Audio sample quality assurance
Hi! Thank you for your interest in these fun tasks from VoiceBunny. VoiceBunny is a crowdsourced service to get professional voice over recordings. The objective of these tasks is to check whether the audio samples submitted by voice actors meet the quality criteria of VoiceBunny. Please read these instructions carefully before getting started. If you have questions, please send an email to qa@bunnystudio.com.
Headphones
You will need over-the-ear, high quality headphones to complete these tasks because you will be checking for audio subtleties that you will not be able to hear with smaller, lower-quality headphones or using computer speakers.Languages
You'll be listening to recordings in many languages. Fortunately, you don't need to understand the language of the recording in order to complete these tasks.Making sure the voice sounds natural
VoiceBunny recordings should sound natural, like real humans, NOT text-to-speech robots! Unfortunately, some voice actors apply "filters" to the recordings and make them sound unnatural or robotic. This is very subjective, but you can try to determine if a voice over recording sounds natural or not by listening to it.| The inhaling/exhaling in this recording is not distracting. This audio file is ok: | |
| This audio doesn't sound natural because a post-product filter was applied to it. This audio not ok: | |
| This voice sounds too robotic This audio not ok: |
Select the type of question you're evaluating
Reviewing the age and gender
Does the voice genuinely sound like a person that is of the stated age and gender? If so, then the age and gender are ok.Making sure the audio doesn't have a slate
A "slate" is when the voice actor states their name (and/or other information) at the beginning of an audio file before beginning to record the script. Some voice actors do this when submitting audio samples because they are afraid their contact information may get lost. That's not the case with us. VoiceBunny does not like samples that are slated. You must listen carefully to the sample and make sure the audio doesn't have the name of the voice actor at any point.Making sure the audio volume has been properly normalized
Volume levels are very important for VoiceBunny because many of our clients expect to use the audio exactly the way we deliver them. They might also combine multiple audio files together. If the volume levels are not consistent, our clients won't be happy. You can check the volume of an audio file by listening to it and also by using the waveform visual provided.| This audio has been properly normalized to -3db. This audio file is ok: | |
| These audio files are not loud enough. This audio is not ok: | |
| These audio files are too loud. This audio is not ok: | |
| These audio files have inconsistent volume levels. They have not been "normalized". This audio is not ok: |
Making sure the audio starts with 0.5 seconds of silence
Many VoiceBunny clients use the audio files exactly as we deliver them (no further editing or post-production). They expect our audio files to start with approximately 0.5 seconds of silence. You can determine how long the silence at the beginning of audio is by looking its waveform.| This is the first second of an audio file. This voice starts too soon. This audio is not ok: | |
| This is the first second of an audio file. This voice starts at around 0.5 seconds. This audio file is ok: | |
| This is the first second of an audio file. There too much silence.". This audio is not ok: |
Making sure the audio doesn't have distracting breath noise
Inhaling and exhaling are part of human speech. Our professional voice recordings may have them as long as they are not distracting. If the inhaling and exhaling are too loud, long, or in an odd place, it may distract the listener. You can determine if a voice over recording has distracting inhaling and exhaling sounds by listening to it.| The inhaling/exhaling in this recording is not distracting. This audio file is ok: | |
| The inhaling/exhaling in this recording is distracting. This audio not ok: | |
| The inhaling/exhaling in this recording is distracting. This audio not ok: |
Making sure the audio doesn't have mouth/tongue clicks
Mouth/tongue clicks may make you feel as if the voice actor is trying to kiss you in the ear or sound like they have a mouth full of spit. So gross! You can determine if a recording has mouth/tongue clicks by listening to it with good headphones.| This audio doesn't have mouth clicks. This audio file is ok: | |
| This audio also has mouth clicks. This audio not ok: |
Making sure the audio doesn't have popping sounds
Popping sounds occur particularly in the pronunciation of aspirated plosives (such as the first 'p' in the English word "popping"). If the voice actor did not set up his/her studio properly, popping sounds can exceed the design input capacity of the microphone, leading to clipping. We must make sure the recording doesn't have popping sounds.| This audio doesn't have popping sounds. This audio file is ok: | |
| This audio has popping sounds. This audio not ok: | |
| This audio also has popping sounds. This audio not ok: |
Making sure the audio doesn't have white noise
White noise is a hissing sound created by electromagnetic interference in the studio of the voice actor. A professional recording should not have white noise. You can determine if a recording has white noise by listening to it with good headphones and at high volume. Be careful with your eardrums though!| This audio doesn't have white noise. This audio file is ok: | |
| This audio has white noise. This audio not ok: | |
| This audio has white noise towards the end. This audio not ok: |
Making sure the audio doesn't have background noises
VoiceBunny doesn't like background noises. It's not professional. Background noises come in many different flavors: other people talking, planes flying by, dogs barking, humming sounds, hitting the mic, etc. You can determine if a recording has background noises by listening to it with good headphones and at high volume. Be careful with your eardrums though!| This audio doesn't have background noises. This audio file is ok: | |
| This audio has static background noise. This audio not ok: | |
| This audio has ambient background noises. This audio not ok: |
Making sure the audio doesn't have loud background music
Background music is okay for samples, as long as it still allows the voice to be understood properly. You can determine if a recording has loud background music by listening to it.| This audio has background that is too loud compared to the voice. This audio not ok: |
Making sure the audio doesn't have echo
Echo is a no-no when it comes to professional voice over. Voice actors need to record in a properly isolated and acoustically treated room. If they don't, their audio will have an echo from their voice reverberating off walls, etc. We don't want recordings that sound as if the voice actor was in a bathroom! You can determine if audio has echo by listening to it with good headphones and at high volume. As always, be careful with your eardrums!| This audio doesn't have echo. This audio file is ok: | |
| This audio has echo. This audio not ok: | |
| This audio has echo too. This audio not ok: |
