I want to start a blog of me dubbing Transformers with ridiculous accents. Any tips on voice acting?
Thatâs an awesome idea! Please do! :D
What aspects of voice acting do you want to know more about? The recording technicalities, or the delivery of lines perhaps? Iâll try my best to answer.
Kind of both. I know I donât really have access to the best of equipment, but I can use Audacity. I would really like to know how to maximize my simple mic and also how exactly to deliver lines. Mainly Iâll be taking lines from the movies and TFP.
Audacity is a great start! There are many easy, quick tutorials online that can help a lot in terms of bettering the quality of recordings. Nothing beats a good mic, but just a simple one can go a long way, especially if you use little hacks.
The first thing to do prior to recording is to lower the mic input so your voice doesnât blare. You can do that either on your computerâs sound settings, or directly on Audacity. There should be a dial bar with an icon of a microphone, and I usually do some tests first before deciding on what percentage to put it at, since that would depend on what youâre doing (talking normally vs. yelling).
Something else that helps is to keep the microphone a little ways away from your mouth. This reduces the amount of plosive pops. You can also try stretching a stocking between you and the mic. The mesh material helps break up the air, which helps with plosives as well.
Other things to watch out for would be background noise. Aside from the obvious keep your windows and doors closed, also check for things like computer fans and speakers. Sometimes speakers can emit a low droning sound, so I tend to unplug my speakers when I record. If you keep hearing a rumbling in your recording, try switching to a different port (if you use a USB mic), or changing location. Sometimes electric cords in the walls could cause interference.
There are functions in Audacity that can reduce low bass rumbling, and you can find tutorials on youtube that help get rid of plosive pops, but nothing beats having raw material where you already kept in mind for those things.
Hopefully that long wall of text provided you with some tips to try! As for the delivery of lines, that really depends on the lines themselves, but a general idea to keep in mind as youâre recording would be to keep the phrasing or âlineâ of the sentence energized so the sound doesnât drop towards the end. Thatâs an easy trap to fall into since we tend to speak that way.
Something else that may help is to read the lines a few times to figure out where the emphasis are. Some words require a stress, whereas some words are less âimportantâ. Of course we should always try to make sure all the words are heard, but not every word in a sentence has the same importance.
And lastly, take a deep breath, and take your time. Unless youâre doing Blurr, thereâs no need to talk at super speed.
Happy recording! <3
