Welcome audio book narrator, Alan Manson
Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?
I was born in Edinburgh,
Scotland, but moved to the US about 7 years ago after marrying an
amazing American woman. We just celebrated our 10th anniversary . When I was young, I was super shy. It took a
long time to get over that. I am definitely a late bloomer, but as they say, better late than never
😊
How long have you been an audiobook narration?
I have been narrating audio
books for about 2 years, so still a relative newbie. Trial of a
Warrior, by Mary Morgan, was actually my first audiobook narration, and
the first audiobook that I ever auditioned for.
How did you get into audiobook narration?
When I first moved to the
US, people kept telling me how much they loved my voice, so eventually I
decided to try my luck at voiceover. I started doing some research and
soon found that I knew nothing about the industry,
and that there was a lot to learn. But I persevered, took some lessons,
and started trying out with auditions. I had heard about audible and
found out how to audition for them. That is when I auditioned for my
first audiobook by Mary Morgan, and she gave me
the chance to record it.
Where do you record?
I have a home recording
studio, setup in my spare bedroom. I recorded my first book in a
homemade booth, basically a frame made from PVC pipe and covered in
heavy packing blankets. I now have a proper booth, a Studiobricks
One Plus VO Edition, which is great.
Other than your great voice, is there anything special you need to narrate an audio book?
The most important thing in
any recording is the space you are in. It needs to be as soundproof as
possible; you do not want any external sounds getting onto your
recording. But it also needs to be treated, so there
are no reflections, as these can cause echo’s, which you do not want.
Once you get the space figured out, you really don’t need to spend that
much on equipment. Obviously, you will need a microphone and a computer
to record and edit on, but that is it.
How do you prepare for recording? Do you read a book in its entirety before recording?
I prepare by reading the
book front to back , making a note of all the characters, and any
information about them. Male, female, accent, attitude, that kind of
thing, so that I can develop the character voices. I
make a copy of the manuscript and mark it up with all the info that I
find.
Do you ever come across unfamiliar words? How do you handle that?
Yes, there can be some
quite difficult words to pronounce. If I do find one, I first try
googling it to see if I can find the pronunciation. If that fails, I
check with the author. Usually they will make a quick
recording of the word and send it to me.
What is the funniest error you've made while recording? Did you keep it as an outtake?
Sometimes I just can’t get
my words out when I read, it is not so much funny as it is a little
frustrating, trying to read the same line over and over. I have been
known to shout at myself, and scream. I don’t tend
to keep those as outtakes though 😊
How long are your recording sessions?
I try to keep each session
no more than 2 hours as your voice can get tired. Then I will edit what I
have done, and if time allows, record some more.
Do you listen to audiobooks?
Yes, I listen to audiobooks almost every day while driving to my work.
How do you feel about your own voice in recordings?
Personally, I have no idea why people like my voice, I just irritates me, LOL
What was something you found unique in recording Mary's book?
Well, it was the first time
that I had read a romantic novel, so that is unique for me. I found
Mary’s writing captivating; I could not stop reading it. I even needed
some tissues occasionally for my crying. Not
easy to record a book, with tears rolling down your face I found.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I got started in audiobook
narration and voiceover in general rather late in life. I still work
full time as a Software Engineer, so I am busy doing that and voiceover.
If there is one piece of advice that I could
give, is that it is never too late to start something new, and every
day you don’t learn something is a wasted day. Work hard, don’t give up!
Thank you for joining us.
Discover Alan on Audible
