2022.06.04 – 0520 – The Mic-To-Mouth Position Mic position Look back at earlier in the book when we discovered how to sit and breath better. Hopefully you are still using that ‘home balanced-breathing position’ (from which you can vary slightly), to enable a good flow of air to and from your lungs. In a TV studio it is sometimes ‘natural’ urge to lean in to the camera, but doing so squashes the abdomen. In the audio studio, try not to lean into the microphone to read as this will alter your ‘hom...
Jun 03, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 520
2022.06.03 – 0519 – Mic Stands, Arms and Mounts Mic stands, arms and mounts It makes sense that desk mics are those on a stand, on a desk. And touch of the base of the stand, or a knock of the desk itself, may likely be heard through the microphone. That’s why many studios have the main mic held in an Anglepoise-type arm, which can often be adjustable inasmuch as you can alter the height or distance from you, to get that Goldilocks position that you are comfortable with. However, it’s a sad fact...
Jun 02, 2022•6 min•Season 2Ep. 519
2022.06.02 – 0518 – Types Of Mics Types of mics Most microphones in audio studios are on table stands or arms fixed to the desk which are height and/or distance-adjustable. TV presenters use either fixed, direction mics out of shot on the studio ceiling or, more likely small lapel mics powered by a battery/transmitter pack attached to their belt or (under a skirt or trousers) to their leg, or in a pocket. Handheld mics, or those on a pole (a ‘boom’) are used outside and are usually with an inbui...
Jun 01, 2022•5 min•Season 2Ep. 518
2022.06.01 – 0517 – What You Need To Know About How Mics Affect Your Voice OK now we are in the studio, the next important piece of kit to make the most of your voice is of course, the mic. Speaking with a microphone is different from speaking with another human being. And there are various ‘mic environments’ each of which will make your presentation and voice projection a little different: Using a microphone to amplify your voice – for example in an auditorium where there are hundreds of real l...
May 31, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 517
2022.05.31 – 0516 – The Clap Test For A Better Voice The Clap Test As you are treating your room, check the acoustic changes you have made by carrying out the ‘clap test’: stand in the middle of your space and make a single sharp clap. How does the sound, well, sound? It should sound crisp and clear, with no other echoes, thinness or muffles. The technical term is that is should sound ‘dead’ (with few reflections of sound), rather than ‘live’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...
May 30, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 516
2022.05.30 – 0515 – Treating Your Studio: At The Very Least Do This If sound-treatment is challenging for you to try to at least do three things: · Have a sound-wave absorber on your table – as you will be sitting here in front of the mic and the recording device, your voice is likely to bounce off the hard surface and back into the mic, changing its effect. A towel or a large gaming mouse pad will help deaden the acoustic. · Isolate the back of the microphone – you will be facing and speaking i...
May 29, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 515
2022.05.29 – 0514 – The Difference Between Sound ‘Proofing’ and Sound ‘Treating’ There is a difference between ‘sound-proofing’ and ‘sound-treating’. The former is stopping the unwanted sound getting in and can be a big an expensive job, whereas sound treating is quicker, cheaper and easier and involves working with the sounds inside the room. Ideally, they will both be done, but if you can’t then certainly do the latter: ‘treating’ the inside of the space, reducing sounds within it from bouncin...
May 28, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 514
2022.05.28 – 0513 – All About Acoustics What is in your studio space is important for your voice because if your sound bounces around too much, it will appear to be ‘thin’ and ‘hollow’ rather than warm and natural. Then consider how the room itself sounds: the acoustics. · The size of the room – usually a smaller room is going to be easier to be less echo-ey and easier to ‘sound-treat’ than a larger one, a lower ceiling preferable to a higher one. But too small a room and it will get hot, claust...
May 27, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 513
2022.05.27 – 0512 – How The Studio Space Affects Your Voice THE STUDIO Recording location The studio space will affect your voice because too much other noise may be a distraction, you may be lost in the mix, or the acoustics of the room will simply alter how your voice sounds. Outside of a professional recording studio, the podcaster will ideally choose a recording location that has the least amount of background noise or the one which will be easiest to soundproof. So, review any potential loc...
May 26, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 512
2022.05.26 – 0511 – What’s Stuff About The Studio Got To Do With My Voice? What’s all this got to do with my voice? Knowing more about studios, mics and the electronic processing of your voice will simply help you sound better. For example, knowing the best mic for your voice, how far to sit from it, how to hold it and what side to speak into. Knowing this, as well as the rest of the studio paraphernalia will help you become more relaxed in the booth and as we have already seen, that will help y...
May 25, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 511
2022.05.25 – 0510 – Your Voice In The Studio This Part of the book is divided into three chapters. First, we will look at the different equipment in the studio. Don’t worry we won’t be getting too technical and talk about the transmission chain, but there are a few bits of kit in a home or pro studio that you need to know about and about how to use it right to make the best of your voice. For example, there’s no point doing breathing exercises and great resonance if you don’t know which side of ...
May 24, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 510
2022.05.24 – 0509 – Vocal Variety Variety If your inflection patterns are too consistent, then you're sounding bored rather than interesting. Depending on the material, sometimes your delivery should be fast, sometimes slower. Sometimes you should be excited, sometimes calm. Sometimes your voice should carry a smile, sometimes you should sound dead serious. By constantly varying your pattern (without sounding like a pastiche) you increase the possibility of being perceived as human rather than a...
May 23, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 509
2022.05.23 – 0508 – Your Injection Into The Output Rapport begins with realising that each ‘consumer’, viewer or listener is an individual who in most cases, has invited you into their home, their world, their ears. Consider yourself a guest, an acquaintance or even a friend, who’s been welcomed in because you have a story to tell. You can easily forget about the audience. Cocooned within the four walls of the studio, you can begin to sound as though you are talking to yourself or to the studio ...
May 22, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 508
2022.05.22 – 0507 – Personality and Rapport PERSONALITY AND RAPPORT Good presenters are ones who establish rapport with their audience. “A lot of people have complimented me for sounding warm and I think that’s important… warm but authoritative at the same time. You can read really bad news without emoting about it but on the other hand not being cold and too factual either and I think I’m very happy when people say that because that’s what I’m aiming for. (I’m) calm, even though you’re not feel...
May 21, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 507
2022.05.21 – 0506 – Stop Thinking What You’re Doing Finally - stop thinking about what you’re doing When you read a story or a script for the first time, be mindful as to its immediate meaning. What jumps out of the page at you? What’s surprising or shocking? What’s confusing or concerning? Capture the sense of discovery and realisation so you can bring it to your performance later, to make it more naturalistic. Just don’t think about creating that feeling … don’t act it or read it. Just open th...
May 20, 2022•1 min•Season 2Ep. 506
2022.05.20 – 0505 – Rehearsing Conversationality Rehearsing reading out loud makes you a better communicator; it’s a skill that must be learnt and practiced so it sounds as though you are speaking off the top of your head. Another killer of the conversational read is being in the ‘performance zone’. If you feel as though you are ‘acting the part’ of a voiceover artist or newsreader, that should be a sign to rethink your ‘attitude’. Clues might be: · Speaking louder than normal, now of course you...
May 19, 2022•6 min•Season 2Ep. 505
2022.05.19 – 0504 – A Giveaway That You’re Reading A Giveaway That You’re Reading Sometimes it’s obvious you’re reading something because it contains too much information that you couldn’t possibly know or remember. As an example, here is something that if read as written will definitely sound as if it is being read: “On Thursday July 7th 2005, three bomb explosions hit London Underground trains…” The reason it sounds as if it’s being read is because few people would remember what day of the wee...
May 18, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 504
2022.05.18 – 0503 – 20/21 - Suspensions and Stumbles 20 - Suspensions and Stumbles Consider leaving in any genuine slips and trips - so OK, your recording may not be not perfect but it will be more naturalistic. Again, you can’t do this in a news script or voice-over session, but you may be able to in a podcast. 21- Focus on The Message – Not Your Voice Or Breath All this will give the impression that these words, in this order are being thought and said for the very first time, right now. Hoste...
May 17, 2022•1 min•Season 2Ep. 503
2022.05.17 – 0502 – 19 - Unlock the Full Stops 19 - Unlock the Full Stops Free the periods and commas to recreate a natural verbal fluidity. Don't pause where the full stop/period is. Instead, ignore them – and break the flow of the words where it feels more natural to. And that’s not necessarily at the end of a grammatical chunk. And we saw before, sentences are an artificial way to marshal the written word. Conversationally we don’t use them. So you need to break away from the normal structure...
May 16, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 502
2022.05.16 – 0501 – 18 - Play With Your Voice 18 - Play With Your Voice When you are able to, surprise yourself with what you can do with your voice. For example, you don’t just say “ no ” as a single note and syllable, it could be “ Noooo ”. Imagine for example that your other half is teasing you for taking a newly baked bun from the cooling tray. They know you have taken it, and you know they know, and they’re not bothered, and they’re joking as they caught you out: “ Have you taken a bun?!” t...
May 15, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 501
2022.05.15 – 0500 – The Anchor/Reporter Rapport Structure You are a reporter and so you need to be able to succinctly communicate the distinct points that ‘make the story the story’, boiling down the issue or the scene to what’s important. If you get stuck in the weeds of detail, you could end up the creek without a paddle. What is the main story here? What are the elements that took us from where we were to where we are, what order should they logically go in, and how do you explain them to som...
May 14, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 500
2022.05.14 – 0499 – Off-The-Page and Off-The-Cuff Conversational The best two-ways are a balance between what’s off-the-page and what’s off-the-cuff. ‘Structured improvisation’ if you like, working with the script but not word for word. Choreographed. Reading every question and answer just as it was composed at a desk makes the flow, go … and unless you and the host are great actors, may sound stilted and artificial. So usually, you can both reply in bullet points – key facts and figures. For a ...
May 13, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 499
2022.05.13 – 0498 – TV Two-ways VOICE BOX TV Two-ways A two-way is when a studio presenter on radio or t,v interviews a reporter colleague (usually one who is on location, but maybe in the studio) about a story. The reporter: · Is not working to a script · Has to sound fluent and confident · Must get over the main points in a succinct and accurate way · Should be able to cope with any question asked of them from the host · Can react to anything that happens while they are on air. · Must be prepa...
May 12, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 498
2022.05.12 – 0497 – The Lead In – Working Example SCRIPT: “I’m fed up. Another Christmas lunch on the way battling with my worn-out kitchen. Stuck drawers, crammed cupboards and simply not enough surfaces. I’m heading to Kittyhawk Kitchens. They have an in -house design and fitting team, to advise and help every step of the way to your new dream kitchen. From their house to yours, Kittyhawk Kitchens. They soar above the rest.” So faced with that script, build in the imagined prompts for you to n...
May 11, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 497
2022.05.11 – 0496 – React To Act One way to do this is a ‘lead in’ (sometimes called ‘the moment before’ technique): think first (or maybe say aloud) part of the conversation that’d take you into that first line. What was said or what happened to cause your character to make this comment? So your scripted sentence is a natural reaction. Having a ‘lead in line’, that you either record and then edit off, or simply think, helps you find the emotion in what a scriptwriter at a desk has asked you to ...
May 10, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 496
2022.05.10 – 0495 – 17 - Lead in Lines 17 - Lead in Lines By creating the atmosphere of a conversation, it’s easier to pretend you’re in one. Most commercial copy sets up a problem, and then provides a product, brand or service as a potential solution. For example, “ Want to get your laundry whiter than white? ” After that you will presume that the answer will be “ Yes I do, but how? ” Acting is re-acting to the response that you got. You are having a conversation albeit a one-sided one. Do that...
May 09, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 495
2022.05.09 – 0494 – 16 - Rhythm Nation 16 - Rhythm Nation A formal script will sound ‘script perfect’. Each phrase and sentence will come with the regularity of waves on a shore, every one much like the previous one. Think perhaps of a documentary style of presentation or an announcer. It sounds like a script has been written, read, rehearsed and recorded. But that’s not how we speak in real life. In real life our utterances have ebb and flow. We don’t really talk in sentences at all, but a seri...
May 08, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 494
2022.05.08 – 0493 – Sounding Like An Expert Be conscious of how you sound when you explain something to a friend and try and capture that feeling, mood, zone and so on to sound conversational on air. Here’s an example [1] Read the following aloud as if you are reading it to someone: “The future behaviour of America as the current lone superpower is terribly important to China not only because America can disrupt China's vision of a harmonising world by doing its own thing in the Middle East and ...
May 07, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 493
2022.05.07 – 0492 – 15 - Pausing 15 - Pausing Put pauses in different places - as you ‘search’ for the right word or phrase (just don’t make it too often). These may be silent, or vocalised (“ errr ”). I have heard (but been unable to verify) that Ira Glass the producer/presenter of the podcast “ This American Life ”, does not use commas or full stops/periods in his scripts … he uses ellipses. When you listen to him, he sounds as though he is talking and yet he’s actually reading … phrase to phr...
May 06, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 492
2022.05.06 – 0491 – 14 - Gestures 14 - Gestures Big gestures and facial expressions can be ‘over the top’ in a conversational presentation. Reign them back to sound more real and believable. But still keep doing some kind of gestures. ‘Talking with your hands’ will help you talk with your voice. Sitting on them will make you sound stilted. Don’t be afraid to smile or laugh where appropriate, shake your head as you read something worrying or surprising. Use ‘air quotes’ to help you lift certain w...
May 05, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 491
