Secrets of a voiceover - out-takes galore!

Ever wondered what really happens inside a voiceover's studio? It's a high pressure environment - the voice has to (usually) get it right first time and often hasn't had any time to read the script beforehand. The stakes are high and the producer's patience can wear very, very thin. The voice booth is a hotbed of tension, stress and spittle.

Here's a montage of out-takes featuring the astounding professionalism of our very own CEO, Emma Clarke. We had lots of material to choose from but here are the highlights.

• Emma being unable to say the word 'sump.'
• Our bleep machine going into overdrive...
• A random squirrel!

You should hear her try and say 'recruitment requirements' at speed... Honestly, that's a whole other out-take reel...
Enjoy!

Voice Takeaway hits the headlines!

Voice Takeaway CEO, Emma Clarke, was interviewed this week for the M.E.N. business / media section. Here's the full article with a link below:

 

Sound experience helps new venture 

She made her name as ‘the voice of the Tube’ and now Emma Clarke is on track for a booming business career. 

Emma Clarke & Casey Longden of Voice Takeaway

The veteran voiceover artist was one of the London Underground’s ‘mind the gap’ announcers and has since featured in some of Britain’s best known ad campaigns.

Now, Emma has set up her own business, with ambitions to achieve sales of £3m within two years.

She has teamed-up with business partner Casey Longden to launch VoiceTakeaway.com, selling professional audio clips to firms.

Customers can buy ready-made, personalised and bespoke audio soundbites for on-hold messages, web film narration, presentations, e-learning and events.

The Bowden business can also offer ‘sonic branding’, creating unique audio sounds for brands.

Clarke, 43, said she wanted to launch the business 10 years ago but the market wasn’t ready.

She says: “People just weren’t as internet savvy as they are now.

“With more and more people setting up businesses online and with MediaCityUK attracting a range of digital businesses to the region, there is a lot more opportunity for the business now.”

Voice Takeaway’s website only launched last month, but it has already generated interest from venture capitalists as well as enquiries from businesses in the UK and overseas, as the firm targets a range of organisations from professional services firms to creative agencies and telecoms companies.

The founders have targeted revenues of £250,000 before the end of 2013, rising to £1m next year and £3m target by the end of 2015.

Clients can choose from a range of three voice types in both male and female tones. The company plans to introduce UK and native foreign accents to the site as demand soars for voices to represent brands in media campaigns.

Clarke said: “This is a unique service which has massive growth potential. After spending 20 years as a professional voiceover this is the first time that e-commerce and voice clips have been brought together online in such an accessible format for businesses and brands.”

Listen to a selection of audio samples from Voice Takeaway:
By Shelina Begum, Manchester Evening News. Link to article.

Huge new radio advert from Voice Takeaway!

Penned and produced by our very own creative team, the latest Voice Takeaway ad will be hitting the Real Radio XS airwaves today.

It's the second ad in our campaign so join in our massive excitement by having a listen, sharing it with your friends and, most importantly, letting us know what you think!

5 reasons why your company should use audio marketing

Business owners invest in their websites, logos, business cards and other expensive material to build up their brand. But what does their brand sound like? If you’re not using audio in your marketing and social media strategy, you’re missing a trick.

Audio is voiceover and music – sometimes both. It can be used in all sorts of ways across your marketing mix: on-hold messages, as narration in your web films and promos, in presentations, at events and training courses. In fact, if you think of a business activity, you’ll be able to think of an application for audio. It helps people remember your brand. And we all want that, right?

Audio marketing with voiceovers can feature all sorts of people - your customers, your staff and of course, professional voice artists to give your audio polish. The music you choose should be appropriate for your brand and should mirror your core values. Putting heavy metal on a web video about a relaxing spa break isn’t going to win you new customers.

So why should you use audio?

1. Audio is multi-purpose. You can use it across many platforms in different ways. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, PowerPoint, Soundcloud, AudioBoo – pretty much any social media or communication tool you can think of. And of course there's your website, your induction programmes, your PR shindigs, product launches…the list goes on.

2. Audio can feature all sorts of different content: you can shout about your products and services, awards or accreditations, customer testimonials, online reviews, social media links – anything you like.

3. Audio distinguishes your company from the competition and makes it instantly recognisable. It helps you get ‘top of mind’ traction.

4. An audio logo is a crucial part of your company’s marketing toolkit. You have a visual logo – why not have an audio logo that will really speak to your customers?

5. Audio can be very cost-effective. Planned correctly, you can get the most out of a recording package to use across different platforms, in different ways to help you meet your marketing goals.
Want to learn more about audio marketing? Check out VoiceTakeaway.com, the pro voiceover audio store.

If you're not using audio as part of your marketing and social media strategy, then your voice just ain't getting heard.

Why your business needs an audio logo.

While there’s no truth in the rumour that the marimba-like ‘Dumm! Dum dum dum dum’ of the Intel Inside audio logo has driven 56 people insane and caused at least two computers to be thrown out of office windows, it IS true that the creation of audio logos, or sonic idents, is one of the fastest-growing branches of the marketing industry.

A rising whoosh, topped off with a friendly little blip, for example, says ‘welcome to Skype’. A single assertive chord, held for a couple of seconds heralds the arrival of Apple. A dreamy rising cadence followed by fading single notes distinguishes Microsoft Windows. Or how about Danone’s “ooh Danone!”? They are all instantly recognisable and quick to bring the brand to mind, just as, for example, the Jaws music conjures up an unforgettable image of a dark fin cutting through the water.

Often used at the end of a piece of sound communication, but equally effective at the beginning or interspersed at judicious intervals within the body of the message, an audio logo enables listeners to instantly identify your brand or business. If well produced, creative and appropriate to the product, these sonic idents can become ingrained in the listening experience, enhancing it and making it more emotive. They use the emotional power of sound to create lasting connections between people and brands or services, enhancing brand recognition and awareness, and when paired with a visual logo or particular graphic device the impact is increased still further.

There are now a number of specialist companies devoted to producing audio logos, of which recent arrival Voice Takeaway offers one of the most comprehensive and exciting services. Our experts recognise that idents can be a powerful tool of brand identity, drawing attention to company or individual communications while making them more cohesive. Voice Takeaway’s easy to navigate website allows you to top and tail specially created sound indents with your company name and strapline.

So where can you use these highly emotive audio logos? Well, just about anywhere, especially now that we have more access to sound via mobile phones, internet, iPads etc. They’re ideal for:

• On-hold messaging, from ‘we’re closed’ to wedding planning; offer packages to product ranges
• Intros and outros to corporate videos
• Websites and web narration
• TV and radio productions
• e-learning
• Podcasts
• Presentations… the list goes on.

So if you want to ensure that your communications deliver maximum brand recognition in the most professional way, an audio logo will provide the memorability you’re seeking, in a quick and cost-effective way. Have a listen to some of the audio logos that Voice Takeaway have crafted and you’ll see why audio branding is fast becoming and indispensible part of the up-to-the-minute marketing mix.

If you’d like a completely bespoke audio logo, we can do that too. Just drop us an email and we’ll get started.

Voice Takeaway launch radio campaign on Real Radio XS

It's been an exciting day at Voice Takeaway HQ. Not only has Manchester experienced three consecutive days of intense sunshine(!) but this morning also saw the kick-off of our first ever radio advertising campaign on Real Radio XS!

Featuring a glowing testimonial from our highly valued customer, Dave Timmis at Really Good Domains Ltd., the ad is set to run at key times every day for the next two weeks before we switch to ad No.2 (watch this space for a sneak preview...)

Here's the ad in all its glory. We hope you love it as much as we do!