Podcast Summary: Everyday VOpreneur® with Marc Scott

Episode: Should You Be Mixing and Mastering Audition Files? - Summer Series 2021 Episode 05
Air Date: July 1, 2021
Host: Marc Scott

Main Theme and Purpose

This episode addresses a frequent listener question: What level of audio mixing, mastering, and processing should be applied to voiceover audition files? Marc Scott gives clear, actionable advice on the do’s and don’ts of preparing and submitting audition audio, emphasizing efficiency and meeting industry expectations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Should You Add Background Music to Audition Files?

• Short Answer: No, unless specifically requested.
• Rationale: Adding music isn’t standard practice and is rarely requested by casting sites or clients for auditions.
• Advice:
  • “Unless specifically asked, you are never going to put background music behind your auditions. … It’s a distraction.” (Marc Scott, 03:02)
  • If you have mixing skills, mention them in your proposal—not in your audition file.

2. What About Mastering and Processing Audition Audio?

• Definition Clarity: “Mastering” is a broad and often misunderstood term—everyone seems to have a different take.
• Best Practice: Submit relatively raw audio, but not completely unedited.
  • Remove mistakes, clicks, pops, and major mouth noises.
  • Use tools like Adobe Audition (Spectral View) or Isotope plugins if needed.
• On Removing Breaths:
  • Don’t remove all breaths; natural-sounding auditions are preferred.
  • “I don’t think that you need to be removing all breaths. … It actually makes the read sound less natural and less conversational. And hey, what does everybody want today in their auditions? They want conversational.” (Marc Scott, 05:11)

3. How Much Processing is Appropriate?

• Compression and EQ: Generally, avoid heavy processing (compression, EQ, mastering) for auditions.
• Reason: The client will usually want to apply their own processing to the hired voiceover.
• Exception: If you have a vetted, minimal processing chain (from a trusted engineer or mentor), you can use it.
  • “If you got something like that set up, by all means, you could do that with your audition. But outside of that, we’re really talking about just going into the studio, recording, cleaning, sending.” (Marc Scott, 06:19)

4. Efficiency in Workflow

• Don’t overcomplicate your audition process—speed matters!
• Overprocessing can slow down submissions and reduce opportunities.
  • “If you’re doing much more than that … that might be one of the reasons why you feel like your auditions are taking too long.” (Marc Scott, 06:42)

Practical Summary of Marc's Audition File Prep Workflow

• Record your audition.
• Edit out mistakes, removal of major noises (clicks, pops, mouth noise).
• Shorten or reduce breaths (don’t remove all).
• Skip adding music, heavy compression, or mastering unless explicitly directed.
• Send the cleaned file, confident that your studio’s audio quality is good.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On background music:
  “You shouldn’t do that. I know that some talent think that it might be a way of making them stand out from the other submissions. … But really, it’s a distraction.” (Marc Scott, 03:24)

• On efficiency:
  “This is why people are getting their auditions out really, really fast, is because they’re not doing too much to them.” (Marc Scott, 07:01)

• Key general rule:
  “For the most part, we’re going in, we’re recording, we’re cleaning up, and we’re sending. That’s how you’re going to get it done faster. It’s going to make your life so much easier.” (Marc Scott, 07:50)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – 01:00: Listener question and episode setup
• 03:02 – 04:00: Why you shouldn’t add music unless directed
• 05:11 – 06:00: How to handle breaths, clicks, pops, and mistakes
• 06:19 – 07:01: When minimal processing is OK
• 07:01 – 07:50: How overprocessing slows you down; the basic “record, clean, send” philosophy

Episode Takeaways

• Don’t mix or master audition files heavily—keep it simple, natural, and stick to what’s asked for in the brief.
• Focus on basics: clean up mistakes and distracting noises, but leave processing minimal.
• Efficiency wins: The quicker and cleaner your workflow, the more opportunities you’ll have.

For listener-submitted questions on voiceover business or marketing, email Marc at mark@markscottvoiceover.com.
For more episodes, visit vopreneur.com.

This episode is ideal for both new and experienced voice actors wanting to optimize their audition process and present themselves professionally, without unnecessary technical work.