Preparing for a session

I often read blogs from other voice overs about preparing for a session. Much talk of eating an apple, taking in a glass of water, ritually conducting a series of breathing exercises, vocal warm ups, changing the lighting to suit the mood of the recording in hand, mark the script etc etc.

Then I think about what I do for a session. Firstly I never seem to have the time to do any of these and find myself thrown into sessions with more often than not no chance to even study the script. I glance at the script as I rush from the printer to the studio and think on the run about the direction I am given and the style of vocal delivery I am going to use. Then I am in front of the microphone, a few knob twiddles….and I am up and away.

Any vocal coach will tell you that this is completely wrong, but I find that the initial instinct is 99% of the time correct. One thing I always do is go and get myself a large steaming mug of tea (or take the risk of asking my wife to make one for me!) – again, this is a brew which is frowned on as the milk will encourage your mouth to make odd clicking noises. But again, I seem to get away with it.

In the end, it is whatever makes you feel good when in front of the mic. Everyone to their own. But there is no vocal coach who will persuade me to change my appalling habits. Why change a pattern that seems to work?