Wednesday
Dec142011
Beware vocal fry!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 01:59PM
Great article on the phenomenon known as "vocal fry." Other than being fascinating, I wonder how this will affect the field of voice over? Well...if young people of a certain age are talking this way, I can guarantee you that advertisements pitched to those people will demand a similar style.
Vocal Fry
When I took intensive voice classes in graduate school, we were warned to never, ever, utilize vocal fry - it was bad for your voice. Whenever one of my classmates performed a monologue and slipped into "fry-zone," the professor would stop them or make a note. The reason? You have no power that far down in your registry...you're avoiding the deep emotional resonances that live in your "natural" range.
So...as always, the challenge for the voice actor is to adapt to the circumstance at hand! Be able to imitate this when necessary, but not to fall into it habitually :)
Vocal Fry
When I took intensive voice classes in graduate school, we were warned to never, ever, utilize vocal fry - it was bad for your voice. Whenever one of my classmates performed a monologue and slipped into "fry-zone," the professor would stop them or make a note. The reason? You have no power that far down in your registry...you're avoiding the deep emotional resonances that live in your "natural" range.
So...as always, the challenge for the voice actor is to adapt to the circumstance at hand! Be able to imitate this when necessary, but not to fall into it habitually :)
in Voice Over
Voice Over 
Reader Comments (1)
Oh, man... Thanks for leading me to this article, Adam! Vocal fry on the radio drives me nuts, especially when I'm listening to otherwise intelligent programs like This American Life. In addition to my voiceover coaching, I coach executives in voice and presentation, and I am always quick to jump on instances of vocal fry, or what I've seen called the "squeaky wheel" voice. People, take a breath, and use your darn voice right!