Voice over work can seem like a very solitary business. The narrator is, after all, sitting alone in a room with a text when recording. That’s why I like to make sure that in my production process, I stay connected and communicative with you, the author or rights holder, to help make your vision of the book into reality.
Below is a bit about how I find projects, coordinate with authors, and make a book come to life.
I try to find projects that excite me, whether that is through an engaging plot or well written characters. To find audiobook projects, I keep an eye on Audible’s ACX platform and also like to to meet local authors in person at their events. For an audition, I love seeing notes from the author on character ages, personality and voice traits.
The first meeting is a chance for us to chat about project timelines, character notes, and tone of the book. I like to chat over Zoom preferably, or over the phone. Talking things out “face to face” can really help the collaboration! If all things align, you then would send me the full book so that I can read and prepare it. Following the first meeting, I may send you emails with questions regarding pronunciation.
ACX by Audible requires a 15 minute check point for their process. I like to use this model as well, whether we are producing for Audible or not. Before I start narrating the full book, you send me fifteen minutes worth of content to narrate. This is a chance to choose characters that you have specific voices for in mind or specific sections that require a certain tone. After I send back the recorded 15 minutes, you can send me your input.
Here comes the fun part! I dive into the narration. I record in my home studio with my Rhode NT1 microphone. The length of this process is dependent on the word count of your book. During our first meeting, we can determine a production timeline that works best for us.
Audio editing requires getting rid of bad takes and unwanted sounds. I make sure to be thorough and I proof my edited audio as well. At the end, the mastering stage involves matching the audio levels and tone across chapters. I use Adobe Audition as my DAW and use an additional plug-in for click reduction. Because this process can be a lengthy one, I only go back to correct mistakes with text to audio or pronunciation at this point, and do not make changes to voices or tone.
Distribution is the final stage of getting your book to the public. If your project is being published through ACX, I send the finished mp3 files to you, with the required file naming conventions. If your project is not through ACX, I can help find the right distributor such as Core Source or others for your needs.
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