Using watermarks in your demos

One of the most important issues a voice over talent or voice producer has to keep in mind when auditioning for jobs is to protect everything he or she is producing. This protection should include both audio and copy created by the artist. Voice over talents and voice producers spend a lot of time and effort creating demos for their profiles and auditions. Consequently, they don’t want to have their work downloaded and used without permission.

Fortunately, there are ways for voice over talents to protect their work. The most common way to do so is by using watermarks. A watermark is a technique, which allows an artist to avoid the unauthorized use of their produced material by inserting additional sounds, such as beeps sometimes almost inaudible, on the audio file over the recorded voice.

The idea is that the watermark makes the audio file unusable by the voice seeker for purposes other than casting. This ensures that it will only be used for auditioning purposes. If you have been selected to do the job, you will need to create a new professional audio file that meets all the requirements to be used commercially.

When creating a watermarked demo, it is recommended to let the listener know that the demo is watermarked by mentioning it on the recording. Mix the recorded voice and watermark using separate tracks, rather than adding the watermark at the same time you record the voice. Add watermarks in exactly the same way that you add background music to a dry voice. Also, avoid using loud watermarks that can be annoying. Many types of audio recording software have edit options that allow you to add watermarks to your demos.

There are other ways to protect your demo, such as recording only a part of the script or changing a few words of the text if you want to record the whole script.

If by any chance you forgot to add a watermark and find that one of your demos has been used without your permission, keep in mind what attorney Doug Isenberg said in an article about watermarks: “The absence of a watermark does not necessarily mean that a file is unprotected by copyright and is therefore available for use without liability.”(*)

Auditioning for voice projects is a task that has to be done very carefully and consciously. Voice seekers will be able to measure your professionalism by the demos you send them. Make sure your demos showcase the best of your talent but also protect your work from being used without your authorization.

(*) Doug Isenberg is an attorney specializing in intellectual property law. He wrote an article called Digital Watermarks: New Tools for Copyright Owners and Webmasters. If you would like to read his article, please visit the following link: http://www.webreference.com/content/watermarks