As a Javanese, I speak the language in my everyday life in Lamongan, East Java–although in some parts of Java, such as Semarang and Yogyakarta, people like to use Indonesian to sound cool. For me, the Javanese language has its own beauty with a wide range of vocabulary. Even in Jakarta, I still have difficulties saying things or expressing my Javanese thoughts in Indonesian because it doesn’t have some of the equivalents of my Javanese words. Read More
Besides building this Website and making my own studio at home, the great thing that I’m so excited about this year is being accepted by Voice Bunny and getting to know with more people in Indonesian voice over world. I also bought a new microphone from Lazada, which will arrive in just a few days. Read More
I have a good chance to work with Roni Chandra, a sound engineer and professional music director. He contacted me on Facebook inbox two days ago, and as I checked his profile, I found that we didn’t have mutual friends, which means he added me on purpose. While working with many international companies, in fact, I rarely do voice over for Indonesian people, so Chandra is my second client from the country after Ahnan Alex, a translator and successful entrepreneur living in Pasuruan, East Java. Read More
Inspired by a video on YouTube, I rode a bike with Arul, bought two panels of cardbox, and brought the materials to Habibi’s house in Paciran to make what I call as portable studio. Habibi is an artist and good carpenter. When I came to his house yesterday, I was amazed by his hand-made cupboard, which he created using some sheets of cheap paper he got from photocopy centers. Read More
Deep Indonesian Voice Over
When it comes to voice over, you can find good artists easily in UK or USA. British or American male and female voice actors are skilled and very well-trained. However, in Indonesia, where there are many voice people but very few ones with good skills and experiences, you cannot expect that quality of American guys. Read More
For voice over artists, pop filter is a must. It prevents them from annoying plosives or microphone pops. In Lazada, an Indonesian online store, you can buy the cheapest pop filter for as low as Rp100,000. However, if you don’t want to spend that much money, another solution is worth trying: DIY pop filter. Read More
One advantage of speaking Indonesian is that you will not produce many plosives or microphone pops in your speech. Indonesian, or better known as bahasa Indonesia, doesn’t have aspirated consonants like those in the English language. Among aspirated consonants that occur in English are p, k, t, and ch.
But don’t get me wrong. This situation doesn’t make Indonesian citizens speak without plosives at all. In Java, an island where the capital city is located, people use aspirates every day, which occur in b, g and b. So give a Javanese a microphone and ask him to say the word bubur. You’ll hear very strong microphone pops whey they say it. Read More
I learn this trick from television. When a client hands me his script in English, I translate it first to bahasa Indonesia. If he gives me Indonesian script, still, I will translate it to my national language, but with a little spice: vocal punctuation. Voice over artists have long employed this strategy to make for an easier read. Yes, I’m talking about pause in your script. Read More