VO Tips for the Non-VO Pro: Acoustics
Alright, last video’s topic concerning mic technique reminded me about the importance of acoustics as part of your voiceover toolbox.
What is/are acoustics?
It’s essentially the way your recording environment transmits sound. If you’ve ever been to the symphony or opera, you might have noticed that the walls and ceiling are covered with paneling. These panels help control sound reflections and focus sound to the center of the theater. This is also why the best seats in the house are often right smack in the middle, not the front row. Unless you visit the opera to receive the warm spittle of a tenor on your rosy cheeks. Then the front row does indeed contain the best seats.
Why it’s important:
Anyway, many people forget about the crucial importance of acoustics when they record voiceover because they focus so much on the mic or their performance. I can tell you right now that you can have the best mic and performance in the world, but if you’re in the wrong acoustic space then you’ll still sound pretty bad. And your audience will dismiss you as unprofessional. Ideal acoustics should have little to no reverb or reflections in the sound. What does this sound like? Well, let’s step into my bathroom for an exclusive peek into the private world of Joe’s ablutions.
Welcome to my bathroom?
You can tell the acoustic difference right away. I removed the soft bath mats, leaving only hard surfaces which bounce my voice all over. This is a sound quality known as reflection and in extreme cases this can produce reverb—sort of like echoes. For you this means the audience isn’t focusing on the content of what you’re saying but the low quality of the audio. The best way to reduce reflections is by using soft absorbent material like towels, moving blankets, or even clothes. Place them around your recording space. Layers help a lot. If you really want to get into acoustic treatment, you can purchase acoustic foam—and make sure it’s acoustic foam and not mattress topper—to be used around your recording space. Or you can make your own acoustic panels out of special audio insulation. Plenty of YouTube videos on those. So I won’t get into it.
Boxiness:
Alright, back in my warm and comfy booth, which reminds me. You also don’t want your space to sound too boxy. As if you’re under the bed trying to hide from the Gestapo. You may have heard of voice actors using so-called pillow forts when on the road. I highly recommend against this because unless you know what you’re doing with EQ (aka equalization) the audio will sound like this: “this is an exaggeration, but it demonstrates the opposite of the bathroom problem in which sound does not have enough room to travel and therefore sounds muffled.”
So, ideally you would have a larger space to work in—at least 3 feet by 3 feet if possible—and put soft, absorbent material on the walls, ceiling, and floor.
Quick explanation on acoustics vs. sound-proofing:
Finally, I should also make sure you understand that acoustics is different than sound proofing or sound isolation. We’ll get into that in a different video, but think of acoustics as the quality of the audio itself and sound proofing as a barrier protecting the acoustics from external noise.
Acoustics are one of the hardest elements to perfect when recording audio. If you need more specific advice from a millennial voice talent or if all of this is too overwhelming feel free to email me directly: joe@joepassaro.com
