The casting: filtering for sustainable voice quality
In our studio, we don't start with a quick guess. Our database contains 92 publicly available voices, each carefully selected for their professional capabilities. We can immediately hear if a voice has the necessary experience not just to read a text aloud, but to truly carry it.
When selecting a voice, we look for three important criteria behind the scenes:
Control over breathing and vocal inflections during longer texts. - The flexibility to immediately apply subtle directorial cues.
The quality of the recording equipment and the acoustics of the studio.
When casting, we look at the long term. A voice that sounds very hip or popular now may already sound dated in six months. That is why we look for voices with natural persuasiveness. Think of Kirsten, one of our Belgian voices with a soft and friendly Flemish accent, or Machteld, an experienced Dutch voice actress who has mastered the art of the right nuance. They record their native language, which ensures a credibility that holds up even after months.
The briefing: talking about atmosphere instead of dry instructions
The road to a recording that sticks begins with a clear briefing. Instead of focusing solely on the length of the text, we talk to the voice actor about the atmosphere and the target audience. Should the tone be businesslike and reliable, or rather very accessible and warm? Kaja, one of our German voices, for example, can sound very corporate but also adopt a softer tone if the production calls for it. By establishing these nuances in advance, we prevent a recording from feeling forced over time. We take the time to go through the text and determine the accents, so that the voice actor knows exactly where the emphasis should lie.
The recording session: the director's tip for perfect timing
The real magic happens during the recording in the studio. As a voice director, I often see clients wanting the text recorded as quickly as possible to stay within a tight time limit. However, my most important director's tip is: give the voice room to breathe. A micro-pause just before an important word captures the listener's attention much more strongly than extra volume or an increased speaking pace. This gives the listener time to process the information and ensures a natural cadence that does not become irritating even after repeated listening.
