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Mel Hulm

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conversational voice overs

enticing voice overs

eloquent voice overs

nurturing voice overs

playful voice overs

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playful spotify ad

enticing radio ad

conversational explainer video

nurturing cinema ad

eloquent internal explainer video

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Character voice overs are not always all about accents, impersonations and impressions.⁣ ⁣ They can be your average guy or gal next door.⁣ ⁣ Or in the case of this eLearning project, 4 natural-sounding employees talking about their jobs.⁣ ⁣ Employees that needed to sound different from each other. They also needed to be the polar opposite of the corporate voice over style I used throughout the eLearning modules themselves. ⁣ ⁣ I’ve coached, interviewed and recorded people throughout my career. And there’s certain ways most people react when you shove a mic in their face and ask them a bunch of questions. ⁣ ⁣ Odd inflections. Noticeable breaths. Drawn out words. Fillers like ‘um’ and ‘ah’. Long pauses. Even a little uptalk. ⁣ ⁣ All perfect traits for moving away from a polished voice over sound. And sounding like a rando has just shoved a mic in your face and said ‘𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘣’.⁣ ⁣ And that’s how one un-bullets a voice over.⁣ ⁣ The end.⁣ ⁣

It’s all good from:⁣ —Diego to the Bay⁣ —my studio to yours⁣ ⁣ Reason for said all good-ing? ⁣ ⁣ Pedantic, obsessive old mate over here 🙋🏼‍♀️ who QAs the shiz out of any voice overs I record for you.⁣ ⁣ I triple check:⁣ - voice overy words match the words on your script⁣ - there’s no pops or clicks⁣ - there’s no ugly breaths⁣ - there’s no hiss or hum⁣ - there’s no ambient angle grinders⁣ - there’s no guest appearances from the neighbourhood dogs⁣ ⁣ Get in touch for a voice that’s certified pedantic obsessive™️⁣ ⁣

⁣ ⁣Client: ValueNet⁣ Project: Internal explainer⁣⁣⁣⁣ Style: eloquent, knowledgeable, informative⁣ ⁣ Explainer videos aren’t just an external tactic. Use them for your staff too. They’re a cost-effective way to get consistent info to your staff no matter where they’re located.⁣ ⁣ Slightly different from the more intensive eLearning, explainers for staff provide an overview, details about a change or info about product or service.⁣ ⁣ This explainer was to give staff an overview of a new salary benefits scheme.⁣ ⁣ It was also for a client all the way over in Germany. Who also wanted a couple of key terms to stay in Deutsche. Props to Mrs Vaughn and finally getting to put that year 7 intro to German to good use. Zum Teufel ja!⁣ ⁣ Hear more eloquent voice overs up there in the old highlights ☝🏻

The Singstar microphone.⁣ ⁣ Sure, it doesn’t get any of the sexy, big-time recording gigs. ⁣ ⁣ No one brags about having one of these in their mic locker. ⁣ ⁣ And you won’t see it in any fancy recording studios. ⁣ ⁣ But can we get a moment of silence for this MVP workhorse of the microphone world?⁣ ⁣ Let me break it down for you...⁣ ⁣ 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐜:⁣ • 34% off-key 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘬 anthems⁣ • 27% incorrect 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘴 rap lyrics⁣ • 13% guava 𝘝𝘰𝘥𝘬𝘢 𝘊𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳 spittle⁣ • 9% emotional tears after 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘔𝘦 bridge⁣ • 7% stretched cable due to dancing while singing ⁣ • 6% drool after being fallen asleep on⁣ • 4% neighbours screaming 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴? 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺⁣ ⁣ One of the true heroes of the microphone world 👏🏻 ⁣ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

When life imitates art.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ That attractive waveform on the wall is Heaven Can Wait by Iron Maiden.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ That equally attractive waveform on the monitor is Uni On Hold Messages by Mel.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I’ve seen so many unique ways people have turned audio waveforms into art. Wooden wall art waveforms of your fave song. Bub’s heartbeat audio from an ultrasound turned into a framed waveform print. Audio of wedding vows printed as a waveform on a canvas. Tattoos, t-shirts and even jewellery.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ The beauty on the wall was for mine and husbo’s 6th wedding anni (iron obvs). He is a massive Maiden fan. So much so, he won a competition for us to sing the chorus of this song on stage with the band when they toured a few years back. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ That night is a spectacular blur of woahs, ohs and oooahs 🤘🏻⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ If you’re looking for a unique gift for that audio nut in your life, just chuck ‘waveform’ into an Etsy search.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

See also: delighted, pleased, thrilled, overjoyed.⁣ ⁣ Also: current mood.⁣ ⁣ 3 months in with my Sennheiser MKH 416 and I’m all of the above.⁣ ⁣ This mic has been superb for my radio promo and imaging work. ⁣ ⁣ I’m so glad I nerded out and did my homework on this one. ⁣ ⁣ I also got recommendations from some first class voice actors (who I have been known to fangirl over).⁣ ⁣ Yep, I’m one of those who listen to the radio station I voice for and the sound this baby produces is top notch (credit also to the gun producer who tarts my voice up on a weekly basis). ⁣ ⁣ Heaven help anyone who talks over the ad breaks...⁣

Am I the right voice for you? ⁣ ⁣ That depends on what you’re looking for. Here’s a handy decision chart.⁣ ⁣ Male ➡️ no⁣ Shit audio ➡️ no⁣ Missed deadlines ➡️ no⁣ Mispronounced words ➡️ no⁣ Dogs barking in background ➡️ no⁣ ⁣ Australian female ➡️ yes⁣ Home studio set up ➡️ yes⁣ Multiple audio formats ➡️ yes⁣ Voice over editing included ➡️ yes⁣ Ability to rock a mic like a vandal ➡️ yes⁣ ⁣ While you may have landed on the yes’, you still need to know how I sound. Kinda important...⁣ ⁣ And that’s why it’s also a big old yes to me voicing a sample of your script. That’s what I’m doing right here for a client. A sample lets you try my voice on for size. You can hear how I sound with your words. How I interpret your script and bring it to life.⁣ ⁣ Hear examples of my stuff in highlights and shoot me a message for a sample read of your script.⁣ ⁣

Client: Berry Street⁣⁣⁣ Project: Cinema commercial⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ Style: nurturing, caring, heartfelt⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Cinema ads. The often overlooked tactic in the old advertising mix. Which is dumb. Here’s 5 smart reasons to get your your brand’s bits all over the big screen.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ 👀 You have a captive audience.⁣ Unlike other mediums, cinema ads are not competing for attention. We don’t go to the movies to chat to other people, multitask or be distracted by our devices. All eyes are on the big screen.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ 📽 Big ass screen + surround sound = max impact for your brand.⁣ In the cinema, there’s not much risk of your ad fading into the background. Anything up on the screen is front and centre. Tailor your commercial to cinema specs and make the most of the screen size and sound available.⁣ ⁣ 🎯 You can target like there’s no tomorrow.⁣ Movies are great like that—ratings, genres, stars, male / female skew—use that info to get your brand in front of the right eyeballs. Location is another great way to target. If you’re a bricks and mortar-type aannndddd you’ve shacked up near a cinema, you’ve got a banging opportunity to convert some post-movie sales. ⁣⁣ ⁣ ⁣ 💵 Your audience has got the goods.⁣ People who head to the movies are generally more affluent. They’ve got disposable income. They’re early adopters. They’re happy to splurge on themselves. Use it to your advantage.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ ⏱ You have flexibility.⁣ Now cinemas have gone digital, production costs are much lower. And commercials can be turned around much faster. There’s a range of duration options so you’re not trapped into traditional 30 second slots. But remember, cinema specs are different from TV and online—know what’s needed upfront to save conversion headaches later on.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ Hit up my ‘nurturing’ highlights for more samples of this voice over style. 🔊⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣

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Mel Hulm