Like many gig economy workers, voice-over artists have also been impacted by Covid-19.

When the pandemic hit, gigs dried up, especially during the two-month circuit breaker.

Ms Lyra Beins-Stewart, 47, who has 24 years of experience doing voice-over work, says she has received 10 to 20 per cent fewer jobs since the pandemic.

When the circuit breaker, which kicked in on April 7, was announced, she knew it would have an adverse impact on her work and she decided to take action.

"I went into my e-mail database and sent my contacts samples to let them know this is the quality I can give them, to try to secure work at the time," she says.

Her company, LBS Communications & Consultancy, also represents about 50 other voice-over artists. Apart from herself, 11 of them can produce work from home.

The pay for voice-over work varies from a couple of hundred dollars to more than a thousand per project.

Video producer Adam Tun-Aung, 38, who has his own business, has been doing voice-over work as a sideline for a decade.

He says even before the circuit breaker, jobs were irregular - sometimes three or four a month, other times none at all.

Yet, during the circuit breaker, he had to focus on voice-over work as there were no gigs for video production - another sector that fell victim to Covid-19. He managed to land two voice-over jobs.

"Though it was really quiet during the circuit breaker, I've seen more gigs since phase two," he says.

He also recently completed projects for the National Environment Agency statutory board and fast-food chain McDonald's.

Because of the pandemic, voice-over work cannot be done in a professional recording studio and artists have to do it from their homes.

In a professional studio, the artist focuses on delivery while taking direction from the client and producer. When they record from home, they have to wear all the hats, including those of sound engineer and editor.

Then there are the technical equipment and recording environment.

To record at home, one would need a microphone, a computer with audio recording and editing software, and an audio interface, hardware which connects the microphone to the computer.

There should also be some form of soundproofing.

In Mr Tun-Aung's home, a three-plus-one Housing Board (HDB) flat, this is a makeshift affair - pillows and blankets placed around the microphone.

He is putting up acoustic foam boards to isolate the area around the microphone, which is a cheaper option than acoustically treating the entire room. Treated rooms typically have wall-to-wall foam which absorbs sound, making for better recorded audio.

Mr Tun-Aung says he will use his earnings from the two voice-over jobs he did during the circuit breaker to upgrade his home studio.

Ms Beins-Stewart, who has voiced commercials for baby products brand Mamypoko, Standard Chartered Bank and DBS Bank, had already set up an acoustically treated room in her three-room HDB flat five years ago.

While it is not soundproof - that kind of work would cost about $8,000 to $10,000 - setting up the room, which includes a vocal booth, set her back by about $2,000.

"I set up my booth so that I can deliver (quality recordings). I had really good feedback from a very good studio I worked with during the circuit breaker," she says.

For 49-year-old voice-over artist and producer Mario Lajarca Jr, working from home has been a rewarding experience which he has been sharing with his three daughters aged 11, 15 and 18.

"I get my kids to record me on music software Pro Tools, and we sometimes jam and record songs together," he says. "It's a great way to bond with my kids and also teach them some creative audio skills."

His family has just moved from a five-room flat to a four-room one and he has plans to turn the bomb shelter in his new home into a vocal booth.

Mr Lajarca has done voice-over work for more than 20 years, produced jingles and shows for local radio stations, and hosted pre-recorded in-flight entertainment shows for multiple airlines.