Voice Acting (PumpJack McGee Repost)

-Get a hold of raw copies of the series you want to dub
-Either get a hold of scripts from translation teams, or script them out yourself.
-Find all OP, ED, themes and background music- as well as an entire plethora of sound effects
-Assemble a team of both voice actors and staff
-Assign roles for everyone. Designate and delegate workload among the staff
-Do the recordings
-Compile all the voice recordings, music, sound effects, and time and place them all, and wrap it up into the finished project.

-Test your microphone frequently. If you've any computer knowledge- optimize it so that it picks up your voice loud and clear, without you having to yell into it from inside your mouth.

-Be sure to watch your distance from the microphone that you're using. Different sounds and different pitches need to be recorded either farther or closer to the microphone to achieve optimal sound quality.

Higher and louder noises should be done from further away, while deeper and quieter things should be done from up close.

-You'll often notice "windy" noises from peoples' breath- or "popping" sounds from any pronounced "P"s.

A simple way to avoid this is to avoid speaking directly into the mic. Either keep a good distance away- or speak just off to the side of it.

Another good trick that you could use is to make a makeshift microphone shield. An effective one is to simply wrap up some pantyhose around a coathanger. Like So.

As the name implies, a microphone shield serves to shield the audio receptors in your mic from any unwanted air currents that come blasting out of you piehole as you speak.

-Most importantly. Experiment. Unless you just so happen to have a soundproofed room and a studio mic- which I doubt- you'll have to find what works best with your particular mic, voice, and the acoustics of your environment.

-Try to eliminate as much background noise as possible. Shut all windows facing streetside and/or the door*, get any other living being asides from you outta there, try to get times when you're home alone.

*-Perhaps contradictory to my previous statement, but you don't necessarily want to shut all your windows/doors. Depending on the acoustics of your room, it could create a very loud- and very much unwanted- echo. Once again- experiment.

-Always leave a few seconds silence before and after your recording. NEVER start speaking right after hitting the Record button. This will often lead to your first word or so getting cut short. This also gives some of the more advanced microphones time to adjust to the natural 'neutral' noise level of the room.

-Go ahead and be physical. Act out scenes as you're playing them. If the character is talking with their mouth full- go to the kitchen and grab a bite of toast. If the character is going through a very difficult emotional dilemma- go ahead and watch some sad movies, listen to some sad songs before you start recording. Action scene? Go for a quick jog to get the adrenaline running. Try to emulate the context of the scene as best you can.

-Don't be afraid to ad-lib or make changes to the script in order to match the mouth movements better.

-NEVER do all your lines in one recording. This should be obvious, but it's been done. It really is just a royal pain for everyone. Always, ALWAYS do separate recordings for each and every single one of your line. (Exceptions for lines that consist of maybe 2-3 words- just be sure to leave a few seconds pause between the lines, then).

-Due to the above- you can imagine the number of individual sound files that'll accumulate throughout the duration of even just a single episode.

As such, ALWAYS name the files yourselves when saving, instead of letting the program name it automatically. And be as specific as possible. A good model would be- lessay for Yurippe, on the first scene of the first episode of Angel Beats!

Eaxample: AB01.Sc01.Yuri.016.mp3
Meaning: (AngelBeatsepisode1.Scene1.Yurippe.16thline.)

Your editor(s) would be eternally grateful. Nobody wants to deal with tens of hundreds of files all named "00ox91337kyl0ln00bh4x" or whatever the shit what.

There are a few different ways to do your recording sessions. All a matter of personal taste, really. See what you like.

However, T recommend watching the show with headphones on, at the same time that you're recording. It'll allow the VA to see exactly what's going on and get a better idea of the emotions playing out. It also allows the VA to time themselves better- since they are seeing and hearing exactly how much of a timeframe they have to match.

This is how it's done professionally.

Wrong.

Despite what people think- this ain't all sunshine and sugarplums. This area is where many disputes and arguments can brew up- as everybody's respective egos try to cram into only so many available roles.

The most important thing you have to keep in mind for this is who is better suited for the role. Who can act that character effectively.

Sure, the point of the whole thing is to have fun- but you'll have to admit that there are just some roles which you just can't do, no matter how much you want to.

Other important things to consider:

-Be natural. Take the time to mentally become that character. You're not an actor reading from a script- you actually are that character reacting to that specific situation. If you're not comfortable in role, it'll show.

-Be able to emote while staying in character. This means that if a character requires a certain voice, you'll have to be able to maintain that voice throughout a spectrum of emotions. If you can only voice the character in a particular way, they'll end up becoming two-dimensional, predictable, and boring.

-If two people want the same role, and they're both decent at it. Resort to the one and only truly impartial judge: Flip of a coin. Go best 2 of 3.

-If the character you have has an accent, go and find as much audio media of that language as you can find. Immerse yourself in it. Listen to it everyday. Constant exposure can drill it into your mind mighty quick.

-To better be able to work character dynamics, get to know the people whom you'll be working most closely with. Ideally, everyone should be getting along with everyone. But if your character is say in a romantic relationship with another character- go ahead and really get to know that character's VA outside of work. These connections will show through in your recording sessions, and help add depth to the characters- ultimately making them feel more real.

-Adapt and Accept. It is likely that you'll end up playing characters that you can't stand- all because you can voice them best. Well suck it up, buttercup. Get over yourself, cut loose, and just have fun.

Class F

Yuuji Sakamoto(Class Rep) = PumpJack
Akihisa Yoshii(Main) = SolvaDeeQuestionOnDaBoard
Mizuki Himeji(Pinky) = Kokonut
Minami Shimada(DFC) = Mollypop
Hideyoshi Kinoshita(Trap) = mufAsa
Kota Tsuchiya(Pervo Ninja) = Kira

Ryo Sugawa (Deathmask) = Catfish

Class A

Shouko Kirishima(Class Rep) = Kokonut
Aiko Kudo(GreenGirl) = Mollypop
Toshimitsu Kubo(GayGlasses) = Yams
Yuuko Kinoshita(Trap's Twin) = Alice
Glasses Girl(Didn't catch her name) = Alice

Class B

Kyoji Nemoto(Crossdress Class Rep) = Sneaky


Class C

Yuuka Koyama(Class Rep) = Aki


Class D

Genji Hiraga(Class Rep) = Yams
Miharu Shizumu(Lesbo) = Kokonut

Class E

Hiromi Nakabayashi(Class Rep) = Circe
Yoshiko Mikami(Black Hair Ponytail) = Aki

Staff

Kaoru Toudo(Principal) = Aki
Youko Takahashi(2nd in Command) = Circe
Nishimura Soichi(Ironman) = Rick

Takenaka-Sensei(Classic Lit) = Rise
Hasegawa-sensei(Math) = Rise

Other

Akira Yoshii(Wincest Sis) = Circe
Narrator = Rick