"Which way would you like it?"

 Sometimes you'll receive a script to record that contains words that can be pronounced several ways. "Data" comes to mind. Some will say it as data (da-tuh. da as in
"apple") and others as (day-tuh). Or the word "anti." Some will go with (ant-eye) and others as (ant-ee). Both ways are acceptable. Neither is wrong. Check with the person you'll be recording for about how they want it said BEFORE you step to the mike. You'll come off as a pro. And that's the goal, right?

"Make it conversational"

 I often see producers wanting a conversational tone in the voice over. One part of that is lowering the volume of your voice. Don't shout at the microphone! It's designed to amplify your voice.

I do a lot of educational and training narrations. Using a conversational delivery is spot on. 

Here is a link to an online tutorial I voiced having to do with publishing and plagiarism. 

https://youtu.be/QjVsDAjNwDw

Leave that jewelry at home!

 Pretty much common sense but if you're going in for a recording session, leave your jewelry at home or at least put it in your purse. Jewelry can make a bit of noise. The producer and audio engineer will not be pleased with you.  OK, keeping it short and sweet on this post.

Grand Theft Auto Vice City the Untold Story

On a recent Sunday, I was looking through Craigslist ads and spotted one wanting a voice over for one of the most successful video games of all time-"Grand Theft Auto". I immediately emailed a reply and the producer emailed back with some copy for me to do a quick audition. He liked what he heard and hired me as the narrator. He puts together these types of videos and parks them on You Tube and gets thousands of views.  The one I voiced is about 80's crime and drugs. WARNING: This video is violent. So,  it's up to you. No nudity either. Here's a link to the video I narrated. Open the video and then you'll hear me throughout. It runs about 13 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYh3LvTjFok&feature=youtu.be

Slower is better for on hold messages

So no joke,over the years I have voiced hundreds and hundreds of on hold messages. It's a different style of read. Go a bit slower with your pace so the caller can take in all the information. When you are recording the on hold script and come upon the company's phone number, hours of operation, and address, slow it down. You don't want to go too fast in these sections. All in all, it's a slower voice over than say a TV commercial or radio spot where things move fast .
Remember, when recording on hold messages, slower is better! 

Finding your "Mr. Microphone"

I often see posts on a voice over forum I go to online with questions about what is the best microphone for voice over. The short answer is there is no "best" microphone. And a mike that
you sound good on may not be right for me. That said, there  is one low budget entry level mike that I have owned and think is very good sounding for the money (around $90) and that's the Audio Technica 20-20.It gets really great reviews and I used mine to record four amusing commercials that aired nationally on the Game Show Network. Personally, I think for the money, it's a fantastic buy. Go on Amazon and search "Audio Technica 20-20." You can read the reviews and customer ratings.