Hey Folks!
It’s been a while, but I’m back with another how-to for #AudioDramaSunday! We’ve been doing some recording for an upcoming project, so all of this is rather fresh!
Today, we’re talking about the all-important things you should do to make sure your time in the booth is the best possible!
1. Get Physical (No, I don’t mean punch the director!)
Before recording, get a full body warm up going along with your vocal warm up. Shake yourself out from your head to your toes, do some push-ups or squats.
If you want to challenge yourself, singing while planking can kill two birds with one stone! (It’s really difficult, though!)
2. Take care of yourself in the booth
Stretch out and stay hydrated between takes. Depending on the weather, your soundproofing or size of your recording space, it can get hot (Our studio is nicknamed the hotbox for a reason)! Be prepared to take small breaks and step out to cool down instead of rushing because of the heat!
Speaking of staying hydrated…
3. Swallow the right way.
Yes, before you look at me like I’m mad, just listen!
Swallowing before a take or taking a drink without rinsing it around your mouth will often reduce your mouth clicks. Not rinsing it around your mouth is very important, because that tends to cause a massive number of clicks.
Mouth clicks are well-known as one of the worst things a voice actor can do, so simple techniques to ensure they are minimised are super important! People have been dropped from projects (in the wider world, not from ours yet!) for the number of mouth clicks, so it’s definitely something to watch out for.
4. Use warm ups to prepare – and be ready to improvise
Get in the zone before you hit the script!
Whether it’s warming up in character or discussing key moments an the emotions in them with the team, if you keep your mind on the world you’re building it will give you more confidence to nail those takes and make you more familiar with the material.
Improvising a few bits as the character you’re playing can let you build more of a personal connection with them, as well! It can be great fun and even produce additional material you might use later – we recently did several minutes of improv for both Midnight Terry and the Edvertiser while recording Season 2 of Radio Free Taranis!
This is part of an ongoing series of articles I’m writing about our experiences of writing and performing audio dramas for the EraScapes division of Shades of Vengeance.
We’re always looking for more help, so if you’d like to get involved with our projects in some capacity, please contact us at erascapes@erascapes.com!
