VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[Mike Harrison]

I have to know what others think about this.

It's true that, in noisy environments, I have trouble understanding people trying to speak to me. But I firmly believe, when an audio message is produced (whether married to video or not), that the message - the words... the very reason the piece was produced - should be easily understood and easy to listen to. And I feel that way NOT simply because I do voice over, but because I believe, like all creative things, that listening should be a pleasant experience; one that doesn't require effort to appreciate.

Increasingly, there seems to be a belief among those, experienced or not, who are responsible for producing audio that mixing means all elements should be as loud as possible. Now, my point: background music should be just that: background. Yes, it should support and even enhance the message, if possible, but it should never fight the message; it should never compete with the voice over.

I need to know if others find the music in this video as overly loud as I do. I find it not only distracting and annoying, frankly, but it forces me to "squint" with my ears, so to speak, to be able to make out what's being said. I consider this aural assault. The notion of subtlety is, apparently, dead. What legitimate reason could there be to have the music as loud as it is?

Comments?
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[Bruce]

First, congratulations on your 20-year old female read. You hit it spot on.

More than volume I found the music itself terribly annoying. That piercing piano made my sweet wife of 20+ years threaten to throw one of us out of the house if I didn’t stop the torture. I think the producers of the piece wanted the “traveling through time” and “we’re everywhere” feel to their music, but they missed the 538 better choices they could have made.

And yes, it was too effin’ loud.

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[Karyn OBryant]

Please. Make the piano stop.
The repetitive mini-scales are like tiny hammers.

I agree with Bruce -- not the best choice for background.
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Pretending to be other people since 1986.

www.karynobryant.com

[Lee Gordon]

I agree, the music is way too loud. And I stopped watching before I could figure out if the voiceoverist was a non-native English speaker with a very slight accent or just someone with so-so diction.
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[Bob Bergen]

The mix didn’t bother me.

That said, one of the reasons many veteran voice actors have their demos professionally produced, rather than using real work, is because rarely is the finished product mixed to the actor’s advantage. Especially Class A commercials.

[Kim Fuller]

I'd put money on her being a non-native English speaker rather than a case of bad diction - as it's Renault, they may have just liked that bit of hard-to-define difference.

[Jack Daniel]

Mix is fine for me. Easy to understand the words, and the music did seem to support the point of the spot, which I took to expand Renault's brand beyond metrics and reliability and into our emotional core, as advertising does. The young woman reading sounds very daughterly and full of that uncorrupted joy that girls, especially, are able to convey. The slight (Middle European?) accent adds both a touch of sophistication and just enough distance to keep things from getting too cloying.
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Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town

[Bob Bergen]

The varying opinions here make an important point. Talent and (or) what works is subjective. A mix is subjective. There is no right or wrong. Our job is to do the best acting we can do. It is out of our hands if we get hired. It is out of our hands how the finished product is mixed. I myself would never negatively publicly criticize a spot as I’ve seen too many damage their career by doing so as we never know if/when a buyer gets wind of what we say in print. Gotta assume everyone sees everything. And there’s no way of knowing if someone on this forum has a connection with that spot.

[Mike Harrison]

I respectfully disagree on one point: there CAN, indeed, be a right or wrong. And I'll take the onus off everyone else here by stating (regardless of what kind of content) that it is my opinion, as someone who has been producing audio for over 40 years, that this spot was mixed extremely poorly. (Horrors... did I say that?) And this is not at all the first example of bash-their-heads-in mixing I've heard, but it is so far the worst.

This kind of "hot" mix is suitable for songs. This piece is not a song. I happen to cherish dynamic range; audio that does not constantly assault my eardrums. Those who enjoy everything loud all the time will, in due time, be asking others to speak louder. I wish them well.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[Bob Bergen]

.....to your ears, Mike.

Listen, I’ve seen actors clutching a golden trophy crying, “I’d like to thank The Academy” wondering how they ever got into the business, let alone nominated.

What works is subjective. One person’s over produced is another person’s dynamic presence. There is no right or wrong when it comes to a listening opinion. Or artistic opinion. I saw a movie recently which I thought had a horrible ADR mix. But many producers and studio executives obviously disagreed with me as they released the film as is. Hey, they are entitled to their opinion and they have way more say and clout in this rodeo than I.

[Mike Harrison]

Yeah, it's just a shame that the thing we specialized in at one time is now being done by what appears to be those who, with little or no talent, buy a computer, software and outboard gear and proclaim him or herself a producer (or illustrator, or writer, or any number of other creative professions). And, why not, when many of the buyers are of the "that's good enough" mindset?

A real shame.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[Bob Bergen]

The film world said the same about Roger Corman. The theatrical animators of the 60s said the same of Hanna-Barbara. Everyone has their definition of standards. Scooby-Doo was once considered trash. Now, some call it a classic. Again, everything is relative and subjective. Hey, I hated Citizen Cane. Some call it the greatest film ever made, I call it pretentious. All a matter of subjective opinion. I also hate Sondheim. My theater friends hate me for that.

[todd ellis]

it didn't particularly bother me - i agree with bob - it's what the client wanted and that's that. i picture them in the booth saying, "that's good, but turn the music up a bit more ..."
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

[Karyn OBryant]

Indeed.
In the end, it matters not a jot what I think, but what the client likes and wants.




I still don't like the music.
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Pretending to be other people since 1986.

www.karynobryant.com

[Frank F]

No, it is NOT just you. That said, the client got what they paid for. Quality, NO. Professional mix, no. VO, meh,

Production was most likely created - Fast. Not good or cheap.

F2
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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