For the right emotions, mood and sense of story tone is incredibly important in audiobook narration. Find out more in this article.
Narration is a job that can be done by a voice actor, singer, or anybody with a good control of their voice. What makes an audiobook narrator stand out from the crowd, though, is their use of tone. Tone is the key to setting the mood, creating characters, building up a scene and more. It’s essential for any great audiobook narration.
If you’re considering getting involved in this billion dollar worldwide industry either as a narrator, or by hiring one from Matinee.co.uk, it’s important to understand how tone can be the standout feature of a voice and one that truly brings a story to life.
Let’s explore tone in audiobook narration a little more:
The Making Of A Good Audiobook Narrator
There are multiple skills and qualities that a good audiobook narrator needs that stand them apart from the competition. Anybody can narrate an audiobook but technical skills are necessary to do a great job. They include breath control, microphone technique and being able to scan ahead to read sentences and avoid mistakes, whilst reading another piece of text. These technical skills take practice, but if you are a voice actor already, they shouldn’t be too much of a stretch.
When it comes to talent, the use of acting skills and tone are incredibly important. How tone is used is what will set apart a narrator from other people in the field. In addition to technical skills and a will to learn, using tone correctly is part of what makes an excellent audiobook narrator.
Why Does Tone Matter With Audiobook Narration?
With an audiobook a person does not have visual stimulus to help them understand how something is said, or how a scene is set. They rely solely on words and when they are listening to the book, rather than reading it, you have the great job of setting the tone for them.
You choose the tone in which the words are said by the author. Of course, you can never cross the line into interpretation, but rather, following the author's clues and storytelling, and then echoing that in your voice.
For that reason, it is easy to see how tone is incredibly important when it comes to audiobook narration.
Is a character angry? Pushy? Polite? Is a scene tense? Quiet? Slow? Is the information being read factual and should be read as such? Are you moving towards a big storyline reveal? Is the tone building and changing with the emotions in the words?
The words tell the listener what is happening to a degree, but it is the tone that gives them all the information they would usually gather themselves when reading. The emotions, the importance, the characters, the mood - it is all communicated with tone.
Most importantly, tone is how a human connects to a story. They may not relate to the characters, or the storyline, but they connect with the book itself through the tone of voice you use. You convey meaning and emotion and the listener picks up on that. With the right tone you are boosting every single word in the book with the extra tonal description you have added.
How Important Is Tone Of Voice For An Audiobook Narrator?
“It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” - Unknown
Whether you are choosing an audiobook narrator from a vocal talent company, or you’re thinking of going into audiobook narration yourself, it is important to understand how vital tone is to this area of work. It’s everything but the words, which is exactly why a person is listening and not reading the book themselves.
By unlocking the right tone in your audiobook narration, you allow the listener to truly connect with the story and the meaning behind the words - an invaluable aural journey they will want to take again and again.
