Debbie Grattan

Practical Home Studio Advice for the Voice Over Talent

February 28, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 2 of an Interview with David Louis of Audio Images Kauai

In the second installment of this series, Voice Over Talent Debbie Grattan and Dave Louis of Audio Images Kauai discuss the practicalities and working relationship between producer and voice over talent.

Dave Louis and Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush are all smiles after a four hour ADR session for “The King’s Speech” at Audio Images Kauai. Tom Hooper directed the session via a phone patch from London, England.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: For people that have their own home voice over studios, what kind of advice can you give them from an audio engineering perspective?

David Louis: Ambient noise is probably the number one problem as far as quality, so soundproofing is the most important thing a voice over talent should do in their home voice over studio.

There is nothing worse than working remotely with a male or female voice over talent and having to pause the session because a dog is barking or a car is driving by.

Secondly, make sure you have a really good microphone. The Sennheiser 421 Shotgun and the Neumann U87 are the standards of the industry as far as voice over talent recording goes.

If you have a good microphone and a good quiet room, then all of the other peripheral stuff is just fluff.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: How do you like to run a remote audio recording session?

David Louis: I really like it when voice over talent truly listens to my direction and takes it. If a voice over talent comes to the session with preconceived ideas, I have to stop and bring them down and get them onto my page. If I can give you direction and you can perform and do what my client and I need you to do, that’s far better than telling me what you’ve been doing. I don’t have huge problems with this, but it does happen.

Also, don’t let technical aspects and timing distract you. There is a continuity — a rhythm — that’s lost when talent worries about these things. Make sure your VU meters are looking good in advance and then just let it roll. During the voiceover session, all I want you to do is focus on the script.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: Is there anything else you expect male and female voice talent to bring to the table?

David Louis: Aside from your talent and the ability to take direction, give me all of the takes. Don’t bother editing or cleaning it up because I may use something in there.

Voice Over Talent – Debbie Grattan: Would your answer to this question be different if you were addressing a voice over talent just starting out in the business?

David Louis: To sum it up in two words, my advice to new voice over talent is to be professional. Be open, be on time, be prepared, and be totally dedicated to doing that particular project at that particular time. When there is professional talent on the other end, I really don’t have to do much. It makes the session easier and the performance is better, which is the most important thing to me.

Check out Part 1 of this two part series which touches on the impact of technology on the voice over business for the typical female voice over talent working from a home voice over studio.

Debbie Grattan has been a professional voice over talent for 20+ years, collaborating on thousands of projects and partnering with hundreds of production companies, marketing and advertising firms, commercial voice-over recording studios and corporate/business clients around the United States and throughout the world. Check out her Professional Voice Over Talent Demos and request a Custom Voice Over Talent Audition for your upcoming project.

Technology’s Impact on Professional Female Voice Talent

February 15, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Part 1 of an Interview with David Louis of Audio Images Kauai

Professional female voice talent Debbie Grattan chats with Dave Louis of Audio Images Kauai about how technology has changed the voice over business

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: Dave, we’ve known each other a long time, but I don’t know if I’ve ever heard the story of how you got started in the business as an audio engineer and producer.

David Louis: I got my first job in radio around 1974 doing everything, including voice overs, writing commercials, and learning what to do in terms of production from some very talented people.

Before long, I left KEZY, my last radio job in Southern California, and went to work managing a production studio that catered to advertising agencies. I started meeting, learning, and dealing with professional female voice talent (and male talent as well) and creative directors. As time went on, I bought the business, and my clients started to rely on me for directorial support. I became less an engineer and more a producer and director.

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: How has the audio recording business changed since the advent of home recording studios, ISDN, and the phone patch?

David Louis: Technology is what made my move to Hawaii possible. Everything I’m doing here is the same as what I was doing when I was back in LA because everything is digital, everything is Internet.

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: How has technology changed the way a professional female voice talent works?

David Louis: It has dramatically changed for male and female voice talent because they don’t have to be on the road anymore. Suddenly, they’re making more money and doing more work because they don’t have to drive from studio to studio.

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: Are there any downsides?

David Louis: Fifty percent of the concentration for voice talent is now on the technical aspects. It’s distracting and they don’t realize how much it’s affecting their delivery and performance.

Likewise, directing is not as easy when you’re on a phone patch. If everyone else is in a “real” studio (as opposed to voice over talent alone in their own home studio) that’s the worst because I’ll hear this phantom voice in the background saying, “We’re making a couple of changes.” I actually prefer home studios as opposed to talent working in a different recording studio, since the connection is more direct.

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: Do you handle a session with a male or female voice over talent on a phone patch or ISDN the same as you did when they were in your studio, along with the creative director or ad agency person?

David Louis: Absolutely not. Every studio has a specific sound, and I had the luxury of controlling everything from the room temperature to microphone adjustments. I could save mixer board settings for every male and female voice talent that came into the studio, which is important for continuity.

My standard operating procedure is to play back to talent what we did last time, unless delivery and pacing has changed, joking, ‘This is the guy I need you to do.’ Voice talent gets it, and therein lies the continuity. When talent records on their end, maybe the microphone or EQ isn’t the same, but most of the time we can adjust. Playing those lines back to them really makes a difference. It works every time.

Debbie Grattan – Professional Female Voice Talent: Do you find that end clients are less picky now than they used to be?

David Louis: Absolutely, but I’m speaking from my own experience and the kinds of clients I’ve dealt with. Quality has suffered because it’s not consistent anymore. I’m dealing with male and female voice over talent in different parts of the country and different studio setups, and so it takes a little bit more work on the producing and engineering part to ensure that the continuity is there and everything is sounding as it should for the end client. If the male or female voice over artist can leave thinking they did a great job, then I’ve done my job.

In the second installment, Dave Louis offers more advice for female voice over talent working in a home studio.

Debbie Grattan has been a professional female voice talent for 20+ years, collaborating on thousands of projects and partnering with hundreds of production companies, marketing and advertising firms, commercial voice-over recording studios and corporate/business clients around the United States and throughout the world. Check out her Professional Female Voice Talent Demos and request a Custom Voice Talent Audition for your upcoming project.

Why You Need a Pro Commercial Voice-Over Artist for Your Next Commercial

January 30, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Professional Commercial Voice-Over Artist Debbie Grattan offers her thoughts on the advantages of hiring a Pro Commercial Voice-Over Talent versus someone who is newer to the voice-over business.

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Being a full-time commercial voice-over artist, I always have my ear tuned to commercials. Whether it’s on tv or radio, I find it amusing how just as many listeners are taking their attention away from the program (as it goes to commercial break), I am unconsciously tuning in.

Living in a relatively small media market in the Midwest, I see and hear a wide range of quality in the radio and tv commercial spots. Occasionally, I say to myself (or my husband if he’s in earshot), “What were they thinking? Who approved that read?!”

Perhaps I’m overly sensitive because I grew up in the monstrous market of Southern California, where nearly every single spot (in prime time anyway) is extremely well crafted. And where radio commercials are perhaps even more important than television commercials in attracting listeners and customers, since capturing the ear of all of those drivers on the freeway is essential. I find that a good commercial voice-over track and script can make up for a lot of subpar stuff that may be happening elsewhere in the spot.

So, choosing a quality commercial voice-over talent and making sure you have a well-written script are of paramount importance when you’re trying to make that strong, positive impression on your audience. This holds true for both radio and television commercials when choosing which pro voice talent to hire.

As I’ve mentioned in other commercial voice-over business articles, there are a whole lot of voice talent newbies out there who have jumped into this business thinking they’ve got what it takes to do this for a living. What they usually fail to realize is the subtlety and nuance involved in reads, and how one little change in inflection can completely change the meaning that is conveyed to the audience.

I find that without some solid acting training and script interpretation skills, it’s very difficult to have the foundation to be able to provide the array of vocal options that clients often want to hear, so they can choose the best take. Most of the time, that foundation comes only after years of experience.

If you’re going to the cost and effort of producing a tv or radio commercial, I strongly suggest you don’t cut corners in the voice talent selection part of the process. The voice talent can make or break the success of your advertising spot.

I know not everyone realizes this. Some people are very visual, others are kinesthetic and still others are auditory. It’s essential to cover all three bases (and look/listen) to your spot from all combined perspectives, to make sure you are sending the desired message on all channels

Debbie Grattan is a professional commercial voice-over artist who has been in the voiceover business for more than 20 years. She’s been the “go to” artist for many production companies and recording studios across the US. Check out her commercial voice-over demos, and request a commercial voice-over audition to hear what kind of quality Debbie can deliver.

Why Hire a Female Voice Actor Over a Male Voice Actor

January 15, 2012 by Debbie Grattan

Female Voice Actor Debbie Grattan covers some of the pros and cons to consider when hiring a male and female voice actor for a voiceover project. I read recently that over 3.3 million commercials are playing each day, just on the radio alone! That number is staggering, but it’s good news for me because every one of those spots needs a voice talent.

I find most people don’t pay all that much conscious attention to commercials. We’ve gotten very good at tuning them out (I bet the advertisers hate hearing me say that). That’s why we are being bombarded with more and more advertising messages each day. The average person sees and hears anywhere from 300 to 3000 individual daily ads in various media formats. It’s a numbers game. The advertisers know only a few messages will get through, so they have to throw more and more messages at us in hopes the right ones will stick. Talk about a competitive environment!

It’s very interesting to take a look at the factors that most influence the effectiveness of a radio or television commercial registering with its intended audience. One component which sometimes gets overlooked by the average consumer is the voice talent doing the speaking.

Celebrity Voice Overs On the Rise

These days, you can hear a wide variety of celebrity voiceovers on commercials selling everything from milk (Holly Hunter), orange juice (Donald Sutherland & Tom Selleck), credit cards (Morgan Freeman), cars (Jeff Bridges, Tim Allen, Peter Coyote), and the list goes on for quite awhile.

Why choose these voices? In the case of many of them, they actually have very distinctive ways of speaking that would probably not translate into big bucks if the average voice talent had the same way of speaking. Their voices are recognizable to the average person, but I don’t think most people realize who the voice is when they hear it. There is a comfort and familiarity that is largely unconscious. And, advertisers LOVE to do things in the unconscious part of our brains. That’s how they get us to take action, by pushing buttons that we don’t even know we have.

So the famous voice actor can have some effect on the average listener, but what about the basic difference between an unknown female voice actor versus an unknown male voice actor? Does it matter which sex you hear on the spot? Sex sells, but which sex sells better? Of course, that depends on who you’re talking to.

Do Women Prefer Hearing a Female Voice Actor?

Here’s one theory, which is based solely on my real life experience living with my husband. Women are much more “shopping” oriented than men. Duh, right? But, let me elaborate a bit.

My husband doesn’t shop. He goes to the store when he actually NEEDS something. I rarely see him come how with something he didn’t intend to get when he left the house. I’ve seen other men do this too and I find it mildly intriguing.

I, on the other hand, have a hard time NOT getting things I don’t actually need. Especially if they are marked down 50% or more. My husband and I have had some interesting discussions around this, and I’ve learned to control some of my urges in this area, most of the time.

I think that women are much more “suggestible” when it comes to getting them to buy stuff they don’t actually need. And, that’s often what the advertisers want all of us to do. Heck, if everyone only bought stuff they actually needed, this country would be in a world of hurt. Just look at what happens when people stop consuming so much… Our economy takes a dive pretty quick.

I firmly believe that for most products and services, your odds of selling are better if you target female buyers. Simply because female buyers are, on average, more prone to want to shop. And more shopping automatically leads to more buying.

One great way to get a woman to listen is to have your commercial sales pitch delivered by a female voice actor. We, women, tend to trust each other. We have a special bond that men just don’t get. I notice I am much more tuned into ads with a pleasant-sounding female voice actor than with a man’s voice. I may still listen to either way, but I feel more comfortable and at ease with a woman’s voice in general.

Reasons Why a Female Voice Actor Can Be a Better Choice:

1. Women pay more attention to radio and TV commercials. Because of that, advertisers often target the female audience. Watch an hour of prime-time television (other than sports) and ask yourself for each ad, “Was that ad aimed at a man or a woman?” You’ll find most ads are aimed at women.

2. Women can be more believable in a voice over, in general, they are perceived as less aggressive, softer, and more easygoing than a male.

3. Women can speak to other women (trust factor, friend to friend, confidant) AND also to men, with the sexy, sultry style that is attention-grabbing for the male.

4. Women can be perceived as intelligent, without being oppressive, or dominating, in a way that works well for corporate video, training industries, e-learning, etc.

It’s interesting to note that men are often portrayed as dopey and unintelligent in commercials. Do you think the advertisers would be doing that if men were the target audience? Advertisers know that women enjoy commercials that make women look superior to men.

So, here’s the thing. If an advertising firm is making this decision, then it’ll be factoring in this type of analysis and research to determine which voice will work best. But, I sometimes find that the person making this decision is not an ad agency but the end client. And in this case, it can sometimes be nothing more than the client’s own comfort level with their own gender or the opposite gender. Clients may ignore the advice of the person they’re paying a large sum to manage their advertising, simply to follow what “feels” best to them. While I believe in following your feelings and intuition, sometimes you must follow the expert’s advice.

For your next commercial spot, give this some thought and put yourself in the mind/ear of your target market to hire which type of voice is a better fit and will yield the best results.

Before You Hire Voiceover Talent, Ask These 5 Questions

November 30, 2011 by Debbie Grattan

In this age of technology, it is all too easy to achieve the appearance of being a quality voiceover talent even though you’re not quite up to snuff. Seemingly, all that is needed is a good microphone, a decently sound-proofed room in which to record, some editing software, a slick website, and presto… you’re in the voiceover business!

Living now in a relatively small media market in the Midwest, I see and hear a wide range of quality in the radio and tv commercial spots. Occasionally, I say to myself (or my husband if he’s in earshot), “What were they thinking? Who approved that read?!”

Female Voice Actor Debbie Grattan offers 5 Key Questions to Ask When You Hire Voiceover Talent

But, like most things in life, just because something looks (or sounds) easy, doesn’t mean that it actually IS easy. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone called me during the past 20 years and said, “My (pick one… friend, spouse, neighbor, dog) thinks I have a really great voice and that I should get into the voiceover business as my new profession. Can you tell me how to go about doing that?”

I’m all for helping people get started on their path of living their dreams and discovering their purpose in life. Everybody has to start somewhere.

But, when I explain to the prospective newbie voice over actor just what is involved in terms of training and experience, I can almost feel them starting to squirm as they try to find a way to politely end our conversation just as soon as humanly possible.

People don’t like to hear the truth when the truth feels uncomfortable: What looks so easy, is in reality, a whole lot of hard work, persistence, luck, and years of experience required in order really make being a paid voiceover talent into a full time career.

And I realize these folks are out there in cyberland competing for the same jobs I’m trying to win. The slew of voiceover websites now offering voiceovers for “as low as (pick a ridiculous, rock-bottom amount)” bring in even more batches of folks, working at deeply discounted rates, to compete for a single gig.

I can imagine what happens to producers who suddenly discover (a few minutes into the recording session, with the client sitting in the control room or on listening in on a phone patch somewhere) that this voiceover actor who had such great demos and the appearance of real talent just does not have the “chops” to deliver what is needed.

So, here’s my short list of how to separate the legit voiceover actors from the “not ready for prime time players.”

1. Does this voice-over actor have the vocal range that is needed? Can the voiceover talent deliver?

Do they have any specific training as an actor in how to deliver a professional read? Do they have some awesome God-given ability that supersedes actual voiceover acting training? Maybe they’ve just got an ear for it, or a combination of all three. Whatever the source or their voice talent, make sure you can hear a wide range of vocal ability in their voiceover demos. Or, before you hire voiceover talent, take your prospective actor through some paces on the phone, just to see what they can really do — Kind of like a test drive.

Ask for a custom voice over audition for a few differing styles, if possible. Beware if they are unable to answer your calls or emails until after normal business hours as this could suggest they have a full time job other than being a voice over actor, and may not be the perfect choice for your project. Especially if availability is an important factor.

2. Does this voice-over actor have a high-quality recording studio?

A low quality studio can really detract from the end product. This seems fairly obvious, but still is something to look into. Key elements include, a high quality microphone, sound-proofed recording environment, professional grade studio monitors, and a good computer setup (software, quality soundcard or firewire connection, ISDN, SourceConnect, etc). I think that every voiceover actor should post their home recording studio equipment and specs on their website for all to see. Look for it. And don’t just assume their voice over demos were recorded with that same studio setup. There’s a good chance they were recorded somewhere else.

To be safe or if there is any doubt, you can ask for a sample recording done in their home studio so you can get an accurate idea of just what kind of recording studio quality you are dealing with.

3. Does this voice-over actor have real experience as a working voice talent?

Nothing takes the place of experience. The more experienced the voiceover talent is, the better job they will probably do for you. Depending on the job, I highly recommend working with voice-over actors who have solid acting experience, or at least some extensive voiceover acting training from a reputable teacher.

There are many fine workshops in the voiceover services industry, and if you don’t see any credits listed on a bio or voice over resume of where or with whom they studied, ask them. If they don’t have a good answer, then it might be a good time to move on.

Hiring an inexperienced novice to handle your job can only lead to disappointment, frustration and potentially loss of revenue for you and your client. And of course, since you are trying to please your own client, you don’t want to be the one who gets the blame when the voice over actor is less than satisfactory for the job.

4. Has this voiceover actor worked with many quality clients?

If they’ve been in the voiceover business for years, then they should have worked with many clients. I recently tallied up all of the clients I’ve worked with in just the past 5 years, and it totaled over 400 unique clients. Most of those clients used me for multiple jobs. That kind of volume speaks volumes!

Ask them who their current clients are, where you could hear them on TV or radio, or if they have some links to websites where their voiceover work is featured in conjunction with a corporate client. See if the names they provide are nationally recognized names, or local businesses.

Most pro voice-over actors do a combination of all of the above, but if their biggest jobs include Sam the Barber, and Papa’s Hardware store, that might be a clue that they have pretty minimal experience as a working professional voiceover actor.

5. Is this voiceover actor going to deliver what you need promptly and professionally?

When you have a hard deadline, or a finicky client, the last thing you need is a voiceover actor that isn’t up to the challenge. Today, there are many different formats used for audio broadcasting. Does your VO talent know what a CCITT u-Law, 8.000 kHz, 8 Bit Mono format is? This is often needed for IVR and telephony voice jobs. Do they have the knowledge, equipment and software to make this conversion for you?

Do they have a phone patch, to allow you and/or your client to listen in on the session with you in real time, to direct and offer assistance with pronunciation, etc? Is your voiceover actor really a pro?

Do they respond to your inquiries quickly and professionally? Do they offer a custom voice audition of your script to present to your client for approval beforehand? Do they sound knowledgeable when quoting rates, and are they in line with other professional voiceover talent rates for the same job? Are they available to speak to you during your regular business hours?

These are just a few probing questions you can ask before hiring voiceover talent. Do your homework and you’ll be very glad that you did.

And, the best way to avoid having to constantly go through this process (if you frequently need to hire voiceover talent) is to build your own group of “go-to” voiceover talents. Get a few male and a few female voice over actors who are versatile, professional and meet all the suggested requirements mentioned above.

Then, whichever voice over talent you need for a particular job, you can relax knowing that you’ve got a top-notch talent who can always deliver a high-quality service.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voice over actor who has been doing voiceover work for 20+ years. She’s been a “go-to” voice talent for many production companies and recording studios across the US. Check out her voice demos, voice actress bio and studio specs for more information.

Voiceover Career Success Helped by Attitude and Perspective

November 15, 2011 by Debbie Grattan

Female Voice Actor Debbie Grattan shares why attitude and a positive perspective are critically important when trying to build a successful voiceover career.

In reading blogs from other voice actors, I’m noticing that lately I am hearing a good deal of complaining. Discussions about the negative state of the economy, how the market is flooded with “wanna-be” voiceover talents, and that those who used to be able to make a good living as voice actors, without a lot of effort, are now having to either work much harder, or settle for a smaller piece of the pie.

All of these points are valid and true to some degree. However, I have learned that in order to stay on track, I have to align myself with a truth that allows me to feel good and keep moving forward in my voiceover career.

The perspectives and points of view that sound like complaining will actually cause me to become stuck in a whirlpool of negativity, because the way I see the world is how the world will be reflected back to me.

Another saying I’ve found to be true is, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Change the Way You Look at Your Voiceover Career and Your Voiceover Career Will Change

I truly believe that attitude plays one of the most important roles in being successful in anything one chooses to pursue, not just in having a voiceover career. I believe if there is something “unwanted” in my experience (a perceived problem), the best and most effective thing for me to do is usually to NOT give it very much attention, but notice it, allow it to be, and move forward toward what I want. Perhaps there is valuable information contained in this unwanted experience.

For that reason, it is always worthwhile to look at the problem long enough to see it clearly. But, once I’ve “mined the gold out of it,” I have no reason to keep thinking about the problem. This too shall pass, as long as I don’t get fixated on it and cause it to hang around longer than it needs to!

Indeed, by focusing on the things that we don’t want (i.e. “The economy stinks”, “there aren’t enough jobs out there”, “I’m not making enough money”) we put ourselves into alignment with a state of “lack,” and we actually become creators of the very things we are attempting to avoid.

Positive Thinking Alone is Not Enough

There is a lot of New Age thinking in the world today, which gets labeled as “Pollyanna-ish.” I agree that positive thinking alone is not enough. Beliefs and thought patterns can be ingrained very strongly within us, and are often extremely resistant to change.

My husband has worked for several years as a life coach helping people to dismantle their limiting beliefs, and choose to have the lives that they dare to dream. It’s entirely possible to achieve a more desireable life experience, but the thinking and beliefs need to get lined up properly to support that outcome.

I find that: What we focus on, expands in our awareness. Where our attention goes, energy and consciousness flows, and the object of that attention grows. Energy and consciousness has awesome creative properties which we are only beginning to understand.

So, to actually achieve success with a VO career, and the manifestation of thing we WANT — to be a successful, constantly working voice actor, it is important to have the proper positive perspectives, and eliminate the obstacles that can derail our thinking and ultimately our actions.

It’s a lot easier to think of ourselves as a failure, than to actually achieve success, so it’s critically important to disregard the limiting thoughts that roll around in our heads. They’re just thoughts, after all.

Tips for Changing Your Focus

In addition to focusing on what you WANT instead of what you don’t want, you can get your thoughts headed in a positive direction by using few techniques noted by SourcesofInsight:

Ask yourself questions instead of making statements. Rather than telling yourself “Don’t focus on the gig I didn’t get,” ask yourself something like, “What do I want to go for next?”
Ask HOW rather than WHY. Instead of asking, “Why don’t I get these gigs?” try asking, “How can I improve my auditions?”
Ask questions to change your frame of mind. If you catch yourself wondering things like, “What was the worst voiceover workday I’ve ever had?” turn the tables to wonder “What was the best day I’ve ever had?”

I believe that universally, there are laws and principles in place, that will support us, and allow us to materialize the life and reality that we choose on this physical plane, regardless of any circumstance we can point to, that appears to be in the way – i.e. the economy, overpopulation of voice over actors, computer generated voices taking the place of actual voice actors, etc.

But, we must live in alignment with those laws and principles so that they can act as a tailwind rather than a headwind. And we must be willing to adapt to the constantly changing environment we now live in and step into the opportunities that are presented to us, even though it sometimes feels a little uncomfortable to take that step.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voiceover actor who has been building a successful vo career for over 20 years. She’s been the “go to” artist for many production companies and recording studios across the US. Check out her voiceover demos, female voice actor bio and home recording studio specs for more information.

VERSATILE

EXPERIENCED

PROFESSIONAL