You can sound drunk without actually getting drunk. It’s all about the technique and pacing of your speech to nail the drunk impression. Also, if you’re recording then you can do some magic with the software later to further enhance your drunkenness.
Slur words
Slur your words slightly, the correct articulation is usually not the priority when you’re drunk. Ideally, you want a slight slur, don’t overdo it otherwise it’ll sound unrealistic.
To achieve a slurring voice don’t open your mouth fully, keep it almost closed, it’ll significantly diminish your articulation. You should also focus on fusing words together, it creates a mumbly drunk quality of speech you want for the drunk impression.
Take long pauses
When you’re drunk you take longer pauses because your brain doesn’t work as fast and it takes time to think about what you’re saying. Also, it’s harder to contemplate what’s been said and give a fast response. Take your time to give answers and take some long pauses in the middle of sentences. As a drunk, you would be phasing out of the conversations all the time.
Slow down
Again, speed is not your forte as a drunk so slow down. Let the words come out elongated and fused together into a tangle of a sentence. Remember, you’re in no rush as a drunk, it’ll help to nail the impression.
Don’t finish sentences
Finishing sentences is for sober people. To sound drunk finish some of your words and sentences early or at least mumble some of the ends of the sentences. When we’re drunk we tend to forget what we’re talking about and our minds shift to other things easily making it hard to keep track of the conversation.
Over exaggerate emotions
To do a drunk impression try to overexaggerate your emotions. When we’re sober, we tend to control ourselves, getting drunk breaks this control. Whatever emotion you have over exaggerate it to the fullest and make a drama out of it, don’t just kinda show it, make it feel strong.
If you feel sad, start sobbing while delivering your lines, if you feel happy then sprinkle some laughter and if you feel angry shout it out.
Don’t acknowledge that you’re drunk
Drunk people rarely know that they’re drunk and don’t acknowledge it. Therefore, as a drunk don’t relate to drunk people because in your head you should be thinking that you’re actually sober. Pretend to fit in with sober people.
Relax
Drunk people are quite relaxed, they rarely notice what’s happening around them. So stretch out, especially the upper part of your body, get loose, find a comfortable position and take as much space as you need. Even if you’re doing a voice over, putting your body in a drunk-a-like position will help to get into the mood doing the drunk impression.
Use software
If you’re recording, you can do the easy trick with the software to make yourself sound quite drunk. You’ll have to download Audacity for that, it’s free.
You’ll be stretching out your recording with the Change Tempo effect in Audacity:
- Select your audio track
- Go to Effect->Change Tempo
- Check ‘Use high quality stretching (slow)’ box
- Try percentage change somewhere in between -50% to -20%.
The faster you speak the more you’ll have to slow your track down. If you already spoke slowly then choosing a small tempo change will be sufficient. It would be best if you’ve tried the above tips and spoke slowly already, then you wouldn’t need to really on the software as much. The more you alter audio with software the more unnatural it’ll sound.
You can learn more about doing impressions here and if you’re interested in a home recording studio then here’s a complete guide to recording gear.