Speaking From a Bungee Jump
/As you may know (but perhaps not care) I'm doing some gadget reviews for a my friend Rory Blyth who is an all round top bloke and also works for Microsoft. He is doing a podcast thing which will have interviews with the Microsoft great and good, and inserts from yours truly.
I've not been in front of a microphone for some time (I used to do radio work but I kind of gave it up when real life got in the way) and I was rather disturbed to find that my voice technique seemed to have collapsed. I sent some bits and bobs off to Rory and he politely suggested that there might be something wrong somewhere. I sounded like I was moving towards and away from the microphone at great speed, as if I was talking whilst doing a bungee jump, with the microphone at the bottom of the ravine. I took a listen and was highly disturbed to find that he was very right. I seemed to get very quiet and then suddenly, and for no reason get very loud.
It sounded awful. One of the hardest things to do when recording voice is keep yourself around the same distance from the microphone. I usually do this by putting my elbows on the desk, but this did not seem to work. I still have the voice of an express train whizzing past. So, after two hours of trying to record a three minute piece I'm going to bed rather unhappy, and wondering how to train my vocal chords to behave themselves.
I've not been in front of a microphone for some time (I used to do radio work but I kind of gave it up when real life got in the way) and I was rather disturbed to find that my voice technique seemed to have collapsed. I sent some bits and bobs off to Rory and he politely suggested that there might be something wrong somewhere. I sounded like I was moving towards and away from the microphone at great speed, as if I was talking whilst doing a bungee jump, with the microphone at the bottom of the ravine. I took a listen and was highly disturbed to find that he was very right. I seemed to get very quiet and then suddenly, and for no reason get very loud.
It sounded awful. One of the hardest things to do when recording voice is keep yourself around the same distance from the microphone. I usually do this by putting my elbows on the desk, but this did not seem to work. I still have the voice of an express train whizzing past. So, after two hours of trying to record a three minute piece I'm going to bed rather unhappy, and wondering how to train my vocal chords to behave themselves.
