Choose a voice-over
Listen to the voice-over(s) in the specific language(s) you are looking for and easily download the demos from the site to share them with your customer and/or colleagues. The site offers hundreds of voice-overs in various languages but there is always a chance that the voice you are looking for is not among them. Don’t hesitate to contact us if this is the case. You can only find a selection of the voice actors we work with online. Stemzoeker has a global network and will do everything to find the right voice actor for your project based on your briefing. For help with or advice about finding a suitable voice-over or any other questions call +31 (0)6 29 55 46 52 or send an e-mail to Marianne@stemzoeker.nl
Recording
Stemzoeker will send you a price estimate based on the information you provide such as voice-over selection, text length and use of the recording (e.g. online, TV, radio, IVR, e-learning etc.). Once Stemzoeker has received approval for the costs of the voice actor the recording can be made. The voice-over requires a briefing before starting a recording. How can you get the best possible result if you can’t direct the voice actor in the studio yourself? A number of tips for a good briefing:
1. Voice actors are usually chosen based on their demos. These are often compilations of productions that have already been recorded for other assignments usually with a distinction between commercial and corporate recordings. These demos generally show the versatility of a voice actor and offer the option of choosing a specific piece of a demo you would like as tone of voice for your own production.
2. Try and find an existing video on for example YouTube with a voice actor speaking in the style you want and explain what you specifically like about that tone of voice.
3. A voice actor will record in the tone of voice as they see fit if no specific instructions have been given. This can match with your ideas but also be different from what you “heard” in your mind. A pause can be placed elsewhere, the emphasis on a word may deviate. Simply using …. in a script shows a voice actor from experience that he must include a pause and a word will automatically be recorded with greater emphasis by underlining it or printing it in bold.
4. Make sure you give clear instructions about the pronunciation of difficult words and names. Phonetic instructions help a voice actor a lot but to be 100% certain that things will go well you can make an audio recording of yourself using for example your smartphone in which you pronounce the names and/or words and submit this pronunciation guide with the script. A link to an existing video which contains these words is also a useful tool. Please note: Scheveningen can sound entirely different when spoken by an Englishman, no matter your instructions.
5. If necessary, you can set the mood. Make sure that the voice actor has something to work with. Take, for example, the sentence: “Where is the car?” An instruction may be: “You are just leaving the store and realise that your car is gone. The parking lot is empty. You are not angry but confused”, or “You ask a three-year-old to look at a picture of a car”. One sentence, two different ways of pronouncing it.
Re-recordings are necessary sometimes, but these instructions significantly reduce the chance of this and can save a lot of time and money.
Delivery
Recordings are provided in any desired file format like mp3, WAV, or AIFF and will be delivered by WeTransfer. If changes are made to a script after the recording, the voice actor will charge additional costs for a re-recording. However, if the voice actor has made a mistake this will be corrected at no cost.