Here’s an idea: you should not narrate drunk. I know what you’re thinking: “My best ideas come out when I’m drunk” or “I’m so relaxed”. Here are my solid reasons for not doing voice overs while drunk.
Your vocal muscles will be numb
When you are intoxicated, your facial muscles do not work like normal. Everything is working in slow motion. Your tongue, your larynx and your lips are all working slower, so you are not going to maneuver well. You are going to stumble over words that you crushed before. When you realize that it took you ten tries to get this line right, you’ll wish that you were sober when you recorded this piece.
Your mind is slower
When you are reading something while under the influence, your mind is working slower. This means that you are processing information at a slower rate. So while it sounds cool in your head, it sounds like garbage on the record. If you don’t believe me, listen back to it after you record something whilst smashed. Yeah, I was right. You think you’re moving in slow motion but in reality you are just slower, which doesn’t always sound good.
I encourage you to prove me wrong.
If you think you sound better while drunk, go for it. It will be much harder to replicate. When you have to redo a line or a performance, achieving that same level will be much more difficult. When you’re drunk, your speech is unique in the fact that it’s extremely difficult to replicate. So if you don’t have to replicate it, that’s cool. But if your client wants you to match, good luck pal. Matching is going to be like landing on the moon.
Being drunk can create a one-of-a-kind performance but I don’t think it should be your regular way of cranking out voiceovers. It’s bad for your health and too hard to replicate.
