Voice deteriorating after only 1 hour of recording?

[gwyneth_galvin]

Hey voiceover pals,

Not sure what I’m doing wrong here. I’m not professionaly trained but I’ve been recording for many years.

In the last 6 months or so my voice has started to nosedive after around 45-60 mins of recording.

I always drink plenty of water before/during recording and I take short breaks between scripts. However right around 45 mins I can feel my voice tensing up. At that point it doesn’t matter if I take a break for an hour, have a nap, drink water - my voice is shot for the day.

Another thing is that I have to record my work before noon every day. In the evening my voice cracks and I can’t get a good sound. I really hate that because it limits how quickly I can deliver orders - I’d love to be able to offer same-day revisions but usually have to ask my buyers to wait until the next morning.

Are there any warm-ups I can do to avoid this? How do you keep a healthy-sounding voice throughout the day?

Thanks pals xox

[gwyneth_galvin]

Oh and hey @cubittaudio, do you have a PDF for buyers regarding revisions? I seem to remember someone tagging you about that in a previous post. Any chance you’d be willing to share it so that I can get an idea of how to adjust my current revision setup? I have a habit of being a doormat for buyers because I can’t say no 😜 Cheers x

[genuineguidance]

Would drinking warm tea with lemon and honey help? I know when I am doing phone or voice readings, my voice also gets all wonky, although it doesn’t matter if I sound weird, as it is just a conversation - so I usually have cough drops or some lozenge to help me out.

GG

[superalex76]

It means your breathing or posture is off and you are either holding too much tension in your throat or overusing your throat to support your voice instead of your diaphragm.

A warm-up is always good before a long session but fixing the underlying issue will help you in the long term.
Also, if you’re not recording for days and then launch in to a 3 hour session your voice is going to tire out - it’s just like a muscle, if you only go to the gym once a month and launch into a huge workout then it’s going to hurt.
I really recommend the book Voice and the Actor or The right to speak.

[torrelles]

I don’t usually get to record projects that get to fatigue my voice that much, but if it happens I just try and project it fully from the diaphragm - and release stress on my vocal chords/neck. Think of it as “bypassing” the chords. Makes the voice sound a little bit deeper, but at least I can keep on going. Best advice, other than drinking water constantly as you already do, is take plenty of breaks during recording. I take 20 minutes after every 40 minutes of recording, even if I don’t feel th…

Still believe those are the points to take into consideration 🙂

[humanissocial]

I’m not a voiceover person, but I struggle with this doing marketing videos.

I have a brain condition that affects my muscle tone and coordination and makes me prone to fatigue. My voice gets small and hoarse when I’m fatigued. Could fatigue be it?

[gwyneth_galvin]

I’m not a voiceover person, but I struggle with this doing marketing videos.

I have a brain condition that affects my muscle tone and coordination and makes me prone to fatigue. My voice gets small and hoarse when I’m fatigued. Could fatigue be it?

Could fatigue be it?

I do suffer from chronic fatigue so this is definitely possible. If that’s the case I’m not sure there’s any hope for me at all 😅

[humanissocial]

Could fatigue be it?

I do suffer from chronic fatigue so this is definitely possible. If that’s the case I’m not sure there’s any hope for me at all 😅

Aw. While we can’t fix the fatigue, we can learn to compensate for it.

For example, when you’re fatigued, you overwork muscles that are less fatigued without realizing it. So this can aggravate things without our knowing it.

Also, there are ways of using your voice that help you project with less effort. Singers learn a lot about these kinds of things.

[misscrystal]

What you describe might be related to the chronic fatigue. A checkup and even a consult with a neurologist and throat specialist might give some answers.

If you are prone to allergies a daily allergy pill could help also.
Drinking a liter or more of water a day also is a good idea.

There are specific conditions that can cause both chronic fatigue and voice fatigue, and also other symptoms. A good neurologist might be a big help.

[gwyneth_galvin]

What you describe might be related to the chronic fatigue. A checkup and even a consult with a neurologist and throat specialist might give some answers.

If you are prone to allergies a daily allergy pill could help also.

Drinking a liter or more of water a day also is a good idea.

There are specific conditions that can cause both chronic fatigue and voice fatigue, and also other symptoms. A good neurologist might be a big help.

I have a lot of scar tissue in my throat and on my tonsils from getting strep throat around 12 times per year for about 2 years (when I started working in a preschool) - so maybe that could be… not good? 😂

[humanissocial]

I have a lot of scar tissue in my throat and on my tonsils from getting strep throat around 12 times per year for about 2 years (when I started working in a preschool) - so maybe that could be… not good? 😂

I’m sorry to hear that. I imagine that could be related to your vocal fatigue. Maybe consult an ENT? They may be able to recommend vocal training or therapies, as well as shed light on how it may be affecting you.

[gwyneth_galvin]

I’m sorry to hear that. I imagine that could be related to your vocal fatigue. Maybe consult an ENT? They may be able to recommend vocal training or therapies, as well as shed light on how it may be affecting you.

Maybe consult an ENT?

If the NHS hasn’t dissolved by the time I reach the top of the waitlist, I’ll do that hehe 😜

But honestly, I do appreciate the advice. I’m doing some research on vocal exercies now! 🙂

[humanissocial]

Maybe consult an ENT?

If the NHS hasn’t dissolved by the time I reach the top of the waitlist, I’ll do that hehe 😜

But honestly, I do appreciate the advice. I’m doing some research on vocal exercies now! 🙂

You’re so welcome! I’ve done a lot of work to understand how fatigue manifests in the body and I’m happy to share what I’ve learned.

While we can’t change the causes, we can control how we adapt to them. But, as you say, equity plays a role. I’m in Canada and we have to pay for a lot of things out of pocket, like drugs and physio. I have private insurance, but it only covers so much.

[steve_maxell]

Stress, and allergies, go hand in hand.
Allergies screw up my throat.
Adanoids is where this jazz seems to happen. Thank G-d I had my deviated septum and all that fixed years ago…
Still have throat issues but not as bad.