Do Voice-Over Artists Convey Emotion Better Than Untrained Voice Users?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Voice is an invaluable asset for vocal professionals such as actors, singers, dubbing artists, etc. Among these, voice-over artists have rarely been the focus of research related to voice in India. These professionals need to convey emotions solely through the voice, and their vocal training must be suited to meet these demands. This study compares vocal capability of voice-over artists to those of untrained voice users. Each of 10 participants (five voice-over artists, five untrained vocal users) were asked to verbalize a target sentence to convey four different emotions. Their voice samples were recorded and given to 30 naive listeners to investigate whether the listeners perceived the emotion being conveyed. Results revealed that although voice-over artists were recognized by listeners as trained vocal users, there was no statistically significant difference in the number of sentences where the emotion was correctly conveyed through their voice, as outlined in the study. Among the emotions studied, “excitement” was maximally perceived correctly by listeners. While highlighting a lack of training by vocologists, the study also brings into focus a relatively neglected sub-population of vocal professionals in India.