Category: PRODUCTION

“Uh …”

“Errr …”

“Um …”

“Ya’ know …”

“First of all …”

“Basically …”

“… like …”

“At the end of the day …”

No. This isn’t a stream of consciousness thought. These are the words and sounds which can slow down any audio recording and its momentum.

All of us have crutch words and phrases. We rely on them more than we realize in our everyday speech. It is a force of habit.

Being on the mic can be quite unnatural if you are not being yourself. This isn’t about throwing away who you are on the mic. It is about being your best self when the recording light is on.

And it’s not just words. Phrases, too, are problematic in audio recordings, as well – and then … there are the sounds. The following are culprits in derailing any type of progress during audio recordings:

• Teeth sucking
• Deep breaths
• Hard swallowing
• Smacking when opening your mouth
• Clearing your throat

Surely audio producers can weed out these obstructions, right? Yes, they can. However, you make their jobs longer and more difficult when these noises are in the audio mix – and you want to sound like a polished professional. The thing is – You CAN sound like a polished professional. Being disciplined on the mic will help you – and your producer – get you there a lot faster.

• Teeth sucking – Many people use this as an ‘attitudinal bit’ in speaking their piece. The problem is you are letting a sound carry the weight of your content’s potency and not your words.
• Deep breaths – If you are skiled at doing this in conversation, you can frame a deep breath to give you some dramatic hook. Do it before you say something huge. Doing it in the middle of speaking can be problematic in ridding once you are min the middle of expressing something.
• Hard swallowing – When anyone does this, it is a clear-cut sign that your mouth is watering up with saliva. When that happens, the normal tendency is to swallow the saliva so that your throat can get some type of lubrication. Drinking water will cure you of this tendency.
• Smacking – It is a natural thing to open your mouth and have a sound come out of it while doing so. If you can recall your mother talking to you about smacking while eating your food. The same rule applies, here. Your mic is sensitive. Be mindful of that when you open your mouth.
• Clearing your throat – Many of us have to deal with congestion. Outside of sickness (when it can’t be helped), water and green tea with honey are your greatest allies. Instead of the harsh clearing, drink something to free your throat. You will save on damaging your vocal chords.

As for the words that get in the way of a healthy conversational flow: A few ‘uh’ and ‘um’ sounds are fine. But you … uh … can’t go overboard … uum … in using these sounds, words and phrases … YouknowwhatI’msaying? This one simple technique can spell the difference between making an audio production sound beautiful … and one which sounds bogged down by unnecesary words …

Pause.

Yes. Pause. If the words aren’t coming out of your mouth, take a pause and allow the words to come into your head. The late Dr. Maya Angelou, one of the most eloquent human beings ever, used the gift of pause to collect her thoughts and make sure every word carries weight with it. Don’t rush the thought. Let it naturally come to you. Dead air is a bad thing – but it is much easier to eliminate pauses than it is a noise that doesn’t belong.

Prepare what you want to say. You don’t have to read a script. Have some sort of direction in mind – even if you are improvising your thoughts on the mic. Practice broadening your vocabulary, as well, so those ‘thinking words’ have no place in your whole conversation.

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You are all set to go. You slide the mic in front of you. You cut the greatest content with the words you expressed. Everything is great …

… except one thing when you listen to the audio: You sound too distant like you are far away from the mic. Or – you may sound like you’ve swallowed the mic whole because of being too close.

So what is the proper length of space between where the mic stands and your mouth? When I was talking with a fellow podcaster, one who has had a ton of experience in speaking on mics – along with his father being an on-air personality himself – he said, “Take your fist, and place it between the mic head and your mouth. That is the distance you should be in accordance with your mic when you speak.”

The distance from one side of a fist to another varies. However, it should be between 1 – 2″ (one to two inches) from the mic.

Why that distance? It captures many things the right way without the need of a ton of mixing:

• all whispers can be easily heard without elevating the vocal in post-production
• all screams can be picked up without having to purposely ease back and distort the mix
• all normal speaking (as is the case with most podcasters) will have the power necessary

Plus – it saves on overusing your voice.

Now – you do have to set your mic at the right levels before speaking, and that is determined by you. The goal is to not sound like your vocal is stuck in the mud (too much bass) or speaking into a tin can (too much treble). You want your vocal (no matter your voice range) to be consistent throughout the recording. The name of the game is to combine having power with clarity in the final mix. How your raw vocal is recorded goes a very long way in determining how powerful and clear your vocal will ultimately sound.

You don’t want to be on top of the mic (unless you have mic voice training – that is for another time). Otherwise, you will be distorted no matter how good an engineer can mix down your vocal. You don’t want to stand too far away from the mic, either. You don’t want to compete with echo, distance and white noise.

Remember: You voice is the star, and you should protect it at all costs. Let the mic do all the heavy lifting and take care of making you sound good. All you need to do is sit/stand 1 – 2″ (one to two inches) away from the mic, and let everything else take care of itself.

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So you are listening to your favorite vocalist sing something. It sounds beautiful – to the point where you have to ask yourself, “How on earth does their voice sound so clear and strong? There seems to be no effort nor strain when they sing!”

Good! People should also say that about you when stepping behind the mic and speaking.

How does that happen? Well – singers sound the way they do, speakers can go on a lengthy amount of time, and on-air personalities can talk for hours on end without sounding hoarse … because they take care of their voice. It starts with treating your voice with the utmost care before the ‘record’ button is pressed.

A singer is instructed to not obstruct themselves so they can deliver the most powerful vocal … even if it is a whisper. The same premise applies in speaking. Don’t limit yourself when you are on the mic … even if it requires for you to whisper. Your voice is a powerful instrument.

Here are things not to ingest before (or during) your time behind the mic:

• alcohol (it relaxes your throat too much and dehydrates your voice)
• dairy products (it produces mucus – which is a throat irritant)
• soda/soft drinks (dries your voice – especially with the acidic properties it holds)
• coffee/other caffeine (except green tea and honey — even though it is hot, caffeine dries your vocal chords just like alcohol)
• anything cold (this contracts your voice, and that forces your throat to be tense … and a tense voice is not a good one)
• smoking (besides the health risk, it is an instant irritant to your voice … and incessant coughing is not a good quality to have behind the mic)

Here are things you ingest before (or during) your time behind the mic:

• water (room temperature water is the best for your vocals)
• green tea and honey (you are drinking something warm and soothing at the same time – plus green tea is more herbal and more on the decaffeinated side)
• apple cider vinegar (for when you are sick, drink this … and add a little honey to it so you have the vinegar killing off lingering bacteria in the cold while soothing your throat and vocal chords to power through once on the mic)
• raw honey (straight from the bottle – it keeps the coughs at bay and gives you more power with your chords as it gives your voice added lubrication)

Also …

Limit the harsh clearing of your throat. If you do this often enough, you will permanently damage the vocal chords. Slip in a menthol cough drop or lightly cough to clear your throat. That limits irritation to your voice.

Cold water is good to drink – just not before you are recording. Even cold water contracts your voice – which was covered earlier.

Your voice is the vehicle which will drive your audio medium more than anything else. Taking care of it – will ultimately take care of you in return.

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Picture this, if you will …

You have a mic standing in front of you – and you have something to say. It gets put out there in front of the world. Some praise you for the good things you’ve said. Some may even clamor for more opinions out of your mouth.

Then … you get the shade – a.k.a. the hate. It could be because you breathed wrong on the episode. It could be because your voice grates on their nerves. It could be because of the opinion you may have of something that rubs people the wrong way.

Enjoy that!

Michael Smith of “ESPN SportsCenter The Six” talked about how one of his previous shows, “Numbers Never Lie.” It was nice, but it didn’t really catch on. So, after the production of his latest episode finished, Smith asked one of the producers his thoughts …

“So … what did you think of the show?”

“It was alright.”

“Alright? What do you mean?”

“It was a good show – but honestly, nothing hooks me onto watching it. I don’t love your show nor hate it.”

“So … if you don’t love the show nor hate it – what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that you need people to love what you say – and, at the same time, individuals who ‘hate watch’ your show.”

The overarching message here? Get people passionately invested in your show!

Don’t be vanilla about topics. If you know a subject matter is going to anger individuals, then you are on the right track. You just have to put it in such an entertaining fashion that they will come back and listen to more.

So – to those who hate your show … or even you … embrace it. As long as you are receiving the love, too, you have hit a nerve. Let your show spark conversation. Let your show challenge norms. Let your show explore why things shouldn’t be a certain way. Have the freedom necessary to say, “This is my show … and no one dictates the direction of it – but ME!”

Think of the many celebrities you can’t stand. Think about the many millions of people who comment on them. There is a phenomenon, here. People talk about gaining those devotees who love your show. Naturally invite those who do not like your show, as well. Why? Because they, too, will probably share your show to others as examples, to them, of what not to think/say/feel/emote.

Whether your audience 100% agrees with you – or 100% disagrees with you – one thing remains clear: You can press ‘record’ and speak your mind. You can hear certain things you want to place on each episode and spice it up. You can have certain sound effects placed on your audio. You can even have your show mixed a certain way. If you have a high-pitched voice, you need more bass in it. If you have a deep tone to your voice, a little treble will give it some lightness. If you want your show to have an AM feel, don’t place a noise reduction effect on it. If you want your show to have an FM feel, use noise reduction. However it is you go about your show … it – is – yours!

You influence it.

You shape it.

You define it.

You guide it.

You voice it.

You OWN it!

Now … show the world who you are and what you can do with the power of your voice!

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