How do you prepare for a recording session and communicate with your clients or collaborators?

This one is big! Many artists and engineers I’ve worked with go into the studio with distorted goals or tunnel vision on specific idea. That is often very limiting. It’s important for the artist and the engineer to have a shared, achievable goal to work towards. That’s where the magic starts.

Provide examples of recordings, sounds, effects, and gear that you want to use as the template for your recordings. This will give an engineer, producer, or any musician a guide to help accomplish your vision.

When it comes to involving a band in a recording project, it's crucial for me to meet in person and establish the "rules of the game" together. We'll need to understand together what the album or single wants to be from an emotional standpoint and final yield from a technical perspective, evaluating together what equipment to use and how to manage the musicians' personal instruments. I also like to provide a clear structured plan of all the recording stages, with full involvement on my part in the creative processes, emphasizing that my philosophy is to best sonically represent what I have in front of me, without distorting the band's musical proposal with unnecessary artifices.

As a professional voice-over artist it's customary for the producer, copywriter or client to explain their project and their preferred style of read at the beginning of a live recording session. In case they don't, don't hesitate to ask them yourself! This is a great opportunity for both parties to ask questions and ensure that everyone is on the same page. If the script is long, it's recommended to read the first paragraph to identify the desired voice and overall vibe. After that, the recording process can begin, with a focus on capturing little nuances within the piece.

I'm a voice-over in Portugal and a lot of my work is done remotely from my home studio, not always with clients hearing me while I record and giving me directions about the style. When I direct myself it’s important to have prior indications of what the client needs or, if it’s a localization voice-over, have original work so I understand the style they want. They can also show me examples of similar voice-overs. All of this helps avoiding a situation that, although rare, has happened: the client sends me the script without directions, I record how I think it sounds best and, in the end, the client tells me that it wasn't quite what they need, asking for countless more recordings with different styles, wasting time for all of us.

Email Studio Manager, Engineer, etc. with any particular details about the session: number/instrument of players and scheduled time(s) of their date, studio equipment requests, computer/drives you'll be connecting to the studio system, planned layoffs and media.

Bringing in the gear you are familiar with will help you achieve a cohesive sound that is similar to the way you write and play live, which will allow there to be a line between all iterations of your creative process. When you don't have the gear you like the sound of, lean on studio gear, develop a sound in the studio, and then find a way to replicate it live.

No es necesario contar con un gran equipo para empezar, pero sí que hará una gran diferencia. Esto dependerá de tus necesidades, pero también del presupuesto con el que cuentes. Existen una gran cantidad de opciones en el mercado, aunque Zoomcorp, Rode, DJI y Shure han hecho un gran trabajo con sus herramientas para facilitar el acceso a la producción de audio.

I verify connections before we start just to make sure it's all working on my end. I also make sure I ask the engineer right off if they want my wet channel or dry channel. Then, to kill time,I like to work through different VO scenarios in advance so I'm ready for whatever they might request. "Read it in a more encouraging tone? Got it." "Lose the smile? Done." "Really sell it? You bet!" If I've got the reads in my head it's easier to pull them out at a moment's notice!

If I'm booked on a session starting at say 10am then I want to be in my studio around 30 minutes before that. I want to make sure my script is up and ready, I'm familiar with it and my equipment is ready to go. I'll then look to join the connection around 10 minutes early. I'll also build in 30 minutes overtime to make sure I can be flexible if the director wants more (not uncommon in gaming particularly - hey can you voice this NPC for us etc)

Working in a structured way when it comes to recording is essential. Dividing the times and phases clearly allows for easy achievement of the result. Being in the studio should be a pleasure, and musicians should be made to feel comfortable when they do it: that's why I always prefer to take more time in pre-production to arrive at the day of the first take with all the details carefully observed. I always prioritize the rhythm session, so that the most burdensome task is handled with careful attention, allowing guitarists, keyboardists, and soloists to receive the right charge to face the takes with enthusiasm. As long as each of the musicians is not satisfied, it is not expected on my part to start the recordings of the next musician.

One of the most common rookie mistakes is to book multiple sessions in one after the other. Unless you know the client, project and artist very well, it is quite difficult to assume how long a session might go for. Always include buffer times in between sessions. And more importantly, include break times in your schedule - you, your engineer, the artist and the client will forever be grateful!

Efficient organization is the backbone of successful audio production. I’ve found that organizing files, labeling takes, and setting up templates in my DAW streamline the process immensely. For example, during a particularly busy week, I had multiple projects with different requirements. By having everything organized—scripts, session notes, and client feedback—I could switch between tasks seamlessly without losing track. This not only boosts productivity but keeps the client relationship strong. #WorkflowOptimization #AudioEditing #ProfessionalGrowth

Specific to Audio recordings for a Voice Actor Do a level check in your studio booth Make sure your inputs and outputs are connected; such as your Ethernet cable, your microphone, your headphones and your mixer.

Yes, prepare your own material. I like notebooks. But if there a tricky parts in the score, send to the player(s) to give them a heads up on whatever they might want to rehearse before the session.

Four ways to show up prepared: ? rehearse ? play shows ? demo your material ? test on social media These four methods will indicate if the song you have written is reactive or not.

Look at the copy and make sure you know what level you will need to send at depending on that copy. Ie; if it's a quiet read, turn up your gain, get your mic position sorted so that you are close enough. If you are singing, or voicing a big character, turn down your level, stand don't sit, and remember if it's a belter of a jingle/loud character, you will need space from your mic.

I prefer to read from a screen, instead of hardcopy—no one likes when a rustling paper ruins the take! So, to prepare, I maximize script legibility by adjusting the file's font size and combining or dividing paragraphs to avoid awkward page breaks, etc. Then, right before the session, I open all the necessary files and software so everything is ready to go.

For Commercial Voice Work, your gain levels won't change all that much. When you hook up with the engineer recording your session they may have you adjust your levels a fraction up or down before you get started; or based on the emotion of the script you may need to lower the levels, (ie: super excited, etc..) but besides that, you really should not be messing your levels if you are doing commercial voice work. That said, it is very important when you are recording on your own, to be mindful of your levels to make sure you have your gain set appropriately for your script. It will save you a lot of editing hassle on the back end. :)

Let's be honest: a bit of competitiveness among musicians is physiological and always present, even among those who deny it with the utmost possible humility. Meanwhile, when it comes to managing the volumes when I have a band recording in front of me, it's very simple: I set all the levels the same way, so that, subsequently, individual listens can then be customized in in-ear monitors in delay. In this way, I can prioritize the successful outcome of the mix as a whole rather than favoring this or that musician.

A high quality mic will also be very forgiving if the gain is set too high or the there’s a sudden rise in volume from your end (more intense moments). That said, it’s generally safer to lower the gain slightly at the beginning especially if you know the session calls for a dynamic performance.

To get the best performance from the artist, they need to be comfortable in the recording space. Giving them a good monitoring setup is also very important. I'll share below the workflow that has worked best for me. First, set your preamp and recording levels first without giving them headphones. This will give you an idea of what the artist sounds like and how it will work for the project. And in this step, also setup your monitoring mix. Next, give them a separate mix on their headphones. Start bring up the volume slowly till they are comfortable. Talk to the artist, find a balance where they give their best. Use some mild compression and a reverb so that they feel like they are performing in a natural environment and not a dry studio.

If you're recording remotely- set up early, test your connections and sound levels before hand because connections can get screwy. You never know if you'll run into software updates, permissions etc., always be early to be prepared for their sound check once you're connected to the session. Know who your point person is in the session to go to for questions, breaks, etc. Listen first before asking questions. Take direction easily - then ask if you can try anything if it feels appropriate to do so. Thank you engineers! Name your files correctly, render them and get them back to the studio as soon as you can. And always thank the team in session & in your follow up emails. Lastly, if you're sending invoices, include as much info as possible.

Often omitted from these sorts of communication list is the importance of rendering and sending your files quickly and efficiently after the session if you are capturing the audio at your end. I always include the date in the file name too

#1 Tip to being the best Voice Over Artist- Be a Fantastic listener. You have to be able to listen, take in and quickly act on what the director, the client and engineer are all saying. You are there to make the client's vision come to life. But sometimes the client doesn't have the right words, or know the lingo to explain what they want you to do. Your job is figure out what they are trying to say and do it. Your job is to make the script sound exactly the way they hear it in their head. If you don't, they will always think that version would have been perfect, and you never got it. Don't do that. Be a great listener. Blow them away with how much you care about their project and how grateful you are to be a part of it.

Respond quickly, ask any questions you may have about the script or audio requirements, and deliver audio promptly and to spec. One of the biggest difficulties in a live session is interpreting direction. Not everyone is a brilliant director. Knowing how to translate what they’re saying into words you understand is key. I recommend using verbs to interpret their direction as it will give you an action to physically strive for.

As a voice actor recording from home via Source Connect, the audio engineer on the other end of the one is always invaluable! I think it's incredibly important to get in touch with that person before the session, if possible, to find out exactly what they want from you in regards to your recording setup, a back up recording, mic position & gain etc. If you can't do this before the session, then be confident in asking about these things at the beginning of the session. The engineer will absolutely appreciate you checking with them. And then of course, listen to their instructions - without getting defensive about your setup. Be open and respectful, and never be afraid to speak up about an audio recording question.

Hydrate the night before your session. Your body can’t absorb liquid quickly, so chugging a glass of water right before your session won’t help—in fact it may give you more mouth noise as your lips smack around. Check out some hydration apps that remind you to hydrate regularly throughout the day so you’re not caught flat tongued.

Know who our players are. About to start takes on a horn section overdub, I went in to the studio to brief the players about how I wanted a Tower of Power sound. They kept mumbling, "Yeah. We got it. We're the guys." I thought they were just pumping themselves up to get ready, then they tell me, "No, we're Tower of Power." The contractor for the session never mentioned that, but I should have asked.

I recently just wrapped my very first audiobook & I have a few key takeaways for long-form recordings: - The amount of time you think it'll take you to finish an audiobook, triple it - Work smarter, not harder! Six chapters into the book I started using an editing software called Pozotron that cut my editing time in HALF, at least! Use technology to help you! - Hydrate + do vocal warmups!