Common Performance issues and recommended solutions

Knowing how to bring a script to life through natural intonation, varied inflection, and vocal control can make all the difference between a passable voice-over and one that truly connects. Whether you're conveying a soft nuance 🪶 or delivering a bold punch 🧨, mastering vocal dynamics - and combining them with thoughtful editing - is what sets top Pros apart on our platform.

Below, we break down the most common performance-related issues we see in voice-over submissions, along with actionable tips, techniques, and plugin suggestions to help you improve.
 

If you're ever unsure about your delivery or editing, you can always ask for support in our Community: Get Feedback section. Our QC agents and fellow Pros are ready to help.

 

🤨 What Do We Mean by “Performance Issues”?

Performance isn’t just about reading lines - it’s about delivering them with emotional depth, clarity, and authenticity. It includes your vocal execution, your ability to adapt to tone and age requirements, and how well your editing complements your performance without removing its natural essence.

If you ever notice you’re approved for a skill (age, gender, accent) that you cannot perform naturally and believably, reach out to our team so we can help you adjust your skill set accordingly.

📐 Monotone or Flat Intonation
 

Delivering every line with the same pitch or energy creates a flat, robotic experience for the listener.

Tips:

• Listen to commercials, narrations, and e-learning samples from native professionals in your language.
• Use script marking techniques to identify key words and emotional beats before recording.
• Practice dynamic range by reading the same line in multiple tones (serious, sarcastic, excited).
• Record → listen → analyze → repeat. Self-feedback is a powerful tool.
• For extra support, consider a few sessions with a voice coach to improve vocal variation and natural flow.

💥 “Shouted” or Over-Energized Delivery

Energy is great - but yelling and forcing your voice is not emphasis. Over-delivery can sound aggressive, forced, or unclear.

Tips:

• Use visual cues (underline, highlight) to guide your inflections and volume shifts.
• Try gesturing or using facial expressions during delivery - they naturally influence vocal dynamics.
• Warm up before each session: lip trills, hums, and breathing exercises reduce vocal strain.
• A simple compression plugin (like Waves RComp or ReaComp in REAPER) can help control peaks without flattening your voice.

🤖 Unnatural or “AI-Like” Delivery

This is often caused by overediting, excessive breath removal, or piecing together disconnected lines, making the delivery sound robotic or stitched.

Tips:

• Record your script in full takes when possible to preserve natural rhythm and emotional progression.
• Keep light breaths if they sound natural - they’re part of human speech.
• Avoid heavy-handed noise reduction. If using plugins like iZotope RX Voice De-noise, dial back the threshold to retain vocal warmth.
• Mind the pacing between lines - edit for flow, not perfection.

🏍️ Artificial Speed Adjustments

Speeding up your recording digitally to meet time constraints can compromise vocal tone and pacing.

Tips:

• If a script is too long for the time window, try a naturally brisker delivery rather than post-editing.
• Use a metronome or guide track if needed to practice pacing before recording.
• If it’s truly not doable, use the Request Help feature or contact CX to check with the client.

🔤 Mispronunciation

Mispronouncing names, brands, or unique terms affects the credibility of your work—especially in client branding or narrative content.

Tips:

• Research difficult or unfamiliar terms online (YouTube, Forvo, brand websites).
• Use text-to-speech tools for quick pronunciation previews—just don’t mimic robotic delivery.
• If uncertain, reach out via Request Help. We’ll confirm the correct pronunciation with the client.

👴 Wrong Age Performed

Voice age is a performance category based on vocal tone, texture, and delivery—not your real age.

Tips:

• For Senior voices, lower your pitch slightly, slow your pacing, and add subtle breathiness or vocal grain.
• For Teen or Young Adult, lift your tone, keep the delivery energetic and loose, and reduce vocal weight.
• Never impersonate a child voice unless the client specifically requests it - our QC team will reject unnatural impersonations.

🗺️ Non-Native Accents

Clients expect native or convincingly authentic accents for specific regions unless the project specifies otherwise.

Tips:

• Only accept projects in languages or accents you can perform fluently.
• For accent work, consult native speaker recordings or dialect coaches.
• If you’re ever unsure, it’s better to pass than risk rejection and affect your Stats.

👩‍🏫 Keep Learning and Practicing

Even experienced VOs keep learning. Ongoing practice builds confidence and helps you discover your unique vocal strengths.

Tips:

• Schedule routine practice sessions where you record, review, and tweak.
• Join workshops, webinars, or 1:1 coaching to expand your vocal toolbox.
• Participate in community feedback exchanges—you'll learn just as much from listening to others.

📣 Need Feedback?

If you're struggling with a quality issue, can’t identify what’s wrong in your audio, or simply want another set of ears, visit our Community - Get Feedback section. Our QC agents and talented Pros are always willing to listen and help.

And if you’ve discovered a trick or tip that’s helped you improve your voice-over performance, share it there too - you never know who you might inspire! 🤲
 

We’ve also prepared a guide with Sample examples from top Bunny Pros to show what great tone, style, and age performance looks like in practice.

👉 Check out the guide here: How to Impress Your Voice-Over Client by Nailing the Right Tone, Style, and Voice Age

Let your voice stand out - for all the right reasons!