Reblogged via Patricia A. Knight
http://www.patriciaaknight.com/1/post/2014/03/my-journey-recording-eroticaday-2-sunfire-studios.html
My Journey Recording Erotica~Day 2 @ Sunfire Studios
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| Matt, hanging on every word. |
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Sunfire Studios~Dallas, Tx~ Day 2:
This is Matt Lamb, guru and guide for my virgin foray into the alien world of audio recording. Matt really rocks that darkly handsome, sensitive-artist vibe--has a sort of an Adam Levine (yummy) thing going on. But, I digress.I learned today that sound technicians can make or break you. Just as much as the 'voice over' artist (that would be me), the studio sound technician can determine whether a recording succeeds or is, meh, so-so.
Every word, every inflection, every inhale and exhale from the artist, filters through their headphones to be accepted or rejected. Even more than the artist (trust me, by this time, I don't hear myself), they hear the tale unfold and are uniquely positioned to judge whether or not the words just spoken serve the story.
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| Matt Lamb of Sunfire Studios, Dallas, TX |
Today, I spent five hours, alone, in a small, sound-proofed room reading dramatically into a ridiculously expensive mike. Many of those minutes were re-takes, instances where Matt's kind voice came over my earphones and said, "Very nice, but instead of having only one good set, let's get two or three. Read it again, please."
Well...I'm sure there was some diplomatic 'handling' of the artist involved but it was also the craft of putting together a good recording. Like the Marines, he wants me the best that I can be. Hoo-rah!
Your voice is a muscle and it fatigues. With audio books, the vocalization must have consistency in timber and flow. The hero's voice on page three hundred should match the way he sounded on page one. This is amazingly difficult to do and you must rely on the acute hearing of your sound tech to tell you when you go astray. The ranges that were available to you at 10:00 a.m. aren't always there at 5:00 p.m. I never noticed...but Matt did.
So, today, when the male voice in my headphones said, "I'm calling a wrap," I never quibbled--just took the headphones off and opened the door to the larger room where Matt worked. My voice had lost the lower growl that I used for my hero and was creeping up the scale. I hadn't noticed...but Matt did.
What did I take away from today? Just as it is difficult to impossible for an author to properly edit their own manuscripts, it is difficult to impossible for a voice-over actor to edit their own recording. Just as a written book benefits from a professional editor and attentive critique partners, so an audio book benefits from a professional sound studio and the attentive ears of a sound technician. And this is before all the magic that's worked with the digital sound mixer.
More about that and the pricey equipment tomorrow. I'm off to have a gallon of hot tea.
Well...I'm sure there was some diplomatic 'handling' of the artist involved but it was also the craft of putting together a good recording. Like the Marines, he wants me the best that I can be. Hoo-rah!
Your voice is a muscle and it fatigues. With audio books, the vocalization must have consistency in timber and flow. The hero's voice on page three hundred should match the way he sounded on page one. This is amazingly difficult to do and you must rely on the acute hearing of your sound tech to tell you when you go astray. The ranges that were available to you at 10:00 a.m. aren't always there at 5:00 p.m. I never noticed...but Matt did.
So, today, when the male voice in my headphones said, "I'm calling a wrap," I never quibbled--just took the headphones off and opened the door to the larger room where Matt worked. My voice had lost the lower growl that I used for my hero and was creeping up the scale. I hadn't noticed...but Matt did.
What did I take away from today? Just as it is difficult to impossible for an author to properly edit their own manuscripts, it is difficult to impossible for a voice-over actor to edit their own recording. Just as a written book benefits from a professional editor and attentive critique partners, so an audio book benefits from a professional sound studio and the attentive ears of a sound technician. And this is before all the magic that's worked with the digital sound mixer.
More about that and the pricey equipment tomorrow. I'm off to have a gallon of hot tea.
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