Golden words: Avoiding voice prompt sticker shock

By Susan Berkley and Liz de Nesnera

If you’ve got a project that requires a recorded voice, you might be shocked to discover how much it can cost to have it done professionally. After all, we all talk and anyone can just step in front of the mic and say a few words, right? Of course they can. And many companies attempt to save money by having an inexperienced employee or a local DJ with a “nice voice” do their recordings. The result? Well, we all can wield a scissor but have you ever tried to cut your own hair? Sometimes it looks good, but more often than not you’ll be wearing a hat (and a really embarrassed look on your face) for weeks.

There are some things in life that we can safely buy based solely on cost. Your favorite brand of ice cream will taste the same no matter where you buy it. But, when your project requires a recorded voice, your reputation and the satisfaction of your client and customers is on the line. An inexpensive local DJ with a good voice may be fine, but can they provide you with the fast turnaround time you need? Do they have the project management skills for large, complex jobs? Can they provide your customers with a large stable of voice talent from which to choose? Can they translate and record in languages other than English if needed? Do they have the latest, state-of-the-art equipment and technical expertise? Do they have a qualified staff of trained expert technicians ready to help you trouble-shoot any technical issues that arise?

If you’ve been given the task of shopping for recording services, here’s how to avoid “sticker shock” by becoming a more educated consumer and understanding what goes into the final cost of a quality recorded product:

1) Equipment
When recording phone prompts, equipment matters. Compare the sound of the records you grew up with to the sound of today’s “digitally re-mastered” CD’s. With advances in recording equipment, the quality of recordings has been greatly enhanced. Better equipment is constantly being developed and recording studios must continuously upgrade. This costs money and some of those costs are passed on to the “consumer” – you. In exchange, you get a better quality recording and a better sounding system.

2) Skilled technicians
Today’s recording engineers are highly trained professionals. Technology changes at a dizzying rate and recording technicians must invest in training, stay familiar with the latest advances and keep their skills up to date. They must be familiar not only with the latest computers but also, with all the latest advances in recording equipment. This know-how costs money.

3) Skilled Professional Voice Talent
A professional voice over artist is a trained actor specializing in voice. Not unlike a professional athlete, it is their responsibility to know how to play their voice like a finely tuned instrument and to keep it in shape. Professional voice talent might cost more but they will save you time, money, and headaches in the studio. You get a consistent, reliable, professional sound and an actor who can take direction and provide you with a finely nuanced read. Because this is all they do, professional voice talent are available when you need them and can be counted on to provide you with a clear, quality recording time after time. They have invested many years in perfecting their craft, and like the professional actors and musicians we all enjoy, deserve to be paid for their expertise.

By the way, if your budget is tight, don’t design scripts that require multiple voices, for example, an opening menu to be read by native speakers of several different languages, or a dialogue between a male and a female voice. Each talent must be paid a separate session fee and compensated for their travel time. You’ll also pay more for studio time as the complexity of the project increases and additional editing is required.

4) Skilled Voice Directors
A professional voice director is sometimes brought in on projects that require the voice talent to portray a certain “persona” or in recordings where accuracy and intonation are important. Non-US English voice jobs might also require additional supervision to ensure accuracy. This extra cost would be passed on to you, but the quality of the recording would be assured.

5) Project Management Staff Support
Support staff are responsible for all of the background office functions that make a project go smoothly. From scheduling to billing to client services, these talented administrators are the backbone of every company and are vital to the success of your project. An inexpensive DJ or voice talent with a one-person shop won’t be able to hire extra support staff and your project may suffer as a result.

6) High Quality Customer Service
Some studios will take your script, record it as written, send it back to you and send you the bill. That’s fine, as long as you are sure that you will not have any questions to ask….that you won’t have any last minute changes to your script….that the script is exactly as you want it, with no typos or omissions. If you want to avail yourself of the studio’s expertise when it comes to voice direction, foreign dialects or digital formats, expect to pay more than to a local DJ who happens to have a home studio in his basement.

With voice prompts as in life: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Don’t expect to pay $50 for a Spanish prompt and have it sound the same as one you may have paid $350 for. A lot goes in to recording “just one prompt.”

To contact The Great Voice Company, please call 201-541-8595 ext 24 or email at michelle@greatvoice.com