Types of imaging

Just as there is with spots, there are hard cell and soft cell imaging. The type of imaging you voice/produce depends on #1, your format, naturally, a rock or CHR station will be more in your face than will a Adult Contemporary or contemporary Christian outfit. It’s important though to produce a variety of imaging sounds. Even though rock can be in your face, does the copy always have to be? Of course it may depend on what the program director may want, but watch how much you use listener and artist drops. You may only have so many in your inventory. Once they are used up, over usage of the same drops becomes repetitive and it may cause listeners to tune out.

What about imaging for a variety show?

This gets tricky because you then need both hard and soft cell imaging. Look at, what kind of music is being played? Create a few pieces of each format just as if you are imaging a station of that format. This will help you to have the proper energy to match the music.

Choosing fX

I think of FX to be an intro/outro to the peace as it blends with music, and as used under the Voiceover, to highlight and bring out the message. They can totally help you do a u turn with thought or sound within the same imager.

The Bed

The music bed if used in a peace of imaging is there to create an underlying energy, while the FX give bursts of energy.

Writing copy

It all starts for me, with an idea. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with something buzzing in my brain, if it’s my show, or my station. Sometimes I sit down with the number of pieces which I am committing to produce, the format and name of the station. Block out at least an hour or two, just to write copy.

Start with a rough draft. Write the script out once. Read back through. Can you hear the vO artist in your head reading the copy? How does it sound? Where are transition FX, where does the Voiceover crossfade on top of itself. IF you can make notes in this for the copy you take to your DAW when producing this may help you through the process. You can of course use a copy without these notes when you go into the studio to record your voice takes.

What could be changed to make things pop. How wordy is the script? How many times have you used the same word or words together in the copy? I am going to pull a random example found from a podcast on the internet.

“

He and his service company,

Can, and often do,

Service all makes and models.

“

This may be written better as,

“

He and his service company,

Service all makes and models.

“

Remember that you need to keep the attention of the listener. The words in your copy, are just as important as the voice who reads them.