Episodes
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2023.09.27 - 1000 - The End
Thanks for the loan of your ears, for one-thousand consecutive daily episodes.
All of my contacts are here: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart
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2023.09.26 – 0999 – The Diction-ary of Voice – V and W
**V
Verbal tic – the repeated use of words or phrases such as “like” or “y’know what I mean?”
Velum – the soft palate at the back of the roof of the mouth. The back of your tongue touches the velum when pronouncing letters such as ‘k’.
Vocal elements – the various ways (such as inflection, pause, pace and phrasing) that one can make the spoken word more engaging he techniques for making a voice interesting and effective
Vocal fold – located in the larynx, a multi-layered fold of tissue that vibrates to produce sound when air passes over them
Vocal loading – the amount of impact of the stresses and strains on the vocal folds from talking or singing. The loading can be affected by the amount, volume or the tone of the sound, and also by the speaker’s levels of stress or tension
Voice actor – different from a ‘voice over’, who tends to be an ‘anonymous voice’, an actor will appear in audio dramas, audio books, computer games and so on, where they are reading the lines to be spoken by a character in a specific situation
Voice guide – a director in a recording situation who will read a script, perhaps line-by-line, for the ‘voice talent’ to repeat ‘parrot fashion’, and mimic the cadence. Usually used when the actor is inexperienced in script reading, but has a great voice or high-profile name that is wanted for publicity reasons. A voice guide may also be the temporary voice-over track, recorded so video editors can choose shots and time their cuts to which the ‘professional’ voice talent can talk to later
Voice of God (or ‘VoG’) - loud and large, stentorious and dramatic reads, reminiscent of 1950s (American) radio announcers, and often heard at sports and showbiz events
Voice over – the reading of a scrip, or narration over a video
Voice quality – one’s personal vocal attributes and characteristics
Volume - the loudness of a voice
Vowel - speech sounds of a, e, i, o, and u
**W
Watermark – or more accurately, an audio watermark. This is a snippet of sound (such as a tone or ‘beep’) used to protect your recording, sample or audition. The sound briefly overlaps with your voice at points during the recording say veery few seconds, or over the brand name. This protects your audio from being misused for example, without payment
Whisper phonation – the proper term for when you are whispering
Windpipe – the trachea.
Windscreen – the covering over or in front of a microphone to eliminate unwanted noises such as that made by plosives
Wowing – the changing in pitch of a sound causing distortion
Wrap - the end of a recording
Wrap — a recorded news or other content feature, of interview clips linked (or ‘wrapped up’) by a presenter or reporter
**X
XLR - a type of cable connector, very common on microphones.
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Episodes manquant?
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2023.09.25 – 0998 – The Diction-ary of Voice – T
**T
Tag (or ‘slogan’) – the branding phrase at the end of a commercial
Take (as in ‘go for a take’) – a recording. Also see ‘pickup’
Take a level (or ‘take a bit for level’) – the instruction given by an audio engineer to a presenter to ask them to say some words so the volume on a mic channel can be checked
Talk back – the push-to-talk microphone in a gallery/production area, via which a director / producer will talk to you while in the studio.
Tape - recorded audio, almost never on tape
Tempo - the rate of speech
Thin – a voice which is weak, with a lack of air, energy and resonance. It may be trained to become stronger and fuller with exercises in the areas of posture, relaxation and breath control
Thoracic cavity - the area enclosed by the chest
Throw – a passing link made from one presenter to another, “And now with the latest weather here’s Susie Celsius”
Throwaway (as in ‘a throwaway line/word’) – when a speaker gives little or no emphasis on a word or phrase, reducing its significance
Tonal quality – the overall timb re, resonance of a voice
Trachea – commonly called the ‘windpipe’, along which flows air from mouth to lungs
Track – a layer of recorded audio (or an empty ‘lane’ where recorded audio will sit), which can be adjusted independently of other layers before being mixed (or merged) together in a final mix
Transients - very short sounds, such as the beginning of a drum hit
TX – used to mean ‘transmission’
**U
Unidirectional microphone – one that only picks up sound from a single direction
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2023.09.24 – 0997 – The Diction-ary of Voice – S
**S
Scratch Track - a temporary recording that is a ‘place-holder’ for the final voice-over. Not ‘broadcast quality’ it is used to help producers feel the pacing and style of a project before a final voice over is added
Self op (‘self op studio’) – when the presenter controls their own technical equipment, they are ‘self operating’
Session – the single block of time (say, an hour or a day) spent recording with the voice actor, who is often paid ‘per session’
SFX – short for ‘sound effects’
Shock Mount - a microphone mount that tries to minimize handling noise by using shock absorption
Sibilance – excessive ‘s’ sounds (fricatives) while speaking which are prone to becoming unpleasantly loud in audio recording
Sing-song delivery - when a speaker’s voice rises and falls in cadence in a predictable ‘nursery rhyme’ type fashion
Soft-sell commercial – a script that is read with low volume, low emphasis and in a natural, low-key style
S.O.T – ‘sound on tape’, what’s been recorded
Sound-alikes – these voice actors are similar to celebrity impersonators, but whereas impersonators usually perform exaggerated and comic impressions of the star, sound-alikes create the vocal tones and mannerisms (style, cadence and inflection) for short retakes or dubs in movies, tv and radio, and commercials. This saves the cost and time implications of getting the original star in the studio to re-record just a few words.
Sneak - to slowly fade up or out
Speech personality – one’s individual speaking-style
Spilling over – a distortion caused by too loud a noise
Split-track – audio with different content in the left and right channels, to allows for independent control of levels during production, for example, two guests. Audio must be ‘mixed down’ before it can be broadcast
Stand by – the verbal ‘get ready’ direction given just before a programme or recording starts
Straight-read commercial – a script presented without flourish or over-emphasis
Stroboscopy - an advanced way to view the vocal folds. This usually involves a scope that goes through your mouth to properly identify and define vocal problems
Supercardioid - a microphone pick-up pattern that is most sensitive to sounds in front of the microphone, even more so than a cardioid
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2023.09.23 – 0996 – The Diction-ary of Voice – R – Part 2
Riding the gain (or ‘riding the mic’ or ‘riding the levels’) – the constant adjustment of the input levels as the sound unexpectedly (and often unprofessionally) varies in volume dramatically
Room Tone - the ‘indoor ambience’ or background noise in a room, which should be as close to silent as possible
ROT (‘rot’ or ‘R.O.T’) – a recording of what went out on air: Recording Of/Off Transmission
Royalty Free Music – music that can be used (with varying restrictions) after paying a one-off fee
RP – Received Pronunciation (‘The Queen’s English’, ‘BBC pronunciation’, ‘Standard English’) and English accent without ‘perceived’ regional accent, usually of the type heard in south east England
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2023.09.22 – 0995 – The Diction-ary of Voice – R – Part 1
**R
Rate – the speed of someone speaking or reading
Rate – the amount paid to a voice-over for a day, hour or script
Raw audio - unprocessed recorded audio
Read (or ‘take’) – a recording of a script (or the ‘copy’)
Reaper – a DAW
Red-line the meters – to push the audio volume level to the maximum
Render – saving and/or converting your audio so others can access it
Residuals – payment over and above the initial payment, based on the number of times a commercial is run
Resonance – a full-bodied voice (not necessarily a deeper voice), achieved through the sound of one’s voice vibrating in different parts of the body such as the mouth, throat, nose (sinus) and chest areas – collectively known as ‘resonating chambers’
Resonant cavities – the parts of the body which enhance sound and in which resonance develops.
Ribbon microphone – the mic type which picks up sound by the use of thin (ribbon-like) metallic elements, suspended between magnets. These vibrate when sound is detected, and converts it into electrical energy
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2023.09.21 – 0994 – The Diction-ary of Voice – P
Polyp - usually unilateral (one vocal fold) mass that grows off the surface. Can be hemorrhagic (filled with blood) or not, and’s usually due to voice misuse or overuse.
Pop – when a plosive sound is too close to the mic and causes distortion
Pop guard (or ‘pop screen’, ‘pop shield’, ‘pop stopper’) - a fabric, foam or metal shield between the mic and the mouth to help disperse ‘breath blasts’ from plosives and so reduce the likelihood of distorted sound being recorded
Post - the point at which a voice appears, or the start of a sound or part of a sound, for example, a specific drum beat in a ‘bed’: “make sure you hit the post”, that is, stop talking a beat before the drum comes in
Post (‘post-production) - the final step in a recording process, including the editing, mixing. “It’s OK, we’ll fix that in post”
Predictive eye – the name given to the process of scanning ahead as you read to give prewarning of what's coming up
Pre-produce - to mix or record a piece or interview in advance of a live show, perhaps for technical or timing reasons
Producer - the producer can have more than one role (much like a director), but usually the one who hires the voice actor and other staff, and liaise with clients and agencies
Production master – a final, ready audiobook
Production studio – where programmes are recorded rather than go out live
Production value – the ‘effort’ (including duration, complexity, and post-production) put into the making of an audio or video show. One lasting an hour with several guests, archive footage, and theme tunes would have ‘high production values’. A single presenter ‘read’ lasting just a few minutes is likely to have a ‘low production value’
Pronunciation - a general term for the way a word is spoken (see: ‘enunciation’, ‘diction’)
ProTools - the accepted professional standard for a DAW
PSA - Public Service Announcement such as a government or charity appeal
PTC – Piece To Camera: style of a video presenter, looking directly at ‘the viewer’
Punch – an energetic reading style
Punch and roll - a form of ‘continuous editing’, where you scroll back and record from a convenient break, and then start re-recording where the mistake was made
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2023.09.20 – 0993 – The Diction-ary of Voice – P - Part 2
Pharynx – the area between the larynx and the nasal cavities
Phonation – the process of making sounds into words, which articulation turns into recognisable speech
Phonemes – the different smaller sounds which when combined form a word
Phrasing – delivering groups of words within a sentence to enhance meaning
Pickup – when you go back to re-record a small section of content, such as a sentence, because of a slip, trip or mispronunciation. A ‘take’ is a longer piece of content. Whereas a Take may be annotated 1, 2, 3 a Pickup will be marked A, B, C, so you may have “Take 21, Pickup C”, which helps the producer keep track of the ‘best bits’.
Pickup pattern – the three-dimensional area in which a microphone will best detect sound
Pitch - the relative highness or lowness of the register of voice, determined by the frequency of the vibration of sound: the faster the vocal folds vibrate, the higher the pitch that they create.
Placement – where you put your tongue in your mouth to create certain word-sounds
Playback on smalls – playing back a recording on small sub-optimum speakers to replicate how people will hear the produced version, at home or in the car
Plosives - the group of sounds in the English language which cause a small ‘explosion’ of air from the mouth, often at the start and end of words (‘stops’) such as b, d, g, k, p, t. (Put your hand in front of your mouth as you say these letters and feel that rush of air.) Plosives are sometimes called ‘breath blasts’, and travel from a speaker’s mouth directly into a microphone’s diaphragm, causing a moment of deep distortion
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2023.09.19 – 0992 – The Diction-ary of Voice – N and P
**N
Name check – saying your name on air
Narrative non-fiction – a true-story podcast
Narrative voice - the voice you use for the storyteller/author part of the story, rather a character voice
Nasal sounds – speech sounds heard in words with m, n and ng letters: ‘many nice singers’, when the back of the tongue is raised against the roof of the mouth (the soft palate) thereby closing off to sound the resonance chamber of the sinus cavities
Natural – a delivery which in itself is not noticeable
Nodules (‘nodes’) - bilateral (both vocal cords) callouses that form on the vocal folds due to voice misuse or overuse. Usually these are reversible with corrections in vocal technique
NPC – Non-playing character in gameplay
NSV - Non-Scripted Vocals: any kind of vocals which don't actually contain scripted dialogue, for example, pain hits, exertions, breathing and so on.
**O
Omissions – when a speaker leaves out certain sounds in their speech omitted such as “cal-forn-ya’ (California)
Omnidirectional microphone – one with a pick-up pattern that is equally sensitive to all directions
Optimum pitch (or ‘home tone’) – the tone at which someone is most comfortable speaking; their natural pitch
Overmodulation (or ‘over-modding’) - distortion caused by too loud a sound
Over-the-top – a presenting style for emphasis or excitement. Not always done deliberately or appropriately
**P
P2P – ‘pay to play’, online casting sites
Pace – the speed of a read
Pad – extra talking usually ad-libbed to “fill for time” that is, until a pre-determined end-time is reached
Pan pot – the ‘potentiometer’ is an additional dial (rather than a fader) on a sound channel. Turning it to the left or right (‘panning’) will cause more sound to come from (or be recorded to) the left or right channel of a stereo mix
Patter – informal, adlibbed, unscripted talk
Peak - the maximum instantaneous level of a signal or audio waveform
Per hour – the hourly rate based on the length of time you spend at the studio (rather than ‘per finished hour’, when the level of pay is based on the duration of the finished production, which is usually much less especially in audio book production)
Per project - a flat rate for a script, regardless of the time spent recording or producing it
Per session - a flat rate for the time spent in the studio regardless of the number of projects recorded
Per spot - charging a flat rate for each commercial spot, regardless of the time spent recording it
Pfh - per finished hour (see ‘per hour’)
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2023.09.18 – 0991 – The Diction-ary of Voice – M
Marking copy – different markings on a script (underlinings, arrows, circles) to show which words require different voice presentations such as inflection, characterisation or changes to volume or speed, difficult passages, odd pronunciations and character thumbnails
Mask – using sound to cover a bad edits or to smooth a transitions
Mastering - the process of preparing and transferring an edited and mixed audio file from which all copies will be produced
Mic fright – the fear of talking in an audio or video situation
Mic level – the volume of the microphone input channel
Microdynamics - the difference between the loudest moments and the quietest moments over a short timeframe, usually referring to transients
Microphone – the device which picks up sound and turns it into electrical energy so it can be broadcast or recorded
Mix - to combine several audio sources into a single finished piece
Mixed audio – see ‘dry’ audio
Mixer – the equipment that allows various inputs of audio or video to be broadcast or recorded at different times and levels
Modal voice- your usual speaking voice
Monaural (or ‘mono’) - sound on one, single channel, that is, not stereo
Monitor speaker (or ‘loudspeakers’ or simply ‘speakers’) – used to hear studio or playback output
Monotone – when a person talks with little or no variety in their pitch, volume, and speed
Montage - several pieces of audio combined sequentially to create a single sound element
Monthly retainer - an agreement in which the voice-over is paid a set amount each month for ongoing work, based on the average amount of recording minutes or scripts per month
Mouth axis – the direction of your mouth in relation to the microphone: ‘slightly off axis would mean that you are not speaking towards the mic and so you will be heard slightly indistinctly
Music bed (or simply ‘bed’) - music played underneath a voice
Mute button – the manual switch which significantly quietens an audio feed, maybe completely. This is automatically activated on studio loudspeakers when the microphone goes live, to avoid feedback
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2023.09.17 – 0990 – The Diction-ary of Voice – L
**L
Labiodental – very few sounds use the sound created when the upper teeth rest on the lower lip, but say ‘very’ and ‘few’ and you will hear two
Lapel (or ‘lavaliere’ or ‘lav’) microphone - small microphone attached to clothing of a presenter or guest
Laryngology – the study of the professional voice. An ENT is not a laryngologist, who can give sophisticated diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders
Laryngoscopy - the process of using a flexible scope in your nose or a rigid scope in your mouth to see your larynx (or ‘voice box’)
Larynx – connecting the trachea (windpipe) and the pharynx (between the mouth and nose) this area is the location of the vocal folds
Level ('volume') - the amount of audio signal strength usually measured with negative numbers “-12db” means it could be 12 decibels louder without distorting. See “Clipping”
Limiter - a really fast compressor designed to reduce the level of loud peaks
Lingua-alveolar – the speech sound created when the tip of the tongue (lingua) is against the upper gum ridge (alveolus). Ironically it is very prevalent in the phrase ‘tip of the tongue’ (and not heard as much in those who speak with a glottal stop in words such as ‘butter’)
Lingua-palatal – a really rare sound when you say ‘r’ noises (such as in “really rare”) when the tip of the tongue nearly touches the roof of the mouth.
Lingua-velar – if you have done phonics with your child you will be familiar with the ‘kicking k’ – and this is how you make that ‘kicking k’ sound: with the back of the tongue up against the soft palate (the velum) at the back of the roof of the mouth, and the tip of the tongue on the mouth floor
Lip mic – a microphone designed to be used very close to the mouth to cut out extraneous noise, for example at a sports event
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2023.09.16 – 0989 – The Diction-ary of Voice – I
**I
Impromptu (or ‘ad libbed’) – a comment made ‘off the cuff’ without a script or prior rehearsal
Inflection – the lifting or lowering of the pitch of an individual word or different parts of a word to indicate significance (see: ‘cadence’)
Insurance takes - when the director wants one more take, ‘just in case’
Integrated loudness - the average loudness across an entire recording
Interdental (or ‘linguadental’) – the speech sound when the tongue darts through the lips. Used when people say “theoretically, this third thrush threads theatre throws”
Interface - hardware that connects to your computer that allows you to record audio
In the mud (or ‘muddy’) – a low or distorted volume
In the red (or ‘hot’, ‘distorted’) – a high or distorted volume
IPDTL (ipDTL) - Internet Protocol Down the Line: an IP codec running in a web browser, used for remote broadcasts in television, radio, and voice-over and a replacement and compatible with older ISDN audio codecs
ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network: a system similar to the newer over the digitalised circuits of the public switched telephone network
IVR – Interactive Voice Response: technology that allows phone users to interact with a computer-operated telephone system through the use of voice. A voice-over artist will record, say, movie titles on show and the screening times and ticket availability, which a caller will interactive by responding to voice prompts
iZotope – a software company providing plug-ins that repair audio, doing things like removing background noise, distortion and mouth noises
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2023.09.15 – 0988 – The Diction-ary of Voice – H
**H
Haemorrhage (‘vocal cord bruise’, ‘hematoma’) - a collection of blood in the vocal fold that develops after considerable voice use and leads to severe hoarseness
Hand signals – gestured directions given to a presenter to, for example, start or stop
Handling noise - undesired sounds picked up on a recording caused by touching or moving the microphone
Hard copy – a script that is printed out
Hard sell commercial – a script that is presented in a loud, urgent and emphatic style
Headphones (also ‘cans’, ‘earphones’, ‘headset’) – worn over the ears so a presenter can hear themselves, the mix of output and any direction given to them while their microphone is live
Headroom - a recording volume range in decibels (dB). It’s the difference between the typical operating level, and the maximum operating level when the audio will start to sound ‘clipped’. So, giving yourself “10db of headroom” means that you set your recording levels so your voice frequently peaks at -10db, and if it gets unexpectedly louder it won’t distort
High Pass Filter – an audio filter that cuts out any frequency below a specified point (letting the higher frequencies pass through) and can help prevent plosives and wind noise
Hindenburg - a DAW
Hit hot - to begin playing at full volume
Hit warm - to begin playing at medium volume
Hoarse – a raw, scratchy voice (not necessarily low in pitch) which may signify overuse (such as shouting or talking loudly), abuse (such as drinking and smoking) or both (a late-night party for example). At its worst it may be a signifier of a more serious condition
Hold / maintain - to keep the volume at the existing level
Hook – a line or statement at the start of a commercial designed to ‘hook’ the listener or viewer in by catching their attention, often by using a question: “have you booked your holiday yet?”
Husky voice – a lower-pitched speaking sound
Hypercardioid - a microphone pick-up pattern that is most sensitive to sounds directly in front of the microphone, even more so than a supercardioid
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2023.09.14 – 0987 – The Diction-ary of Voice – G
Glottal – a softer ‘coughing’ sound when used in speech, often when used instead of proper pronunciation in words such as ‘hot’ or ‘water’ when the tongue has not been used to pronounce the ‘t’ sound at the end or middle of words. Interestingly (?!), those who use glottal stops in everyday conversation, may put the ‘t’ sound back in when they become a passionate speaker and want to be sure they have been understood. Think of a someone who at home might refer to ‘butter’ (using a glottal stop and omitting the ‘t’ sounds in the middle of the word), but when in a hotel and being brought spread instead will say “I asked for butter” and pronounce the t-sound. Indeed, the marketing slogan “You’ll never put a better bit of butter on your knife”[1] contained several potential glottal stops
Granuloma - a large inflammatory mass that grows in the larynx, usually in the back. This most often is due to voice trauma and uncontrolled acid reflux
Gravelly – the description of a low, deep voice with little energy, projection or intonation
Guide track (or ‘scratch track’) - when a non-professional voice artist has provided a recording of the script so that the visual edits can be created, and pronunciations given. In this situation, your job is to replace their dialogue with yours
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j1qwcbIzz4
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2023.09.13 – 0986 – The Diction-ary of Voice – F
**F
Fade (in, out, up, down, under) - to gradually adjust the volume of sound from low to high or high to low
Fader – an audio channel’s level controller
Fade to black/fade away – to decrease the volume of a sound until it cannot be heard
Falsetto - the vocal register just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave
Feedback – the loud howl-round, looped sound when a ‘live’ mic is too close to a speaker or headphones, and the sound repeats
Fluff – mistake or verbal trip “I fluffed that line, can I take it again?”
Foley - recording custom sound effects
Fricatives – the group of sounds which cause air to ‘seep’ from between the lips, such as f, h, s, v, th and sh. Ironically heard at the start of the word ‘fricative’
From the top – start a recording from, well, the start
**G
Gain – increasing the volume of sound, usually on a mic channel and usually beyond what is often necessary
Gallery – the control room outside the main studio, where a producer, director and clients may sit and work from
Garage Band - DAW software that comes for free on a Mac.
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2023.09.12 – 0985 – The Diction-ary of Voice – E
Ellipsis – the marking on a script (‘…’) usually indicating that a pause is required
Emphasis list - if an author wants to stress a point, they an emphasis list such as “the country was utterly, totally and demonstrably broken”
Encoding - converting your uncompressed audio files into a format more suitable for certain applications, say from a WAV file to an MP3
Enunciation (or ‘diction’) – the clear pronunciation of a word
Equalization (‘EQ’) - the process within the DAW of altering various parts of the voice recording, such as the volume and to lower or boost frequency rates to enhance the sound
Eye-brain-mouth coordination - the ability to script-read fluently, accurately and effortlessly
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2023.09.11 – 0984 – The Diction-ary of Voice – D Part 2
Dry audio – a voice recording without any music underneath (which would be a ‘mixed’ recording)
Dry mouth – literally having little saliva in one’s mouth, making talking difficult
Dub – to make a copy of an audio or video recording
Dub - to re-record audio and sync it to a video which shows someone talking and whose sound is muted. Dubbing is used to re-record a translated soundtrack in another language for different markets and also to replace the original spoken word recording in the original language and by the original actor, to replace audio that was poorly recorded on set (or due to a technical problem, late script change, remove a swear-word for a different audience and so on). The spoken word of any dub must sync with the mouth movements of the original performance. Although this is difficult for a translated script, the timings of each line must certainly be as close as possible to the original
Duration – the length of time it will take (or has taken) for a programme element such as a script, to run
Dynamic - audio that has wide variations between the quiet bits and the loud bits. See ‘Microdynamics’ and ‘Macrodynamics’
Dynamic microphone – a mic which incorporates a diaphragm-type device which records sound by vibrating a magnet to create an electrical signal, when sound waves are detected, but which are less sensitive to higher frequencies. See ‘Condenser’
Dynamic range - the ratio between the maximum and minimum sound levels in a recording. This ratio is usually expressed in decibels as the difference between the loudest possible undistorted level, and the level of the noise floor
**E
Early out – ending a programme or item earlier than originally expected “We come out in 1 minute, but there’s an early out in 20 seconds…”
Edit – cutting down an audio piece for content or duration reasons
Edit - to produce an audio piece, weaving a narrative from multiple interviews and other audio elements
Editor – in a newsroom, the manager of a team of reporters who’s responsible for deciding what stories goes to air and how, and for giving feedback
Editor - the person who assembles a show from raw material, who works to a producer
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2023.09.10 – 0983 – The Diction-ary of Voice - D Part 1
DAW - Short for ‘Digital Audio Workstation’ (or ‘Workspace’), said variously D.A.W and DAW (as in ‘door’). The software you use to record, edit, mix and play back your audio. Either a computer which is dedicated to audio only, or a complete multitrack recording system (software) such as Protools, Cubase or Logic. Other examples include Audacity, Hindenburg and Adobe
dB - abbreviation for ‘decibel’, pronounced “dee-bee”
Dead air – silence
Dead cat - a type of mic wind-screen that has long synthetic hairs surrounding it and makes a long microphone look like a dead cat (!)
Deadroll - sound or music that begins inaudibly at a specific time in a mix – so that it will come to its natural end at a specific time through the use of ‘backtiming’
Decibel – a measurement of the volume of sound, abbreviated to ‘dB’. In the digital audio world, it refers to decibels relative to full scale (dBFS), where ‘0dBFS’ represents the maximum possible digital level, and so measurements in digital audio production are generally represented in negative values (say ‘-9 dB’).
De-emphasize – to produce a less emphatic, dramatic read
De-essing – to reduce sibilance caused by high-frequency ‘s’ sounds. A ‘de-esser’ is a plug-in to the DAW that automatically controls sibilance in recordings
Demo - a recording of your professional voice work given to prospective clients as an example of your voice and variety. Demo as in a ‘demonstration’ of what you can do. A ‘demo reel’ or ‘demo tape’ is an audio portfolio of examples of a voice artist’s work
Dialect – a regional variation of a language with a particular accent. So, the English language may be spoken with a Cockney accent
Diaphragm – the muscle which separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity and which is the main muscle used in breathing
Diaphragm - the part of microphone that is affected by sound waves and turned it into electrical signals to be recorded or enhanced. See ‘Dynamic’ and ‘Condenser’.
Diction (or ‘enunciation’) – the way you talk: your enunciation and the types of verbiage (words and phrases) you use.
Digital – recording/processing with a computer in which audio signals are broken into numerical values
Digital Analog Converter - DAC. Hardware that turns an analogue signal into numerical values, and vice versa. Anything that connects a microphone to any type of computer has a DAC, including Digital Audio Recorder and microphones
Dip or Duck — to fade sound underneath a track or other audio that is at a higher volume
Director – the person responsible for deciding how a programme is run while it is on air, or in charge of a recording project. The director may oversee or themselves be the writer producer or audio engineer
Distortion – when sound has been recorded at too high a level making it difficult to comprehend
Double Ender - see “tape sync”
Dramatic pause – when anticipation or tension is created by a pause within a script
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2023.09.09 – 0982 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 4
Cue – the instruction to a presenter to start talking or performing. This could be verbal or by a light or a audio ‘cue tone’
Cue – the short script read by a radio presenter or newsreader to introduce a guest or other live or pre-recorded item
Cut – an edit of a piece of audio to remove a portion
Cut - as a direction during a recording, to stop immediately
Cyst - usually unilateral (one vocal cord) mass that grows within a vocal cord. Fluid-filled, usually due to voice misuse or overuse
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2023.09.08 – 0981 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 3
Conversational read (sometimes ‘transparent read’) – when a script doesn’t sound as though it is being read, so, using an authentic, friendly or realistic style that gives the impression the voice-over is talking with the listener one-to-one, telling a story or convincing them from what appears to be their own experience. A tone that personifies everyday speech. It is ‘non-announcery’. Think: everyday conversation
Conversational show - a show or podcast where the audience listens to a recorded or live conversation, discussion or ‘roundtable’
Copy - another word for the script, the words written to be read out loud
Copy - to duplicate
Copy – ‘message understood’
Copy marking – The system or annotating a script to remind you about issues such as inflection, pauses and pronunciation
CPM - Short for ‘Cost per Thousands’ (confusingly, not ‘millions’, the ‘M’ is the Roman numeral for ‘thousand’). How much advertisers will pay to reach one thousand listeners
CTA – the ‘call to action’, that is, the part of the commercial script that tells the user what to do such as “buy now”, “call this number for tickets”, “visit our website for details”
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