Guide to Voiceover from Voices.com UK version

Beginner’s Guide To Voice Acting from Voices.com (UK version)

      

Introduction To Voice Acting

2014

You've been told you have a good voice, right? That's why you're here, reading this guide. You want to know things like; is it simple? Is it fast? Is it cheap? Is it profitable? Well, yes and no. Let's discuss.

It's All Acting

Many people with a "good voice" think they can waltz in and start voicing ads for big brands or cartoon shows without any preparation, but here's the deal; it takes dedication, multi-faceted skills and, most of all, time.

It doesn't happen overnight so if you are really committed to trying your hand at it or, rather, your voice, then of all the things we could stress about getting started, it is the importance of training with a professional voice-over coach.

A voice-over coach will help you find your "signature voice." Your signature voice is that sweet spot where you sound the best. They will help you develop that style for the various niche markets that your voice is suitable for. They can also demystify the recording equipment you will need as a voice-over artist and will help you prepare your first voice-over demo. Your demo will be your calling card, comp card, and resume all in one so it is vital that you have it professionally produced.

You've likely gathered by now that there is more to voice-over than just having a "good voice." Whether you are a freelancer or work with an agent, or both, there are a number of complementary skills and attributes that can help to ensure you are headed in the right direction. Remember, skills you don't already possess can always be learned.

Required Skills

1.

ACTING

Exhibiting acting skills.

2.

TECHNOLOGY

Being comfortable with technology.

3.

BUSINESS

Running your own business.

Acting Abilities

Do people hang on your every word when you tell a story? Are you able to mimic characters on television or in the movies? Do you enjoy reading out loud? Are you animated when you do, giving the characters different personalities as you read? If you answered "yes" to the above questions then you are in good shape because, whether you realize it or not, you are already exhibiting acting skills - and acting is the cornerstone of voice-overs.

Does that mean you're ready to jump right in?

While some people require minimal training, it is to your benefit to hone natural acting skills by studying with a voice-over coach. They will help you train your voice and develop performance skills for all aspects of voice-over including animated characters in feature films, television programs, animated short films, and video games, as well as in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, puppet shows and amusement rides.

Even if you already have on-camera or theatrical experience, ongoing training with a voice-over coach is advantageous. Acting behind the mic is a totally different experience. When you're in the booth, your voice is centre stage and you can't rely upon physical movements or facial expressions to add to your performance.

Technology Prowess

Being comfortable with technology is important for voice-over artists today. While you don't necessarily need to be a recording studio tech-guru, it is important to understand how your equipment works and be comfortable using it. From recording gear to working with digital files and navigating the Internet, there are a few basics that every voice actor should have in their home studio. We'll get down to specifics a little later.

Not exactly what you'd call technically inclined?

That's okay. If you typically run in the other direction when someone mentions technology, don't let that deter you from pursuing voice-over. You can ask Steve Campen our Radio and Voiceover Tutor to help set your studio up.

Business Acumen

You are the Boss of YOU. Your voice is your product. You are the sales team, marketing team, customer service team and accounting team. Running your own freelance business means you will be responsible for all these areas and more.

What's so great about all that responsibility?

You are in charge of your career. You set the groundwork that will help you get to where you want to be. You will build a book of clients from the ground up and will never have to answer to a "boss." You will do it on your own time, at your own pace. Embrace the challenges this presents. Take courses in areas where skill development is needed. When you adequately prepare for running a business, you will succeed in its management, even if part of managing your business means hiring out in areas that you know are not your strongest.

BIG AND SMALL FIGURES

80%

Percentage of your time spent on marketing your services.

20%

Percentage of your time actually doing voice-over work.

That's right! Voice-over is about 80% marketing and 20% doing the actual work. As with any business owner, you will spend the most amount of time and effort promoting your voice and growing your client base. In order for people to know you exist, you have to tell them.

What do I need to market myself?

Plan on a three-tiered marketing approach. Once you have been trained, have established your business (home studio included!) and have demos to promote, you are ready to join a marketplace like Voices.com, to create your own website, and send your demos to voice talent agencies. You can also gain experience when you're just starting out by sending your demos to local businesses. Offer to record their telephone prompts or send your demos to some local advertising agencies and let them know that you can provide professional voice-over recordings for their clients' radio and television commercials or explainer videos.

Meeting The Industry

A voice-over occurs every time you hear a voice speaking but you do not see the person who is speaking. You've just heard a voice-over while watching your favourite animated movie or television program, while watching a movie trailer or documentary, while listening to a radio or television commercial. It is an audio recording performed by a voice talent who gives life to characters, tells a story, guides you on a tour, or directs your telephone calls.

Learning About How Voice-Overs Are Used

Voice-overs are added to educational videos and business videos. A voice-over narrates complex medical videos and gives personality to your favourite video game characters.

Voice-overs are needed in just about every market there is including; audiobooks, business, cartoons, documentaries, Internet, jingles, telephone, movies trailers, music, podcasting, radio, television, and video games. If you are bilingual or multilingual other opportunities open up as well, such as translation. As was mentioned earlier, there are also puppet shows, amusement park rides, radio dramas, live broadcasts and dubbed foreign language films to consider as well.

In other words, voice-over opportunities are abundant.

Seeing Yourself As A Voice Talent

Usually, professional voice talent are enthusiastic, funny, charming, flexible and interact well with other people. They are often animated storytellers. They have the ability to take direction or criticism from others and can interpret copy to sell a product, concept or a message. They are able to read from a script without sounding forced or monotone no matter what the subject may be.

Many voice-over artists come from radio broadcasting backgrounds and have a good handle on the technical aspects of audio recording. Others come from acting backgrounds and know how to make characters come alive. Some are singers who want a new way to use their vocal instrument.

Although these backgrounds often give new voice-over talent the best chance at success, it is not necessary to be in any of these lines of work. Voice talent have built successful careers coming from all kinds of disciplines, often using their voice for some aspect of doing their job. These range from call-centre reps, to bankers, to police officers, public speakers, teachers, the clergy, army sergeants and more.

As you've probably already noticed in this guide, voice-over professionals have a number of different monikers depending on their area of expertise. They can be broken down into five basic voice-over types.

Announcers can be heard introducing segments of live television or radio broadcasts such as; award shows, talk shows and sporting events. They can also be heard announcing messages at amusement parks, in bus and train stations, at the airport and on airplanes.

Narrators often specialise in audio books, documentaries, educational videos, business videos, medical videos and as audio tour guides.

Voice Actors are heard performing in animated movies, TV cartoons, radio dramas, video games, puppet shows and in foreign language dubbing.

Voice-over Artists are versatile performers, able to weave interchangeably between any of the above as well as direct telephone prompts, welcome visitors to a website, or guide road trips as the voice of a GPS. They are skilled in multiple applications of the spoken word and might also use their voice to sing, whether for performing a jingle or as an animated character.

Voice Talent refers to the collective above. The term was coined as an easy way to reference all types of voice-over performers and is often used by those hiring voice talent at marketplaces and at agencies.

Saying "Hello" To The Client

Anyone who has a need for a voice-over can be referred to as a "client." Voice-over clients come from all walks of life. You could be hired by producers, casting directors, advertising agencies, marketing executives, as well as independent people or businesses.

To audition voice talent, clients, even those who run their own recording and production studios, are looking more toward online marketplaces. A large reason for this shift is because marketplaces save clients time and money simply by not having to organize and facilitate auditions in their own studios.

Not only does a marketplace provide simplicity for the client, it also provides a large pool of talent to select from who hail from countries all over the world. Outsourcing the voice-over saves them from performing unnecessary administrative responsibilities and enables them to work solely on the creative aspects so they can deliver a polished final product to their customers.

Most of the voice-over jobs available through online marketplaces are non-union, although the occasional union production comes in. The types of jobs they post range greatly, as discussed earlier, however there are a some job categories that are most frequently cast for including: business, Internet, educational, television, videogames, radio, and telephone. Documentaries and audiobooks are fast growing markets as well.

As many producers in the entertainment industry move away from big production studios and self-produced, crowd-sourced funding continues to grow in popularity, so to will casting in other areas where voice-overs are used such as movie trailers and cartoons.

Finding The Place Where Business Happens

What is a voice-over marketplace? A voice-over marketplace provides a faster, easier solution for clients to cast voice-over projects and for voice talent to audition for jobs. With the world at your fingertips, there is no other way to access the sheer number and variety of auditions than what a marketplace offers. More than just a job site, you are also given a unique URL where you can post your demos and create a profile. At Voices.com, we also play a vital role in securely facilitating interactions and transactions between voice talent and their clients online.

Established in 2004, Voices.com is one of the first voice-over marketplaces to exist and continues to serve the industry as the leading website that connects businesses with professional voice talent. Over 100,000 clients rely on the Voices.com marketplace to search for, audition and hire voice talent. We receive, on average, over 100 job postings each and every day and even more clients browse for the perfect voice talent through our directory.

Time Saver

Knowing The Process

So, how does it work?

Everything from the audition, to the file delivery, and payment are all completed through your Voices.com account. It really is very simple and can be summed up in the following steps:

Client posts a job

Talent auditions for the job

Client selects the talent and makes a deposit

Talent accepts the job and records the script

Talent uploads the recorded script file

Client downloads and approves the files

Talent gets paid

To record the scripts there is a basic amount of home recording equipment you'll need, which we'll cover a little later in the Recording Your Voice section of this guide.

Voice acting, voice-over, narration, dubbing, and translation share one thing in common: the art of communication. The spoken word is one of the most powerful, persuasive, and distinctly human tools we have for telling stories and sharing ideas.

What is talent? Is it something that comes naturally, or can it be cultivated? There is some degree of natural talent to performing voice-overs. Perhaps it's your ability to convincingly sound like a child or a senior, perfectly mimic a foreign accent, or roar like lion. Maybe your voice is naturally soothing or booming, or you've been creating characters with your voice to entertain your friends for years.

Activity

Whether or not you've recognized your natural vocal talents, you do need to cultivate them. One of the best ways to develop your talent as a voice-over professional is to take acting classes, but it doesn't stop there. There are simple things you can do on your own to help develop your talent.

Read a children's book out loud and create a different voice for each character.

Read articles from newspapers, magazines, and blogs changing your tone from informative to conversational.

Mimic the voice-overs you hear while listening to radio or television commercials.

Watch television shows with foreign accents and practice imitating them.

Imitate characters in animated movies or cartoons.

Record yourself while doing any of the above.

Recording your voice and listening to the playback will give you a good sense of where you need improvement and the areas where you excel. You may surprise yourself!

The playback can reveal a lot. For instance, while performing you may discover you have a tendency to speak lower than your normally would in day-to-day speech. When you listen to how that sounds you might find that it sounds off; contrived compared to your natural register. Alternatively, you may find that the lower register sounds good depending on the role that you're applying the voice to.

THE 5 ROLES

KNOWING THE CHARACTER TYPES

In general, there are five different character roles you can perform as a voice talent to get your client's message across in a direct and effective way. Depending on your professional background you may find some of these roles to be more natural for you than others. Let's explore them in detail.

The Instructor

When teaching someone what to do in, for example, a corporate training video or children's game, the voice-over best suited for this kind of project is a straightforward, educated, and instructional voice. The role of this particular voice talent is to instruct or provide information to fulfil a specific goal or purpose. Anyone who has had the opportunity to teach a class, guide presentations, or has managed a team of professionals will likely find this role comfortable.

The Real Person

Projects requiring a more casual approach often benefit from relatable, genuine voice-overs. These are referred to as "Real Person" voice-overs, commonly known as the "regular guy" or the "girl next door." The character is home-grown, sensible, and friendly with a touch of familiarity and provides a more intimate interpretation of the script that instils trust. This role probably seems like it should suit everyone, but it is harder than one might think to read a script and sound like you're having a regular conversation with a friend or loved one. Former radio personalities tend to need help in this area because they've practiced so long at changing the timbre of their voices to sound like a radio announcer. Real people just don't talk like that!

The Spokesperson

A Spokesperson can be on camera or off camera depending on the medium you are using. The role of a spokesperson is generally played by a confident, charismatic person able to promote a cause, product, or service with ease and authority. A voice-over of this nature needs to be driven, optimistic and assured. If you've ever been in sales, those traits probably sound familiar. Many people who gravitate to voice-overs from sales positions tend to feel right at home in this role.

The Narrator

Storytelling is where the Narrator is most at home. Omniscient, unbiased, courteous and honest, a narrator's job is to provide an audio landscape for a listener, briefing them on background information, posing questions, and providing solutions as they guide their audience through a program or documentary. Narrators can be male or female, and the most important factors are that they can communicate clearly and engagingly. If people hang on your every word while listening to you tell a story then this is likely your comfort zone.

The Announcer

The Announcer, often heard live at events, on commercials, promos or introducing segments for podcasts, is a product of the broadcast age, most celebrated at its height in the Golden Age of Radio and early television broadcasts. Announcers can introduce an idea and assertively make a call for action at the conclusion of a commercial advertisement or short video. If you were in radio broadcasting and you're now pursuing a career in voice-over then you may find this voice-over character fits you like a glove.

Key Takeaway: Practice trying on these different character roles while doing the activities we gave you earlier in this section. You'll discover so much about yourself in the process and develop a method of acting that will help you become a better voice-over performer.

Interpreting a Script

In your classes with a voice-over instructor you probably learned the basics about voice-over but did you learn about acting, about how to take a script and really internalize it? As mentioned earlier, voice-over is at its heart acting and that applies to all voice-overs, no matter what type you're recording.

Acting is, in large part, interpreting the script and personifying a character. You will bring the character to life; no matter how big or small the role is. Using only your voice, you will educate, enlighten or entertain a listening audience.

Before a listener ever hears the client's message (whatever that may be) you get to decide how to bring that message to life. So, if you have no prior acting experience, in addition to voice-over classes we recommend that you take acting lessons as well. Your voice, the emphasis, tone, and mood will influence how the audience interprets its meaning.

Acting Practice

Acting lessons will teach you how to interpret scripts and we highly recommend that you take part in them. To help get you started though, we have compiled a list of key points that you can practice in your own time at home. Children's books are particularly effective for acting practice as they tend to have more character variation and comical drama.

Intonation

Intonation is how your voice sounds in terms of how it rises and falls as you speak. You can think of intonation as how your voice cadences at the end of a sentence, when you ask a question, and so on. As an example, most people's voices go up in pitch when they ask a question. Intonation can vary between cultures and may affect how the listener receives what the speaker is saying.

Phrasing

Having good phrasing means you're able to get through sentences in a script with ease, making the most of your breath, support, and tone in order to technically and artistically communicate the text well. A phrase can consist of an idea or fragment of a sentence or it can be an entire thought. Punctuation is important to consider as a guide to help you determine how you observe phrasing on a phrase by phrase basis.

Fluctuation

Fluctuation is how your voice can go up and down at will. This differs from intonation because fluctuation refers to the mastery of a vocal range and intonation refers to speaking in a certain manner, such as having your voice go up in pitch when asking a question. For example, fluctuating your voice means that you're able to bring your voice up or down in pitch, kind of like singing up and down a scale. If you have a wide vocal range, you can hit a wide range of tones. If your vocal range is limited to less than an octave (think of a musical scale representing one octave), you can practice to maximize your range and make it work for you. Fluctuating your voice adds interest and flair to a read. Think of how the use of pitch, meaning the relative position of a tone within a range of other tones, can affect how others pay attention to or perceive a message. The last thing you want is for your voice to sound flat or monotone, you would lose much of your audience! Adding colour to your reads by fluctuating your voice can greatly improve your performance.

Elasticity

Elasticity is in direct correlation with how well you have prepared your voice to perform and determines the ease in which your voice fluctuates or leaps around. That's why warming up your voice is so important like we discussed earlier in this section. Warming up the full extent of your range provides you with confidence and the ability to experiment, play with, and shape your voice. This is a very important aspect of voicing for people who do character voice work. Keeping your voice well hydrated by drinking plenty of water helps significantly in this area. Always have a bottle of water handy wherever you go and be sure that you're well hydrated before attending a recording session or using your voice.

Versatility

How far can your voice take you? Versatility refers to the different ways you can use your voice and your ability to change how it sounds. For our purposes, versatility takes into account your vocal range, timber (relates to the tone colour or tone quality of your voice), tone, enunciation, and other vocal qualities. A voice actor who can read for a variety of applications or characters may be considered versatile. Some people, for example, are good at recording commercials and can also do animation voice acting. Although these fields may seem polar opposites, a versatile voice actor can work in very different fields of voice acting and be very successful.

INTERPRETING YOUR ROLE

Some clients will provide live creative direction so that you get their message across spot-on; while others will leave the creative direction up to the talent. If you don't have Skype yet, you should download it. It's free and will allow your clients to listen in and provide you with direction which is the absolute best way to match your read to their vision.

Either way, when you receive a script you will need to go through the process of interpreting what your role is, which words should have inflection (usually the adjectives) and what the copywriter's intentions are. In order to perform a script well, sit down with it for a moment and analyze the copy.

Every character has a backstory. As a voice talent you will be entrusted with a big responsibility; developing that backstory in your mind to enhance your role.

Who are you playing?

When reading the script, look to see who you are in the script and what role you play. Are you a narrator who is supposed to be all-knowing? Are you a character in need of a backstory? When trying to figure out who you are in the script, you also need to read between the lines to gain a better appreciation for who your character is, why your character is relevant, and how your character relates to other characters in the script.

What do you want to communicate?

You also need to answer the "what" question, regarding the plot, including what is going on, what needs to be communicated, and what the theme or the sub-theme of the script is. Answering this question gives you a firm place to stand and sets the expectations. When you're reading from a place of confidence and have laid a firm foundation, your read can be more believable simply because there are no unknowns or ambiguities.

When did the story happen?

Figure out when the story takes place, including the time period. What is the time-frame for the story unfolding? Does it cover an hour, or cover many years before reaching a conclusion? Answering the "when" can help you establish a timeline and gain the historical context that will form your character.

Where does the story take place?

One of our favourite questions to ask is "where?" The "where" allows you to create a physical environment for yourself, or for a stage to set your players on in the theatre of the mind. Having an idea of your physical location, based upon a place that could be either fictitious or real, can help you to visualize your surroundings and understand the world that the characters live in. An understanding of this particular element can help you to suspend your audience's disbelief as you paint word pictures and soundscapes.

Why?

Answering the "why" question helps you better understand the story's context, which tells you what's going on, how it affect the characters, and why it matters.

How?

The "How" is a problem-solving question. When you ask "how," you instinctively need to find a solution. How does this factor into the story? How should you interpret this phrase? How can you best deliver your lines? Studying the script reveals the answers to these different questions. A good author or text will provide you with many clues.

PerformanceAnalyzing Your Answers

When answering these questions, you're looking for clues that can help determine who your character is, why you're saying what you're saying, and who you are speaking to. Doing so is important because you need everything you can get your fingers on to help you create a believable and effective read. You can dissect from all kinds of angles when you know what to look for. The more you know about the script, the better you can interpret that script. A good understanding results in a richer performance and, thus, the best experience possible for your audience.

Beyond interpreting the script and your character's role, there will be times when you're handed a script with typos be they spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes. From run-on sentences to block paragraphs and everything in between, you will be responsible for deciphering the meaning and interpreting what the client's message is.

Sometimes the best course of action will be to send it back to the client, gently letting them know which areas of the script need to be cleaned up. If you're skilled at copywriting, it is an excellent added value to offer in addition to your voice-over services.

You've taken some lessons, you've got your first demo produced, and you're practicing your acting skills at home. You're off to a great start. But, you can't build a house without a hammer.

Building a Home Recording Studio

Setting a small home-based recording studio is becoming a mandatory step. Seriously, being a freelance voice talent with easy access to record anytime is essential to being successful in the modern age of voice acting.

Home Recording Studios

Is there a significant cost to building a home recording studio?

Listen, we're not going to tell you that all you need is a mic and a computer to get started. That's kind of like starting a roofing business with a hammer and nails but no ladder. It just won't work. If you want to climb the ladder of success in voice-over, you need to invest in the tools of the trade.

The good news is that the overhead is relatively cheap compared to other business start-ups. Assuming you already have a personal computer, you can expect to spend £600 - £1200 on setting up your home recording studio. You could spend more of course, but it's not necessary. Once complete, you'll have a studio space to work in that helps you sound great - and you'll always have front row parking!

What are the must haves?

As mentioned earlier, we are assuming that you have some basic technology in your home to begin with such as a desktop computer, be it a MAC or PC, and a high-speed Internet connection. Following those items, you will need:

Microphone

One of the most common questions we're asked is: "what microphone should I get?" It is nearly impossible for someone else to give you a definitive answer to that question. The type of mic that works best for your voice and your budget will inherently be different from one person to the next. A good starter microphone could be The Rode NT01 Vocalist kit.

Every microphone on the market has a property called directionality (or polarity) which defines how sensitive the mic is to the ambient sounds around it. A Cardioid mic picks up the sound directly in front of it while limiting the ambient noises other mics pick up. This is the best directionality type for voice-overs.

Pop Filter

A pop filter (or pop screen) is an essential part of your microphone kit. It lessens the amount of distracting mouth noises' the mic will pick up by blocking the air that's pushed out from your mouth when you speak from reaching the microphone's capsule. Pop filters will help you get a nice, clean read even if you're having a dry mouth day. The Rode mic comes with its own pop filter.

Audio Interface

An audio interface is a piece of hardware that enhances the sound of your voice as it travels through your microphone, down your cables and into your computer. A good one will have the microphone preamp (boosts sound) as well as Phantom Power (direct current voltage that powers condenser mics) built right in making it compatible with whichever microphone you select now, and if you choose to upgrade your mic in the future, it will also work with high-end microphones like the Neumann TLM 103. Focusrite make a good range of interfaces.  The popular Scarlet 2i2 should cost you less than £120.00

Recording and Editing Software

If your mic is the most important piece of equipment, your recording and editing software is second. It is what will allow you to enhance your voice-overs with music, sound effects and edit out pauses and loud breaths. This is what will allow you to produce broadcast quality voice-overs for your clients. There are a number of choices out there depending on your budget but eventually you'll want to invest in one of the better programs.

Here are our (Voices.com) recommendations:

Audacity is free, easy to use software you can download right to your computer. It is compatible with both Windows and MAC, and other operating systems. It is good when you're just getting started and are not sure you want to pursue voice-over full time. If you are trying to build a business though, you'll want to look into one of the better products on the market.

GarageBand comes free with most MAC computers and is an excellent choice for experienced or aspiring musicians. It allows you to sound like a rock star and even record multiple tracks at the same time. The downfall is that it's only available for MAC computers and may not offer as sophisticated mixing capabilities as other programs when it comes to your voice-over needs.

Adobe Audition is widely held as the preferred recording and editing software for professional voice talent. It's easy to use and offers advanced audio mixing and editing capabilities. It also has excellent effects features that give voice-over tracks a rich, nuanced sound of the highest possible quality. This is professional grade at a reasonable cost.

Pro Tools is the recording and editing software that you'll find in most state-of-the-art recording studios. It allows you to record, edit, mix and master any audio recording on both MACs and PCs. It's a serious investment for the professional voice talent who understands recording technology and already has a solid book of business. Pro Tools is designed to meet any audio recording need and will satisfy any creative endeavour, whether that be voice-over or music, but is very complicated for using just for voice.

What are the nice to haves?

Headphones (for live direction) Try Beyer DT231

Music Stand (to prop up your scripts) Cheap from Amazon

USB Flash Drive (to backup your hard drive)

LED light or use you iPad or iPhone to read scripts

Next, we'll take a look at selecting a studio space in your home and treating the room for sound absorption.

Remember Sound Proofing

You've probably heard the term "Soundproofing." Well, soundproofing a room in your home or building a recording studio from scratch can be an overwhelming endeavour and involves major investments like hiring contractors to install thick plasterboard, steel sheeting, or a combination of the two.

What's the good news? You don't need all that stuff! Unless you're starring in an animated film with the likes of Tom Hanks or Angelina Jolie, a state-of-the-art facility is not required. Movie productions and televised cartoons are generally recorded at full production studios in major city centres. For most voice-over purposes treating a room for sound absorption (controlling echo, slap, and boom in a room) is all that is needed and can be improvised to high audio standards using elements already available around your home.

Here are a few tips on creating the ideal studio environment in your home.

Take a look at the rooms in your house. The ideal room is cozy but comfortable to stand in and you should be able to move around a bit. A room without windows and a heavy door are best. If it has doors and windows, these areas are the most important parts of the room to treat as those are where the majority of the sound quality will be lost.

The easiest way to achieve this is to but Acoustic Foam from Amazon it is easy to stick up with Evo Stik contact adhesive. Or can be stuck to MDF and the attached to the wall as a temporary measure. (Should you want to turn that room back into a bedroom etc)

Install insulation over windows, walls and the ceiling. Cork, rubber, or foam insulations are good options and are readily available from your local B&Q or Wickes.

Alternatively, hang heavy fabric around the room that you may find in your storage room such as thick moving blankets or you could use several layers of heavy old curtains. If the room is cubic, hang fabric in the corners to create more of a triangular shape to the ceiling to lessen echo and boom.

It's also a good idea to hang a duvet or quilt behind your mic to soften 'esses' and absorb sound.

Some home based studios simply push mattresses or couches up against the walls to help create density and absorb sound from bouncing around the room. When selecting this alternative it is wise to employ the 'clap test' to see if you've effectively treated the room. How does the clap test work? Stand in the room and clap your hands. If you hear an echo, more sound absorption is needed.

The floor of the room should have thick carpeting as well. It's extremely common for voice talent to set up their first studio in a downstairs loo or cupboard under the stairs. Increasing the width – thickness of the door can help. 

Now that you've got your studio space set up, it's time to start planning your demos. What is the importance of having a demo? It is a voice talent's calling card, business card, and resume all in one. It is the only way to wow potential clients or agents with your voice-over skills.

Your very first demo, the one you that you hopefully produced with a voice-over coach, will likely have multiple spots on it consisting of your strongest voice-over skills. But in the digital arena, having a wide variety of bite-sized demos to promote your voice, style, and skills is the best way to effectively market your voice-over services. Having a demo with multiple voice-over skills featured on it works when sending voice samples to agencies, but these days most voice talent have websites and use online casting sites, such as Voices.com, to further promote their voice-over services.

The  online breed of client tends to listen to voice-over samples in short 60 second snippets. Because of that it is good to plan on recording your different areas of interest on separate digital files, such as MP3 files. This allows the client to find their job category and listen to what you can do within their category. You wouldn't want a client looking for a majestic narration for their documentary to first hear your wacky radio voice-overs. If you can do it, and do it well, have a different demo for each niche of voice-over that you're interested in working in.

What niches should you consider? We mentioned all the categories we have selected at Voices.com, but let's review those again. Determine which areas you'd like to record in and then find scripts for that niche (more on that in a minute).

Audiobooks

With the growing popularity of eReaders and tablets, audiobooks are becoming more and more popular with the general public. This is resulting in an increase of narration jobs for voice talent. If narration is something you feel passionate about, plan to record a number of different excerpts from novels in the ‘Public Domain' (Royalty-Free) to use as your demos. Select readings from different genres to display diversity and versatility. Try an excerpt of dialogue between characters to showcase your character skills. Look to your favorite genres for inspiration. If you like reading dramatic monologues, comedies, or intrigue record excerpts from those styles of books. If you record what you're interested in, you will yield the best performance for your demos.

Business, Educational, and Telephone

The corporate world needs voice-overs more often than any other type of voice-over and is, by far, the most prevalent type of job for online casting sites like Voices.com. These are the bread-and-butter jobs and can be an exciting way to establish yourself both locally and internationally. All businesses everywhere require some type of voice-over from telephone recordings to employee training videos, e-learning modules, to medical videos, and explainer videos, corporate narration to translation, and voice-overs welcoming visitors to company websites. To get ideas for your business demos, visit some big-brand websites and watch their videos. Think back on training videos you've watched in your previous employment and listen closely when you're on-hold with a company. Have a few demos in this area to showcase what you can bring to the table. Our recommendations would be to create a demo for a fun explainer video, another for telephone prompts, and finally an employee training video. These three will showcase different corporate styles and variety.

Cartoons and Video Games

The desire to perform character voices for animated cartoons and video games are often why people get into the industry. After all, how much fun would it be to see your voice personified by a cartoon character?! We're pleased to say there is a surprising amount of work available in this area. Think about all the different forms of entertainment where character voices are used: TV programs, animated movies, dubbing foreign cartoons, video games, computer games, apps, talking toys, and the list goes on. Your ticket in this area is not likely your best Daffy Duck impression, but mimicking the characters you hear on television will help you learn to develop your own characters, and the bigger the better. These jobs are where your acting skills really shine. To get the best performance, you'll want to use exaggerated facial expressions and move your arms a lot to give to give your character a larger than life personality. For your demos, try compiling a menacing video game voice, cute cartoon character, and a wacky off-the-wall voice.

Documentaries

If you're a fan of the Discovery Channel or the History Channel you've likely developed an admiration for the narrators documenting the shows. Documentaries guide, educate and entertain the viewers. They continue to have a widespread influence in education, entertainment and politics. The narrator helps keep the flow and pace interesting while establishing an emotional connection to the subject matter. There are many cherished narrators from Sir David Attenborough and Christopher Plummer to celebrity voices like James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, Sigourney Weaver and more. The key to their successful narrations are their authoritative voices, which smoothly tell a story with suspense, emotion, depth, and clarity. If you're interested in voicing documentaries, watch them. Learn from them. And finally develop your own narration style. Record several types of documentary excerpts from the deep sea, to historic works, to the life and times of someone famous. As with any demo script, make sure you are not using copyrighted material. If you are using material from current documentaries for your demo inspiration, be sure to change names, places, and locations and use the given script as a framework for your new creation.

Internet and Podcasting

Internet voice-overs often fall under the same blanket as business because most organizations recognize the importance of having an interactive website these days. However, there is more to the Internet than meets the eye. There is an explosion of interest in self-produced television programs, radio dramas, and video games made solely for online consumption and it is gaining public interest each year as the quality of self-produced Internet programmes increases. Podcasting is another form of Internet voice-over and the range of podcasting material that's on the net is astounding. Many podcasters are business owners or someone trying to sell a thought, product or service. Most are free to download or come in at a small price. Because many of the people recording podcasts or Internet programmes are not professional actors they benefit from having a voice talent read the scripts for them. In this area for your demo purposes, try writing and recording your own script on something you're passionate about. That could be healthy living, cooking, gardening, child or pet care - whatever appeals to you.

Radio and Television

On cable there are approximately 10 full minutes of commercials per half hour program. Radio stations will have close to the same amount of commercials aired per hour, usually about 12 minutes or less. More than just commercials, there are "sweepers" needed in this category as well. These are short, pre-recorded samples used by radio and television stations to segue between songs or shows that give a brief station identifier or promo, generally 20 seconds or less. Sweepers are also known as liners, bumpers, radio imaging, station imaging, stingers, IDs, promos, shotguns and intros. Whatever you want to call them they include a voice-over. Next time you're watching TV or listening to the radio, practice imitating the commercials and sweepers. When recording Radio and Television demos, have a separate one for commercials and sweepers. Your commercials should have a variety of reads such as conversational (talking to a friend), hard-sell (car commercials), and soft-sell (financial). Sweepers should be a series of Station ID promos that are upbeat and show variety for the different types of stations you might encounter such as easy-listening, rock, and country. Listen carefully to the difference between the ones you might encounter on radio stations compared to TV. Design your demos accordingly.

Jingles and Music

Many voice professional talent, though certainly not all, sing or perform music as add-on services to regular voice-overs. If you are hired to record a commercial, for example, it is convenient for the client if you are able to record the jingle as well. You end up making twice the amount for the job and everybody's happy. If you can sing jingles or play an instrument such as the piano, violin, or guitar definitely make a demo of this as well although, you may decide to leave out the heavy metal guitar solo. Clients also look for original digital recordings and mixes so if you are skilled at mixing your own beats and rhythms, create a small library and showcase it on a demo to indicate what you can do. This is a fantastic add-on service to offer clients.

Trailers (for movies and more) the last of the shouty god voice work

Trailers are where the stereotypical announcer voice really shines. There is little doubt that many of you reading this think of that deep baritone voice of one of the most revered voice-over professionals on the planet.

Trailers are made for just about any promo where the listener needs to be enticed without giving the whole story away. They are used for upcoming book releases, video games releases, new documentaries, even save-the-date videos for conferences and weddings. Try listening to a few trailer documentaries at Voices.com to get an idea of the range and styles popular in trailers today.

Once again, and we really can't stress this enough, when recording your demos, be sure to try to avoid infringing on any copyright laws.

Now that you have an idea of the types of demos you want to record, it's time to talk about actually recording your voice.

Recording Your Voice

Just as athletes need to warm up their muscles, before you step up to the microphone and record your voice, you should get into the habit of warming up your voice. If you're stressed out, tense or nervous that will come through in your voice.

Performance Vocal Warm Ups

Simple vocal exercises will help relax your lips, tongue, your vocal folds - and you! So take five or ten minutes before hitting record to prepare your voice. First, start with breathing exercises. Breathing well is something we all did instinctively as infants, but as we get older we tend to cut our breath short. Deep breaths are important. They bring oxygen to the brain, pump it through our blood, expand our lung capacity, improve our immune systems, and relax the mind and muscles. Breathing exercises should be done in a room with no other distractions present. Find a quiet space where you won't be disrupted by family, pets, phones, television, music or your computer.

Breathing Exercise:

In a comfortable standing position, place your hand on your stomach

Inhale deeply through your nose, feel your belly and rib cage expand, hold for 5 seconds

Exhale slowly through slightly parted lips, empty your lungs completely, hold for 5 seconds

Repeat for 3-5 minutes

Tongue Twisters

For your next vocal warm up, say a variety of tongue twisters out loud. Tongue twisters wake up your mind and improve articulation and enunciation. Start off reading them carefully, say each phrase 3 times, slowly picking up the speed each time you say it. In order to avoid trailing off, emphasize the first and last words. Here are some to try that will help you with those troublesome consonants.

Letter B:

Betty bought a bit of butter, but she found the butter bitter, so Betty bought a bit of better butter to make the bitter butter better.

Letter D:

Did Doug dig David's garden or did David dig Doug's garden?

Do drop in at the Dewdrop Inn.

Letter F:

Four furious friends fought for the phone.

Five flippant Frenchmen fly from France for fashions.

Letter H:

How was Harry hastened so hurriedly from the hunt?

In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire hurricanes hardly ever happen.

Letter J:

James just jostled Jean gently.

Jack the jailbird jacked a jeep.

Letter K:

Kiss her quick, kiss her quicker, kiss her quickest.

My cutlery cuts keenly and cleanly.

Letter L:

Larry sent the latter a letter later.

Lucy lingered, looking longingly for her lost lap-dog.

Letter N:

You know New York,

You need New York,

You know you need unique New York.

Letter P:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,

Where's the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked?

Letter Q:

Quick kiss. Quicker kiss. Quickest kiss.

Quickly, quickly, quickly, quickly, quickly...

Letter R:

Round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran.

Reading and writing are richly rewarding.

Letter S:

Theophilus Thistler, the thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve of unsifted thistles, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb.

Letter T:

Ten tame tadpoles tucked tightly in a thin tall tin.

Two toads, totally tired, trying to trot to Tewkesbury.

Letter V:

Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently.

Vera valued the valley violets.

Applying These Not-So-Secret Vocal Tips

yawn while smiling to stretch your throat

sing the chromatic vocal scale

avoid the dehydrating effects of alcohol and caffeine

drink plenty of room temperature water to decrease mucus

eat an apple (preferably a Granny Smith apple) if you are phlegmy

and most of all, get lots of sleep.

Avoid milk with lactose in

Finding Scripts to Read

If you'd like to exercise your writing skills, try making up your own scripts for your demos. Your writing style should be conversational with friendly language, selecting a variety of topics in order to accommodate your listeners. If you are compiling a themed demo such as commercials, you'll want to make sure that there is a variety of commercials targeted to a diverse audience. Research your chosen niche in order to deliver the most relevant material to your audience.

If writing isn't the name of your game, you'll need to use royalty-free scripts instead. "Royalty-free" or scripts in the "Public Domain" mean that you can use the author's material without having to obtain special permissions, and they usually come at little or no cost. You can find these types of scripts online or at your local library.

The Demo Recipe

Now that you've got your voice warmed up and have script in hand, it's time to record your demos. No matter what type of voice-over you're recording, shoot for a demo length of about 60 - 90 seconds maximum. Keep voice-overs moving, and limit it to 5 or 6 segments or spots per demo.

Here's an example of a demo outline:

Slate or Intro (saying your full name before reading the script): 5 seconds

Segment 1: 15 seconds

Segment 2: 15 seconds

Segment 3: 10 seconds

Segment 4: 10 seconds

Segment 5: 5 seconds

Closing remarks (contact information / website plug): 5 seconds

Closing music jingle (optional): 5-8 seconds

More Tips for Your Demo

Before hitting the record button, make sure you are in a good posture to project your voice clearly. A standing position is preferred. Use a music stand to hold up your script or place your computer screen directly in front of your mic at eye level. Adjust the mic so that you are either speaking into the side or just above it to lessen the pops, esses, and other mouth noises. In front of your mic, practice reading the script aloud a few times to get the right emphasis, speed and flow. Now you're ready to record.

When you're finished, listen to the playback with your headphones on. This will help you detect any errors, heavy breaths, or mouth noises that are present in the recording. Don't be surprised if you have to record the script several times to get it just right. Even pros can require a few takes. When listening to the playback, focus on the performance and audio quality (does it sound too close, too far, tinny, etc) and not on the sound of your voice which will likely sound a little strange to your own ear.

Try to use different vocal tones or ranges to break up the content, pace, and tone of your demos. Try using musical backgrounds, known as music beds, or other non-music interludes to transition between topics or spots on the recording. These breaks are typically described as bumpers or sweepers (as we learned in the last chapter) and give your listeners the time they might need to digest the content you just presented. Do not use music or effects on narrative pieces such as audiobooks, or in most cases, documentaries. The types of voice-over that are enhanced by music or effects are animation, commercials, jingles, promos, station imaging, trailers, and video games.

Auditioning From Home

Before the dawn of the new millennium, voice talent trudged off to studio auditions only when their agents had landed them one, or, when promoting their demos to local businesses on their own. Voice talent would have to live in London near the Soho studios.

A New Dawn

When the world's largest computer network didn't combust with the Y2K Bug, the Internet boomed with marketplaces. All of the sudden, job source marketplaces and networks were popping up all over the Internet; saving people time, money, and effort in their job searches. Voices.com was one of the pioneering marketplaces specifically for the voice-over industry.

Founded in 2004, Voices.com has grown their marketplace to serve over 200,000 customers worldwide and continues to expand its reach within the US, Latin America, Canada, Europe, and beyond. The big differences between auditions garnered through an agent and those obtained in a marketplace is convenience, control, and the sheer number of jobs needing to be filled. Offering more than 100 job postings per day, there is no other source that provides this amount or range of opportunities.

Now, not all of those jobs will be suited to your specific skills, gender, or age range. For example, if the client is casting a gravelly, senior male voice, don't audition for it if you are a younger man with a higher vocal range. Know your voice, its true capabilities, and what's appropriate for you to audition for.

Even outside the marketplace realm, professional voice talent usually audition from home for major productions and only travel to studios regularly to record their parts once they've landed the role. Ultimately, auditioning from home is a way of life for the working voice talent. Auditioning is the real job. Getting the gig is gravy.

How to Audition Online

After you've done your vocal warm ups, go over the client's directions and practice your read as you did before recording your demos. If the spot needs to fulfil a specific time frame, time your read to ensure it meets the mark (don't time your slate - more on that later). If it doesn't; read it faster or slower whichever will get you there. Practice the script a couple times until you're comfortable with the flow and timing.

As a general rule, your voice is at its best first thing in the morning (about an hour after waking) when you haven't been talking already for hours on end. Depending on what your signature voice is, you may find that your voice sounds better at a different time of day. For most people, the worst time to record is late in the evening when you and your voice are tired from the day's events. To keep your voice in tip-top shape throughout the day, stay hydrated. Drink lots of room temperature water or weak tea. Avoid alcohol, caffeinated, and carbonated drinks prior to recording as these will dehydrate you quickly and affect the quality of your voice.

Organisation Slating

We mentioned your 'slate' earlier. If you haven't auditioned before for acting or voice-over roles then you're probably not familiar with the term. Slating means simply saying your name and the part you're reading for at the beginning of your audition, i.e.; Jane Smith... Goldilocks ...short pause... Begin Reading Script. Slating just your name is often enough. It is customary to slate your auditions online and off but keep it simple. Don't waste time with a long introduction, otherwise the client will move on before they've heard your interpretation of their script. With online auditions, some clients will request that you do not slate your audition. Always read and follow their instructions carefully.

One of the greatest things about auditioning online instead of in-person is that you can do as many takes as you want before the client ever hears it. Don't feel as though you need to read the entire script, in fact, you should never submit the full script unless otherwise directed.

Performance

Offering Variations

Most talent use an audition opportunity to submit a couple different interpretations, or takes, of a client's script. As mentioned before, it's in your best interest, and in the interest of time, to only read part of the script. If you like, you can read it a couple different ways to present the client with options. If it's an animation audition, make a firm decision on the character's voice before recording and commit to it. If the script is longer than 60 seconds, read only a portion of the script, unless it is for an audiobook. Clients will only listen to the first 15-30 seconds so a paragraph is all that is needed. If you're giving them different takes always have the best take at the beginning. When you've finished recording, put your headphones on and listen to the playback.

Editing Your Audio

Once you're satisfied with your performance, you'll need to do some basic clean up on the audio. Before you do though, the file format you've likely created the recording in is a .wav file. These are often referred to as "first generation" format and are of the highest quality. Although .wav is the best quality, they are completely uncompressed which means they're huge, 2-3 times the size of MP3 files. Because of this, most audition demos will need to be converted to an MP3 (MPEG Audio File) before firing them off online. When you convert your file you may notice some changes to the audio quality so you will want to wait until you've converted the file before touching up the recording.

Most types of recording and editing software come with features that allow you to convert one file type into another. Since the process varies from product to product, we recommend that you follow the manual that came with your software.

A quick and easy way to do this with external software is with iTunes. You don't need to own any Apple products to use it and, best of all, it's free! If you don't have it already, you can download it here:

http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Converting Your File in iTunes

Open iTunes.

Windows: Choose Edit > Preferences. Mac: Choose iTunes > Preferences.

From the General button, click the Importing Settings button in the lower section of the window.

From the Import Using pop-up menu, select 'Import Using: MP3 Encoder.' Stay with the default Good Quality (128kbps) setting. Then click OK to save the settings.

iTunes will create the converted MP3 file beneath the original audio file. The second file is your MP3. Save a copy to your desktop.

Rename the file following the labelling instructions the client provided. If there were no labelling instructions, use a generic labelling format such as FirstLastName-Product.MP3.

Now that you've got your file converted, listen to the playback again. If it's tinny or you sound far away, increase the boom or gain. If it plays too fast or too slow adjust the Sample Rate. The ideal Sample Rate is 44.1 kHz. Auditions should be dry.' That means no music, processing or sound effects should be added to auditions so they can clearly hear your voice and delivery.

When you audition from home, whether using a marketplace or direct email, you should send a cover letter (proposal, in marketplace lingo) that addresses the client personally and tells them a little about yourself, why you're right for the part and what your services offer for the price.

Example:

Hello (Client Name),

Thank you for opportunity to audition for your job. I'm sending a custom read, using a portion of the script you provided.

If you'd like to hear additional (Radio, Television, Animation, etc) samples please visit my profile at:

http://www.voices.com/people/yourname.

My quote for your project is $$$. This includes up to three takes, if necessary. If you'd like to provide live direction you can patch into my studio via Skype. In most cases, I can have the recording delivered to you within 24 hours or less, depending on your needs.

I look forward to working with you.

Warm regards,

(Your Name)

Auditioning Quick Tips:

Warm up your voice before you record.

Go over the directions, rehearse, and time your read before you record.

Rehearse your copy standing up, speaking at the same volume you'll be speaking when recording.

If the spot requires a lot of energy, read standing up. Use your hands and arms to enhance your performance.

If the spot is relaxed and laid back, sit comfortably on a stool or chair.

Audition early and often but if you don't match the casting specs, move on to another audition.

Keep your slate short and sweet.

For longer projects, read only a portion of the script.

Keep your voice fresh, by staying hydrated. Have water in the booth at all times.

Convert your audio file to MP3, and label it correctly.

Send a cover letter (proposal) with your audition.

Be honest with yourself. Only audition for roles that you and your voice are truly suited for.

When auditioning you have one chance to make a good impression. Don't rush things. Don't settle for good enough. Audition with confidence. Don't tell the client that you're inexperienced. Present yourself in the best light possible by following these guidelines and your audition will shine.

Attending a Recording Session

You will primarily work out of your own home recording studio, but over the course of your career you will occasionally find yourself attending an in-studio audition or voicing a job in a production studio of your client's choosing. This is particularly true if you have an agent or if you live in a major city centre where auditions may include voice-over roles in television or film productions.

Ten to twenty years ago it was the norm for professional audio recording studios to have upwards of a million pounds sunk into their equipment. Equipment costs have come down in price since then but it's still a significant investment. As a result, you'll find that most studio engineers are extremely protective of their equipment. So, above all, respect their studio. Don't touch anything, especially the microphone.

When you do attend an in-person recording session there are some important points to remember on how to conduct yourself (aka, Studio Etiquette) and general dos and don'ts that you'll be expected to know upon your arrival.

Brushing Up On Your Studio Etiquette

Do: come prepared. Know the role you'll be reading for. Rehearse the script, saying it out loud, several times before attending the recording session so that you're familiar with the character, pace, and tone of the voice-over.

Do: eat an apple and bring water. If you have worked in call centres, or otherwise had a job that involved talking all day, you know how difficult it is to speak with a dry throat and mouth. Have warm or room temperature water on standby at all times. The studio may also offer you water to drink but always be prepared.

Whether you have dry mouth or wet mouth, an apple a day will keep the engineer at bay. Granny Smith apples in particular are high in acidity which helps reduce those pesky mouth noises the mic picks up. As you bite into an apple it also lubricates your teeth helping your lips glide smoothly for a clean sounding read. If possible though, slice the apple so that you are less likely to get bits of the apple's skin in between your teeth.

Do: be flexible. Creative directors are just that - creative. Be prepared to receive some unusual direction ("Can you sound like a tree, please?"), sudden changes in the script, or the tone of the voice-over. Show them you can go-with-the-flow, enjoy these creative inspirations, and give them the best read you can.

Do: ask questions. If you are uncertain of how to pronounce a word or if anything else is unclear, such as the punctuation at the end of a sentence, don't be afraid to ask. Just be sure to ask BEFORE you start recording the script.

Do: be courteous and professional. Whether you're a pro talent or new to the industry, keep any delusions of grandeur at home. Remember, you are providing a service, so put on your customer service hat. Be yourself; your friendly, courteous, respectful-of-others self.

Don't: wear noisy clothing and accessories. Keep those MC Hammer pants and bangle bracelets at home. Microphones pick up everything. Winning combinations are loose fitting comfortable items such as cottons, knits, khakis or jeans, and soft-soled shoes. Remove any accessories that jingle, jangle, tick or tock.

Don't: bring your smart phone into the studio. Never, ever bring your mobile phone out at the studio and especially not in the booth. Even if your phone is on vibrate, the microphone will hear it. Be respectful of others and their time by turning your phone off or on silent or put it into flight mode. Unless your wife is expecting a baby any day, there should be no reason the call can't wait until you're done recording the session.

Don't: touch the microphone. If the mic needs adjusting, don't touch it. The sound engineer has put a lot of time into setting the booth up just right so ask them to adjust the mic for you. Aside from being good manners, not touching the microphone lets the engineer know that you respect them and the studio environment. It also prevents you from inadvertently damaging the equipment!

Don't: keep people waiting. First impressions are everything, so don't be late. Plan on arriving fifteen minutes early for your session to give you enough time for proper introductions. Budgeting extra time for travel also helps should you run into any traffic delays.

Don't: change the script. Stick with what's in the script. You were hired to do one job and that's the voice-over. Don't overstep your boundaries by acting as copy editor or director. The people in charge of those jobs will make any changes to the wording if and when they become necessary.

Don't: apologize. If you make a mistake while reading the script, try not to get flustered. Don't stop and apologize. Simply take a breath, stay in character and reread the sentence. The urge to apologize can be challenging to overcome but your professionalism will pay off and will be appreciated by the director. The engineer will appreciate a short pause between attempts to read the script, so if you do stumble on your words or something doesn't come out right, take a few seconds to regroup and then start again. Doing so makes it easier for the engineer to edit later on.

When you attend your session keep in mind that everyone at the studio has a distinct job to do. Yours is to be the voice talent. You will need to be patient, listen to direction, follow instructions carefully, and deliver the read they're looking for. Whether you're auditioning or you've landed the job, assume that everyone on-site has an influence in the decision to cast you; from the coffee guy or girl to the receptionist and the director's assistant. Be thankful, likable, and easy to work with. Be kind to everyone around you.

Organisation Leaving a Lasting Impression

After you go home, send a handwritten thank you card to the studio letting them know how much you enjoyed working with them. Place your business card in the thank you note so they remember who you are for their next casting call. This is all part of building your business and roster of repeat clients. To be asked back, leave a lasting impression as good as your first impression.

Working with Clients

Whether you're recording in-studio or from your home recording studio, open and clear communication with your clients will be what keeps the relationships harmonious. As a voice talent you can foster this philosophy with each and everyone one of your clients.

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." - George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Writer

Shaw's famous quote from long ago sums up one of the most challenging problems any business faces still to this day. No matter how big or small, no matter what industry, or how large the generational gap, lines of communication need to remain open.

In today's modern voice-over market, you'll likely find yourself working with clients in different time zones and may work with clients who have language barriers. These things can certainly have an impact on your ability to effectively communicate with them.

So how do you overcome it?

Befriend your email. A telephone call or Skype session may not be viable if you live in the Australia and are voicing a role for a client in New York, so you're going to have to get comfortable doing business entirely by email in some circumstances.

When you do receive a job offer from an online marketplace or other online source, before accepting the job, consider the following.

Ask for the final script, word count, or run-time.

This will help you figure out exactly how much time you'll need to dedicate to the project. It is also a good time to review the material to ensure it doesn't contain any objectionable material. Remember, you don't have to take a job if you're uncomfortable with the script in any way.

Understand the client's expectations.

To help avoid common communication issues, make sure you know what their time zone is, when they are typically available for questions, when they need the recording by (their deadline), and that you've obtained clear creative direction from the client.

Understand the client's needs.

When you record sessions in the client's studio, all you have to do is the artistic part; the voice acting. Everything else is looked after by someone else. If the client hired you to complete the work in your home studio find out ahead of time if they need editing, music and mixing and mastering of the audio. If so, these add-on services should be charged for separately in addition to the voice-over. Define what that price is at the start before you begin recording any of the work.

Help them understand your expectations.

This is an often over-looked area but it's important to establish what your client can expect from you as well. Let the client know what your time zone is, when you'll be able to deliver their files (on or before their deadline), and how many takes are included in your price. Three or more takes based on performance are often included. Most talent charge an additional fee for recording script changes.

Tip: Don't take a request for retakes as criticism. The director is trying to help you achieve their vision through your voice. Check your ego at the door. Work with your client and be flexible. Allow them to tap into your full potential. In the big leagues, it isn't uncommon for a voice talent to do 20+ takes at studio sessions.

The best time to reach you is

Whether you're in different time zones or not, the job might require more than one recording session. Once you're officially hired, make sure you provide them with your contact info and the best time of day to reach you. Emergencies happen and they may need you on short notice.

If you're recording a long-form narration, it's courteous to let them know of any impending appointments or vacation dates you had planned that will render you unavailable. A disruption in recording time could affect the projected completion date so they'll appreciate it greatly if you're upfront about this before getting started on the job.

Not knowing what's expected of you or what your client can expect from you can cause confusion and frustration, having a serious impact on the successful outcome of a job. If there is anything unclear ask for clarification.

If the communication issue is a language barrier, a simple and effective solution is asking them to email the directions to you in their first language. Copy and paste their email into one of the many free translation services available on the web, such as Google Translate.

While services like Google Translate are not always 100% accurate, it will be more effective than trying to decipher broken English. In turn, suggest they use the same service so they can better understand you or try reversing the translation and writing back in their language.

Just let them know you're using a translation service in case it's not exactly spot-on. Ultimately, it's a useful tool and an extra step that will save you both a lot of headache in the end.

Communicating well is also a customer service initiative that will help you stand out from the crowd. If you go the extra mile for your clients, they'll remember what you did for them and will be more likely to want to work with you again. Never forget that you're a service provider. You can "wow" them with superior communication skills and excellent customer service.

Once you've nailed down all the details of the job and have obtained a retainer or deposit, get it in writing. Some voice talent are a little hesitant about asking clients to sign a work agreement but it is a legally binding document that will help you immediately resolve any disagreement about expectations.

Think about any other reputable contractor (such as a plumber, electrician, mover, etc). They all require a work agreement be signed before getting started. If the client balks at signing a contract don't be afraid to ask why. It takes but mere minutes to read through and sign, especially if the groundwork has already been laid verbally.

In turn, you may run into clients who request an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). When you land a voice-over gig with a major brand you may be asked to sign an NDA. This is a way of protecting their brand, new product, sale or service from becoming public knowledge before it's ready to be released.

If you sign an NDA you will not likely receive credit for the work (though you will be paid, of course) and you will be bound by contract not to speak publicly about it.

If you're a social media fan, pay close attention. NDAs include your personal social media channels. This means that you must avoid Tweeting about the cool Nike commercial you just voiced. Or posting a link on your Facebook wall to the awesome new documentary you narrated for Discovery.

Making Money Doing Voice-Overs

Whether you're recording in-studio or from your home recording studio, open and clear communication with your clients will be what keeps the relationships harmonious. As a voice talent you can foster this philosophy with each and everyone one of your clients.

Some of the most common questions we get asked here at Voices.com are around making money-doing voice-overs. How much can I make? When can I expect my first job? How do I get paid? When do I get paid?

Making Money

If those are your first questions when thinking about a career in voice-over, that concerns us. This is the entertainment industry. You need to do it because it is your passion. You love performing and want to do it for a living.

When starting any business, you are in charge of how you make money but you have to work every single day at drumming up that business. That's the real work. Once that ball gets rolling though so does the money. If you have the passion, drive, and determination to stick with your conviction to make this your career then you will never regret it.

You will stick with it because you love voice-overs. Because you get a thrill out of hearing your voice on the radio, television, or knowing that you narrated a documentary heard by hundreds of thousands of people across the country. You will do it because you can't imagine doing anything else.

Earning a Living Doing Voice-Overs

Are voice-overs a viable way to earn a living?

Yes! With the training, skills, and tools necessary, over time, you will be able to make a comfortable living doing voice-overs.

The annual income of a voice talent varies greatly from person to person and from year to year. When you're just starting out most of what you earn from voice-overs should be reinvested into your studio, demos, and marketing efforts. After you start building a book of clients you'll see your revenue streams coming in and will really start to get a feel for the potential your voice-over business has. In time, you'll be living the dream.

Remember How much should you quote for voice-over work?

Knowing what to quote a prospective client on a job depends on a variety of factors. When you have all the information you need, you can then send them an accurate estimate. You'll need to know:

Where it will be aired (locally, regionally or nationally)

The market size where it will be aired largely influences the cost of the voice-over. This can be applied to more than just television and radio commercials. We'll break it down for you:

Local refers to a small population such as a single city centre under one million listeners/viewers, internal training videos for a small corporation, or short telephone messages for small businesses would all be considered under the local realm.

Regional markets have a target audience with the potential to reach over one million people and cover a particular geographical area that spans across several cities. Generally, they do not include any major metropolitan city centres.

National (or major) refers to a listening or viewing audience greater than one million people.

Word Count and Duration

Knowing the word count for long-form narration can greatly simplify the process, and if more is added to the script, the client will know what they can expect. Here is a common formula:

Word Count / Words Spoken Per Minute = Total Minutes it will take you to record.

Total Minutes / Length of an Hour (60) = Total number of hours to record.

Word count / Total Hours / 60 minutes = Price per hour

Price per hour x 60 (minutes) = Your total quote

Developing a rate sheet

To establish yourself as a professional don't undervalue your services. A professional voice-over should cost a minimum amount, even if you're new. If you allow clients to low-ball your work from the outset it will continue to set the expectation that they can get a voice-over from you on the cheap.

Keep it classy and charge what your time and services are worth. That means establishing some minimums. For example, at Voices.com there is a minimum price of $100 per job. So if the client says they can get it done locally for less than half that price, we explain that they are getting a professional recording and the difference is in the quality of the recording. They, in turn, need to decide whether they want their business to sound cheap or sound professional.

Many voice talent develop a rate sheet to help simplify the quoting process. A rate sheet can be a handy reference guide that will help you keep your pricing consistent and reliable.

A guideline to rates based on US non-union market in the UK other rates might apply, but this is a good ball park figure to work from.

Broadcast Rates

 

Radio Commercials

Radio Commercial : Local         :15, :30 or :60         $200

Radio Commercial : Regional:15, :30 or :60         $300

Radio Commercial : National Network:15, :30 or :60         $1000

Radio Station Promotion / Station Imaging / Tags         :05, :15 or :30 $200

Television Commercials

Description         Time         $

Television Commercial : Local         :15, :30 or :60         $300

Television Commercial : Regional         :15, :30 or :60         $500

Television Commercial : National Network         :15, :30 or :60         $2000

Television Station Promotion / Station Imaging / Tags         :05, :15 or :30         $300

Movie Trailers

Description         Time         $

Television Commercial : Local / Regional         :15, :30 or :60         $300

Television Commercial : New York, LA, Chicago         :15, :30 or :60         $300

Television Commercial : National Network         :15, :30 or :60         $2000

Cartoons

Description         Time         $

Cartoons and Animation Recordings         1 Hour recording session         $250-500

          Each additional hour         $100

Non-Broadcast Rates

 

Business and Corporate

Description         Time         $

Non-Broadcast Industrial Recordings         Per minute         100

          00 to 05 minutes         $100-250

          06 to 15 minutes         $250-500

          16 to 30 minutes         $500-750

          31 to 45 minutes         $750-1000

          46 to 60 minutes         $1000-2500

          60 + minutes         Request Quote

Telephone System Recordings

Description         Time         $

Non-Broadcast Industrial Recordings         Per minute         100

          00 to 05 minutes         $100-250

          06 to 15 minutes         $250-500

          16 to 30 minutes         $500-750

          31 to 45 minutes         $750-1000

          46 to 60 minutes         $1000-2500

          60+ minutes         Request Quote

Internet Audio

Description         Time         $

Interactive Media and Multimedia Recordings         Per minute         100

          00 to 05 minutes         $100-250

          06 to 15 minutes         $250-500

          16 to 30 minutes         $500-750

          31 to 45 minutes         $750-1000

          46 to 60 minutes         $1000-2500

          60+ minutes         Request Quote

Podcasts

Description         Time         $

Podcast Commercial         :15, :30         $100-250

Podcast Bumpers and Sweepers         :15, :30 or :60         $100-250

I

nteractive Media and Multimedia Recordings         1 Hour recording session         $250-500

          Each additional hour         $100

          60+ minutes (finished audio)         Request Quote

Long Form Narration Rates

Audiobooks

Description         Time         $

Fiction and Non-Fiction Audiobook Recordings         Price per finished hour         $250-500

          Have more than 1 book?         Request Quote

Educational Videos and Training Videos

Description         Time         $

Non-Broadcast Educational Recordings         1 Hour recording session         $250-500

          Each additional hour         $100

          60 + minutes (finished audio)         Request Quote

Narration for Documentaries

Description         Time         $

Non-Broadcast Narrations         Per minute         100

          00 to 05 minutes         $100-250

          06 to 15 minutes         $250-500

          16 to 30 minutes         $500-750

          31 to 45 minutes         $750-1000

          46 to 60 minutes         $1000-2500

          60 + minutes         Request Quote

Video Games

Description         Time         $

Console Games, iPhone Games, iPad Games, Android Games         Per minute         100

          00 to 05 minutes         $100-250

          06 to 15 minutes         $250-500

          16 to 30 minutes         %500-750

          31 to 45 minutes         $750-1000

          46 to 60 minutes         $1000-2500

          60+ minutes         Request Quote

Residuals, which you've likely heard about, are recurring payments every time the voice-over is played publicly. You'll likely only be offered residuals if you've landed work on a union production.

When you're just starting out, and even beyond that, the majority of your voice-over work will likely be non-union. Non-union voice-over work is typically paid out on full buy-out. In the UK this is alos called Perpetuity. That means that you get one bulk payment. So no matter how many times it's aired, the client owns sole copyright and can air it whenever they want for however many years they like.

So there are a few other things you'll want to consider when quoting for a job. If the spot will run for the typical 13-week cycle of most commercial broadcast campaigns, make sure you factor the runtime into your quote. If they plan on using it seasonally, factor that in as well.

Respect the profession, recognise your value.

Promoting Your Voice Over Talents

As with any self-run business, a good deal of your time as a voice talent will be spent promoting your services. So many different types of businesses need voice-overs that the well is rarely, if ever, dry. But you have to let them know you're out there and what you can do for them, and then keep reminding them.

By the time you're at this stage of your new career, hopefully you've been experimenting with your equipment, vocal styles, and listening to other voice talent demos to get a feel for the quality of performance and sound that you'd like to emulate.

Have you created a number of demos featuring each area of voice-over work you're interested in? If not, now is a good time to do so. You really cannot move forward without having a selection of categories and styles to promote. There is no better way to showcase your skills and versatility.

At this point in time you should be looking into getting an agent, setting up your personal website, and creating a profile via an online marketplace such as Voices.com. These three items are the cornerstones of promoting your voice-over business. You might call them the "Big 3."

Getting Agency Representation

At this point perhaps you've got, or are trying to get, an agent who will actively promote your talents for you. Your job here is to touch base with them every couple of weeks so they don't forget about you. When the agent lands an auditioning opportunity for you, it's your duty to go and get the experience of auditioning in a live studio session.

Remember to respect your agent and their time. Avoid drama. They are there to help you, not to be of service to you. If you are a joy to work with, rather than a hassle, you will stand out in their mind as being someone on their roster they really want to push for.

Throughout your career you'll likely develop new skills and areas of interest in voice-over. If you are interested in exploring them, let your agent know and send them a new demo that features you voicing a script in that niche.

Building a Personal Website

Creating a web presence for your business begins with an eye-catching personal website. A personal website will help you define how you want to brand yourself as a voice talent - and you don't need to be a computer whiz to do it.

ResourceRegistering a Domain Name

Your first step in creating a website is deciding on a domain name. Some voice talent simply use their name (Example: www.JohnSmithVO.com), while others get more creative (Example: www.voiceoverjungle.com). You'll need to use a service like iPage.com NetworkSolutions.com or GoDaddy.com to find out if your selected domain name is available. Have a few ideas on hand if your first choice isn't available.

Consider this: branding your domain with your name alone can make it difficult to create a visual image for your brand. A name like www.VoiceOverJungle.com lends itself to so much more creative imagery than www.JohnSmithVO.com. Think about what a jungle represents; lush rain forests, variety, characters, challenges, stories, and so much more. The visual branding you could do with a name like that is endless. In fact, we may just copyright that.

Purchasing a Web Hosting Package

After you've secured your domain name, you'll need to purchase a web hosting package. In most cases, the company you bought your domain name from will also offer web hosting packages, but in the event that it doesn't, you can check out some of the other options available, such as ipage.com . Compare prices and options and decide which works best for your needs and budget because there is a third order of business.

Installing WordPress To Manage The Content

Once you have a web hosting service, you'll need to install a content management system (CMS), such as WordPress. A CMS will allow you to update the content and images on your website with ease and as often as you want. The content on your website is what will get it included in search engine results. This is important.

Optimizing Your Content For The Search Engines

What we're talking about here is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The more relevant content your website has to related search queries, the higher it'll rank in search engines, such as Google. That means more traffic to your site. More traffic means more prospective clients. You can see where we're going with this.

So, what kind of content should your website have?

Ideally, your website should have about three or four pages that a visitor can easily toggle through. Each page should have some written content, branding images, and some white space (for ease of viewing).

Your first page, also known as your homepage, should contain the most important items; your demos. Add some content explaining what the visitor can expect to hear on this page, inviting them to have a listen. If possible, add a little more detail about each demo. Make sure they are titled descriptively.

RememberTip: Descriptive titles mean "High Energy Radio Commercials" or "Dramatic Narrations" or "Video Game Character Voices." Avoid generic titles like Demo 1, Demo 2, or Demo 3.

Your second page should be an "About" describing who you are, your background, experience or training, and the voice-over services you offer. This is a place where they can get to know you and where you will subtly assure them that you are the right choice for their job.

Although it may feel a little odd at first, consider writing your profile in third person perspective. That means instead of writing I, me, or my; use Your Name, he/she, him/her. Writing in third person is good for SEO. It will put your name into search engines, intrinsically connecting it to voice-over searches.

If you do want to include some first perspective, try using quotes in a sidebar and attribute them to yourself. Example: "My clients' satisfaction is my #1 priority. I will work with them until they are completely happy with their voice-over." - Jane Smith.

Whether you choose to write in first or third person, one important thing to avoid is directly implying that you are new to the industry. This will send them running for the hills. Visitors should be reassured that you can handle their projects professionally and with ease.

Your third page should be your contact page. Rather than entering your email, telephone and mailing address consider using a contact form. There a number of reasons to do so, the least of which is reducing email spam, prank telephone calls and annoying junk mail.

It's safer and presents an opportunity for them to talk to you about their project. Here's an example of what we use for clients visiting Voices.com. Try something similar.

Marketing Online with a Blog

You could stop there, but if you're a talented writer consider a fourth page. Add a voice-over blog. Consider how often you want to update your blog; daily, weekly, or monthly. Just be honest about how much time you can dedicate to it and only update it if you really have something worthwhile and interesting to talk about.

Whatever you choose, consistency is a key factor. Regular updates help you stay relevant in search engines, which automatically receive notification each time a website has updated their content. Their "spiders" crawl your site to index the new content, boosting your search ranking.

Helps you become part of the greater voice-over community, helps you create a professional image, rank for more keywords and drive more traffic to your site.

Write from the heart for the audience you have in mind, not for the search engine. You'll automatically rank higher if you do.

Allows you to add content-enriching items such as videos, stock images, and graphics which are all popular with any audience.

Ultimately, whether you choose to include a blog or not on your personal website, the written content throughout your website will be vitally important to your marketing efforts.

Be creative, interesting, and authoritative.

Joining a Marketplace

Some of the more popular and established online voice-over marketplaces, such as Voices.com, place you directly in front of the eyes and ears of hundreds of thousands of potential clients and send you more auditioning opportunities than any other source currently available anywhere.

Marketplaces are voice-over powerhouses. You just need to set up shop there.

A good marketplace does all the marketing for you. They employ a staff of dedicated professionals who reach out to businesses that typically need voice-overs throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and beyond. They should have educational resources and FAQs that will help you setup your profile and the best practices for doing so. They should be transparent and happy to help you.

They should be available to help you set things up and be there when you need them for technical assistance, but should otherwise stay out of the way. Their job is to bring clients to the marketplace and facilitate the transaction. Your job in a marketplace is to make your talent stand out from the crowd.

On the client side, depending on the marketplace model, they will set up an account with the site and browse the directory of talent, post a job for talent to audition for, or have the marketplace staff post the job for them to assist with the casting. Or, as with Voices.com, they can choose from any of the above options.

Most marketplaces are membership based, offering different types of membership depending on what your needs are at the time.

What to look for in a marketplace:

Free membership option

Free from third-party advertising

Easy to understand and navigate

Large number of auditioning opportunities

Profile page with demo hosting

Efficient system for setting up a profile, auditioning, and receiving payments

Testimonials from both voice talent and clients

Several ways for voice talent to be found in the marketplace

Easy access to resources and templates

Reliable customer service from real caring human beings

Reasonably priced membership fees with payment options (monthly, quarterly, annually)

Awards and Press Coverage

Built on integrity, accountability, and trust

Other Marketplace tips:

Audition often

Audition quickly

Audition well (good performance and audio quality)

Write a proposal/cover letter

Don't lowball or highball your quotes

Stay within the middle of client budget ranges

Fill out each area of your profile

Write it in third person

Upload a variety of demos

Describe the demos

Add testimonials if possible

Get involved in their community

Having a presence in an online marketplace as well as having your own website and an agent will give you the most opportunities and extend your reach far and wide.

With the "Big 3" you will be more effective at promoting yourself through social media, to local businesses, and you can add these items to your business cards, letterhead and other stationary.

You are setting yourself up for success!

Taken from Voices.com