When voicing for radio, tv, or even the internet these days, the lingering question after, ‘do i have the right tone?” or “does my read sound authentic” etc, is always, “is this quick enough to fit in the allotted time?”.

When you are a voice over artist, this question is a tough one. Not only do you need to be within the allotted time, but depending on the producer, they may (or may not) remove your breaths, which give your read more room to breath (ha ha) and you can actually go longer with you raw voice over.

So depending on your client, all situations require specific answers.
For us, as producers, the guidelines we follow are simply this: voice the spot at a good pace, not too fast, not too slow. If it comes in long, It simply means it was too long a script. We will then deal with it here, by sending the client a full/fast version using time compression, and an edited/slower version at no cost to them. We cannot do this if your read is super fast and edited tightly.

It only takes a minute for a producer here to do up an alternate version for the client…and in the end, goes a long way to ensure the client knows you are on the case about doing all you can for their needs.

It would be great if all scripts met the length requirements of each voice over artist, but as this is the real world, the chances are slim. But it does make one appreciate the value of a well written, well timed script when it does come along…and when our team is allowed the privilege of writing for a client, they always are well timed, well thought out scripts…if only because we realize first hand how hard it is to voice a script that is too long.