Stand and Deliver
3
Want a fast, cheap, probably obvious trick for noticeably improving your podcast voice? Stand up when you talk. It’s well known that standing straightens the air passages and gives you a lot more power. It’s why you always see singers and voiceover artists standing. I started standing for my story readings and intros when I moved my podcast down into the basement studio, and I could immediately tell the difference.1
Obviously this trick won’t work for everyone. You need either a tall mic stand or a boom arm, and your content and style may preclude it. Couplecasters would likely find it too weird to chat with each other while standing; and if your podcast is mostly improvised monologue, you may find it difficult to (literally) think on your feet. Some people do it very well, or learn to, but it’s far more important to feel comfortable. Standing up probably works best for pre-scripted content, or improvisation with a semi-formal or formal structure to it.
But if you can make it work for you, and make it natural, you’ll be surprised at the difference it makes to your sound — and, very possibly, to your attitude and confidence in yourself and your podcast.
- On top of the acoustic and psychological benefits of moving my podcast out of the living room. ↩
Steve,good suggestion, think I’ll try that one. Appreciate the practical technical suggestion from the last couple of posts-thanks.
Comment by Brooklyn Bluesman — April 26, 2006 @ 11:33 am
Thanks, BBMan. This is the kind of stuff I’d been intending to present all along, but I got sidetracked. I’ll try to keep it up because, honestly, it’s more fun to talk about this sort of thing than it is to talk about myself or about What’s Wrong With Podcasting, etc.
(Not that the rest of it will go away.)
Comment by SFEley — April 26, 2006 @ 2:42 pm
Absolutment!I can’t do a recording seated staring into the computer screen. I like to move — even address myself in a mirror.
I read off a script standing no probs so it may be warranted getting a stand or something to bring the pages up but if you check with old style radio drama/comedy(eg: Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, etc) — actors clustered around the mic with scripts in their hands on backing board.
I use a headset mic and record direct into my iRiver which means I can literaly walk anywhere. Thats’ my idea of podcasting — the other kind, sedentary — seems stuffy and formal and very much radio-speak. I baulk when I try to do it seated and screen focused as it makes me self conscious.
One problem with standing is that I will tend to get dramatic while upright and using my body to gesture which doesn’t always suit my db levels. (’Tis a thespian side effect)
Comment by Dave Riley (Australia) — April 26, 2006 @ 11:40 pm