I’m not gonna lie, recording long narration (audiobooks) can be vocally brutal. A bajillion characters, lots of booth time, plus whatever else you have going on in your life, especially if you are doing outdoor shows or working with kids. Despite years in the theatre, including numerous musical theatre leads, I struggled at first with the extended booth time. Even a singing heavy show, you should only have an hour or so of vocal performance — max. I’m often doing a book a week, plus other performance work, meaning I could spend 8 or 9 hours recording on a heavy day. So what do I do to keep my voice both in the short- and long-term? Vocal warm up techniques are the key.
Setting the stage: The fundamentals of keeping your voice healthy
Food
I’ve always had allergies, luckily mostly the sniffles kind. But when you’re a professional audiobook narrator, that’s a big deal. One of the early things I did was discover my allergens and work to combat them. That might mean cutting out certain foods or setting up filters in the house to keep it dust-free (well, dust-less). Work with your doctor or allergist if you really find this to be an issue, but you can’t be your best voice actor if you have to constantly reach for your Kleenex. Also Neti pots do help!
Drink (aka tea)
I swear by it, and there are loads of teas out there that help. Be mindful that anything too acidic will likely make your voice scratchier, especially lemon and orange. It’s actually the warm water just as much as it is the tea itself that improves your throat, so feel free to just drink what comes from the tap or even inhale the steam on its own (carefully). I often have a bottle that’s half boiled water, half tap water! The research is actually mixed on dairy, and I do have greek yogurt almost everyday with no problems, but I don’t drink milk when I know I have to perform, so keep your tea black (or green or herbal). And honey really can help if your voice is feeling rough!
Herbs
My other secret is actually oregano oil. And it’s GREAT for mouth noises! I have shared this at conferences and with a bunch of folks. Try out different essential oils and see what works for you.
Things to avoid
Of course, the number one is smoking since that will damage your voice in the short and long term. Additionally, be careful of keeping things like flowers around — I bring a small plant to my booth, pine or a non-flowering house plant, that doesn’t negatively impact my voice but helps prevent mustiness. And a booth plant keeps the CO2 down–more on that below!
Lastly, a note on caffeine and alcohol. They both can contribute to vocal roughness, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your morning coffee. See how it plays out in your own instrument and adjust as necessary, perhaps by waiting a few hours and recording in the afternoon.
Warming it up: Techniques to keep your voice in shape
Warm ups
Red leather, yellow leather. Right? It’s a bit more than that, but the idea stands. Finding your own vocal warm up will become part of your routine — something you’ll do daily, likely at times when you don’t even need to perform or record. Try a few different techniques, but make sure you do them safely. I have learned from experts like BRILLIANT Nic Redman (everything she says is genius!) and watched multiple YouTube series to ensure I’m following correct practices. I also have a few handy tricks of my own. One thing I do to prep is over enunciate normal words, really “chewing my face” to really get my mouth going right before I’m on the mic.
Singing
Here’s my other secret: I sing. Since I was two, I’ve been hollering along to my mother’s show tunes records, and at least some of it stuck. When I do a singing warm up, I mostly stick with sirens and scales. The goal isn’t to get the notes perfectly or work on your belt. Instead, I’m pushing my voice safely but effectively to get better, steadier, and clearer sound overall. While I’m at it, I work on my different registers and articulators so as not to trip over tricky words or stumble when switching vocal placement for my characters.
Breathing
Lastly, your voice is only as good as your breath control (and relaxed throat). Practicing breathing is key to being a good actor or singer or narrator. You also have to make sure you have enough oxygen in your environment — I’m not kidding! I keep a carbon monoxide monitor in my (relatively small) booth so that I know when I’m at my limit and it’s time to open the door. Even a quick refresh helps get the levels back to normal (and this can double as your snack or potty break). And my booth plant keeps those numbers down for longer!
Stealing the show: Why your whole instrument matters
Body
It’s not enough to just focus on the voice — you have to consistently warm up your whole instrument. That means keeping your body stretched and loose. I don’t know about you, but my back HURTS after a long day in the booth if I don’t take care of it properly. As a stander (not a sitter), I focus on back exercises and keeping a solid core so that I’m not slouching AND my diaphragm is relaxed. I also prefer bare feet and compression socks! Note this isn’t about fitness for fitness sake, but purely functional for me to maintain comfort — your mileage may vary and you should adjust for your own body’s needs.
Mind
I also need to keep my brain flexible or I’ll wind up making a lot of mistakes, which eats up my time and income. Of course, I always go through the book before I read it, but I want to keep it fresh, which means NOT memorizing anything. My brain needs to be alert and ready to go. One trick: I read aloud a newspaper article in another language, maybe one I know but don’t quite have fluency in or one I’ve heard but can’t read–making up sounds with confidence also helps! It’s a great brain train to prep you for the task at hand.
No one’s warm up will match anyone else’s perfectly — and that’s OK. We all need to find out what works and what doesn’t for our bodies and our voices. And remember your warm up is not a power work out. For the most part, you shouldn’t be pushing yourself very hard since you definitely don’t want to injure your voice or body. Stick mainly in your comfort zone and advance slowly and safely — a voice coach can work wonders if you want to move to the next level without harming yourself. And most of all — try to have fun. It can be hard to do, but stress actually affects your body, your voice, and your creativity, and a playful mindset will help keep it all open and make the time fly by.
