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Moosevoice Club 300
Joined: 16 Nov 2012 Posts: 390 Location: Iowa
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:50 am Post subject: Hey (current and former) radio guys |
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Which of you are either current or former radio guys?
I ask because a VO coach recently told me that I've got a lot of 'radio sound' in my voice yet.
FD, I am still doing a morning radio show.
I'm wondering how you got the 'radio sound' out of your VO reads.
Thanks,
Moose
PS." It's 950. 10 til 10 o'clock!" _________________ www.moosevoice.com |
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BruceG Been Here Awhile
Joined: 01 Jun 2012 Posts: 258 Location: just south of Boston, MA
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:41 am Post subject: |
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Hi Moose! I worked for 12 years part time in radio YEARS ago (left the biz in 2002). When I started my VO journey several years ago I found that I had the same issue, albeit not as pronounced (see what I did there?) as when I was still working in radio.
For me, practicing storytelling has helped me immensely overall. I've been working with my coach for almost a year-and-a-half and have seen measurable growth, especially with my reads for E-learning projects. I also try to do as much reading out loud as I can, every day, to augment the practice I do with narration and commercial scripts for my coaching sessions homework.
I hope this helps - comin' up NEXT, MORE hits from the 80s, 90s and TODAY! _________________ "What was that? An exhibition? We need emotional content." - Bruce Lee, Enter The Dragon |
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Lee Gordon A Zillion
Joined: 25 Jul 2008 Posts: 6844 Location: West Hartford, CT
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:43 am Post subject: Re: Hey (current and former) radio guys |
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Moosevoice wrote: | " It's 950. 10 til 10 o'clock!" |
You forgot the temperature.
This isn't the answer for everyone, but I think it helped me. Whenever possible, work without headphones. In radio, you pretty much have no choice but to use them, so you're always hearing an intensified version of yourself (especially if you're hearing yourself post-processing) and it tends to make you concentrate on your "sound" and not so much on acting. So, do whatever you can to forget about your voice or your sound and just concentrate on the message. _________________ Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice
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Mike Harrison M&M
Joined: 03 Nov 2007 Posts: 2029 Location: Equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia, along the NJ Shore
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 11:30 am Post subject: |
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What both Bruce G and Lee said. Especially Lee's suggestion and for exactly his reason. _________________ Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.
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Bruce Boardmeister
Joined: 06 Jun 2005 Posts: 7926 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 11:54 am Post subject: |
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Take stage acting classes or tryout for amateur theater. Through these you practice being a "real" person (usually) in front of 10 people, or more if you're in a play. In my experience theater actors make the easiest transition into VO.
I've found Toastmasters to be a great experience for myself and others. It teaches you to slow down, not over emote, engage the audience, and win them over to your side. And again they usually have a small audience which is who you're normally performing for in voiceover.
And of course a basic trick is to read to just one person. A friend, a loved one, a lover. Those people you care about would be quite turned off if you tried to talk "radio style" to them.
Luckily, early in my radio career I had an experienced jock pull me aside and suggest I should stop "puking", or playing with my voice. It was a big help.
B _________________ VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005
I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. . |
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Moosevoice Club 300
Joined: 16 Nov 2012 Posts: 390 Location: Iowa
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 1:07 pm Post subject: |
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Bruce wrote: |
Luckily, early in my radio career I had an experienced jock pull me aside and suggest I should stop "puking", or playing with my voice. It was a big help.
B |
But that's the thing is I haven't 'puked' in...well, ever. My Morning radio show is very much a 'conversation' type show.
And with all honesty and humility here, I don't think my stuff 'sounds radio'ish'
moosevoice.com, 'demos' if you wanna give a quick listen and, please, tell me if I'm way off base.
thanks _________________ www.moosevoice.com |
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Bruce Boardmeister
Joined: 06 Jun 2005 Posts: 7926 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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This is super simplification, but what often makes a radio voice a radio voice is diaphragmatic pushing while you talk. It makes you clearer and better understood when there's competing audio on the air, but it's not needed for a natural or conversational style read. I've known voice talents that have a deep buzzy part to their voice which is enhanced by diaphragmatic push, and the best thing they can do to sound natural is lose that. Only use the mid and upper ranges. Don't push so hard.
On your demo you headed in the softer direction in three of the last cuts. I'd try demos with more of that style.... maybe something super soft, sexy, or sweet up front.
You know what's really "funny" here, is when I listen to several national commercials on TV or radio, at least half are read in radio or carnival barker style. Heck at least half of my demo clips are announcery, often as a parody of the announcery style, but still, elevated in power and tone.
I guess the lesson here is develop and promote a more natural read so you can expand your offerings, but keep the more driven read because you will always make money off of that too.
B _________________ VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005
I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. . |
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todd ellis A Zillion
Joined: 02 Jan 2007 Posts: 10493 Location: little egypt
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 3:26 pm Post subject: |
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i've been free since 1997 - but, like bruce, i had a early in my radio days that badgered (most) of the traditional radio sound out of my voice. he said, "just talk. don't think about it ... just talk." i remember that all the time. _________________ "i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?
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Frank F Fat, Old, and Sassy
Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 4421 Location: Park City, Utah
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 5:19 pm Post subject: |
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Choose (D: ) All of the above.
Talk to yourself out loud while practicing a read... while recording the script. Do NOT read it like you are going to do it for radio... tell the story of the script as if someone is sitting next to you in an intimate setting and intent on your every word.
Then, listen back to your "practice" reads before you do the actual recording.
Listen for the nuances of how you are saying a complete sentence and not a staccato variation of the text.
Our business is all about talking out loud what you hear in your head.
F2
Forgot to add: 20 years radio and total 47 years as a VO Artiste' (LOL) _________________ Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com
Last edited by Frank F on Wed Jan 15, 2020 6:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Dan-O The Gates of Troy
Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 1636
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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18 year radio vet. It took me 3 years of coaching to break it. The struggle to change was caused by pride, old demons, and fear of losing current clients. I thought I knew what I was doing, because of the accolades I received from my radio friends. What I came to realize is I had to become an actor.
Radio taught me so many bad VO habits while doing my daily production duties: rip-n-read script interpretation and making it sound slick to put lipstick on that pig of a read to name a couple.
Here's what I do know: radio and VO are completely different beasts and the only thing they share is the use of a mic. The level of intimacy, reflection, preparation, and control needed for an authentic VO vs a radio read is night and day.
Kudos to your coach and to you for seeking the way out.
Addendum: There is no right or wrong here, only the type of work you wish to pursue. I was doing quite well by all standards with my radio read. But the desire to work in promo, trailers and documentaries was greater than the financial risk I was willing to take by shifting my reads into a style my current clients simply didn't want. |
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ricevoice Cinquecento
Joined: 28 Dec 2007 Posts: 532 Location: Sacramento, CA
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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Same... 15 years on air, several years of coaching to break it. One thing that helped me to finally get it was to think of the microphone as someone's ear... not worrying about trying to cut through the music/sfx/processing/etc (and letting the engineer worry about that stuff) and just talking to someone. "Conversational" radio is still usually much more projected and affected than real conversation. _________________ Chris Rice - Noisemaker
www.ricevoice.com |
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Deirdre Czarina Emeritus
Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 13016 Location: East Jesus, Maine
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Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2020 8:33 am Post subject: |
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Some people you know are significantly successful in helping people move thru "the radio read". _________________ DBCooperVO.com |
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Bob Bergen CM
Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 939
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Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2020 8:43 am Post subject: |
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I think you could substitute "radio" read with "conversational" read. I have never done radio, but my issue was nailing that conversational read.
Two years of vo classes and I still sounded like I was reading. I took a break from vo classes and dove into acting and improv classes. That was the trick. I had zero acting technique when I first studied vo. I knew not of subtext, intent, relationships, etc. Before acting training I wasn't comfortable at the mic in my own skin. I had no tools to make the words my own, as if they were extemporaneous, off the cuff. Since I was reading solo I never took into account a scene partner. That scene partner is there. Their lines and my relationship to them is in my head. But I still had to relate to that scene partner, even in a read for detergent or a sale of sedans. With solid acting training I had the skills to read vo copy in the same way I just shoot the shit with family and friends. I was able to infuse myself into the words.
I then went back to vo for another two years of training and it was night and day. But it took a lot of work. The first 9 months in acting class felt like I was spinning my wheels. Then, bam! I "got it." I connected with the technique being taught and was able to apply it to the script. The script is a skeleton. Our job is to give it a body. The body is made up of many layers of nuance and interest.
So my advice mirrors DB's. Study acting and improv! You cannot perform Shakespeare in radio voice. Or Arthur Miller, Mamet, etc. |
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Philip Banks Je Ne Sais Quoi
Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Posts: 11048 Location: Portgordon, Scotland
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Jack Daniel Cinquecento
Joined: 23 Jun 2016 Posts: 576 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 6:20 pm Post subject: |
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Philip Banks wrote: |
Opening contribution from lead guitarist of The Carpenters! |
It's like he's a friend, just talking into my ear. With a hammer. _________________ Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town |
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