There are many similarities between voiceover and podcasting, but at the same time, it is important to recognize they are entirely different industries. Interestingly there are some pretty significant differences too. Technically speaking, they share some common traits which we will explore first, but podcasting presents an amazing opportunity for voiceover artists to gain work too. We all want more work right? We will certainly get to that bit as well.
Voiceover and Podcasting Similarities
The obvious one is they are both audio based. This means in turn that you require a microphone. We can identify some easy wins here as a lot of the skills required between the two are transferable. Take for example microphone technique. Really this boils down to audio and certainly opens the doors to editing. You don’t want to clip, you don’t want unnaturally loud heavy breaths, you don’t want to hear the lip flaps and you certainly don’t want the plosives. So there really is a good amount of similarities.
Podcasting and Voiceover Differences
What is fascinating with podcasts is that for such a long time the audio quality quite frankly sucked! Off-the-cuff recordings with heavy ambient sound bleeding in were supposed to create a casual effect. Maybe it kind of did – sure! But in the modern day, the production quality of podcasting has excelled exponentially. Even elements within the edit differ – for example, a finished piece of podcast audio should come in at -16LUFS as that’s standard within the podcast industry. All of this said, the casual conversational element of a podcast still needs to come true. The difference in the modern day is that it is more about the delivery to obtain this style. It should sound like a natural conversation.
Work Opportunities for Voiceover Artists?
Most podcasts follow a pattern in that they will have an intro and an outro. If they have sponsored it is likely you will have an ad in the middle too. This invites a great opportunity for voice actors as they are regularly booked to voice these intros and outros. It can be a bit tricky on the editing front though as music is often accompanying voiceover. The reason this is tricky is due to needing to get the right feeling of the show. Not only that but you don’t want the ad quality and the general quality to be worlds apart. Exposing one as poorly edited by having the other as extremely well edited is not the most ideal situation.
Voiceover and Podcasting Summary
So there we have it! We have delved into some commonalities and differences between voiceover and podcasting. Everything from equipment to delivery saturates the commonalities whilst the differences really exist in the style. We have also looked at potential work opportunities for voice actors too. Podcasting is a fast-growing industry with a lot of content. Have you considered making a podcast?
Voiceover and Podcasting by Alan Shires
