Recording Tips

Please note, these are suggestions, not requirements. We are not recording professionals, but we pretend to be on TV.

1. Before you do anything, listen to the mp3's on this site to hear how NOT to voice act. Very Bad Professional Voice acting here. Let it serve as an example of what not to do.
2. A bit of pantyhose (or a foam windscreen) over the microphone goes a long way in preventing annoying hissing sounds from your breath.
3. Recording levels are essential. Make sure your recording levels are pegged all the way up. Watch the VU meter at the bottom of Cool Edit's screen for the tell-tale red clip light. If you see this, try backing away from the microphone. A good rule of spacing is to place your thumb on your lips and your pinky finger on the mic and stretch them apart. If you find you have a lot of breath pops try angling the microphone so that your voice doesn't hit it head on.
4. Desk thumps, cable noise and hand noise (if not using a stand). There really isn't a good way to reduce this sort of noise, short of the studio solution. (Tape everything down, and use boom arms not physically attached to the desk.) So, if you hear that sort of noise... Try another take and be more careful. ^_^
5. If at all possible, dedicate a room to recording for the length of your recording session. The microphone should be at least six feet away from your monitor. It is essential that you turn off any window AC units, ceiling fans and fluorescent lights that are in the room. Incandescent bulbs are fine (the good ol' standby.) Dimmer lights are another evil. Stay away from them. Hang a sign on the door, "Aspiring Anime Voice Actor Recording, DO NOT DISTURB!" (Adding the phrase, "UNDER PAIN OF DEATH AND OTHER UNPLEASANTNESS" is authorized and encouraged). Take the telephone out of the room (or unplug it). Turn off ICQ, AIM and other little doodads hanging in that systray that might pop up a stray message. Nothing is more annoying than having your lines rejected due to interference.
6. Record all of your lines in a single take. Leave about 3 seconds between lines and longer if you have to flip a page. After you are done, listen to your lines to check for flubbed lines, coughs, background noise (street noise, airplanes) etc. and "punch in" the section until it is to your liking.The important thing is recording a continuous wav. This minimizes recording differences, etc. After this is done, split the wavform up by lines and save to individual files (by character line number and character name). This will help when sending your lines in. Remember, leave at least one second of room silence before and after each take.
7. Sit up straight! Project into the microphone. Don't shout in it though, even if the direction calls for a "shout". Raise your pitch slightly and speak a *tad* louder, but don't shout. It sounds awful.
8. Many people find a pair of ear muff style headphones essential to the recording process. It cuts out room noise and allows you to focus on the sound of your voice. They're also handy for doing punch-ins to fix that flubbed word.
9. Finally, remember, act. Don't read. Don't try to imitate a voice actor. Sincerity counts more than imitation. Get into character, think like the character, and don't be a ham. If a line comes out false, stop, take a break, grab a glass of ice water and try again.