Voice recording is the process of recording voices in a particular language that may be used in a video or simply for providing voice-over presentation in different languages. It usually involves a professional voice artist giving a speech during a video, but from behind the scenes. This speech involves describing, highlighting, explaining, or providing additional context to what a viewer sees. A good voice recording should include speech that engages the listeners.
In Thailand, the official language is Thai, which is now becoming popular in other parts of the world as well, due to the increasing use of social media and OTT platforms. As more people are becoming interested in the culture and language of Thailand, many people around the world are considering learning Thai as well.
Overview of Thai Language
Thai is among the most spoken languages in Thailand. With internationalization of pop culture movies and shows like Korean dramas or K-dramas, Thai content like movies, shows, and video format contents are also gaining popularity. With this, professional Thai voice artists are also becoming popular in assisting a diverse client base to suit their needs in their projects, which may include corporate films and commercials. Thai voice over artists provide a range of services for different audio or video projects.
Thai voice over artists can vary in terms of their age and include Thai kid’s artists, Thai male voice over artists, Thai female voice over artists, as well as Thai cartoon dubbing artists. Thai voice over artists record professional audio for different types of projects. So, for your Thai voice over service requirement, you should only contact the best professional talent.
Recording Equipment, Software and Tools
Conducive Environment
The most important aspect of Thai voice recording is finding a quiet environment. Without a quiet environment, the entire effort behind the project would remain unsuccessful and production houses may need to spend a lot of money for removing background noises. After finding the ideal space, it is time to setup professional equipment.
Equipment to Record
The next most important requirement is a microphone that records speech without any disturbances. Since most of the time, voice record is for providing audio to a video, video recording equipment may not be required in most cases. However, it may be a good idea to invest in a good quality microphone to record the minor differences in the different accents of Thai speech, for example, ‘p’ and ‘b’ in different words.
Audio Software to Record Voices
The next requirement required to record voices is an audio software. Most of the audio software provides the same quality of speech.
With these tools and equipment, you can start recording your Thai voice over project without any delay!
Language Specific Considerations
Thai is a language that carries intricate tones and accents that convey different meanings. There are many words or letters that may sound the same. Therefore, professional voice artists may need to focus on every word they speak with special emphasis on the various tones, making pronunciation accuracy paramount. In the Thai language, almost every syllable is pronounced with one of five tones: high, mid, low, falling, rising. The tone must be spoken correctly to convey the intended meaning of speech.
Comparing Thai and English languages, “prosody” is used for different functions. In Thai language, the tone has a semantic function, that is, words which are similar but pronounced with different tones have different and unrelated meanings. However, in English, generally this type of tone is not used in this way.
Thus, it would be a good idea to consider writing a script that explains emphasis on the different tones in Thai so that when you record the speech, there is continuity in speech. In addition, it’s important to avoid filler words wherever possible. This may help make the voice-over flawless.
Post-Production Techniques to Enhance Thai Voice Recording
Now that you have all the equipment, have a script with Thai pronunciations, and have recorded the audio, it is time to process the audio files from the software to make it market ready. This is the time to edit the audio. Even if there were no mistakes during recording, it is always a good idea to go through the audio files to check if something needs to be fixed. At the very least, you may want to trim the dead spaces in the recordings.
When editing an audio, it is always worth listening to the recordings by playing them from start to finish before making any changes. During this time, you may find it useful to make notes things in the audio files that require editing later, to cut down time for editing.
Once you have listened to the audio by playing it through and through, you can go back to the beginning and start editing and reducing audio noise. You may notice abnormally long silences between words or sentences, you can trim them to your liking.
After the files are edited and ready, you will need to import those files and sync audio and video properly. You can achieve this with the help of software that allows syncing of audio and video files seamlessly.
Captions or subtitles are also worth adding to the videos. There is still a large percentage of people who may watch such videos without turning on the sound. People from other countries watching Thai videos will require subtitles. In most cases, auto-generated subtitles may be available. However, they don’t generally provide accurate translation. Therefore, it might be worth adding captions and subtitles in popular languages to captivate and retain listeners.
DUBnSUB is dedicated to maintaining a standard of excellence, providing top-notch Thai voice over services that skillfully integrate technical expertise with cultural nuances. Our team of committed professionals ensures each project undergoes thorough attention, resulting in voice recordings that not only meet but surpass industry benchmarks.
Choose DUBnSUB for your Thai voice over requirements, where technical expertise seamlessly blends with a dedicated commitment to delivering unparalleled audio quality.