Voice Critique Requested

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noeinan
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Voice Critique Requested

#1 Post by noeinan »

Hello,

I am new to voice acting and was wondering if I could get some critique on this interview? Because the "Interviewer" voice was my friend's wife, we only did one take, so I apologize if there are some unclear words.

My character is the one being interviewed, Acheron Sorge, and he's supposed to be a very effeminate and soft spoken guy. Generally he stutters, ends statements as a question, and trails off the ends of his sentences. I wanted to know if there are any blatant "no-nos" in his voice, or if there is anything I can add to improve it, make it more real.

Much appreciated! Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phh_ld_Z ... e=youtu.be
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ketskari
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Re: Voice Critique Requested

#2 Post by ketskari »

Although it does sound good and the voice is pleasant to listen to, the soft-spoken/stuttering part might be improved by making it sound as if it is a struggle to speak, I think? Shy or nervous people, or people with a stuttering problem, might *want* to say something, but it's like something (their shyness, their anxiety) prevents them, choking them up. That extra touch would add more realism for me. At present the voice sounds very young (almost preteen) to me.

I think the trouble with the overall video, that prevents me from giving it a very good response, is that the first speaker begins by speaking quickly about some world-building/info type stuff that I'm not familiar with, but that doesn't really draw me in. Maybe start with something that tells a story? Throwing in some kind of conflict (perhaps an argument or clashing personalities or internal struggle) might reveal the character in a more engaging manner.

Just my two cents. :)

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noeinan
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Re: Voice Critique Requested

#3 Post by noeinan »

Thank you for your critique! I can definitely work on making him sound like he's struggling more. :) On the note about his age... He is pretty young, and might sound young, but I might like to have him sound a bit older? Any advice on making masculine voices sound older? If I can't do it with my voice intonation perhaps I can edit it in Audacity...

And yeah, sorry about the awkward beginning-- we originally made these interviews for our gaming group, where all of us are already invested in listening and are knowledgeable about the setting. It's good to keep in mind how someone who doesn't already know that world will react to the intro.

Some of the other characters actually do end up getting into an argument with the narrator-- but this guy is a little gutless, so his small defiance is about as much as he can muster! XD
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Re: Voice Critique Requested

#4 Post by ketskari »

Hmmm, well, I don't have personal experience with voice acting, but when I hear a masculine voice versus a feminine voice, the thing that tips me off is that sound in the throat. Men, and particularly really manly voices--but in any male voice post-puberty--have a bit of a detectable low rumbling sound, I want to say, almost a vibration? You'll feel it if you touch your throat and hum or speak in a low voice, but almost not at all if the sound is high pitch or nasal. I think that's what separates the sound of a boy speaking rather than a young man.

Oh, I liked how that personality came across, particularly since he never had to explain his own personality. (Always annoys me when that happens). It's just that if it was in the context of a story, it would have pulled me in more. It's an audience thing--you have give 'em feeling, conflict or change (often a combination of all three) to keep their attention. Unless you're invested, as you've said.

And very glad if my critique was useful. Good luck with the voice. :)

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Re: Voice Critique Requested

#5 Post by TLAOlt »

The thing I heard, aside from the lack of catching like Ketskari said, was lack of emotion. She sounded good (very professional and serious like a interviewer/reporter should be), but you were kind of stiff and unemotional. I understand that you were trying to sound nervous and shy, but you sounded nervous in the wrong way.

The thing that tipped me off was how you said your "heheh."... it was too even. You said it more like "heh-heh-heh..." instead of the nervous 'oh god, what am I doing? Hide me, please' nervous hehe. Giggle. I know it's not masculine, but giggle when you have this kind of character... both shy girls and guys giggle when they're nervous, which, for a stereotypical shy character, is about 80% of the time. If they say something they regret saying or (like in the first question of the interview) they have to "boast" in their opinion, they will giggle.

My biggest tip: really THINK about what the character and try to think like them when you speak for them. A shy character who knows they have to answer a serious question will either

A. mumble and try to back out of it (because they're being put on the spot and don't like it)

B. start talking really fast because they want to get this over with before they can embarrass themselves any further... and they usually screw up in their haste so words kind of jumble together and then their pitch rises because they know they're screwing up until they just shut down...

Shy characters also tend to lower the volume of their voice mid-way, so they're talking a normal volume one minute and then they start getting softer and softer before they kind of mumble out the end. This typically happens with either emotionally charged statements (like confessions: romantic or otherwise) or when they have to talk a lot. The more emotionally charged and personal the statement, the more dramatic these characteristics become. It is your job as a voice actor to to gauge how much emotion you need to put in. Don't be afraid to do things a naturally shy person would do. Play with your fingers (if you can), set your jaw, purse your lips, swallow hard, smile weakly... those things come out in your voice and make it more believable.

The same thing goes with an aggressive or arrogant person. Scoff, smirk, cross your arms and pretend like the weakest, small little play toy imaginable is cowering right in front of you and you're just itching to make them feel even worse because it's so much fun and it makes your feel so powerful. On the other side, if YOU are the "play toy", pretend that there is this sadistic, crazy maniac in front of you and you feel like that if you so much a squeak they're going to put you in so much pain you won't be able to walk... or maybe even kill you if it's that bad. You are scared half out of your mind and the only thing you want to do right now is curl up into a little ball and hope that they spare you. Those are very dramatic, but if you are playing a well-developed character of either kind, you will most likely reach that point at least once.

One last tip: when you get recruited for a piece, ask the writer (whoever is giving you the lines) if you can have the entire script of conversations that your character takes part in instead of just the lines you need to say. Some will do this automatically, but I have seen a few writers don't for the sake of cleanliness. Knowing both sides of the conversation helps in voicing a believable response. If you can get voice clips of the other person saying the other part of the conversation, even better. Sometimes they aren't available (because they're currently working, too), but having the full conversation is very, very helpful.

I don't know if this will be of any help, but this is my experience in this field. It may just be a bunch of bull... so take it with a grain of salt.

Ja!
~TLA

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