I recently recorded a voiceover project that consisted of emergency announcements to be used through the tannoy system on a large industrial complex on Teeside. The script included annoucements for various scenarios including chemical spillage and fire. The client wasn’t sure how the announcements would sound through the pa system – where they need to cut through the noise of this busy industrial site – so I recorded a number of different versions. For some takes I went for a resonant bassy tone, for others I backed off from the mic to produce something more stentorian (love that word – means very loud or powerful…. just shouting basically)
I also tried some at a slightly higher pitch and with a softer tone.

After experimenting in the studio I also decided to deliver versions that had been given some audio compression – as these seemed to have more weight and so, I hoped, would cut through more effectively.

This week the client has been testing the announcements on their tannoy system – and they have come back with some amendments. I wasn’t surprised at some of the ones I needed to re-record: they were the ones I’d struggled with the first time around.  The issues were with the words “toxic” and “fire”.  When recording the “toxic” announcement I had to really work hard to make the word clear but without it becoming 2 distinct syllables “tocks – sick” – which just sounded bizarre and wrong.
Luckily the script has now been rewritten so I’ve just recorded the words “toxic incident” which was much easier to say and maintain the aural clarity.

The other sticking point was the word “fire”.  Apparently my previous version wasn’t coming over very well – it was sounding like “ire”.  Back in the studio I recorded new versions with massive emphasis on saying the “f” part of the word. Then in the editing I also then went to work on the same part of the word – selectively increasing the gain just on the “f”.  It’s now much clearer and it seems the client is happy.

There was one other part of the original recording that had caused a problem too. I had to say the line “all clear,  all clear, all clear,  return to work, return to work”.
It was hard to know how to pitch it so that it would audibly cut through, have the right sense of authority but not sound horribly authoritarian. I guess I didn’t quite hit the spot as the client’s email back wondered if the script should have included the word “achtung”. Hmmm So, too authoritarian then!
The script was re-written to say “all clear, all clear, all clear, return to normal,return to normal” – which I recorded yesterday.

Today after further testing on-site the client got an email from colleagues at the plant that asked for it to be re-recorded again and this time to just include the words :”all clear all clear, all clear” – because, as they put it, “what’s normal in Teeside?”
As a Midlander I’m not quite sure what they mean by that – but I quite sure they know their locale pretty well and I shall be guided by their direction: just “all clear” it is then…. with no instruction to “get back to normal” or “get back to work”.  Well in theory that should be easier to say.

The announcements are being produced for John Bayley Security Ltd