Some Voiceovers love 'em, some loathe 'em. Personally I’m a big fan of a live session, ideally with both producer & client dialling in. It’s definitely my preferred way of recording and if you're a Creative Director or Producer, it should be yours too.
"Jenny, I’m very busy. I really don’t have time to sit in on a live session. Besides, isn’t it super complicated to dial in to your studio? I don’t have ISDN. Can’t we just have a quick chat over the phone and then you just get on with it and send me the audio?"
Yes I could self-record. And with clients and producers I’ve been working with a long time, I often do. But even then, a live session is still better.
Here’s why.
You’ll get the tone right FIRST TIME. No re-records. No more session fee’s.
Only last week I had a script land in my inbox with the brief - ‘bright, pacey and full of energy.’ A brief like this is wide open to misinterpretation - from ‘animated conversation with a mate’, right up to ‘Defcon 1 kids TV presenter.’ Real time collaboration means client, producer and voiceover are all on the same page. You’ve hired me for the hour so we can play around with pronunciation, pace, tone, intonation, inflection, projection, emotion…until it’s EXACTLY right.
We can rectify a problematic script.
Then there's the scripts that havn't actually been read out loud. You'd be surprised how often this happens. A live session means the client gets to hear exactly how terrible a 70 word, jargon rich sentence sounds. We can then tweak scripts on the fly, getting rid of clunky, repetitive sentences, so that it flows much more naturally.
ISDN is dead. Long live Cleanfeed and Source Connect.
To dial in to my home studio, all you need is a laptop, headphones and Google Chrome. That’s it. No need to get everyone together in a big posh studio. No limits on the number of people dialling in. I record everything my end and then send you a fully mastered version of your preferred take, as well as the full, unedited session file, so that you can play around with it yourself if you like.
Connection.
Live sessions are just way more fun. They’re a chance to get off the email and get to know each other a little better as human beings. When you get your clients involved, it’s often the first time they’ve sat in on a recording session. It’s exciting. They feel looked after, closer to the script and more in control of the outcome. I guarantee they’ll leave with a warm, fuzzy feeling (no extra charge) and be happier with the results.
We miss the banter!
Finally, spare a thought for us lonely VO’s when you’re all aboard the office banter bus. Live sessions save us from the madness of talking to ourselves in dark booths all day.
Live session or self-record? Which do you prefer and why? Let me know in the comments!