TBD - Dark Fantasy Audio Drama
Scott J. Zim for Narrator
Narrator
Eh... the guy or girl narrating the story.
Tone & accent:
Old-ish-man-voice. Deep and sturdy. I would definitely be willing to listen to any female auditions but not sure that's the direction I want to go with for this story.
A few examples:
Colin Mace
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Blackwing-Audiobook/B06Y17VJ3H
Matt Addis
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Wolf-Audiobook/B075MRQ53D
Sean Barrett
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Left-Hand-of-God-Audiobook/B004FU4FBG
Hoofs drummed in dampened thuds as the large black stallion galloped through the forest. A shimmering glimmer of a mailed figure could be seen between the trees as he raced by, black cloak adorned with gold trim whipping out behind him on the wind. In one hand he held the reins to his stallion and in the other a polished broadsword dripping with blood.
The figure cast a quick glance behind him. Nothing. But he didn't dare slow for he knew his pursuers couldn't be far behind, but soon he would have to if he didn't want his stallion to collapse, froth was already spilling from the corners of its mouth. The large warhorse wasn't made for long sprints but it had held up better than excepted.
Blood pounded in his ears and the steady rhythm of his horse's gallop drowned out the rest.
Just as he began to hope that he had outrun his pursuers, his eyes widened as he heard another sound; a high whine. He started to twist but too late. The arrow bore into the figure's shoulder, throwing him off the saddle and making him tumble hard into the dirt. As he rolled he heard a loud snap and felt as his shoulder dislocated.
He came to a slow stop as he lost his momentum. Disoriented he looked up. The world spun. After a moment the world began to settle again and he saw that a cloaked woman stood before him holding a crossbow. Under the rim of her hood, a grizzly smile of jagged teeth glistened softly in the light.
Thanks for auditioning and I appreciated the kind words! It’s actually something I wrote just minutes before posting because I wanted something more curated for the audition that might test the actor more in a smaller section instead of posting many disconnected lines from the series. So it’s a first draft… and I’ve re-read and realized I’m not entirely happy with it which is not much of a surprise, but I had to post something. So I guess it’s fine for what it is.
A quick summary of my thoughts: I guess you’re using a USB mic because there’s a lot of noise and it sounds like self-noise coming from bad DAC conversion / cheap mics / cheap interfaces… or commonly with USB mics. Although, the quality of the voice is surprisingly alright. But, the noise is so bad that it might not be fixable in post and still retain an acceptable quality. For the narrator your voice is not precisely what I’m looking for; it's a bit too young sounding and not rough enough. Other than that it also feels a bit too “stiff” and unnatural (That might not be the best way to describe it but sadly it’s the best I can do), and it’s almost too enunciated. Sounds odd… I know. Because enunciation is very important, especially for the narration of something like audiobooks where you have no visuals to aid in the telling of a story. I can’t exactly pinpoint what it is so these are just my first impression, but it’s as if you're focusing so hard on the enunciation that it becomes unnatural. I would say it’s a nice voice otherwise, very regal and superhero-ish, just not a proper fit for the narrator.
Hi. Thank you very much for the feedback! Constructive criticism is always appreciated. I am using a USB mic and wasn't aware the quality was that bad. I'll start saving up for a better quality mic. I get what you mean by "a bit too stiff and unnatural." Since this is fantasy, I went for a more formal and regal sound, but I already talk pretty formal, and since you brought it up, I agree it comes across too formal and accentuated. Things to work on! You're notes are incredibly helpful! Thank you again!