Here are some answers to questions asked by participants in my online voiceover seminar:
- How can we record professional audio samples for work sites from the phone?
The voice-over sample reflects the extent of his ability to perform and the quality of the voice work he provides, so we should present it in the best possible way. Here, I advise recording it in a studio or on a professional microphone, but if this is not available at all, you should choose a sound-isolated place, away from noise and echo. You can choose a small room inside the house and place furniture and furnishings so that the sound is absorbed and not reflected, and stay a short distance away from the phone, then process the sound on audio engineering programs or using artificial intelligence. In this case, the recording must be clear and of high quality, so that you can get a good result using artificial intelligence.
- My only problem is the error in forming words in Arabic, how do I overcome this obstacle?
No matter how eloquent a person is, the ability to automatically adjust words, and no matter how deep he is in grammar, he may make a mistake during recording, perhaps unintentionally, so in this case I advise you to proofread the text before recording and form the letters clearly to avoid mistakes during recording and performance, and you can restore with a language proofreader to ensure the linguistic integrity of your work
- Is it possible to dispense with the professional microphone and use modern mobile phones instead?
No matter how advanced phones are, their ability to record and process sound cannot be compared to professional microphones, because microphones have a greater ability to process and transmit the features and details of the sound with full quality using sound cards designed specifically for this purpose, while phones are difficult to transmit the sound as it is, and thus the sound may lose many of its advantages, but it does not prevent the use of phones at first, and even providing services through them to customers provided that high quality is provided, and artificial intelligence is a great opportunity at the present time to process sounds, until we are able to buy a professional microphone, we start on our way step by step, and this is what I did.
- Where do I find the first opportunity to invest my voice talent?
You can benefit from your voice acting talent in several ways, starting with online freelance platforms, such as the Soundiles platform, the Voices platform, the Mostaqil platform, the Khamsat platform, the Freelancer platform, the Panda Voice platform, and other freelance platforms, as well as publishing voice samples on social media platforms, and presenting them to marketing and media companies, who are looking for voice commentators to cooperate with them to produce voice commentary for their work, and also by expanding your network of relationships and offering your services to them.
- How did you start your journey in voiceover?
The story began nine years ago when I was following various information channels on YouTube, and I was impressed by the way the content was presented, so I started working on presenting various content with voiceover using a phone while working in the industrial field with my relatives. It was a modest phone and phones were not as advanced at the time as they are today, and there was no artificial intelligence to process sound. After that, I moved to work with a technology company in producing technical reviews for phones with voiceover, and then I started producing joint works with pages, and then providing services to brands as a freelancer, and then I started working on freelance platforms and headed to professionalize this field and cooperate with production companies, global brands, TV channels and radio stations.
- Who is your greatest inspiration or teacher in the field?
The late voice-over artist Mohamed Al-Saeed, may God have mercy on him, the owner of the famous voice in the introduction to the series Dayaa Dayaa and the World War II Apocalypse documentaries, the owner of the most beautiful voice I have ever heard, and also my Sudanese voice-over friend Wissam Ali, who I watched an audio clip of him performing like the documentary commentators in National Geographic Abu Dhabi, he was filming a video from inside the car, and at that moment I started trying to imitate the performance and imitate the voices, and I discovered the possibility of moving in the layers of my voice, and I gradually began to develop and expand by learning this field, academic learning from Professor Khaled Al-Najjar was enough to provide me with a large amount of knowledge, which I combined with my work on the ground and practical training, consulting specialists and listening to the advice of my professional commentator friends, who became colleagues and supporters of me in my career, and also the media figure Ahmed Fakhoury is one of my inspirations in the field of voice-over and media, as he invests his distinctive vocal performance in presenting ideas smoothly and spontaneously without affectation.
- For us as people inside Syria, and we do not have sufficient equipment, how can we enter the labor market?
We can start by phone as I mentioned in my answer to the previous questions, to provide volunteer work for local community institutions, or local commercial activities. It can be provided for free at first until you have a gallery of work, and if they have professional microphones, it will be an opportunity for you to obtain high-quality samples. After you have voice samples, you can offer your services to commercial activities and companies with a discount to encourage them to request your services. When you get paid work, you can register in studios for a fee. You rent the studio for an hour, for example, and record the work you have during it, until you collect the price of a professional microphone and learn to work on it on your own.
- What program do you recommend for audio recording, especially for computers or mobile phones?
Adobe Audition is one of the best programs for us as voice commentators, due to its ease of use and simple, modern interfaces. There is also Audacity for phones, but there is no specific program that I can recommend.
- How can we perform deeply to have our voice like documentary commentators? It’s not just about the vocal layers?
When performing voice acting for documentaries, there are several points that we must focus on so that we can deliver a beautiful and attractive performance, starting with choosing an appropriate layer. When performing historical texts or about crimes or mysteries, this requires using a low, wide vocal layer with vocal coloring to give the performance seriousness or mystery to convey feelings to the listener, and also using the appropriate speed, as the voice is deeper when performing slowly, provided that the text requires it, so there are several factors and do not depend only on the layer. As for the wide or thick vocal material of documentary commentators, it is what distinguishes them in this style of performance that most of those who refer to documentaries mention, and training on vocal layers and vocal space can give you the ability to reach deeper layers that increase the depth and marble of the voice.
- Does Tajweed help improve the pronunciation of letters for voice-over artists?
Of course, because those who learn Tajweed practice the pronunciation of letters that they are taught during Tajweed, and everyone who wants their vocal performance to be clear and their pronunciation of letters correct should watch the lessons to learn the correct pronunciation of letters, which are presented by Sheikh Ahmed Sweid, you can find them on YouTube, but the problem lies when people start learning voice-over and applying Tajweed in voice-over, because Tajweed of the Qur’an during recitation is a different type of vocal performance, separate from voice-over, and we do not use it during voice-over, so I always advise you to avoid Tajweed during performance because it is a common mistake.
- How to avoid hoarseness and pain during recording?
The first advice to avoid such problems is vocal warm-up. Doing vocal exercises and warm-up will help prepare your voice for performance. We must be careful and not strain the voice during performance, which can happen when we use a very high or very low vocal pitch that exceeds our natural ability to perform, and we cannot use it and perform in a stable and balanced manner. Therefore, I advise you to use a vocal pitch that you can achieve without exerting effort by pressing on your larynx, to avoid scratching the vocal cords and causing hoarseness. You should also take a break when performing for long periods, and continue to moisturize your voices with warm water, and avoid cold water.
- A study from Stanford University on the effect of using vocal variation in attracting and influencing listeners’ attention.
