I first heard headphones called “cans” when I worked at a radio station in Chicago back the early 80s. Like a lot of people who have worked in radio for a while, I used to wear headphones all the time when I did voiceover work. It wasn’t until around 1993 that I started moving away from them.
The first push in that direction came during a Marice Tobias seminar I attended. She spoke about the value of being able to concentrate on the story being told rather than on hearing myself. More recently, now that I’m studying with Marice, I’ve heard her explain the value of working without headphones with even greater clarity. The essence of the matter is that when you’re wearing headphones, it’s as if you are having lunch with yourself. (I made the transition completely away from wearing headphones around 1997.)
You may think that being able to hear yourself more clearly is helpful. I used to think the same way, but if your goal is to sound real (you know … natural, conversational) then you need to take the headphones off and leave them off. OK. Wear them when you’re editing if you need, but don’t wear them when you’re voice acting.
But, Bob, what about during an ISDN or Phone patch session? Clearly, you have to be able to hear the director; so, in that situation, wear one of the cans over one ear.
Look, do you walk around in real life (that place outside your studio) with a microphone, mixer and headphones? Then, if you want to be able to sound more like a real person inside your studio, leave the headphones off.
My thanks, by the way, to my friend Justin Barrett for emailing me the other day, prompting me to write this blog post.
If you are doing movie trailers of TV promos you are expected to interact and react to SOVT items or the action, indeed, do so in context, without headphones you can’t.
“Keepin’ it real” is a noble aim yet once again any number of trailers, promos and radio imaging is far from real by its very nature so in certain cases headphones really help manufacture part of the mood – Gestalt, you become part of the whole and the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts.
Context is everything. If headphones add something a VO needs for technical reasons or for performance reasons, wear ’em. When they detract from what is required, dispense with them. Like in life, in the world of the Voice Overist, there are rules, there are guidelines, there are suggestions and there is common sense, the latter will get you much further than any of the others combined
Philip,
Common sense, indeed, is critical.
Be well,
Bob
“having lunch with yourself”
that says it all
would much rather being
having lunch with my audience
way more interesting
rewarding and real
marice tobias has insight and
an ear like none other in this
business
she hears beyond what is audible
and understands the meaning of
what she hears.
thanks for the reminder bob
debbe
Marice also likes to point out that listening to yourself in the headphones puts your “inner critic” right to work during the read.
But as Philip sagely points out, there are times when you have to use them. For me it is during ISDN sessions where I’m reading to pre-recorded audio and need to hit the mark. But even then, it’s one ear off and run the volume as low as possible.
Bill
I was a radio guy; it took me a long time to wean myself off headphones. But as of now I’ve gone halfway back, to the 1-ear approach. That seems to give me the best balance of “natural” vs. “hearing myself as the mic hears me.” If I’m making mouth noises, I might not pick up on them without the cans. Or I guess that should be “can,” singular.
Sage advice, Bob. I no longer wear them either (except during ISDN, of course)… and I really don’t miss it!
Caryn
Like a lot of folks, I wore them because that was how the environment was where we worked. At the time it made sense.
I even learned to turn down the volume a little with my inner critic.
Still, I was hooked to the damn things. At least, I was until I had to do an industrial with someone much wiser than I am. After he smacked me in the back of the head for relying on them too much, I got the message. Lesson learned, and I use them on one ear when necessary and during any sound checks (even then, I only use them on a single ear).
Like any other tool, you’ve got to find your own way to use them to suit your strengths.
Thanks for the physical abuse Marty!!! Sometimes we’ve got to have someone point out what we’re doing that’s self-defeating (sometimes the more obvious it is, the harder it is for us to see it on our own).
-Greg
Greg,
Very good thoughts. Thank you for adding your experiences to the conversation.
Be well,
Bob
It’s one of the problems with self-producing long form: without the headphones you cannot hear a technical problem like a pop or splattered s; with the headphones you really are talking to yourself.
I like a single can when I must wear headphones.
Steve,
I’m with you. One ear covered and one not, and then only when I have to have them for an ISDN or phone patch session.
Be well,
Bob