Director's Tip: When preparing your script, jot down two keywords that describe the desired feeling. For instance: "friendly and helpful" or "concise and corporate". This immediately provides the voice actor with the right direction.
Step 2: Deliberately Choose the Right Accent and Country of Origin
A common misconception is that every Dutch-speaking voice will have the same effect everywhere. There's a clear difference in perception between a Flemish voice and a Dutch voice from the Netherlands.
When selecting a voice, consider your intended audience:
- For a Belgian target audience, a Flemish voice (like Serge) sounds familiar and relatable.
- For the Dutch market, choose a voice with a Netherlands Dutch background (like Vera).
- For international projects with French or English-speaking listeners, you might consider voices like Bernard or Ian.
Within our platform, we have 94 professional voices available. The rule is simple: always choose a voice actor whose home market aligns with your target audience. This ensures the highest level of recognition.
Director's Tip: Don't have a Dutch script for the Flemish market voiced by a Netherlands Dutch speaker trying to imitate Flemish. Listeners will immediately sense it and lose interest.
Step 3: Listen to Specific Demo Clips
Don't just listen to the general voice quality; specifically look for demos within your genre. A voice actor who sounds fantastic in a fast-paced radio advert won't automatically be the right fit for voicing a lengthy e-learning module.
Important points to consider when listening to a demo:
- Pacing: Is the voice calm enough for listeners to understand complex information?
- Articulation: Is every word clearly understandable without sounding rigid?
- Naturalness: Does the script sound like a natural conversation or simply like someone reading from a page?
Director's Tip: Ask the voice actor to say a short 'warm-up phrase' just before recording begins. An everyday sentence like "Good morning, let's get started" helps to relax the vocal muscles and immediately shifts the voice away from a stiff, 'reading aloud' style.
Step 4: Prepare the Script for Recording
A written script reads differently from a spoken one. Sentences that look beautiful on paper can become stumbling blocks for a voice actor when spoken aloud.
- Write short sentences and avoid complex subordinate clauses.
- Write numbers and abbreviations in full, exactly as they should be pronounced.
- Use clear punctuation to indicate where the voice actor should pause for breath.
Director's Tip: Read your script aloud once with a stopwatch in hand. Wherever you find yourself pausing for breath, a voice actor will likely need to do the same.
Step 5: Finalising the Recording and Post-Production
After the recording, you'll receive the audio file. Clear communication upfront prevents the need for extensive post-recording adjustments. Should a minor detail still require alteration, you can easily coordinate this with the agency. Our clients, such as Roel and Irma, consistently praise our smooth communication and swift delivery upon request.
Our cost structure is transparent. For non-commercial work, such as an internal corporate video or a training module, costs are based on word count or a per-project fee. For commercial applications with media reach, the price comprises a basic recording fee combined with usage rights for your chosen channels and duration.
Director's Tip: Should a re-recording be necessary, specify precisely which second in the audio file requires adjustment and exactly what needs to be altered in terms of emphasis.
