front of a music stand (copy stand) with a microphone on a boom at about head level. Adjust the copy stand to eye level so you can see the entire script without having to tilt your head down. Tilting your head can affect your sound by constricting your throat and cause you to move off-mic.
Studio microphones are very sensitive and often have a “pop” screen positioned between the mic and your mouth. The pop screen serves two purposes: 1) it prevents blasts of air from hitting the microphone’s diaphragm, and 2) it prevents condensation of moisture from your breath from building up on the microphone diaphragm. Over time, moisture from your breath can affect the microphone’s diaphragm, dulling its sound. If properly positioned, a pop screen will not be needed for preventing breath pops, but still may be advisable for blocking condensation.
Studio microphones are usually
cardioid
(directional), and most engineers position the mic off to the side or perhaps in front of the performer, above the copy stand at about forehead level. The acoustics of the voice booth are
dead
, meaning there are no reflected echoes. The result is a very clean sound.
Microphone placement is simple for a single performer, but becomes more critical when there are several performers in the same studio, each with his or her own mic. In this case, the engineer strives to obtain maximum separation from each performer to minimize how much of each actor’s voice is picked up by the other microphones.
As a starting point, position yourself so your mouth is about 6 to 8 inches from the mic. You can easily estimate this by extending your thumb and little finger; place your thumb against your chin, and the mic at the tip of your little finger. This is not a critical distance, and your engineer may adjust the mic closer or further from you. If you are working in your own home studio, you should experiment with different mic positions to discover the best placement for your voice. You may want to change the mic placement depending on the sound you want for a specific script.
Microphones really don’t care where they are in relation to your mouth. Six inches off to the left will pick up your voice exactly the same as six inches directly in front of you or six inches above your mouth (at about eye
level). You should always position yourself so you are talking across the microphone and never directly into it. Speaking directly into the mic can blast the diaphragm. Although this is rarely harmful to the mic, the resulting “popping” sounds can be a serious problem for the recording and cannot be fixed later on. In some cases, even use of a pop screen may not completely eliminate breath pops from an incorrectly positioned microphone.
As you physically move closer to a studio microphone, your voice increases in lower frequencies (bass) and the overall tone of your voice will be more intimate. This phenomenon is called
proximity effect
and is a common characteristic of all directional microphones. As you move away from a studio mic, the mic picks up more of the natural ambience of the room. This results in a more open sound, which is cooler and less intimate. Don’t be afraid to experiment, but do let the engineer know what you are doing because he or she will need to adjust recording levels accordingly.
While performing, keep your head in a constant relationship to the microphone. The rest of your body can move as much as you need, provided you aren’t making any noise. But your head must remain relatively stationary. If your position drifts too far off-mic, your voice will appear to fade in and out. This drives engineers crazy because the overall volume of your performance is constantly changing. Even with the best equipment, moving off-mic is extremely difficult to deal with simply because a change of just a few inches can result in a very noticeable change in the
room tone
or ambience picked up by the mic.
Studio microphones are delicate and
very
expensive. Blowing into a microphone can cause severe damage. When testing a mic or giving a level to the engineer, always speak in the actual volume of your performance. When the engineer asks you to read for levels, consider it an opportunity to rehearse your performance.
Tapping the mic, although not usually harmful, is annoying to most engineers. It’s good to keep engineers on your side; they control how you sound and have complete power in the control room. Remember basic studio etiquette—don’t touch the equipment, unless, of course, it’s yours!
When working in someone else’s studio, always let the engineer adjust the mic to where you will be standing or sitting. Do not move or adjust the mic yourself. The same goes for the pop screen. After positioning your mic and returning to the control room, the engineer will ask for your level, and may ask you to physically change your position relative to the mic. You may be asked to
move in
on the mic (move closer), or
back off
a bit (move a bit away from the mic). These physical adjustments should be minor, and
are intended to produce the right sound for your voice. If you are popping, you may be asked to change the angle of your face in relation to the mic, or to turn slightly off-mic to prevent your breath from hitting the mic.
In your personal home studio, you will, of course, have complete freedom to position your mic so you will sound your best. Experimentation will reveal the best mic placement for your home studio.
You will rarely need to hold the mic during an actual session. However, it may be necessary for some auditions. If it ever happens to you, you need to know how to properly hold the mic for the best sound.
The correct handheld mic technique is to hold it vertically or at a slight angle, with the top of the mic at chin level, about an inch below the lips and slightly away from the chin, not touching the face. In this position, you will be speaking across the top of the mic rather than directly into it. Talking across the mic minimizes breath pops. You can test for proper mic placement with this exercise: Say “puh, puh,” expelling a blast of air with each “puh.#x201D; Slowly raise a finger from below your chin up to your lips and you will know where to position a mic to avoid being hit with your breath.
If you need to hold the mic, do not play with the cord. Just let it hang. Wriggling the cable can result in handling noise that can adversely affect your recording, even though you may not hear anything.
Can you record your voice without using headphones? Of course you can! But would you want to or, more importantly, should you? There are good reasons to argue both sides of the question of whether or not to use headphones when recording your voice. Your headphones are every bit as much a tool in your studio as your microphone and, as with your microphone, there is a correct way to use your headphones, and an incorrect way. And whether you use headphones or not may depend on the type of voiceover work you are doing.
Unlike music recordings, the end product of most voiceover work is heard over speakers rather than ear buds or headphones. Monitoring under headphones removes room acoustics from the listening experience and, since music is commonly listened to under headphones, many music recording engineers are beginning to mix under headphones to create the best possible sound for the listener.
In voiceover work, headphones serve a similar, yet slightly different purpose. By wearing headphones, you will be able to clearly hear yourself as you are delivering you lines. This auditory
foldback
of your voice will accurately reflect how your microphone hears you, and will often allow you
to hear subtle mistakes that might go unnoticed if you aren’t wearing headphones. You will be able to hear any flaws in your room acoustics, and it will also allow you to effectively apply certain microphone techniques for achieving warmth, presence, or avoiding breath pops.
Another benefit of wearing headphones—especially if you are recording in a professional studio—is that the producer, director, and engineer will be able to communicate with you. Many studios are not set up to allow for talkback over speakers, so headphones become a critical aspect of communication. Some voice talent feel that headphones are a distraction and prefer to work without them, but the simple fact is that there is often no other option for communication between the control room and booth.
A third benefit of headphones happens when you are performing in sync with, or need to time your performance to, a playback. Headphones allow you to hear what you are working with, without the microphone picking up the playback audio.
There is no rule that says you can’t take your favorite headphones to a session. It’s done all the time. The important thing is that you treat your headphones as another tool for use during your performance of voiceover.
Keep in mind that your headphones need to accurately represent your voice as it will be recorded. This is the only way you will truly know that you are sounding your best. Ear buds and many consumer headphones will emphasize lower frequencies, often producing a very warm and sometimes “boomy” sound, which might sound very nice, but may not necessarily be an accurate representation of your recording. These, of course, can be used to monitor your recordings, but you should at least be aware of the consequences.
Comfort is another important aspect to keep in mind when selecting your headphones. As your voiceover work increases, you may find yourself spending many hours at a time under headphones. The last thing you want is to have sore ears or a headache caused by uncomfortable headphones.
One final consideration is listening volume. When using ear buds or some consumer headphones, the tendency is to turn up the volume. Monitoring at a too loud a level can cause your ears to fatigue, requiring you to turn up the volume. Loud monitor levels can also result in high frequency hearing loss, which can adversely affect the way you hear your recordings. If you don’t already have a favorite pair of comfortable headphones, you might want to put a sample recording of your voice on an MP3 player and take it with you as you test different models of headphones. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on headphones, but you should be satisfied that the headphones you choose are comfortable and will accurately represent your voice recordings.