FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The dVoicebox Studio is run by professional voice artist Chris Radley. It is based in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire and specialises in recording singers, songwriters, vocalists, voice actors, voice-overs and spoken word projects.
This list of frequently asked questions is being added to all the time. It should provide answers to most of your questions - but if you need more information - call Chris on 01926 431535 or email

Why should I use dVoiceBox for my recording project?
Where is the studio?
How much does it cost?
What does ISDN mean?
What is a phone patch?
I'm a voiceover - what equipment do you use for voice work?
I'd like to record an interview is your booth big anough for this?
I want to learn how to be a voice over - do you do any training?
I'm a singer can I record a demo?
Do you ever use session singers or musicians?
Can my band record a demo in your studio?
I've written a book - how to I get it recorded as an audiobook? Can I read it myself?
What's the process of recording an audiobook?
Can I visit the studio before making a booking?

Why should I use dVoicebox for my recording project?
The studio specialises in vocalist, singer, voice over and spoken word projects. Studio engineer Chris Radley is a professional voice over artist who has been in business since 1996. In 2011 he provided the voiceover narration on 13 part TV documentary Extraordinary Dogs shown on Channel Five.
He's worked on radio for many years as a presenter and also has a background in sound engineering and recording. He knows how to provide the right studio atmosphere to get the best out of your voice talent. He loves recording and has great attention to detail to produce great sounding audio production. With Chris' help you can produce high quality audio books that booklovers will love to listen to. And when it comes to recording singers Chris can draw on his years of experience as a performing and recording musician to make sure your demo mix has the professional gloss to stand out. >>Back to top

Where is the studio?
The dVoicebox studio is based in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire - within easy reach of the motorway network including M40, M45, M1, M6 and M42. It's about 20 mins from Stratford upon Avon or Coventry.
There is some parking available on the wide pavement outside the studio. The railway station (mainline to Marylebone, London or Birmingham) is less than 10 mins walk from the studio. There are pubs, cafes and shops within a few minutes walk.>>Back to top

How much does it cost?
You can hire the studio for voice over or vocalist recording, or other recording projects, at the usual hourly rate of £30 an hour.
For a longer project the fee can be reduced to £25 per hour if you book and fully prepay a block of 10 hours (to be used in no more than 3 sessions).

ISDN sessions are charged at £60 per hour plus call charges if we have to dial up the other studio - there are no additional call charges if the other studio dials dVoicebox. Check for current rates.
Phone patch is free if you call us - if dVoicebox has to call you then call charges will apply.
Please note that we need 14 days notice of a cancellation of recording or ISDN session. If less than 14 days notice is given a cancellation fee of £60 will be charged.

Voiceover costs depend on the voice artist but the range is typically around £180 to £200 BSF (basic session fee) per hour for the voice artist - plus hourly studio/production charges. Books may be worked out on an overall fee for the total read rather than on an hourly basis.
dVoicebox owner Chris Radley engineers and runs all recording and ISDN sessions.>>Back to top

What does ISDN mean?
ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network. Briefly that means a high quality line that is used to connect recording, production and radio and TV studios. The sound quality is broadcast standard and so ISDN can be used for "down the line" radio interviews.
For voiceovers it means you can get the same sound quality from a remote studio as you could get if the voice actor was in the same studio as you. dVoicebox uses a software based codec called Audio TX Communicator that has been designed to seamlessly connect with all the professional codecs in use in the UK and most of the systems in use around the world. Audio TX can also be set up to be used as a "phone patch". You can get more information on the Technical Specification page.>>Back to top

What is a phone patch?
If for some reason you are unable to attend the studio to direct your voice talent then we can set up a phone patch. This allows you to call up the studio on a special phone number and be linked straight into the studio system so that you can hear the voice artist as they read your script. You are also able to direct their performance - they can hear your comments and direction in their headphones while they are in the booth recording.>>Back to top

I'm a voiceover artist - what equipment do you use for voice work?
You'll find all the details on the kit we use on the Technical Specification page.>>Back to top

I want to record an interview is your booth big enough for this?
The dVoicebox Esmono Booth is 2.2m x 2.5m and is 2.2m high - it is large enough for several actors or singers - the most we've comfortably had at one go so far is seven singers each with their own mic and headphones.
We did also record "crowd scene" audio for "The 13th Day" film. On that occasion we used a matched pair of mics and had 10 actors.... plus a massive green screen and a cameraman all crammed in the booth. It was quite a squeeze - luckily for the actors it was a fairly short scene!
The booth is also big enough to record a drum kit should that be needed for a music project.>>Back to top

I want to learn to be a voiceover - do you offer any training?
The dVoicebox studio itself does not offer voice over training - however we've recently linked up with Big Mouth Productions who run voiceover training sessions in the Midlands and also in London. We provide the studio environment and equipment for the training for the Warwickshire based sessions. You can find out more by following the link to Big Mouth Productions.>>Back to top

I'm a singer can I record a demo?
We regularly record singers and songwriters. If you want to produce a demo - perhaps using a backing track that you already have - thats fine. On the other hand, if you'd prefer it, we can help you source good quality backings for your choice of song.
For the recording itself we use high quality mics, our professional Esmono sound booth and of course we have industry standard post production tools like Antares AVP-1 (autotune).
All you need to bring is your vocal talent and we'll do the rest. It's a good idea to make sure that you really know the song well that you want to record. It'll reduce the studio time needed and so you'll need a smaller budget for the demo. A single CD copy is included in the fee - further copies can be made for an extra charge.>>Back to top

Do you ever use session singers or session musicians?
We have a list of accomplished musicians to draw on for session work - but we are always interested to add to it so if you'd like to be considered just contact Chris at the studio.
The dVoicebox studio produces songs for songwriters - including our own songwriting team - and so often uses session singers. If you'd like to be considered just get in touch with a demo or a link to a website where we can hear you sing.>>Back to top

Can my band record a demo in your studio?
The dVoicebox Studio is quite compact and experience tells us that it is not ideal for recording bands - especially if everyone wants to play at once. It works best for music projects where the instruments are added individually - building up the song or music track with a series of over dubs. For this reason it suits many songwriters - who may have a song to record but don't have a regular band to bring into the studio.>>Back to top

I've written a book - how do I get it recorded as an audiobook? Can I read it myself?
Often writers want to record their own work and sometimes if they have radio presentation or acting experience this can be successful. Generally, however, we recommend using a trained voice artist or actor who can bring the text to life, lifting the words off the page and so conveying the dramatic feel of the book in the narration and through using different voices for each character.
We can assist with the casting process to find the right voice talent for the project or alternatively you can cast and provide your own voice artists. Whichever route you choose we will make sure the voice talent feels comfortable during the recording to helping them to deliver their best performance.>>Back to top

What's the process of recording the audiobook?
Initially you should get in touch to discuss the audio book project. We will be able to advise on the best recording and production methods for the book. We can also make suggestions of suitable voice artists for the project. If you wish you can also arrange a visit the studio to see our setup.
Then send us the book either as a word document or in pdf form. We can arrange to record a demo of a short section of the book - although there will not be a studio charge for a demo you should keep in mind that many voice talents may charge for a demo.
If you are happy with the voice artist and the quality of the recording and you wish to go ahead with the project we will then work out a production schedule. This will involve the planning of the recording itself plus editing, adding music it needed, proof listening and delivery of the master recordings. If you wish to add music to the production we can offer a range of suitable tracks from royalty free music libraries.
During the recording itself, although the dVoicebox engineer will take care of the technical aspects, you, or someone who knows the text well, will need to direct the session. This means errors by the voice artist in delivery, missed or fluffed words etc can be picked up during the session and any retakes recorded prior to moving on to the next section.
You will need to provide a script for the voice artist plus a script for the engineer and one for the person directing. Ideally the director will be in the control room with the engineer but if needs be we can set up ISDN or phone patch links to allow for remote direction from another location.

Finally, after the editing, mixing, production and mastering, we will deliver the master files to you in an agreed format. Please note that final recordings will not be released to clients until payment has been received.

Recording audiobooks is a time consuming process and so can be quite expensive. You will have to budget for the cost of the voice artist plus the cost of the studio for the recording itself and then studio hours for subsequent editing and post-production and mastering work. We may reqest that you break in the project into sections that can be invoiced and paid for seperately. Get in touch now tou discuss your project.>>Back to top

Can I visit the studio before making a booking?
Yes, we welcome arranged visits. The recording process can be quite long - especially for audio books - you'll be spending a lot of time either in the booth or the control room so it's important that you are happy with the work environment and also that you feel that you can work with our staff too. To make sure that someone is free to answer your questions and to ensure that you aren't disturbing someone else's recording session please call or email to arrange an appointment. >>Back to top

See our CLIENTS section for examples of previous work

Call the studio on 01926 431535 or email for details on availability and rates.

Latest

Judy Sproxton's audiobook The Acting Head, read by Anthony Pedley, was originally recorded at dvoicebox. Its has recently been picked for distribution by Spoken Books Publishing in America

Chris has recently recorded "The Balmaha Bears - The Voyage".
It's the third of a series of childrens books by Carole Meara. The audiobook reader is Rita Barrington. These audiobooks are now available on iTunes and Amazon.

Mutiny in Dublin used the dVoicebox ISDN service to record actor Aidan Kelly providing a voiceover for a series of o2 ads to be broadcast in Ireland.