FAQs for a voiceover artist

What is voiceover?

Take a deep breath before reading this out loud - a spoken piece of broadcast quality audio, recorded either in a home or professional studio for a wide variety of applications such as commercials, promos, video games, e-learning and apps which can be set to visuals, music and sound effects or left as a standalone piece. There's more information in this blog about the definitions and genres of voiceover.

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What does a voice over artist do?

A voice over artist breathes life into a script using different tones, styles, inflections, projection, emphasis, pausing, emotions, characters and back story (to name a few) in order to connect with the audience on a believable, human and emotional level. There's a blog post here that defends voiceover against the age old diss "it's just talking into a microphone". 

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How do I find voice over talent?

You already have. You could do the same again and click on a different link, but I'm happy you're here! However, there's a bit more reading and research you can do, starting with this post about what to do before hiring a voice over artist. 

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Why is voiceover important?

Voiceover injects emotion. Voiceover connects. Voiceover adds context (read this post about context and interpretation). Voiceover creates memories. Voiceover embodies brands. Voiceover becomes recognisable. Voiceover aids accessibility. And more cool sounding stuff.

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When should I use voiceover?

Use voiceover when you want to create lasting first impressions on your audience. Use it when you want to stand out. Use it when you want to make an impact. Use it when your video isn't really resonating how you thought it would. Use it to impress your nan. Use it to improve pretty much any production. Use it to make your brand human. Here's some more ideas on when and where to use voiceover in your business.

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Is it voiceover or voice over?

The real question is: is it voiceover or voice over or voice-over?

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Do I need a voice over?

Well, of course I'm going to say yes! But there are many ways a professional voice over artist can benefit your project. Here's a few: a voice provides context and meaning; it connects better with the audience; it makes a brand familiar and memorable; it engages the viewer and keeps them watching for longer; it taps into people's emotions and makes them think; it builds trust. 

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Isn't voice over just talking into a microphone? 

In a word, no. Voice over artists have spent years practicing, honing their craft and expanding their range. Using a professional voiceover means not only a broadcast quality recording, but excellent interpretation of the script - ensuring the message is delivered in a style and tone that resonates with the audience. Read a blog about it here. 
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Why should I hire you?
If you’re looking to work with a versatile British male voice over artist, then you’re in the right place. (I’m also friendly, polite, professional and VERY FUNNY).

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If you haven’t listened/watched my demo reels yet, do that first so you can get an idea if I’m the right fit for your project. Then take a look at the brands I’ve worked with and read some testimonials.

 

I want you to be confident you’re making the right choice.
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How do I hire you?
Give me a call or use the contact form to get in touch.

 

Some people will know what they want already but otherwise, we can have a chat about your project and find the best way to approach it.

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Let me have as much information as possible up front: script, timings, music, pronunciations of names or words you think I might stumble on. You get the picture.

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If all is well, I’ll get a contract over to you for you to sign.
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What’s the process after hiring you?
Once you’ve emailed the signed contract back, I’ll start work (if I haven’t already).

 

You’ll have your broadcast quality files within 24 hours.

 

If you have any problems or need a revision, then you can let me know.

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Then the best bit… I’ll send an invoice.
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How much does a voiceover cost?
Have a look at the voice over rates page or how much you can earn as a voice artist.
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What’s your turnaround time?
24 hours.
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What editing will you perform on the file?
You will receive a broadcast ready piece of audio: compressed to bring the loudest and quietest bits closer together and normalized to bring the overall volume up. Depending on the project, I may also remove breath sounds. 

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Can you add music?
I can. I have access to a library of thousands of tracks or I can use music you provide.
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What formats can you export in?
I can deliver in whatever format you need. WAV and MP3 are the most popular but if you need something else, just ask.
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Can I hear some voiceover samples?
Yes! All of my voice over demos are on the homepage and the listen page.
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Can I watch some voiceover samples?
Yes! You can either watch some previous pieces of work or my voiceover video demo reel.
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What is an explainer video?
An explainer video is a short (usually) marketing animation explaining a company's product or service. There's billions more words about it in this post about explainers.
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What does IVR mean?
Interactive voice response. Press 1 for Dave, Press 2 for Sales, etc. Now you know what it is, learn the value of IVR for your business.
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Can you dial in to my voicemail to record a message?
Of course! All you need to do is provide me with your number and the pass code, so I can get into the menu system. 
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What's the weirdest voiceover job you've done?

Replacing the original dialogue from a bodybuilding competition pose down video. I say dialogue, I actually mean all the grunting and growling noises that happens during flexing. If one example isn't enough, read about that one some more plus 9 others in this post about the bizarre world of voice over work.
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How do I choose a voice over artist?

I've written a couple of blogs about things you should consider before hiring a VO, have a read of those. The first is titled "How to choose a voiceover: 4 things to think about" and the follow up is "Before you hire a voice over artist: do your research".
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How do I become a voice over artist?

Don't. I can't handle the competition. JOKE! If you want to know how to become a voiceover artist, I'd love to have a chat with you about it - drop me a message.
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How much do voice over artists get paid?

Hire me and you'll find out. Or visit my voice over rates page.
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Why shouldn't I just use an AI voice these days?

While it's true that AI voiceover has come a long way (very quickly), there are still so many things that a human can do better. I'll just do a list of things here without much explanation for now as I think a full on blog post will happen soon.

Humans rule because:

• we create true emotional connection with the audience

  • humans can tap into emotions of all sorts. Let's take being fearful of something. That could be feeling scared, anxious, insecure, weak, rejected, threatened. It becomes clear then that when we interpret a script, we're not just "happy voice" or "sad voice". We can roll through emotions because we've lived them.

• we personalise and adapt

  • we tailor our deliveries depending on the client. We would speak differently to an excitable child about an amusement park than we would to an elderly person moving into a care home. Similarly, we would speak differently to an audience of 20-30 year olds than we would to an audience of 30-40 year olds. One voice doesn't fit all.

• we don't repeat ourselves

  • we know not to repeat things the same way each time it's spoken. For example, the word spoken, I've already spoken it in this sentence. If I had read it out loud, I'd have spoken it differently each time so the audience doesn't switch off. 

• we are flexible

  • we can do things on client request pretty darned quickly, shifting things around to suit the end user. But also if someone says "oh can you do it more like....", then we can.​

• we are original and unique

  • everyone has their own unique voice. Be proud of it. Use it! Everyone has their own unique emotions and memories. Use them!​

• we are accurate

  • because of real life experience we can understand concepts and context quickly.​

• we are authentic and have the human touch

  • "Authenticity" is probably an overused word these days so let's go with "real". We are real people with real voices that connect and that are relatable.

• we are creative

  • humans have ideas of their own. With voiceover this could be before or during the read. Which leads me onto...​

• we improvise​

  • we can think on the spur of the moment to play with a script to make it sound even more real. Which leads me onto...​

• we add humanisation​

  • adding in human sounds like "umm", or pausing to add emphasis, give an extra sense of realism to performances. Which leads me onto...​

• we act​

  • we love to perform. Especially those of us who crave attention and have a massive ego. Imagine your favourite speech from a film, a play with multiple performers arguing... humans can do that. In fact, they're experts at it. Which leads me onto...​

• we leave lasting impressions​

  • powerful performances will linger longer in a brain than something less inspiring and "out of the box".​

• we have quality assurance processes

  • A script can seem perfect once it's written. But often it's not until it gets spoken out loud that we realise something isn't quite right. Voiceover artists will spot that and get it sorted before having to make edits and changes to the audio.​

• we are versatile

  • we can do more than one voice. There's styles, emotions, accents, ages, characters. Furthermore (very professional word), we can move through styles etc in a single piece, from sentence to sentence, word to word.

• we get humour

  • we're a funny species (especially me, hilarious I am). We can make jokes, take jokes and understand them.​

• we empathise​

  • we can deliver emotional and sensitive content in appropriate ways, leaning on things when needed, or backing off when the time is right.​

• we build rapport and trust with audience

  • we know our audience (who we are speaking to). Not only will we tailor our delivery depending on who that audience is, but we can built a relationship with them through that delivery, which builds trust.​

• we know about complex and unusual words

  • ​when there are stupidly long, complex or weird words, we'll work out how to say them before saying them. We do our research.​

• we are brilliant collaborators

  • this is something I'm quite passionate about. Not only can we offer input or ideas, take direction and make a project better with clients/directors/producers/agents etc, we work really well with other voices. Voice actors play off of each other in pieces, giving genuine reactions to the words that are being said, adding emotion, humanisation, shock, warmth, blah blah blah!​

• we handle unusual requests

  • can you make it sound happy and sad, exciting and calm, young and old? All at once? Yes, yes we can.​

• we create brand personas and characters

  • we can become a persona behind the brand, the voice of a brand. An audience can recognise a brand because of sounds and voices - it makes it extremely human and relatable.

• we are passionate / exciting / enthusiastic

  • enough said.​

• we take direction

  • we listen to the client/director and deliver as we're told... as they want it.​

• we pride ourselves on our customer service skills

  • we are the experts and we are proud of what we do. We'll guide you through the whole process giving you customer service better than a supermarket. Some of us even have a rewards system in place. Seriously.​

• we provide alternative versions

  • if you need something delivered in a few different ways, we'll do it for you. We know how to vary our delivery, emphasise different parts, switch emotions etc etc. Live sessions are great places for this to happen - "ooh I like that but can you change it to be more sexy and less mysterious" - actual direction I've had before!​

• we inspire action in the audience​​

  • because of the way​ we say things, we can guide an audience into action - visit a website, buy a product, remember a brand, whatever. 

• we know about nuance and subtlety

  • of course we can be loud, but we can be quiet, we can be intense, we can be..... subtle.​

• Wow that list ended up longer than expected but a lot of it can be summarised as "humans know how things should be said". It's more than it just being "read". But do check out this blog that touches on AI as a tool for voiceover artists.

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Do you do free voiceovers?

No. Although, saying that, I do have free voicemail downloads available for August 2023 bank holiday.

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