Why he likes this job so much..
Sean has a passion for communication and connection with other human beings through the power of speech. With every recording he is motivated by the idea of spreading positive energy. Whether it's a commercial, documentary, corporate video or e-learning, he wants to create something that people will be happy they spent time listening to.
Sean is also curious and enthusiastic by nature. He loves to dive deep into new topics and share his findings with people. In voice-over, this allows him to speak with authentic enthusiasm about diverse topics. This draws in the attention of the listener.
Where he got his voice..
Sean was born in Scotland and lived in the North of England for the first 5 years of his life, after which his family moved to the Netherlands. He was brought up by his Irish father and Italian mother, speaking English with his family and expat friends and Dutch everywhere else.
He speaks both languages at a native level. With his mixed background, he offers a unique perspective on the world. Whether you need him to speak with a British, neutral or international English accent, he will be able to help you out. This ability gives allows him to truly connect with a global audience.
How he learned to use it..
Sean has a Bachelor of Music for music production and songwriting. As he was graduating people started asking him to record voice-overs. He enjoyed this very much and was at the same time fascinated by the idea of running his own business. So he decided to turn voice-over into a full-time career.
Because Sean wants to offer the best possible quality, he seeks coaching from some of the world's most respected voice-over coaches, including Paul Strikwerda and J. Michael Collins. He continuously invests in keeping his skills and knowledge up-to date.
Aside from voice-over-specific coaching, his background in music production and songwriting has helped him to have an understanding of communication through sound. Also, spending a year part-time in direct sales after he graduated taught Sean how tone-of-voice can make or break a sale.
Studio Setup
The recipe for the Voice of Gray sound..
"Sean's strength lies in his versatility and flexibility. His good recording facility makes him one of our go-to voice-over artists. Fast and reliable."
Peter van Nierop
Owner and Producer at Strictly Music
Audio engineers love receiving recordings from Sean, because they know they can rely on his great studio sound. Sean has a background in audio production and knows how important it is to get the recording just right. Here are some studio features that make his sound possible:
- Acoustic treatment - this is the #1 most important thing needed for a great voice-over recording. Sean has an extremely quiet recording space with next-to-no room sound and a -70+dB noise floor.
- AKG C414 - a versatile, great-sounding microphone that compliments Sean's voice wonderfully.
- WarmAudio WA12 pre-amp - this mic pre works great in combination with the AKG mic. It sounds.. well.. warm!
- Apogee converter - crystal clean, high-quality conversion from analogue to digital is an essential part of the signal chain.
- Avid Pro Tools running on a Mac Pro - for speed, reliability and flexibility.