Technique Archives - Joe Passaro Voiceovers

VO Tips for the Non-VO Pro: Clothing

Hey, I like the way your clothes sound…said no one ever.

These videos are primarily meant for the non-voiceover professional—people who need to record their voice and get a decent sound without having to take a course, read a book, or do the years of training, etc. And because… there are already tons of videos and guides on how to be a voice actor.

Voicever Clothing: Why Does it Matter?

Alright, this video is about what you WEAR when recording. Voiceover clothing is something you probably haven’t really thought about much, but it can be a seriously annoying problem.

So, we’re about to record, we checked the script, our DAW, microphone, made sure the guy with the leaf blower next door has stopped for lunch, maybe even did some vocal warmups, so we start and get through a long section of the script only to listen back after and hear lots of low-volume rustling. Is it my mouth making noise? The A/C kicking on? The neighbor’s leaves flying against my windows warning me that my house is about to be ripped off the ground in an apocalyptic tornado storm in southern California? Nope. It’s my clothes. Can you hear them?

Obviously what I’m wearing is a bit of an exaggeration. But even outdoorsy pants like the Eddie Bauer water-resistant pants I’m wearing can make noise when I move. My wife can actually hear me walking down the hall with these babies on. The problem is the material. Best solution?

Solution:

I’ve found cotton clothing to be the quietest voiceover clothing. And in general I try to wear as little clothing as possible—just a t-shirt and shorts usually. I haven’t recorded naked yet…though I suppose if the character demanded a certain…shall we say, carefree attitude…I could probably go full monty.

If you have any questions or would rather have me voice the project for you altogether, reach out direct at joe@joepassaro.com.

VO Tips for the Non-VO Pro: Proximity Effect

Well that was a long hiatus. Thanks a lot, Thanksgiving! Alright, today I want to get into mic technique.

What’s mic technique?

It’s how you use your mic to get the right sound you want and how to avoid sounds you don’t want. It’s actually related to performance in the sense that your voice, the mic, and even your recording space can be viewed as instruments or tools. How you “play” each of these contributes to your performance for better or for worse. The technique we’re talking about today is what is called the proximity effect.

Proximity effect:

The proximity effect is what happens when you get very close to your mic. You want to do this when you want to sound intimate or warm, kind of like someone confiding something to you and they get close enough to whisper. But we don’t whisper because that’s actually bad for your voice; instead, we just speak quietly. We also do this when we want to make our voice sound larger than it is, like a big monster or some grand wizard behind a curtain.

What does it sound like?

Well, let me do a little demonstration! “At Greenfield hospital we know how important family is WHEN YOU ARE THRUST INTO BATTLE WITH FEROCIOUS RAGE!”

So unless you’re trying to communicate these sentiments or characters, I HIGHLY recommend you back off your mic—at least 6-8 inches or about the distance between your extended pinky and thumb like so. Otherwise, you may sound a little scarier or more unprofessional than you might intend.

For example, if I were doing an eLearning narration on security in the workplace it would likely sound too intimate to the listener if I used the proximity effect: “Remember to keep your personal and company belongings in a safe and secure location.” But by backing off a few inches that same line sounds much cleaner and formal: “Remember to keep your personal and company belongings in a safe and secure location.”

Final tip:

Finally, one thing to remember is that mics are not all the same: some produce a greater proximity effect while others produce little to none. Most of the time you won’t use this technique, but it’s important to know what it is, whether you need it, and whether you have the right mic for it.

If you’d like to leave the technique mastering to the masters then hire a freelance millennial voice actor like yours truly. Email any time: joe@joepassaro.com. 🙂

Joe Passaro

Voice Actor

Clothing

VO Tips for the Non-VO Pro: Clothing