Confusing voice over terms get thrown about a lot, so we’re here to help you figure everything out.
Pieces of voice over jargon like ‘Buy-Out’ and ‘ADR’ can make your head spin if you are not intimately familiar with this industry.
It can all feel a bit much if you aren’t an expert.
Don’t worry though, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most commonly used and confusing terms in voice over so you can go into your next session feeling like a seasoned pro!
BSF (Basic Studio Fee/Basic Session Fee)
The Basic Session Fee is precisely what it sounds like – it is the base cost paid to the voice actor for the time they spend in the studio session.
This does not literally translate to a fixed rate based solely on time and the fee will vary from artist to artist. For example, an actor with more experience or a project for a more prestigious client will demand a higher cost than someone new to this industry or for a less established business.
What is important to remember with the BSF is that this is arranged before the booking. It may be a minimum set rate or is made according to the duration of material or the script’s word count.
You can explore BSF in greater detail here >
Rights/IP (Intellectual Property)
On the marketplace of ideas, products/brands and inventions, IP is essentially a declaration that “I own this.”
How this pertains to an actor’s voice is a matter of some contention. Still, it is certain that the use of one’s voice in a commercial capacity, particularly in the case of electronic devices or toys, is the Intellectual Property of the artist unless these rights are purchased in whole under contract by a customer.
The ownership of your own vocal audio performance means that it must be licensed by you. This makes the artist privy to certain assurances, i.e. entitled to reimbursement for its use and reuse, after licence expiration.
Usage/Licensing Fee
Another essential piece of voice-over jargon for the business side of things. This refers to a business’ access to the rights to use voice-over audio over periods of time.
If a voice is licenced for two years, the recurring usage of that voice in the project after that agreed upon time period will require renewal. This renewal will remunerate the actor again for their extended services as a continued proponent to the extended success of the project.
This is relatively common for ventures that have larger audiences. There is a trend for customers trying to own the audio usage rights in perpetuity, but we always recommend against this. Any respectable business should, in turn, respect the rights of the artists they are hiring.
Buy-Out
If you do not wish to renew a licensing fee for a performance, you can obtain a buy-out.
This gives you absolute rights to the voice over performance in the project in perpetuity – meaning the audio is yours do to with as you please, indefinitely.
Educational or internal videos with small, specific, professional audiences can benefit from this; however, it can come with some ethical concerns of exploitation if mishandled, as we discuss in this article here!
Microphone
While a microphone may not seem like voice over jargon, the elements that make up these mics’ specifics certainly are.
Overall, it boils down to how the microphone connects to an interface being superior to some plug-in-and-play microphone that may connect to your PC via USB. These are a necessity for high-quality audio production and will be a go-to in any voice-over recording space.
To use one, you will need a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), which you can see further down our list of explained jargon and an audio interface.
Beyond this, there are all sorts of mics on the market, but the two that concern us are Condenser and Dynamic mics.
A Condenser mic is sensitive, with a thinner diaphragm, capable of picking up tremendously low volumes and high frequencies in detail. This is an excellent microphone for voice recordings as it will record every nuance of the voice actors performance.
Conversely, a Dynamic microphone is less sensitive. It is not as detailed or precise, with faint noises and quieter frequencies unlikely to be heard in recordings.
Dynamic microphones can be useful for concerts or busier environments, as they are less likely to pick up unwanted sounds. A Condensor would pick up all the excess sound, due to its increased sensitivity.
Although, a Condenser microphone is more professional and generally better for voice-over. The added clarity and quality are an undeniably worthwhile trade and will produce a better end product.
Remember: make sure to prep your environment for recording!
Learn more about Microphones for voice-over use.
Pop shield
Ever wonder what the Pop Noise is in a recording? We don’t hear them when talking in real life, so what gives?
The reason you hear this is because of a thing called “plosive” sounds.
These are essentially the blasts of air that occur when someone says a ‘B’, ‘P’ or some other plosive sound into a mic. This can be a particularly nasty incident when using a Condenser mic, as they are more sensitive.
The counter to this problem is the Pop-Shield – a typically circular piece of nylon that sits in front of the microphone.
The sound high-end sound frequencies travel through the nylon and remove any of the plosives as it travels through, with minimal quality sacrificed in the process.
Think of it like a sieve but for sound (In fact, you could use a sieve, but we don’t advise it!)
Audio Interface
These handy little devices are a must if you are planning on taking any audio-based work seriously – voice over included.
The essential role for this device is to be the conduit through which all your input and output connections run.
From professional microphones, instruments, and speakers, all of these will run through the Audio Interface into and out of your PC to record and reproduce sound.
Any quality Audio Interface with an XLR input and phantom power will come with an integrated Pre-amp which will serve an important role in voice-over production.
The pre-amp amplifies the electrical signal from the microphone before being converted into a digital signal. This ensures that less digital noise or interference is transformed into a digital signal and recorded.
Read more about Interfaces and Pre-amps >
DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
The centre of command – the DAW is the pivotal hardware/software element that pulls everything together.
The functions of the DAW are primarily to record, edit and mix sound for the processing of audio productions which is a vital element to voice over.
DAWs can be acquired in standalone and software forms. While there are instances where an isolated unit for the DAW would be useful, it is more typical to utilise a software DAW.
The basic design is usually formed of a multi-track timeline and editing tools to manipulate the audio appropriately.
You can learn everything you need to know about DAW’s here.
Frequency, EQ (Equaliser) & Compressor
Frequency
This is where the voice-over jargon gets a little bit science-y. Sound moves in waves; these waves are structured as waveforms that move through the air to reach our ears and produce heard sound.
The amount of ‘waves’ within a set time is called frequency, visualised in the form of the peaks and troughs. This is measured in Hertz (Hz).
You can learn more about sound frequency here.
EQ (Equaliser)
An EQ is a plugin for your DAW that allows you to alter the volume (technically known as amplitude) of selected ranges of frequencies. This will enable you to cut (lower) and boost (raise) the various frequencies in the audio clip.
In voice-over, this can be necessary when editing a clip, which will result in a superior end product when done correctly. Proper (and minimal) use of EQ when recording will allow pre-emptive adjustments to be made in preparation for editing.
In essence, the more you think about this before editing, the less work you have during the edit.
Compressor
Compressing audio is a helpful tool that can sparingly be employed in voice-over recording. The act of compression is, put simply, to make the loudest sounds quieter and to make the lowest sounds louder (reducing the dynamic range).
By bringing these sounds within the same volume, the clip will sound less variable (dynamic) and more even to the ear. After all, imagine hearing a whisper and scream in the same audio track. If the sound is not compressed, then the difference in the dynamic range would be unsettling.
On the flip side, one should be careful not to over-compress, or it risks the audio sounding pinched with the peaks in the waveform flattened out completely. If you’re not sure how to use a compressor, it’s best not to use it.
File Formats
There are many different audio file format categorised into two types; lossless and lossy.
This all comes down to file size and data compression. Lossy files, such as MP3 files, delete seemingly insignificant audio data elements to create smaller files.
Lossless files do not delete these small data elements – they remain fully intact, with no (or very little) data being lost. For the layman, this is not a particularly big deal, the data loss in a Lossy file is not going to make an audible impact on them.
The average person probably won’t tell the difference. However, in professional voice over for video games or commercials, this becomes a critical consideration.
For production purposes, keeping files in Lossless formats is the best practice. This is because they will be able to be reopened and edited again and again.
You can learn more about file formats here.
Bitrate
A bit refers to a basic unit of information in digital communications and computing. So, Bitrate is the number of bits transferred over a period of time.
A higher bitrate generally means a superior audio quality for voice over, which then means a better sound for the listener.
Most professional recording studios will record in 24-Bit or even 32-Bit, but 16-Bit is still commonly used for the voice over.
It generally makes sense to stick to the higher end of the bitrate options available and making choices about output bitrate depending on your distribution method and file formats.
ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement)
ADR can be a long and arduous process for anyone who is not experienced in this field. The process boils down to re-recording audio lines to match the original actor’s mouth movements.
This is intrinsically difficult, as the actor’s original speech patterns can be unpredictable in speed and delivery. The general setup will have voice-over talents watch the film while performing the ADR over the original performance; to ensure the new voice matches the original as closely as possible.
This can be significantly difficult for actors working remotely as their studio will need to be prepared to afford this type of work.
Getting experience is paramount for ADR voice over work – it is a common practice in Hollywood blockbusters, and learning ADR technique is certainly something any aspiring voice over talent should watch out for.
Dubbing
The act of dubbing over a voice over is basically a language replacement technique, usually performed in service of translation and localisation purposes.
However, there are instances where this can be used in a film’s original language. This removes technical faults and provides better quality audio than was available on set. When a dub is employed, similarly to ADR, it is more complicated than simply speaking the translated lines.
The dub’s timing must be in synch with the mouth movements of the original performance. Therefore, the script must also be written to match the timings of the original.
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