It is estimated that an average human might encounter as many as 10,000 ads a day. With this number, companies need to give voice to their brand to stand out. Looking for a voice-over talent can sometimes be time-consuming and a tedious process with thousands of voice actors and hundreds of websites and companies offering services to choose from. To make the right choice, here are some important factors you need to consider when hiring a voice actor.
RELIABILITY
One important consideration is the reliability of the voice-over talent. This means they are voice-over professionals, they know what they are doing, they already established a reputation and they can deliver a high-quality final product with no delays.
Client reviews and testimonials on the voice actor website are powerful proofs of the voice-over talent is reliable or not. Because they’re unbiased opinions from actual clients it can give you an insight into the reliability of the voice talent.
AVAILABILITY
Find a full-time voice talent because they are committed full-time to service their clients. Part-time voice talent may struggle to meet your deadlines because they may have other priorities.
It would be much better if the voice talent had a travel kit studio. There are instances where clients need an urgent revision so voice talents sometimes allow work during a vacation /holidays so they have an on-the-go travel kit studio to work on a project immediately to help clients meet the deadline.
QUALITY CONSISTENCY
In voice-over, consistency is a highly valued skill. Voice talent must be consistent in all aspects of collaboration from vocal quality to timing and availability. Quality consistency in voice-over is proof of professionalism and commitment.
RATES
Each voice-over talent has his or her rate scale. A professional voice-over talent will probably cost you more than the novices but it will save your resources in the long run. Novice voice-over talent normally offers their services at a lower rate because they are inexperienced and working to improve. And often working with substandard equipment with poorly treated sound space. Professional voice-over talent costs more because they already have that experience and you can be assured of a quality and fast delivery of services. A high-quality and professional product is a smart investment and the best way to get the results you want.
HIGH-GRADE STUDIO + EQUIPMENT + CONSISTENT SOUND
A professional voice actor knows that their recording studio matters a lot to their craft, so having a dedicated, well-equipped recording studio is a must. Key elements in a high-grade recording studio include a high-quality microphone, pristine sound-proofed recording environment, professional-grade software, and current technology computer setup.
A microphone is an integral piece of equipment to produce any work. I personally opt for the Neumann u87 Al mic, which is also the favorite microphone of most recording artists, announcers, etc.
A pristine sound-proofed recording environment will prevent any external noises from being in the recording. I myself use the WhisperRoom, a full booth that is fully sound-proofed.
The excellent and latest software is a must to edit, mix, restore and create audio content. The ones I like to use are Izotope and Adobe Audition, which are some of the best software available.
Professional voice actors need the help of sound engineers. As sound engineer is in charge of controlling sound levels, microphone stings, outputs, etc. A sound engineer has excellent knowledge regarding acoustics, which allows the voice artist to produce the best audio possible.
QUALITY CONTROL AND ERROR-CHECKING
Quality control or also known as quality assurance review is crucial to voice-over. Make sure that you hire a professional voice-over that provides quality control on every production. Production workflows for these kinds of projects are extensive, requiring at least a session setup, script formatting for studio, recording, post-production editing, and final output. For my part, I have a team that takes time to review scripts and check for mistakes/misreads and make sure they are readable and accurate.
EASY TO WORK AND FRIENDLY
It is important to be friendly, not only for voice talent but for everyone out there. Voice-over jobs are usually on a referral basis and this ensures the success of different voice artists. According to W. Edwards Deming “Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, and that bring friends with them. If you build a close relationship with clients and you are easy to work with it means the same clients will look forward to working with you every time they need work to be done.
