PITCH: Find your comfortable talking voice, and talk through your script at a comfortable pace.
LOUDNESS: Please look at the meters that measure the average volume of your voice before recording and adjust so that your voice is loud enough to be heard but not so loud that it distorts.
P-POPS & PLOSIVES: Find a position in from of the microphone and try to remain in place. Use the guard to protect the microphone from your breath we don't want any plosives! Have the microphone in a stand on a secure surface.
PRONUNCIATION: In general, the sentences should sound casual but clear: not too stilted, but not mumbled either. The words should smoothly flow together as they do in ordinary speech. Do not put artificial moments of silence between the words.
CHOP-OFF: Be careful not to chop off your recordings by pressing the "Record" button too late, or the "Stop" button too early. Make sure you leave about half a second of silence at the beginning and end of each recording.
Keep your presentation in front of you and try to time the audio with the visuals. If something doesn't fit don't panic. It ca all be re-edited.
Do not try to record it all in one sitting.
When you are ready to record the sentence, click the "Record" button, pause a half-second, and begin speaking. When you are finished speaking, pause another half-second, then click the "Stop" button.
DO
Drink room temperature water prior to recording.
Eat apple slices or lemon wedges to help with the smoothness of your voice.
Record in .wav.
Record six inches away from the mic.
Have pencils handy if using paper scripts.
Drink hot tea anytime before recording to help with hoarseness.
Re-record the first two pages of dialogue (now that the voice is warmed up) before ending your session.
DON’T
Wear jewelry.
Wear a loud starched shirt.
Wear noisy nylon.
Record in 16-bit or mp3.
Drink milk before you record — this coats your vocal chords and creates a dull sound.
Be right on top of the mic.
Use an omnidirectional mic for voice-overs.
It’s important, if possible, to do the recording in a small room with padding and soundproof blankets to absorb the sound. Remember to stand always — NEVER SIT. This opens up the diaphragm and allows the voice to reach its full potential. Ideally, position your body at a slight angle to the mic and don’t have the headphones too hot (in order to prevent the sound from bleeding into the mic.)
Recording Guidelines on this page....
Pick a consistent recording environment that you will use for all your recording sessions. Obviously, you want to pick a very quiet area, as free as possible from outside noises like TVs, radios, children, and open windows. If your recording room has windows, we suggest hanging some curtains or blankets over them to dampen any sound coming from outside. In addition, try to pick a consistent recording time for all of your sessions—preferably in the morning, when you are alert and well-rested.
It is critical that your microphone be in the same position relative to your mouth from session to session. Try not to alter or bend your head-mounted microphone in any way during or between sessions. Relevant computer settings, such as the Recording Volume, should also be kept constant.
Also, it is possible for some general characteristics of your voice and speech to change from session to session. For example, you may speak slowly on some days, more quickly on others. It is a good idea to go back and listen to many of your recordings from previous sessions before you start a new session, to try to match the sound of your own voice as much as possible.
Pronunciation: Clear, clean, pronounce words clearly do not rush
Chop-off: As mentioned before be careful not to chop off your recordings by pressing the "Record" button too late, or the "Stop" button too early. Make sure you leave about half a second of silence at the beginning and end of each recording.