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FAQ


frequently asked questions | voice recordings

1. request, offer, scheduling

If you are interested in booking my voice for your project feel free to send me your request without engagement with all relevant project details.

Required details:

  • text length in minutes / words / characters (incl. blanks, shortcuts and numbers written-out)
  • alternatively you can also send me the whole script
  • info about the usage of the production: where, for how long and in which formats will the production be used? (check “Usage & Licensing”)
        Example: online usage active, Germany, 1 year, 1x 30 sec. spot, 1x 15 sec. cut-down.
  • your wishes about recording and editing (check “Speaking & Editing”)
  • deadline or production period if it is tight or fixed already

Afterwards you’ll receive an offer incl. my GTCs and availability confirmation by e-mail. During business days this usually happens within a few hours.

If all questions have been answered and you have accepted my offer, the contract has been awarded and we start into the production process.

2. production

from home-studio

You provide me with all relevant files and informations for recording.

Required data:

  • final script
  • video and/or music (if it exists, check “Vision” & “Speaking & Editing”)

When recording with talent’s only direction furthermore:

  • details about speaking style, pace etc. (check “Vision”)

We agree to a deadline and you will receive the recordings by no later than that deadline.
Short texts can usually get delivered within 24 – 48 hours, dependent on current work load.

When recording with live-direction furthermore:

  • infos about the tool with which you would like to connect
        Example: your Skype ID, Zoom link, Session Link Pro or others.

We agree to day and time for our recording session.

in an outside studio

You provide the studio with all relevant files and informations for recording.

Required details:

  • final script
  • video and/or music (if it exists, check “Vision” & “Speaking & Editing”)
  • wishes about engineering and tech specs if you have concrete requirements

We agree to day and time for our recording session in the studio. You send me the name and adress of the studio.

3. delivery

When recording with talent’s only direction, you receive all recordings until the agreed deadline via wetransfer download link.

When recording with live direction, you receive all unedited takes from the session directly after the session via wetransfer download link.

When recording in an outside studio, you receive the recordings on the way you agreed to with the studio.

If you prefer, you can also provide your own server for delivery.

4. billing & licensing

After you have received the files, you’ll receive an invoice with a period of a 30 day payment on a German bank account.

On request you can also pay the invoice with Paypal instead. In this case, please let me know before invoicing.

All usage rights according to our agreement when placing the order are listed in detail on the invoice. So the invoice is also your usage license. After you have paid the invoice you are allowed to use all recordings in the listed scope.

If you would like to use the recordings in other forms than initially agreed to at a subsequent date, you can contact me anytime to purchase further usage rights.

The prices differ from project to project and essentially depend on how and in what scope the recorded voice will be used (check “Usage & Licensing”). For these usages the respective usage licenses have to be purchased.

Furthermore for some projects, such as imagefilms or e-learnings the text length also matters as well as your wishes regarding recording and editing.

So to determinate the final costs of a voice talent fee the following questions occur:

    • For which genre will be recorded?
          example: advertising, audio-book, documentary, e-learning…
    • In how many films, themes, programmes or productions will the recordings be used?
    • In which medium will the recordings be used?
          example: TV, radio, internet, app, CD…
    • Where will the recordings be used?
          example: internal, local, regional, national, worldwide…
    • For how long will the recordings be used?
          example: up to 1 year, several years, in perpetuity…

When these informations are available, the respective single fees with their usage rights can be calculated with a modular concept to reach the required scope of usage.

Therefor you can find my current prices here. Unfortunately this list is just available in German language.

If you need help to calculate your project, just send me a quick note with your project details and I’ll happily send you an offer asap.

A fully, flat assignment of all usage rights for the recorded voice like a “total buyout” contradicts the idea of the license-based voice talent fee structure and is not in the economic sense of the talents and clients. The reason: When assigning a total usage right the scope of the usage is not foreseeable anymore and thatfor not calculable. In this case the total amount of all theoretically possible usages would increase ad infinitum – and therefore the talent fee, too.

In this respect the client is obligated to always communicate the usage of the recorded voice transparently and at the same time enjoys the benefit to purchase just the licenses he/she really needs.

It is always possible to purchase additionally needed usage licenses later on, after consulting me. This has to happen before the respective publishing and has to be actively initiated by the client.

Mostly the time I spend in the studio is not relevant to calculate my fee.

Contact me for your project to receive an offer without engagement.

spoken text in German

Text lengths are often underestimated, because speaking a text takes much more time than reading it.

Beyond that when speaking a text professionally the words usually get much more relished, emphasis and word endings don’t get omited, so that the speaking length extends compared to you simply reading it off.

A well spoken text also needs to have pauses and caesura to give the content the desired effect and to bring it into accordance with the music and pictures.

Maybe you also have wishes regarding the interpretation that will also affect the final length.

You can avoid these problems beforehand, by reading the text yourself on the video with overemphasis, in your preferred pace, word endings clearly pronounced and check if it matches the timing.

calculating spoken text in German

A rough orientation to calculate spoken text in German language:

900 characters (incl. blanks, abbreviations and numbers spelled in full) are most closely approximate one minute of spoken German text in normal pace.

Even rougher:

120 words are most closely approximate one minute of spoken German text in normal pace.

new language version / translated videos

When translating foreign-language texts to German, it is not helpful to compare the character number of the original script (for example English) with the German script, because in many languages lots of characters are not spoken out, while in German mostly all characters and syllables are spoken out completely.

The total number of characters is not decisive, but that each single sentence contains round about the same number of syllables, if the text should match the same spoken length in the end.

Decisive for the pricing, beside the text length, is how, when and where your production will be used.

Usually there are three different kinds of usage types, if it is not an art production (game, documentary, dubbing etc.):

internal usage

Internal usage only, such as internal corporate events, internal e-learnings and explainers, internal market research, private birthday parties…

The production has no publicity effect.

The license is given in perpetuity and is limited to “internal usage”.

You pay one total price for the work and the license all together.

passive usage / unpaid-media

For example website, youtube channel, facebook video, Instagram video, exhibition, presentations, DVDs, in apps…

The production has a publicity effect, but is just passively available in public and has to be played back by the viewer / listener actively to take effect.

Publishing usually doesn’t cost the client any money. That’s why this segment is also called “unpaid-media”.

The license is given in perpetuity and worldwide, but is limited to “passive usage”.

You pay one total price for the work and the license all together.

active usage / paid-media

For example TV commercial, radio commercial, online paid-media (online pre-roll, online ad that is embedded in the middle of a programme…), P.O.S. …

The production has a large publicity effect, because the customer gets advertised actively and is kind of “forced” to watch/listen to it, when he/she wants to watch or listen to his programme, scrolls down his/her social media wall or goes out for shopping.

Broadcasting a production of this segment usually costs the client money (for example: TV slot, youtube advertising fees, facebook advertising fees…). This is why this segment is often called “paid-media”.

The license is limited in time and territory. Licenses are given by spot, year, medium (for example TV / internet) and region for an active usage.

You pay one price for the work (layout / session fee) and one price for the desired licenses. You can renew a license for another year or purchase additional licenses at any time.
If you book the licenses together with the work, the work price is set off against the license price in form of one layout.

The exception proves the rule. So there are some projects that do not fit in one of the categories above.
Please contact me then and we’ll find the right license for you.

If you order your voice recordings just with my own direction, you should provide me with accurate details about the desired speaking style and provide me with the necessary files, so that my recordings come as close as possible to your wishes.

For example:

  • Adjectives
        dynamic, fresh, young, cool, natural, casual, warm, motherly, high speaking tempo …
  • Periphrases
        strong bold advertising, „in your face“, spit out the main catchwords cheeky, unblushingly and challenging, have fun while doing it …
  • In addition to general advises, you can put some directly into the text for specific paragraphs
        energize here, more pressure / a bit afraid / relieved / whispering …
  • Refer to an existing demo from a similar segment, that matches your idea of tonality
  • Refer to a similar video, that matches your idea of tonality
  • Send me the rough cut (for an impression of the film)
  • Send me the music that will be used (for harmony of voice and music)

Interpretations will always be different. If you give the same text and advises to 10 different talents, you will receive 10 different interpretations. None of these will match your individual vision 100%.

To avoid costly revisions, it is advisable to be as clear as possible and to measure up, which kind of recording is the best for your project and client (check “Recording & Direction”).

If you join the session live (for example with Zoom, Skype, MS Teams, Session Link Pro…) you can influence the speaking style directly.

editing on text

If your film is still variable or the text isn’t too tight, in many cases “editing on text” is sufficient. I speak the text with my own direction, cut out text mistakes, disrupting sounds and eventually breath sounds and deliver one or several audio file/s.

Next you have to put the audio under the film yourself and lengthen / shorten the pauses or alternatively adjust the pictures to the audio.

synchronously speaking and editing

If your film is finalized already and can’t get changed anymore and/or the text has to be spoken one-to-one on the pictures, you need synchronic speaking and editing. This is more time-consuming and accordingly sometimes a bit more expensive.

For that I need a layoutvideo with the spoken text for timing orientation or, if it doesn’t exist, clear timecode declarations in the script.

Please bear in mind, that the text length matches the timing! Text lenghts are often underestimated – especially German texts (check “text length”).

new language version / translated videos

If your text has to be spoken on an existing video in a different language, care about the text length during translation (check “text length”). German texts are often longer than foreign texts. Maybe the text has to get changed a bit during translation, to make it match the original video length or the video has to get adjusted to the new text length.

lip-synch / dubbing and editing

If your text has to be spoken on the lip movements of a human or an animated character, you need lip-synch speaking (and editing). I don’t offer this from my home-studio, but can come to an outside studio of your choice.

Dubbing recordings require a synchronic translation script. This cares not just for the content, but also for the timing, pauses and breathes.

audio processing

Audio processing is standardly not included and is usually done by the client (or one of his cooperation partners).

The recording you receive has been recorded in an isolated speaker booth and offers a dry, clean sound without echo. These recordings have to get processed afterwards with equalizers, filters and lots more to adjust them for their purpose for a professional production. As a result (depending on the filter) they become smoother, bolder, more advertising, more reverberant, rounder, electronically, louder…

A detailed audio processing furthermore takes care for details, such as single consonants, that have been too sharp or got swallowed, as well as smack and crack sounds in the mouth and lots more.

If you can’t / don’t want to process the audio in-house, I can offer this with the help of one of my cooperation partners in a full service.

talent only direction

If the budget is tight or the exacting in nuanes not too big, most times it is sufficient, when I record and edit your audio alone with my own direction. Therefor you should give me as accurate informations about the tonality and speaking tempo as possible beforehand (check “Vision”).

live-recording-session

If you / your client has a higher exact expectation about specific nuances, how this or that word should be spoken, where there is a short break and so on, it is helpful to join the recording to avoid later revisions. You and any number of participants (for example your client, the advertising agency …) can connect live and independent of their residence via Zoom, Skype, Session Link Pro and much more to the recording, give input and try varieties.

This live session might be a bit more expensive than a recording with talent only direction. Nevertheless the outcome is much closer to your desired result, because of your / your client’s direct influence.

remote session

In a remote session you also join the session live, but there is also a studio or an audio engineer involved, who remotely runs the recording with a special tool like Session Link Pro. In this process the audio from my microphone gets transferred directly and uncompressed to the engineer over the internet and recorded by him with his hardware and software directly – just as if I was on the spot in his/her studio myself.

This kind of recording has the benefit that the audio engineer can edit the audio roughly during the session and play it to you live in between, so that you are on the safe side that every single sentence is recorded exactly the way you want it and that all intonations harmonize.

Furthermore I can focus completely on speaking and the engineer will lead through the session.

You can also perform a session leaded by a studio like this, when the parties involved (voice talent, agency, film production, audio production, client etc.) are located at different places all over the world.

For your safety I am always recording a backup on my side, just in case that the internet has a dropout, so that you don’t have to dispense with your favourite take.

meeting in the studio

Meeting in the studio with the client, the production and an audio engineer, who manages the recording, is the best option to produce the perfect audio recording for your project, because all parties involved are present, can discuss, try out and help shaping the final cut. I also benefit, because I can concentrate completely on my task and don’t have to direct and do the audio engineering at the same time.

Revisions are standardly not included and corrections have to get compensated additionally.

included revisions

Exceptions are of course distinct mistakes of mine, such like:

  • wrong / missing text
  • editing / export mistakes
  • extremely slow or high speaking tempo without any advise to do so
  • completely different speaking style than ordered
  • ignored advises for specific emphases

Nuanced interpretation variables are no mistakes (check “Vision”).

Recordings from live-sessions are always considered as approved unless it is about a technical mistake in the recording which has been detemermined after files have been delivered.

not included revisions

All other revisions have to get payed. But just the extra effort will be charged, if you haven’t published the production yet. The license fee is payable just once per usage.

These other corrections might be, for example:

  • text changes or additions after recording
  • wishes for specific emphases, pauses, pronouncations and suchlike, that haven’t been communicated before recording
  • changes in speaking style or tempo

If you assume before hiring already, that you will have one revision, I can make this part of the offer from the very beginning. This way it will be a bit cheaper, but has to get payed anyhow, no matter if you need the revision in the end or not.

Revisions are considered as revisions, when they get ordered within 14 days after file delivery.

exclusivity

I am the station-voice for the radio UnserDing by Saarländischer Rundfunk. For this reason I don’t speak radio or TV commercials which have solely been produced for the region “Saarland” in Germany.

National commercials, as well as all other regions are not effected by the exclusivity.

for what / who I don’t speak
  • political parties / canvassing
  • religious texts (not meant are texts for religious organisations, aid groups or education, but texts with religious content)
  • pornographic content, phone sex hotlines
  • sexist, racist, homophobic or any kind of discriminating content
  • weapon and war industry

It might happen occasionally that I refuse texts or films for personal, ethical or moral reasons or because of the client behind the production.

If you need critical content to be spoken or your client is currently criticized in public eye, it can be helpful to send me the text or to name your client beforehand to play it safe.

Still got some questions? Call me or write me an e-mail. I’m happy to hear from you!

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