AI voices – why we are not panicking!

 

So, AI voices are here, and here to stay – and unfortunately for us I think they probably have their place. I do believe that for very VERY specific circumstances they can work, currently they are never as good as the real thing, but with very limited budgets/no budgets at all and for very limited word counts, and AI voice suffices. Think TikTok videos, Instagram reels etc. Nobody is going to spend the money on a proper VO artist to voice a TikTok video…

Currently they obviously don’t sound brilliant, for the vast majority of applications they sound wooden and robotic and without emphasis on the right words, all the things we know are extremely difficult to code and release. But, improvements have clearly been made and will continue to be made. There will come a time when they sound half decent. But I think they will sound half decent for this application only still – very short form.

I also believe that the bread and butter of the industry, in terms of TV and radio campaigns needs the human touch more keenly. This industry doesn’t want half decent, they want perfection and that is what our voices can deliver. The ability to take direction from a client or director, the ability to add perfect inflection on specific syllables, the ability to change the delivery from one mood to another in an instant. These are all things that an AI voice is not going to be able to do with ease for a very long time, if ever. It’s the human emotion, the human condition that separates the human VO from the AI.

The issue that I also catch in the AI voice is that intangible aspect that keeps a listener engaged over and above about 2 mins of speech. It is going to be very difficult to enable an AI voice to have the dynamism of a human voice over and above that length. For e-learning and audiobooks for example, the long form delivery that we engage in, you need to keep the audiences focus and attention. In the case of e-learning, this can even have safety connotations, so the importance of keeping a persons attention can be genuinely important.

So – let’s not panic – we as voice over artists are here to stay for some time yet!

 

About Babble

 

We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients  across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

The warmest of welcomes to our newest Babble voice, Phil Tufnell!

 

Phil’s a bit of a cricketing hero of ours here at Babble – let’s just take a minute to think about the 5-61 in the 2^nd Ashes test in ’91, outrageous figures. But he may agree the less we talk about his batting the better..!

 

In the end, Phil played 42 tests for England across an 11-year career for his country, and for 16 years with his county club Middlesex, entertaining tens of thousands of people through the gates at the Oval. He’ll go down as one of England’s very best spin bowlers, with a natural theatrical flair that has done him wonders in his career since.

 

Phil moved easily into a successful career in tv and radio, winning ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!’ in 2003 and captaining a team on ‘A Question of Sport’ for over a decade. He even gave us a twirl or two in ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ back in 2009, partnering with Katya Varshilas.

 

But enough about his dancing feet: let’s talk about his voice! Phil’s has an energy and warmth in his tone that is instantly recognisable, and can often be heard on that particular slice of English tradition that is Test Match Special. Always ready with a witty story, Phil can put bums on seats and ears tuned in to the radio.

We think Phil’s warm and assured voice can strike a great balance between serious and funny, whilst still able to deliver key messages – have a listen to his latest demo reel here and give us a shout when you’re ready to book him for your next project!

 

About Babble

We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients  across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

OK – I know, I’ve shoehorned in a Christmas reference because of the time of year – I apologise

But… if you do want to find out what our guys and girls are doing over the break then look no further

 

If you want to avoid the repeats on the TV – of which there are probably going to be more of this year than before (there has been this nasty bug going around which has put a bit of kibosh on the production of quality new material – you may be aware of it) – why not go for an audiobook to listen to whilst Uncle Derek is tucking into the family port? Both of these listens will also be perfect for all the family

Give Codename Bananas (David Walliams) a go and you’ll here the dulcet tones of Genevieve Gaunt

 

1940. Britain is at war with Nazi Germany. 

Eleven-year-old Eric spends his days at the place that makes him most happy: London Zoo. And there’s one animal in particular he loves: Gertrude the gorilla. 

 

With bombs falling all over London, Eric must rescue Gertrude. 

Together with his uncle Sid, a keeper at the zoo, th

e three go on the run. But while hiding out at the seaside they uncover a top-secret Nazi plot….

Join David Walliams on this action-packed, laugh-out-loud adventure for all the family! 

 

Max Dowler narrates Alex Sparrow and the Zumbie Apocalypse

The Zumbies are on the rampage – members of the Cherry Tree Lane Zumba class are apparently dying and then mysteriously coming back to life! 

Alex, Jess an

d Dave have to put a stop to it before Alex’s mum and nan join the living Zumba dead, or there’ll be no family Christmas. But why are the Zumbies curiously drawn to the Christmas lights? What does the octopus sign mean? And who is the evil genius behind it all?

Iiiiif you can get hold of one, then on the PS5, Mark Holden can be found on Cyberpunk 2077, which stars Keanu Reeves and has been in development for 8 years! 

Mark plays Doctor Paradox – Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure story set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification. You play as V, a mercenary outlaw going after a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality.

And then – we have a swathe of our guys and girls in the newest incarnation of Assassins Creed Valhalla – Players must carve out a new future for their clan, reliving the ruthless fighting style of Viking warriors with a revamped combat system that includes the ability to dual-wield weapons against a greater variety of enemies than ever before. You will hear Kaisa Hammarlund, Matt Barber, Cillian O’Dee and Fergal McElherron.

And – of course, if you in the need for a binge watch, then head over to Netflix. Shonda Rhimes, queen of behind-the-scenes, is joining forces with screen legend Julie Andrews for an exciting new project coming to Netflix on Christmas Day. Based on the historical romance novels by bestselling author Julia Quinn, Bridgerton will delve into the politics of a posh family in Regency-era London and Golda Rosheuvel stars

 

About Babble

We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients  across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

Just when we thought things couldn’t get any weirder *gestures broadly*, came the suggestion last week that people in the arts should drop whatever it is they’re doing and retrain for new careers. This was followed swiftly by the enormously crass (and quickly binned) ‘Rethink. Reboot. Reskill’ advertising campaign, starring hapless ballerina Fatima, who (unbeknownst to her) is about to hang up her tutu in favour of a career in ‘cyber’.

 

Offensive on several levels, the worst thing about this campaign is the suggestion that a career in the arts and media is so simple that it can be thrown away on a whim to go and get a ‘proper’ job, conveniently forgetting the years of training, both in school and in the workplace, that it takes for someone to get to the top of their game. 

We’ve all experienced it in some way, haven’t we, the devaluation of our skills. The assumption that because you’re making it look so easy, then it must be easy to do in the first place, not realising that the very reason you make it look so simple is years of training and practice. 

Which leads me to my next point. We know how unbelievably fortunate we are here at Babble that the voiceover industry has kept ticking over throughout the horrorshow that is 2020. But long before Fatima twirled in on her pointe shoes, we witnessed a sea of people suddenly deciding that tonight, Matthew, they’re going to be a voiceover artist. 

We get it. Voiceovers are everywhere. Telly, radio, on the phone, in the shops. The pandemic can’t stop people doing recordings. And voiceover’s easy, it’s just talking, isn’t it? 

The red mist descends. 

If there’s one thing that truly makes me burn, it’s the assumption that voiceover is ‘just’ talking. It’s so much more than that – it’s bringing a script to life, it’s talking fast enough to fit the script into 15 seconds but not so fast you sound like you’re rushing it. It’s a producer asking you to make something “‘40% sexier, please” and you knowing exactly how to deliver. I can’t do it. Put me in front of a mic and the best you’ll get is a strangulated whimper. 

But it’s not just artists (or potential artists) who think it’s easy work. On more than one occasion we’ve heard how a client has decided that ‘Dave in Accounts has got a nice voice, let’s just get him to do it for free’. This is perhaps more damaging to the industry than the assumption that anyone can do it. 

Whenever I’m talking to people about voiceover, after they’ve declared how easy it must be, and after they’ve demonstrated which impressions they can do (there’s always a Billy Connolly, and it never sounds like him), the thing I hear most often is ‘But voiceover artists are raking it in, aren’t they?’. 

Massive eye roll. 

This is one we hear all the time. So there was a time when this may have been true (read all about it in this article from the late 90s) but the reality of it in 2020 is very different.  Even before Coronavirus popped up to make all our lives that little bit more precarious, marketing budgets were already being cut (I’m tempted to mention Brexit here but one soapbox per blog is more than enough). 

Which is where we have a problem. Because as belts were being tightened across the industry, along comes a new wave of artists trying to get their feet in the door, doing jobs for little/no pay. Think about it. If you’ve made it clear that you’re prepared to work for peanuts, then why should a company pay you the going industry rate in the future? If you’re a new artist, working without an agent, think twice about doing that cheapie job. The last time I checked, you couldn’t pay your rent in ‘exposure’.  

And let’s not forget that doing a job on the cheap can often be a false economy on the production side – I’m tempted to continue the peanuts analogy with a monkey cliche here. I’ve heard aggrieved producers tell stories of how a client wanted Dave from Accounts/Sally from Marketing/Newbie looking for experience to do the VO on the cheap, then at the last minute they’ve had to shell out on a ‘proper’ artist and more studio time to fix their commercial and make it sound decent. 

I’ll get off my soapbox now. We’re passionate about voiceover and know that our artists are all fantastic at what they do, and that’s a hill we’re prepared to… maybe not die on… but we’d definitely give you a wedgie for trying to persuade us otherwise. 

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. I took the Government ‘What job should you do next’ questionnaire and I was heartened to discover that if it all goes horribly wrong here, then at the very least I can look forward to my new career as a cake decorator. 

There are some interesting industry standards when trying to describe your voice, they are often broken down into voice quality and voice characteristics

 

Of course there is no right or wrong style of voice, there is always a project out there for all voice types. So, if you were to try and assess your own voice, how would you describe it using the options below – of course you can use more than 1 option at once although you might want to reconsider if you’ve chosen ‘Tight’ and ‘Relaxed’…

Voice quality

Brassy Breathy Clear Deep Fruity Gentle Gravelly Light Melodious Metallic Nasal Quavering Reedy Sharp Silky Smokey Staccato Strong Tight Warm

 

Characteristics

Amused Assured Authoritative Avuncular Cheerful Direct Earthy Engaging Enthusiastic Expansive Friendly Laidback Natural Precise Relaxed Serious Sincere Sympathetic Vulnerable Whimsical

 

Whilst doing this, you are going to have had to listen to your own voice for a while – something most people absolutely hate doing – you may think VO’s love it, but I can assure you there are plenty out there who hate the sound of their own voice too – an industry kick in the proverbial teeth if you will. This actually is a recognised ailment, named voice confrontation – but why, on the whole, are we happy to hear others voices, and yet when we hear the recorded version of our own we die a little inside? The answer is down to the way our bones transmit the sound of our own voice, as they transmit the deeper, richer tones of our voice. Of course when we hear the recorded sound we do not hear these different tones, and as a result what we hear is so dramatically different to what we expect, that this confusion in our brains causes us to dislike it!

What’s more, a complete explanation can be found in a series of scientific studies.

Through their experiments, the late psychologists Phil Holzemann and Clyde Rousey concluded in 1966 that voice confrontation arises not only from a difference in expected frequency, but also a striking revelation that occurs upon the realisation of all that your voice conveys. Not on ly does it sound different than you expect; through what are called “extra-linguistic cues”, it reveals aspects of your personality that you can only fully perceive upon hearing it from a recording. These include aspects such as your anxiety level, indecision, sadness, anger, and so on.

To quote them, “The disruption and defensive experience are a response to a sudden confrontation with expressive qualities in the voice which the subject had not intended to express and which, until that moment, [s]he was not aware [s]he had expressed.”

About Babble

We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients  across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

Good afternoon all – and a merry panto season too!

We’ve got a few Babblers out there treading the boards doing panto and if you want to catch them on stage then here are some details:

Jenny Platt is playing Mavis Morrside/Good fairy Greenfield in ‘Jack and the beanstalk’ at the Oldham Coliseum between Saturday 16th Nov and 11 Jan

Fi Fi Fo Fum, Christmas in Oldham is cracking good fun!

Oldham Coliseum Theatre’s nationally renowned pantomime has been putting the extra sparkle into the festive season for generations; with all the ingredients for fantastic family fun: hit songs, silliness, a sprinkling of fairy dust and a generous helping of It’s Behind You!

Poor young lad Jack sells his cow for magic beans, much to the dismay of his mother. But when the beans grow into a gigantic beanstalk Jack sets off for an adventure in the magical land above the clouds.

With a magic fairy, a GIANT and a hippy cow, Jack and the Beanstalk is a traditional family pantomime with a modern twist – the perfect Christmas treat for kids and not-so-grown-up grown-ups.

Call the Box Office on 0161 624 2829 or book tickets here

 

 

Sam Harrison returns to Leeds’ Quarry Theatre to appear as the Tinman in L. Frank Baum’s ‘Wizard of Oz’

Soar over the rainbow, follow the yellow brick road and skip into the Emerald City to fulfil your heart’s desire, as Leeds Playhouse whisks you away on an unforgettable journey inside our newly refurbished theatre. Join Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion as the classic story and songs you know and love burst on to the stage in this technicolour spectacular!

For tickets please book online here, or call 0113 213 7700

 

 

Ben Richards is performing at the Grand Opera House, Belfast in Beauty and the Beast

Christmas would not be Christmas without panto, so secure your seats for this beauty of a family show!

May McFettridge celebrates her 30th season as the Queen of Belfast Pantomime and is joined by star of stage and screen Ben Richards (Footballers Wives, Holby City, Hollyoaks, The Bodyguard in London’s West-End) as well as Comedy magician and Britain’s Got Talent favourite Mandy Muden. Don’t miss this magical adventure packed full of comedy, colour and amazing song and dance routines.

Dreaming of a happier life, the beautiful Belle finds herself transported to a cursed castle and held captive by a hideous beast. To her surprise, the castle is full of magical characters placed under a spell by an evil enchantress. Can Belle see beyond the monster and fall in love with her captor before the last petal falls from the enchanted rose? Or will the Beast’s selfishness cost him the world he once knew and the hand of the girl who has melted his heart?

With a huge cast of 30 and a spectacular set, Beauty and the Beast is the biggest show in Northern Ireland. It’s also a sumptuous gift of a show tied up in glittering ribbons, so treat yourself and your family to a Christmas present you can look forward to all year!

 

 

Lastly Greg Barnett is appearing in Robin Hood at the Salisbury Playhouse

Join Robin and his merry band for a fantastic adventure this Christmas. With all the elements of a traditional pantomime – comedy, dance, audience participation, fantastic sets – and familiar songs, you won’t want to miss this year’s Playhouse extravaganza. It’s the perfect treat for all ages.

Robin Hood is written by Andrew Pollard, writer of previous Playhouse pantomimes Beauty and the Beast, Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladdin and Cinderella.

About Babble
We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

Bear with us, appreciating some of you may even have a problem with using Xmas instead of Christmas, it is that time where all the big boys trot out their ‘piece de resistance’.

John Lewis have given us a new cuddly animal to buy in their shops – Edgar the Dragon

But… what has your favourite been of the last few years –

We will start with our favourite JL ad (they are still the big boys in the Xmas commercial game) – Monty the penguin – The tale of Monty the Penguin is one that captured the nation’s hearts in 2014, featuring a cover of John Lennon’s “Real Love” by Tom Odell.

The advert follows the close friendship of Monty and a young boy, who decides to find a female penguin for his pal at Christmas.

On the flip side though, there is this little gem from someone who decided to dub a geordie accent over the penguin – few LOLs in here

To be fair, John Lewis have had their fair share of parodies for their efforts. The poke did a particularly good effort with this one…

One of Maggie’s favourites next, with the 1st entry from Coca-Cola. She can keep this one – I think she’s had a shocker here… She maintains it’s value saying it’s great and that she always likes animals more than people anyway. Bah Humbug.

Right, now for one of my faves – I know this one has had a lot of shtick for trading off one of the most cataclysmic events in human history – which as I write that makes a lot of sense… But, it still pulled at my rusty old heart strings. So nay-sayers be damned.

Another one of Maggie’s next – now apparently the main reason that this has nudged it’s way into the list is a 3 second appearance of a Mr Sean Bean who was apparently at ‘his most sexy’ at this particular time. Which is probably accurate if you support Sheffield United and like gravy. Who am I to judge. Here you go Maggie, drool away at roughly the 30 second mark.

For me, the start of the Xmas commercial ‘thing’ started with this John Lewis commercial. It was the 1st time in my memory that someone tried to tell a proper story with it, and once again, my leathery old heart was moved by it. Now that I have little sprogs I have become a lot more emotional and watching this again brought a little tear to my eye.

Finally, I don’t think it’s Christmas until I’ve seen this one at least 30 or 40 times. I’m watching too much telly aren’t I. Probably safe to say yes to that question.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this lot – we reckon they’re a solid set of choices (perhaps apart from the polar bears)

About Babble
We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

We (perhaps unlike many…) love TV ads! Some can be funny, some can be sad and there are some ads over the years that have really rubbed a few people up the wrong way. We’re going to look at the top 5 most complained about commercials and also what the verdict was by the Advertising Standards Authority, Upheld or not.

 

5. The Fighting engineer – VW Golf 2008

This advert from 2008 got 1070 complaints from viewers – most cited waaaay too much violence to be shown before the 9pm watershed time. We actually really like ‘The Matrix’ inspired fight scenes in this, but perhaps getting poked in the face by an exhaust pipe is a little much for a toddler to see. The ASA partially upheld this complaint

 

4. These girls are late abortion – Marie Stopes 2010

This Marie Stopes ad from 2010 received 1084 complaints for apparently promoting abortion. The ASA did not uphold this one

 

3. Blind footballers – Paddy Power 2010

Ok, this is a pretty famous one… blind footballers play a form of football where a bell is placed inside the ball so the players can hear the ball. Unfortunately Chairman Meow scampers onto the pitch and his bell is mistaken for the ball… hilarity ensues… 1091 people complained about this one due to it being offensive to blind people and also potentially promoting cruelty to animals. The ASA did not uphold this complaint in the end and the advert continued to be shown

 

2. Emergency call centre Zinger – KFC 2005

Seems like an absolute age ago when this came out. In 2005 KFC brought out this legendary ad which mightily annoyed 1671 people across the country. It shows various people in a emergency centre call room singing with their mouths full. Here in Babble HQ, people talking with their mouths open makes Maggie’s blood boil – you have been warned. Reasons cited by the public for this being offensive were mainly due to people worrying that this would promote bad manners in children…  ASA did not uphold this complaint

 

1. Holidays – booking.com 2015

Complaints hit 2345 for this ad from 2015 for booking.com. People, perhaps fairly, thought that the word ‘booking’ was being substituted for a swear word, and when the advert was shown during breaks in Harry Potter, Paddington and Night at the Museum people really got upset… This one did not upset the ASA either – not upheld

So, that’s the list – some in there that just make your blood boil, right?! Perhaps not. We still love ads over here at Babble

 

About Babble

We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients  across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

Rather tragically (I suppose dependant on how you see it…) Summer is nearly over… and Autumn is nearly upon us. So, we need to start thinking about curling up in front of a fire with a box set, switching on the Xbox or maybe even braving the cold and heading to the theatre.

If you want to catch some of our Babblers doing their day job check out some of these:

Fans of The Crown can catch Sam Phillips as the Queen’s equerry, ‘Steven’. If you haven’t watched the Crown up until now, binge watch over on Netflix – you won’t regret it, it’s won all of those Emmys for a reason!

Pippa Evans is hosting a ‘one night only’ called ‘Parts I’ll Never Play’ at the Other Palace on the 26th September – get your tickets here!

Ian Conningham will be in A Confession on ITV which starts on Monday 2nd September – This is Martin Freeman’s 1st stab at a Sherlock style whodunnit on his own (based on a real life events no less!)

Alex Gaumond will star as Carl in the first UK Tour of ‘WHAT’S IN A NAME?’ which starts touring on the 5th September and is visiting various cities around the UK until November – For tickets and more information visit: whatsinanameplay.com

So, this week on the blog we’re going to look at the insatiable appetite that people now have for podcasts and some of the reasons why.

Podcasting actually came into being around 15 years ago, when Adam Curry and Dave Winer wrote a program that enabled them to automatically download internet radio broadcasts to their ipod.

 

There were then some wilderness years where people suddenly thought that the next big thing might not actually be the next big thing…Then in 2014 a wildly popular podcast was released called Serial. A high-school senior named Hae Min Lee disappeared one day after school in 1999, in Baltimore County,

Maryland. A month later, her body was found in a city park. She’d been strangled. Her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was arrested for the crime, and within a year, he was sentenced to life in prison. The case against him was largely based on the story of one witness, Adnan’s friend Jay, who testified that he helped Adnan bury Hae’s body. But Adnan has always maintained he had nothing to do with Hae’s death. Some people believe he’s telling the truth. Many others don’t.

The makers of this podcast – the team also behind ‘This American Life’ – have often been attributed with the resurgence in this form of media – especially when discussing Serial.
And it is often the explosion of high-quality content such as Serial, with producers creating more engaging and polished shows, which is slated as the number one factor in this resurgence. It is also as cheap as chips to get into it! With audio equipment prices falling like a stone, any old mug can start their own show… Not to make disparaging comments on that basis; in fact some of the most popular shows in the world are recorded and edited on inexpensive equipment in the hosts homes, making the medium incredibly accessible.

This accessibility also means that sub-cultures can have their slice of the media pie far more easily – people who are underrepresented in standard media can easily have their say and their community can easily and cheaply listen.

It is also and advertisers dream – as millions of us have adopted listening to podcasts, advertisers have responded and taken note. The spoken word creates a highly engaged audience, and people are really loyal to their podcast hosts – if Ira Glass tells me to buy a Dell laptop, I’ll buy a Dell laptop. So, more advertising money flows in, bigger budgets are there to be spent, better content to be made and the circle of life continues.

 

So, where is it likely to go from here? Well, paywall and subscription models are being tried out as we speak – again, the hope is if we can increase the monetization of this, then we can create better content – in fact Rory McIlroy of the golf world is currently involved in a subscription podcast with a view to giving an insight into the inner workings of life as one of the worlds premier golfers. To each their own.

We of course have some fabulous Babblers who have in the past or currently are delivering fantastic podcast content, go and listen to their reels, then go and listen to their podcasts, then book them for your projects!

Margaret Cabourn-Smith and Pippa Evans are both regular guests on ‘the Guilty Feminist’

Nush Cope appears on Cheap Chat

Max Rushden presents a The Warmup podcast weekly

About Babble
We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

Summer’s finally here! And with it comes two brand spanking new voices to join our happy crew – Ladies and Gentlemen, say hello to Jessie Lawrence and Bob Cryer!

Native New Zealander Jessie is more than just your basic Kiwi- she was a huge presence on stage and screen there before moving to the UK last year.

Stage credits include Vanda in Venus in Fur, Marc Antony in an all-female production of Julius Caesar and Connie in The Effect, and her screen work includes Jeanette in TV series Westside.

Since arriving in London she’s appeared in Eastenders, and she’s just returned from Italy where she was appearing in Urlo di Lupo.

She’s got a lovely light and playful tone, and she also rocks a mean US and RP, if New Zealand isn’t quite what you’re after.

Take a listen to her show reel here, and you can also see her in action in her visual showreel.

And it’s not only us who are impressed by Jessie – reviews for her work have been amazing – the NZ Herald said of her work in Julius Caesar:

“Jessie Lawrence (who has been reliably charismatic and expressive during the past year) is exceptional as Marc Antony, playing comic and powerful in turn, and giving the show perhaps it’s only moment of heart-wrenching grief.”

Also joining the party here at Babble Towers is the awesome Bob Cryer. With a wealth of credits to his name, including feature film Legend, and Waiting for Andre for Sky Arts. Voice work includes campaigns for British Gas, promo work across several channels, and video games Epic Battle, Total War, and The Getaway 2.

As if that’s not enough, Bob’s also the co author of the fictional diaries of Sherlock Holmes’s landlady, Mrs Hudson – Mrs Hudson’s Diaries: A View from the Landing at 221b,  which he then adapted into a play at Wilton’s Music Call. The radio version, Mrs Hudson’s Radio Show, was broadcast in late 2018

Have a listen to his voicereel– a native neutral accent that can flit over to Rp or London as needed, Bob had a lovely rich quality to his voice that sounds great no matter what hes doing the VO for.

Why not also take a look at his visual reel to see him in action…

We’re thrilled to welcome both Jessie and Bob to the roster, give us a call to check their availability for your next VO!

About Babble

We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

With the release of Toy Story 4 this week, we in the office thought we’d do a straw poll on our favourite animation performances. These aren’t in any particular order, and if you have any to add to this, why not comment down below?!

1st up, one of the all time classic performances from the legendary Robin Williams – The story goes on this that the producers just got Robin into the studio before any of the animations had been done and let him loose, then the animators worked around the ad-libs.

2nd on the list is one of Maggies faves – Vin Diesel as the Giant from ‘The Iron Giant’. Bring your tissues for the end of this one… AND, who knew that big Vinny had a heart? He’s never been one for acting really… (can we say that?) but in this he does smash it

In at 3 – Tony Blackburn eat your heart out – Brian Bedford voicing Robin Hood. Apparently there is a subculture around this where loads of people fancy this fox. Horses for courses.

Next we move to Finding Nemo’s Ellen DeGeneres with scene stealing Dory – best bit for us, whale speak. Check out the vid below for a belly laugh

A slightly less well known one next, but if you haven’t seen it check out Wreck it Ralph and Vannellope voiced by Sarah Silverman. She is effortlessly funny.

Another classic, Baloo from the Jungle Book, voiced by the inimitable Phil Harris. Such a recognisable voice from such an iconic film, this just automatically found its way into the list.

Next up, the minions voiced by Pierre Coffin. In the Minions film it is just the one guy doing them all – amazing performance! And who doesn’t love the little yellow henchmen!

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson stole the show in Moana – just a brilliant film (which I have had to watch circa 500 times with my little one). One of the 1st pixar films to have full cultural integrity and cast all the characters appropriately as pacific islanders (apart from Alan Tudyk as the chicken who is a ginger guy from Texas – sorry Alan)

Jenny Slate as the voice of Gidget in ‘Secret life of Pets’ takes the next spot. Jenny was famously axed after 1 show on SNL after dropping the F bomb on live US national TV, poor Jenny… So, next obvious step was a kids animation where she can F and blind to her hearts content…

Last spot, a modern classic, Olaf from Frozen voiced by Josh Gad. Very cute, very silly and perfect in just about every way in this film.

About Babble
We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

4 Ideas to “Work the Microphone”

Aspiring to be as good as our lot? Here are some little techniques that some of our guys and girls use in their sessions…

1. Placement of the microphone, relative to your mouth, plays a large role in the sound and clarity of your voice over recording. We can’t tell you where your mic should be placed, because every voice, every microphone, every recording booth, and every desired sound are different. However we will say that you should (a) experiment with mic placement, (b) watch videos of engineers and voice actors to see the many different microphone placements they use, for example, the microphone may face the voice actors’ nose, neck, mouth, or cheeks … it may be above them angled downward at their mouth … it may be at the side of their mouth angled inward … it may be below the voice actor’s mouth angled upward …, and (c) get an engineer to review your recording to verify that your placement sounds professional.

2. Lateral movements are movements to either side of the microphone. Such movements create clarity changes. Generally it is necessary to remain “on-axis” (in front of the microphone) to ensure a clear tone. Moving to the side of the microphone is known as being “off-axis” – doing so produces a muffled (less clear) sound. Unless your client requests a muffled sound, as if you’re speaking through a door, stay on-axis.

3. Proximate movements are movements closer to and farther away from the microphone. Such movements create volume (amplitude) changes. In fact, even moving an inch or two can create a very noticeable change in volume. Generally it is necessary to remain the same distance from the microphone during a recording, to ensure a consistent volume.

4. Proximity effect is a richness effect created by moving very close to a directional microphone, the type most voice actors use. “Eating the mic,” as some people call it, produces a full, rich, fat, more bassey (less treble) sound. Use proximity effect when a full-bodied, sexy, deep tone is required. Usually, standing around 2, 3, or 4 inches from the mic achieves this sound. BUT BE CAREFUL! Standing this close to the microphone makes you more prone to “pop.” Popping is when a burst of air from your mouth overloads and distorts the microphone. Popping occurs mostly on “plosives” (words that begin with “p,” “b,” and “t.”) For these words, either move a few inches further away from the microphone, or lessen the volume of air leaving your mouth.

Follow these techniques, and you will sound better and appear more experienced. We hope these help you and your career.

About Babble
We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

We’ve got a broad spectrum of voices on our books – they’ve got a few fingers in a few different pies so to speak…

One of those pies is Radio presenting.

And wouldn’t you know, it’s pretty much possible to listen to one of our voices from dusk till dawn on their various stations. So, on that note – let us give you the rundown in case you’ve got a quiet day or can have their dulcet tones playing in the background.

If you’re up with a screaming baby (I often am…) then OJ Borg is your man on the late shift on the country’s premier radio station, BBC Radio 2, between midnight and 3am.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s time to get back to sleep for a couple of hours before the baby wakes back up again at 6am, this time with a bang, on Kiss FM with Tom Green and the flagship breakfast show.

Pandora Christie can then take you through to lunch from 10am on Heart.

You then have a choice to make – do you listen to Joanne Good on BBC Radio London, or do you tune in to Erika North on BBC Radio Kent – both equally funny and brilliant!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That takes us up to 5pm when the fantastic John Brunning arrives on Classic FM to soothe you into the evening.

For those of you who listen to the radio over the weekend – don’t worry – you’ve got plenty of opportunities to hear our artists then as well.

The early shift on a Saturday is picked up by Kath Melandri on BBC Radio Essex from 6am.

Laura Woods takes the lunchtime slot on Saturdays over on TalkSport.

Then on Sunday your choices are Max Rushden, back on Talksport from 10am…

…who hands over to Craig Stevens on Heart at lunchtime.

Finally Sushil Chudasama takes the Sunday evening shift on BBC Radio Lancs.

So – it’s a full schedule as you can see – and we’re pretty proud that you can hear our guys and girls across the airwaves, day and night. There’s a reason that they’re on the radio (because they’re fantastic presenters!) but they’ve got cracking voices too. So why not listen to some of the links in here, and bear them in mind for your next project.

To book any one of our fantastic voice artists, give us a call or head to the contact page and drop us a line. We can’t wait to talk to you.

 

About Babble

We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients  across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

The video games’ industry has earned more revenue than the movie and music industries combined, every year for the past eight years.
These incredible numbers filter down to our industry in the form of work for our many talented artists – sneak a peak at Dan Fraser’s work as the Warlock master in the latest Warhammer blockbuster, ‘The Prophet and the Warlock’, here.

There are ever more large scale projects like this one, where up to 60 artists may be used for a single game, but, whilst these opportunities

are increasing in number, so too are the plethora of competing artists that are after the gigs
So… what makes a good Games VO artist and how do you become one of them?
Well – the 1st not so secret ‘secret’ is of course, being hardworking with a love for the craft. It also helps a lot to know the industry – we reckon the guys and girls who are most often repeat hires for our clients in gaming have a background of growing up playing them; this gives them an insight into what they’ve seen/heard in the past that they enjoyed. So, if you haven’t sat down for a good gaming session recently – do it and call it research!The lesser known secret is how many roles the same voice over artist often plays within the same game. So here is where the real tips lie – work on your ranges, your accents, and your different characters you can play – Perhaps the most comment character that is requested is the leading ‘hero-warrior’ voice – so daub on your blue warpaint and pull out your best Braveheart impression.
Also, the bigger parts can take a while – Red Dead redemptions gameplay can last up to 50 hrs – that’s a lot of lines for the lead – so expect to be ion the booth for quite a few hours on the trot and with that, make sure you warm up your voice and have some strategy to keep your voice fresh. Unsurprisingly there can be a lot of action, high intensity shouting and screaming (games have got to be exciting right…) so this can be a tricky thing to keep on top of.
Lastly, with many plots more complex than Game of Thrones, Voice Actors often need to be able to dial up their dramatic skills – make sure you’ve got your skills tuned in before you head into an audition…
About Babble
We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.

New artists! Chris Ashman and Stevie Basaula

 

If there’s one thing we like to give you at Babble, it’s fresh talent, and we’re thrilled to introduce you to the two newest additions to the Babble voice roster: Chris Ashman and Stevie Basaula!

 

Chris Ashman

Native northerner Chris recently returned to the UK after an extended stint in the US, where he appeared in productions including Lucifer, Betrayed and the lead in feature The Ambassador. You can also catch him in upcoming feature film Now Is Everything alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins, or if you can’t wait, watch him now in Elizabeth Blue, currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Chris hails from Stoke but has a neutral voice with that can ramp up or tone down the northern as necessary. Voice work includes several gaming titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Resident Evil VII – Biohazard and you can listen to his fantastic new commercial reel here. His voice is warm and friendly, with a smiley twinkle, and his RP/neutral is strong. He’s also voice several audiobooks so knows his way around a long-form read.

 

All those years in the states means Chris’ US accent is as native, and he can switch between the two with ease, as demonstrated in this great film for Belvita, which also shows off his comedy chops.

 

Stevie Basaula

Stevie comes to us straight from the RSC, where he appeared alongside Christopher Ecclestone in Macbeth, as well as touring in Romeo and Juliet and the Merry Wives of Windsor.

 

However he doesn’t come from the traditional drama school path and came to acting from the Intermission Theatre Group, who work to give young people a more accessible route into the acting industry. This gave Stevie his first taste of touring Shakespeare to schools around London and the UK. Screen work includes the feature film Zero for Dark PIctures/BBC Films, and shorts The Importance of Skin and Messiah and other stage work includes productions at the Young Vic and the Tricycle Theatre.

 

With a warm and likeable urban tone,  Stevie’s natural London accent is fresh and engaging, and we can’t wait to work with such an exciting new talent: we think he’s fantastic and know you will too! Don’t just take our word for it – have a listen to his reel.

 

To book Chris, Stevie or any one of our fantastic voice artists, give us a call or head to the contact page and drop us a line. We can’t wait to talk to you.

 

Belvita Small from Christopher Ashman on Vimeo.

About Babble

We love voices and we love what we do. Since we opened our doors in 2007, bringing fresh talent to an ever-expanding industry, we’ve supplied voiceover artists to clients  across the world, on commercials, animation, video games… you name it, one of our VOs has done it. Why should you choose us? With over 30 years experience across the commercial and production industry, we’d like to think we know our stuff, and will use that knowledge to make your life easier. We listen to your casting, production and budgetary needs and supply you with the best voice for the job. Babble – top talent, sounding great.