If you’ve been working in the voice-over industry in the last twenty years, but particularly in the last five, you know that rarely do you get the privilege of just “showing up and acting.” The transition from in-studio to home studio work has brought increased accessibility and flexibility, but this has also meant that in order to keep up, actors must acquire a myriad of other skills in addition to performing. Being the best actor for the part will get you the job, but home studio sessions also often require us to be engineers, editors, copywriters, localizers, and notetakers.

Most working actors today, especially those living outside of a major market, have accepted this plate-spinning as a reality of our current industry. But for newer folks, these supplemental duties often lurk in the shadows – until you’re in the midst of a session and a client says, “Can you play that back?”

Don’t panic! There are a few things you can prepare for ahead of time that will make you a rock star in any self-engineered session.

First and foremost, engineering!

Clients who cut out the middleman of an ad agency or audio production company will often expect you, the actor, to handle the recording of the audio on your end. (And it’s a good habit to get into even if they do record on their end – stuff happens.) In its simplest form, this means that you’ll hit “record” in the DAW (digital audio workstation) of your choosing, while simultaneously dialing in to a conferencing platform or phone call to receive your live direction from the client. Make sure to test this with a colleague ahead of time, if it’s your first session. I like to keep my DAW window visible while I’m reading the script, just so I can always have an eye on it to make sure it’s still recording. In between takes I’ll also periodically hit “save.”

Self-engineering also includes minding your gain – especially if you’re on a gaming or animation session, which tend to utilize a wide dynamic range (i.e. you might go from whispering in one line to shouting in the next). Get familiar with your setup so you can anticipate those changes and not waste any takes due to clipping or inaudibility. 

You’ll also want to make sure to test your audio setup on all major conferencing platforms ahead of time (including Zoom, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, and phone patch), so you understand the quirks of each, and ensure that your audio sounds great in all of them. None of these commonly-requested platforms allow for the client to capture your organic audio on their end, so you’ll be fully responsible for recording and delivering a high-quality product.

Slating

On a live session with an engineer, the engineer will usually slate the takes out loud before you begin to record. But since you’re the engineer in this situation, you’ll need to do that yourself. Slating – i.e., saying “here comes take one,” before reading the script – helps everyone stay organized. You can either just say the number of the take, or say the number and then follow it up with what you’re about to do. If the client asks for three versions of the line in a row, you can say, “Here’s take one, ABC,” then read the line three times. If the client asks for an alt (alternative) line, you could say, “This is gonna be take four, alt.” Slating is a unifier that helps prevent confusion when the client is searching for their favorite takes later. Which leads me to my next point…

Keeping track of takes and selects

Usually, the client will be taking notes as you read, but on occasion, they’ll ask you to track their “selects” for them. Selects are the client’s favorite takes that you’ve provided.

It’s advisable to confirm the client’s selects with them before you wrap. If the client is expecting you to put their selects together into one edited file for final delivery, having the slates that we talked about will make it much easier for you to find their favorites.

Timing

One of the most common asks is for you to time your takes and report that timing back to your client. This is especially common in commercial work, where ads have hard time limits; but it can also happen in any genre where the picture is already locked, and you only have a set amount of time to speak.

I don’t necessarily recommend that you run a stopwatch while you’re reading the script, unless that helps you. Instead, just record at the speed that feels natural, and then stop the recording and use your DAW’s tools to calculate the length of the last take. (You may need to edit out mistakes on the fly in order to get an accurate time.) Given enough time and practice, your brain will start to be able to deliver a 30-second read without much conscious effort.

Copy services

You may be asked to make script edits in the middle of a session. This can happen for several reasons:

• The spot is being translated or localized from another language or region, and the current translation sounds unnatural
• The writers realize they wrote too much copy for the time limit, or
• It just doesn’t sound as good as it looked on paper

Whatever the reason, be ready to notate the client’s changes on your script doc, and don’t be surprised if you’re asked, “What do YOU think would sound better here?”

Playback

The first and most common reason you may be asked for playback is that a client will want to hear back previous takes, in order to help them decide which is their favorite. If you’re not comfortable routing your DAW’s audio through your conferencing software just yet, you can often just play it back on your computer speakers.

The second reason is for you! When you work directly with an end client, they won’t often provide an audio reference (i.e. your audition that won you the job, or an example of your previous work together) so you can get back in the zone. You’re responsible for digging up that reference on your own, and playing it back before you start reading.

File preparation and delivery

Sometimes, when working directly with the end client, they won’t even have basic editing skills or software available to them. In that case, they may ask you to comp takes (compile their selects into one cleanly edited final file), edit out mistakes, split files, or clean up the audio quality. Make sure to clarify expectations so that the client leaves happy, and you deliver a product you can stand behind.

Bottom line: Make it easy for them

Of course, most of us would love to just show up and act. I do advocate for talent to adjust their session prices to account for these additional services, but if you can master these skills, being a full-service talent will keep folks coming back time and time again.

Alaina Wis is an award-winning voice actor specializing in commercial, corporate, and interactive work. She is a two-time nominee for Female Voiceover Artist of the Year (OneVoice® Awards), and took home the award for Best Automotive Performance – Female in 2025. Alaina completes nearly all her work from her home studio in Chicago and is an advocate for remote accessibility. She has voiced major campaigns for brands such as United Airlines, Toyota, SIX on Broadway, L.L. Bean, and Rocket Mortgage; and in the gaming world, is best known for her work in Starfield, Zenless Zone Zero, DC Dark Legion, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, and Skyrim: Bard’s College. She’s also an award-winning screen actor, and a singer-songwriter.

Connect with her on Instagram, X, LinkedIn, IDMb, or on her website.

P.S. If you haven’t yet taken our introductory voice-over class, where we go over everything one needs to know about getting started in the voice-over industry,  sign up here!

P.P.S If you want to learn more from VO experts and grow the knowledge you already have, join our VO Pro group!

Source

 “The play is not in the words, it’s in you!” – Stella Adler

If you’ve spent any time acting, you’ve heard at least one Stella Adler quote. Another quote we hear all the time in our industry is, “Acting is reacting”. To me, this really showcases how our life experiences inform our acting; in order to be genuine, we must rely on who we are day-to-day and where we have been.

I’m fairly certain none of us come to voice-over without having done anything else. Moving through life, we all gain insights into the world that are unique to us. We all have different experiences and skill sets.

I, for one, have held a lot of jobs. I’ve worked in kitchens, driven forklifts, sold couches, recycled electronics, and worked in optometry. These jobs all had their own needs and challenges. However, I learned a lot while in those phases of my life. Now, when I find myself working on medical narration or speaking about data security, I feel right at home, because I can apply my life experiences to the script.

If you’re taking your life experiences and breathing life into scripts to be a better performer, then why not apply it to your whole business? It’s really easy to get that tunnel vision: you’ve worked so hard and all you’ve ever wanted is to hear your voice doing the thing! But freelance work ebbs and flows; finding any kind of stability can be hard, so how do people do it?

It’s not a secret!

I’m going to let you in on a little “not” secret. Every single one of your VO coaches is also a full-time actor. I mean, that’s why we trust them to coach us, but think about that for a second. They are doing more than one thing. Sure, they are voice actors, but they leverage that skill to teach. Many even have additional services. They are applying their skills in a new and different way. If you look at the greats in our industry, they’re all doing multiple things and it’s not just teaching acting. 

From a personal point of view, I started to get real traction in our industry when I realized I had a unique skill set that was VO adjacent. I’d been playing in DAWs, manipulating music, doing sound design, and just generally being creative for years already. My experiences made me a natural audio engineer. More than that, having experience on both sides of the microphone gave me even more of an edge.

Looking at my peers, I’ve seen them also succeed by embracing their additional talents. Of course, we should never compare ourselves to others – we each have our own path. That doesn’t mean we can’t take some inspiration. What are others around you doing to expand their brand? Do you have a skill that is marketable to the voice-over community? 

Use what you already know!

We wear a ton of different hats running our own business. What are you already good at? This may take some brainstorming, but we all have unique skills. Take a moment and make some notes. Is there something specific that you seem to just understand better than some? Maybe you had a job in the past that gave you unique qualifications? 

Grab a pen and paper, open a Google Doc, or just turn on the mic and start talking. Do whatever you need to do to get that information somewhere you can access it. There is a good chance that it won’t be long before you see something. To give you a head start, here are just a few of the opportunities I see people taking advantage of. 

Tech Support:

If you are a techie like me, then this is a no-brainer. We get excited about tech and want to know how it all works. Guess what? Most voice actors just want to turn it on and press record. We all know it’s not always that easy. If you can walk someone else through troubleshooting a problem, you are a huge asset. 

Website Design:

There are a lot of domain services out there touting how easy their platform is. Having used a few of them, I can say that is an exaggeration. Some people just aren’t wired to understand website design. If you understand any of these sitebuilders on a fundamental level, you could be the new voice-over website-building guru! 

Graphic Design/ Artist:

A successful business knows how to leverage images to make its brand pop. We may all be artists, but visual art is a unique skill to be proud of. It may seem like just a hobby to you, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. If this is your skill, then you could be a master of creating digital media and not even know it!

Canva Expert:

This one is a bit similar, but also super important. Canva is such a powerful tool, and knowing how to use it is a skill. Do you know how to whip up an amazing logo, put together an out-of-this-world slideshow, or make a social media banner that tells a story? If you can make powerful branding, then you have a marketable talent. Double points if you can teach this skill to others! 

Writer:

English majors, this one is absolutely for you! Voice-over needs all kinds of writers. Scripts, branding, and even resumes. Writing a good resume doesn’t come easily to everyone. It is even more complicated in a creative field like ours. If you are a wordsmith you could be crafting all kinds of valuable content to the community and your business margins. 

Virtual Assistant:

Admittedly, this is a bit of a catch-all, but there are a ton of opportunities to be a virtual assistant. This category is absolutely massive. It’s not just scheduling, but that is certainly one thing you can do! Are you an expert at crafting emails? Do you have a lot of experience managing CRM’s? If you are a social media master, this could really be your chance to shine! Not to mention the subtle gains of getting to work side by side with another working voice actor. 

These ideas are all just the tip of the iceberg. The possibilities really are endless. Finding ways to stay engaged with the voice-over community while expanding your business is, in my opinion and experience, a double win. So I encourage you to put on that thinking hat and consider all the ways you are unique and talented. Get out there and craft something AWESOME!

Nick Marrs is a voice actor, audio engineer, and BBQ dad based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You can find him online at: https://linktr.ee/nickmarrs

P.S. If you haven’t yet taken our introductory voice-over class, where we go over everything one needs to know about getting started in the voice-over industry,  sign up here!

P.P.S If you want to learn more from VO experts and grow the knowledge you already have, join our VO Pro group!

Source

It’s spooky season! 

Time for leaves to change colors, candy to be purchased in bulk, temperatures to drop (except in Texas, because fall is a myth here), and you to catch a fright from doing that very necessary but very scary voice-over task you keep putting off. You know the one. 

While that task might be looming in the dark like a monster from your dreams, there’s no need to do OTHER things that will also chill your bones and make you wish you had taken up needlepoint instead. Let’s face it: other than being in front of your mic in your booth, most of the voice work we do tends to be fairly mundane, and can be downright boring at times. But sometimes, you can run into situations that make you want to pull your hair out and trade your Sennheiser 416 for a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder and drive off into the sunset singing Carly Rae Jepsen. 

But here’s a secret: it doesn’t have to be so scary! I’ll share my frightening tales with you so that you can see that with a little confidence and preparation, the horrible can become humdrum. 

The Peculiar Case of the Unpaid Dubbing Assignment 

We all usually move with the best intentions, and we assume the best intentions in others. Most of us are nice people, and we engage with mostly nice people who are well-intentioned, but every so often, you find yourself in a murky swamp where you don’t get paid because you didn’t document the terms of your agreement. 

I agreed to perform some dubbing work for an international dubbing company that shall remain nameless. Along with some fellow Such A Voice alumni, my role was to supply ADR services for a variety of foreign-language television shows. It was a great opportunity: I had never done any dubbing before, and this was a way to learn, get my foot in the door with a dubbing company, and get paid. 

Eagerly, I dove into numerous assignments, working with some really talented voice actors and very nice producers who even asked for my input on translations and localization (like, “Would this person really say it like this in English?”). Over the course of several months, I took on several assignments and learned a lot about the process along the way. What I DIDN’T get, however, was payment. In my excitement to get started, I didn’t ask some important questions about when and how payment would come, how they were being funded, etc. In the end, I did not get paid for my work.

The Not-So-Scary Outcome: I learned to ask all the questions I need to ask about a project before I accept it, and I DID learn how to do ADR work. 

The Pay-To-Play Obsessive-Compulsion Fever

It’s very common for new voice actors to gravitate toward the numerous online services that will send you auditions for a monthly, quarterly, or yearly fee. I’m sure you can name a few off the top of your head without straining a brain muscle. Colloquially referred to as “pay-to-plays” or P2Ps, these sites and services are great places to source auditions curated (mostly) to your unique voice and preferences. I have used them from the beginning of my voice acting career, I still use them, and I know of several big-name voice actors who make quite a good living off of P2Ps. They are a reasonable, reliable source of both auditions and jobs. We can debate which ones are better than others, but much of that comes down to personal preference and how much you’re willing to spend to get the best opportunities. 

However, many new voice actors can get too caught up in “gamifying” the P2P experience, spending far too much time and mental energy on how many listens they get on their auditions, whether they’ve been shortlisted, and obsessively checking to see the status. In my case, I would stalk one particular site, hitting refresh over and over to see if any updates had occurred, feeling exhilaration if my audition was listened to and outright bliss if I was shortlisted, but also feeling disappointment, dejection, and doubt if I wasn’t selected. It was unhealthy. I began associating my worth as a voice actor with the statistics on the screen of whatever P2P site I was looking at, and I was so focused on the numbers that I wasn’t diversifying my outreach, I wasn’t doing nearly as much self-marketing. I was locked into a virtual death-spiral of audition, submit, refresh, rinse, and repeat. It was a toxic relationship. 

The Not-So-Scary Outcome: Once I recognized the signs, I took a beat and thought about what I was doing and whether the juice was worth the squeeze, so to speak. What was I gaining from the constant monitoring? I made a choice for myself: I began dialing back my presence on the particular P2Ps that offered that level of scrutiny, and focused more on my networking and marketing. I still do some P2Ps today, but I have fully adopted the “fire and forget” philosophy: giving the best audition I can, submitting it, then moving on with my life. It’s made my relationship with auditioning so much nicer.

There are lots of things to be wary of in voice acting: artificial intelligence, unscrupulous clients, a buildup of static electricity on your mic. But you shouldn’t be afraid of too many things. Most frights are simply the combination of you + inexperience with the situation. Listen to your mentors, your coaches, your peers, and you will find that it really doesn’t have to be so scary to be a voice actor.  

But go ahead and sing some Carly Rae Jepsen. I bet she’d appreciate that. 

Shaun Scott is a voice-over artist working in Medical Narration, Commercials, e-Learning, and more. His clients include Exxon, Temple University, Spotify, Stryker, SignifyHealth, and Carvykti.

Visit his website at: www.shaunscottvo.com

P.S. If you haven’t yet taken our introductory voice-over class, where we go over everything one needs to know about getting started in the voice-over industry,  sign up here!

P.P.S If you want to learn more from VO experts and grow the knowledge you already have, join our VO Pro group!

Source

Let’s be honest: “medical narration” can sound like something you need a lab coat and a PhD to even think about. If you’re thinking it’s all long words, complex concepts, or maybe a room full of doctors in lab coats quietly judging your pronunciation of “immunoglobulin…” take a breath. It’s not that scary, and can comprise a huge part of your daily work.

Medical narration is everywhere! Think eLearning courses, pharmaceutical explainers, patient education, and even the voicemail you get when you call your doctor’s office. It’s a growing, high-demand niche that needs skilled voice actors, and no, you don’t need a PhD or the ability to memorize the human nervous system to do it.

You do, however, need to approach it with clarity, care, and a deep respect for your listener, whether they’re a med student, a pharmacist, or a concerned patient just trying to understand their treatment.

If you’ve never considered medical narration before (or assumed it was out of reach), this blog is for you.

So what exactly is medical narration?

It’s a field of voice-over where you’re delivering medical or scientific content in a way that makes it understandable, useful, and appropriate for the specific person listening. It’s not just about reading big words clearly (though that helps!), it’s about translating information with precision, warmth, and the right tone for the moment. That might be educating a patient on how to use a new inhaler, explaining the mechanism of action (MoA) for a drug during a pharmaceutical pitch, or guiding a group of surgeons through a training module on a new device. 

You might be surprised how many different projects fall under the umbrella of “Medical VO.” Here are just a few of the types of content you might encounter: 

eLearning & Training Modules

Hospitals, biotech firms, and universities all need to train people. Whether it’s a new procedure, device, or policy, you’re the expert guide through it all. These scripts are usually packed with detail, so pacing and tone matter just as much as pronunciation. Remember, these are in-depth, instructional scripts meant for healthcare professionals. They’re information-heavy, but still require warmth and clarity.

Patient Education

This is where your empathy comes in. You’re helping someone understand what’s happening in their body or what to expect from a treatment. Think animated explainer videos, discharge instructions, or how-to guides for new medications or devices. 

Your job? Make it human. 

You’re explaining complex health conditions, treatment options, or post-operative care instructions to everyday people, not medical professionals. Your tone may need to be softer and more reassuring, while maintaining a professional yet approachable touch. 

Pharmaceutical & Biotech Content

Drug explainer videos, mechanism of action (MoA) animations, clinical trial overviews, and internal training tools fall into this category. These scripts can be dense, and they need to be delivered with confidence, especially when they include ISI (important safety information) that must be read precisely. 

Medical Device Training

These projects focus on helping healthcare providers learn how to use new tools and equipment. Remember, you’re talking directly to medical professionals, often guiding them through how to use a tool safely and effectively. You’re the subject matter expert, teaching an individual within the industry, so you can expect they come with some foreknowledge of what you’re talking about. Accuracy and confidence are essential as you walk the listener through the training.

Corporate or Conference Narration

This is the “Voice of God” stuff: conference openers, product launches, live events, investor updates, and corporate presentations. This could be confident and powerful, or a friendly voice walking stakeholders through slides. 

Telephony & IVR

Yes, the “press 1 for pharmacy” voice is part of this, too! It’s less flashy, but consistent work that requires a tone that never makes anyone feel like they’re just another number. This is often a reliable source of work. These systems are everywhere in the healthcare industry.

Of course, there are some things we didn’t cover here: there are projects where you’ll read medical journals or reports for accessibility, or help summarize clinical research. There’s a lot of opportunity here, and it’s only growing.

One of the biggest misconceptions about medical narration is that it’s just reading hard words correctly. It’s really about clear communication, and communication changes depending on who you’re speaking to.

A patient listening to post-op instructions needs something totally different from a doctor brushing up on a new surgical technique. Let’s say the script explains how a medication works in the body. 

For a patient audience, you might say something like, “This medication helps reduce inflammation in your airways, making it easier to breathe.” Simple. Encouraging. Human.

For healthcare professionals, the delivery might sound more like: “The active compound targets eosinophilic inflammation, inhibiting IL-5 signaling pathways.” More technical, faster-paced, and delivered with an expectation that your listener understands the jargon.

The best medical narrators aren’t just great readers who can pronounce hard words; they’re dedicated voice actors who adjust tone, pacing, and emphasis based on the listener’s needs, not just the script in front of them.

Let’s break it down:

• Patients need warmth, reassurance, and clarity. Imagine you’re explaining something to a family member, someone who might be overwhelmed or nervous, and just needs to feel safe and informed.
• Medical professionals want accurate, efficient delivery. You’re not teaching them the basics: you’re guiding them through a system or process they’re already somewhat familiar with. Precision matters, but so does pacing. No one wants to sit through a 40-minute training that feels like molasses.
• Corporate or executive audiences want heart. You’re not just delivering information, you’re selling the company’s confidence in their product, research, or innovation. Keep it personal, professional, and engaging.

Medical narration is a genre that sounds harder than it actually is. You don’t have to be a scientist, but you do have to respect the science.

If you can do that, and you can bring tone, presence, and thoughtfulness to complex material, then you’re already on the right track. 

P.S. If you haven’t yet taken our introductory voice-over class, where we go over everything one needs to know about getting started in the voice-over industry,  sign up here!

Source

Did you know that storytelling predates writing?

Humans didn’t start formal writing until around 3500 BCE (the Kish tablet being one of  the earliest examples in cuneiform).  Now in the modern era, humans can’t seem to write enough!

Fact: In 2024 approximately 1.7 million titles were self-published (Source: Ghostwriting Founder Blog).  

Fact: Between 500,000 and 1 million titles were traditionally published (Source: Ghostwriting Founder Blog). 

That’s a heckuva lotta stories to be told!  Now, here’s one more fact you might find interesting: In 2022 approximately 74,000 audiobooks were published in the United States (Source: Publisher’s Weekly).

There is no doubt that humans are hungry for stories and that is where your adventures in audiobook narration can begin! 

Before we set sail on the USS Audiobook cruise ship, let’s go over a few industry-standard items:

1. Narration is not just having a good voice, nor is it just reading a book.
2. Narrating a book (fiction or non-fiction) does take a lot of work.  Think Boston Marathon vs. 100-yard dash.
3. Some basic audio editing skills are required but you don’t have to be a tech-wizard and you can always outsource your editing.
4. While there’s a lot of work out there (see the above facts), it’s not exactly raining narration gigs when you first start out.  Patience and perseverance are critical skills to practice as you begin this journey.
5. Speaking of getting work, you need to understand the various ways you’ll find audiobook narration gigs:
   1. Publishing House rosters like Tantor Media, Podium Entertainment, or Simon & Schuster
   2. Open marketplace sites like ACX or Ahab Talent
   3. Connecting directly with authors
   4. P2Ps
6. Next thing to understand is how you can get paid.  There are three ways that happens:
   1. Royalty Share: This is an agreement between you and the author or publisher in which you share 50% of the royalties generated from the sale of the book.  You will be contracted to narrate the book by a deadline and will not be paid until the book starts to sell.
   2. Royalty Share-Plus (exclusive to ACX, possibly with some direct clients): Similar to an RS agreement, you negotiate a lower PFH rate (see below) and share 50% of the royalties with the author.  
   3. Per Finished Hour (PFH) Rate: This is a set amount of money you charge the author/publishing house per hour of finished audio.  That finished hour of audio can sometimes take new narrators up to 5 hours to complete.  Veteran narrators typically see a 3-to-1, even as low as 2-to-1 ratio.  So, if you’re charging $50 per finished hour and it’s a 6 hour book, it could take you as long as 30 hours to finish that production.  That means that even though you’ll be paid $300, you’re actually only making about $10 per actual hour of work.  That doesn’t even account for you outsourcing your editing which can run between $50 to $75 per finished hour.  That’s why veteran narrators will often tell you not to charge less than the rates listed on the GVAA rate guide.
7. Editing is part of your workflow (unless you outsource it, then it’s part of your budgeting).  You’ll have to know your DAW and understand audio requirements for a finished & mastered set of chapters.  
8. Accents and character voices are fun, but sometimes authors don’t want all that razzle dazzle.  In fact, even when performing an accent or character voice, subtle wins out over audacious.
9. Endurance, endurance, endurance!  Before you even think about auditioning for a book, do yourself a favor and take this endurance test:  Stand in your booth and read from your favorite book for 60 minutes straight.  That’s right, non-stop reading.  Many voice actors new to audiobook narrating don’t realize the level of endurance required, so that simple exercise can help you determine your endurance.
10. There are four types of audiobooks you might work on.
    1. Solo: it’s all you hombre!  You’re the sole voice on the production from narrator to the 7-year-old daughter.  
    2. Dual: you and one other narrator (usually a male-female pairing) narrate alternating chapters from your character’s POV.  
    3. Duet: you will be voicing your character’s POV chapters as well as ALL the dialogue for whichever character’s gender you’ve been cast for.  So, if you’re a male narrator, you would voice the male POV chapters but none of the female dialogue in those chapters and all of the male dialogue in the female narrator’s POV chapters.
    4. Multi-cast: like one giant Broadway production!  You’ll be voicing one or more characters in a cast of other voice actors.  These are not to be confused with audio dramas, which are another VO genre entirely.  Multi-cast audiobooks are often built through directed sessions which adds another layer of technical know-how on your plate.
11. Bonus Basic tip:  Listen to audiobooks!  In much the same way commercial voice actors will listen to current commercials to hear what’s booking, so too should you as a narrator be a consumer of audiobooks.

Okay, that’s a lot of jargon and technical stuff to process!  So what about the adventure part of narrating audiobooks?

Audiobook narration allows you to play the role of every cast & crew member in the production.  You are your own director, you get to play the good guy and the bad guy.  You could be voicing the damsel in distress on one page and then laying down lines for the dragon in the next.  Your voice will draw listeners into fantasy realms for one title, war zones, love stories, and even gardening tips for another.  

Audiobook narration is rich with opportunities to play every character imaginable across all genres of fiction!  Or, if non-fiction is more your flavor, then you’ll get to dive into everything from self-help to memoirs to biographies and more! Audiobooks are the modern equivalent of the ancient storyteller dancing around the communal fire, regaling the tribe with legends of old. 

I hope this very tip-of-the-audiobook-narration-iceberg process has been helpful.  If you’d like to learn more, please feel free to reach out to me at aw@suchavoice.com.

Source

For any new voiceover talent who may struggle with confidence, or for those who may be somewhat apprehensive about getting started, I can relate. What helped me overcome those obstacles are two VO niches: Messages on Hold (MOH) and Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

When I began my VO journey over nine years ago, I didn’t start out on the same path as most voice actors commonly do, which is typically in the commercial and narration genres. Though I was excited and passionate about entering into those genres of VO, I didn’t possess the confidence that I needed to step into that arena at that time. I certainly had the techniques, but the confidence just wasn’t there yet, so, I began thinking about how I could take baby steps forward. That’s when MOH and IVR came to mind. 

During my practice and training I had come across some fun MOH and IVR scripts. I thought to myself, “This is a genre that I enjoy, and it doesn’t intimidate me as much as commercials and narrations. Why not give it a go and get a demo produced for this genre?” So that’s what I did. I discussed it with my coach/mentor and we began working towards that goal.  

I suppose that I was less intimated with this particular genre, as the scripts are usually much shorter in comparison to other VO genres, and though they do have their own set of techniques, these techniques tend to be less complex than those of other VO genres. The expectations and direction are usually more straightforward. To sum it up: Short and Sweet! Far less detail!  

The Messages on Hold and IVR genres had become my main focus. I started to feel good about it, confident even, and building my confidence was exactly what I needed at the time. Even though I was mainly focused on this particular genre, I still continued to practice with commercial and narration scripts along the way, allowing myself to have fun and enjoy them. 

The day had finally come: my very first voiceover demo had finally been completed! Sample tracks of me performing IVR prompts and phone hold messages. I was so proud to hear myself on these professionally produced tracks. That only added to my confidence. 

Though a bit nervous, I was excited to get out into the world of VO and offer up my services. I will never forget how I landed my very first client: after doing research on several companies, I finally got brave enough to pick up the phone (old school style) and call a Message on Hold company. I introduced myself, and inquired about submitting my demo, to be possibly considered as one of their future roster talents. They welcomed my inquiry and asked me to submit my demo. Not long after, I was invited to become one of their roster talents. I couldn’t believe that someone actually wanted to pay me to use my voice. It was a dream come true. I began receiving assignments regularly, and I was having a ball doing what I truly enjoyed. 

After some months of working in this area, and while making progress and acquiring new clients, I decided that I was ready to step my game up. Suddenly commercials and narrations didn’t feel as intimidating. If I could put myself out there for MOH & IVR work, I certainly could do the same for commercials and narrations. I knew that there were clients out there who could use my voice and services in these genres as well. 

For those who are just starting out, but may be apprehensive, lack confidence, or just wish to start at a slower pace; I highly recommend and encourage you to try MOH & IVR. Beginning my career with this genre allowed me to take the time that I needed in order to build my confidence and self-esteem. It also allowed me to continue to practice and hone my skills in other genres of VO, that I wasn’t quite ready to fully dive in on, but to simultaneously begin my career as a voice actor, while learning and acquiring the skills needed in order to become a successful entrepreneur. 

Before I got started in voiceover I was quite introverted, but I also knew that there was another side of me that needed to get out and be expressed. Now, I still consider myself to be a full-time introvert, but now I’m also a part-time extrovert. 

After many years of being in this industry, things such as public speaking, and being more outspoken at times come a lot more easily. I’m no longer afraid to allow myself to create, or even to fail. In failure, you receive knowledge, wisdom, and progress in return. Whenever I reflect on the progress that I’ve made, I always have to think back to the very beginning, and give gratitude to the genre that started it all for me…Messages on Hold and IVR. 

Check out our free PDF with pro tips from real working voice-over actors here!

Want to learn more about voiceover? Sign up for our introductory VO webinar.

Source

If you are tuned into the voice acting world, you know it’s changing rapidly.

Well-known screen actors are discovering commercials, documentaries, and audiobooks as a new way of expressing their artistry and getting income. Likewise, advertising agencies are creating commercials that look more like mini-movies than ads.

What does this mean for you, the aspiring voice actor? First, there will always be enough work for everyone, but we must modify our game plan, take the focus off the voice, and put it on you.

The industry expects more than a voice: they want real people reflecting real life. Ad executives know that selling doesn’t work anymore. Relatability and storytelling are where commercials are headed.

It can be confusing because, in many cases, having a great voice and wanting to use it drew us to voice-acting in the first place!

Don’t get me wrong, having a voice people want to listen to is a huge bonus, but how we make the audience feel is what matters. This is where acting techniques come in.

Our competitors – on-screen and theatrical actors – have been honing their relatability skills for years. Through training, technique, and experience, they can bring their genuine truth to the character they are portraying, in the given circumstances of the scene. This is called personalization of the copy.

You do not need a degree in acting to learn how to personalize a script. 

Personalization of the script is the opposite of reading it; it’s making the words your own. The feel of the actor who has successfully personalized a script is as if the person is speaking extemporaneously and living a truthful moment.

The stories underneath the words make it possible for you to stop reading and start living. Try looking at a script in many different ways. Challenge yourself to come up with different scenarios and storylines. Only jump into a script having developed a story beneath the words.   

We want to create an atmosphere for ourselves when doing a script, where the unexpected can happen. This means allowing your emotions to run the show instead of your brain.

Work on cultivating the same spontaneity and creativity you had as a child. Read imaginative books and visit museums. Start painting or writing poetry. Get out in nature and ponder the universe.  It will be invaluable to you as a voice actor in creating stories or subtexts in a script. 

There should be a palpable feeling of risk when we are living a script instead of reading it. Just like in real life, unpredictable moments can and do happen. When you’re a voice actor these can be job-getting moments.

Don’t worry about punctuation. It can be a trap that leads to a stiff, ready performance that robs you of your unique ways of phrasing. 

We certainly don’t want to change the words in a script, but there’s a lot that can happen in a truthful moment that has nothing to do with words. Don’t suppress natural sounds like a gasp, a sigh, or even a chuckle. These moments can make you stand out from the rest.

Perhaps most importantly, silence your inner critic as you perform a script. Don’t worry that you may make a mistake. The goal is to live the moment as you live your life, not judging how you say every word, but instead thinking about what is actually happening in the scene.

We all need to remind ourselves that casting is not looking for perfection, they want a real human being that will move the audience. So cultivate your humanity and bring that to your work, and success will follow.   

Check out our free PDF with pro tips from real working voice-over actors here!

Want to learn more about voiceover? Sign up for our introductory VO webinar.

Source

That being said, rejection is never easy: You put yourself out there, you put your heart and soul into the audition. You did your very best, and the casting director even liked you! And yet, you didn’t get the job. Anyone would feel disappointed. But this is a normal part of the process, and if you can master the art of rejection you might just be unstoppable. Learn how with these five actionable steps.

1. Feel Those Emotions

Give yourself permission to experience your emotions as they are. Feel sad, angry, relieved, and/or disappointed. Whatever you are feeling is okay and understandable. The audition process is nerve-wracking from start to finish. It can bring up any number of emotions, often all at once. But, suppressing these feelings will only make them worse. The only way through is acceptance. Cry it out, vent to a friend, scream into a pillow (without damaging your precious vocal cords of course). Try not to dwell here for too long though. 

TIPS:

• Accept whatever you’re naturally feeling
• Vent / Talk it out / Find a support group
• Do something physical like going for a run or hike
• Let it out!

Once you have gotten it out and allowed yourself to react naturally to the disappointment, you can move on to step two.

2. Don’t Take it Personally

When your career is all about your voice, rejection can feel personal. It is crucial to remember that casting decisions can be about any number of things — scheduling, budgeting, or casting preferences — that have absolutely nothing to do with you. Even if the decision was personal, what can be gained by taking it personally? Instead of internalizing this rejection as a personal failure or making assumptions about the decision, shift your focus to the unbiased truth.

TIPS:

• Challenge negative self-talk
• Remind yourself that casting decisions don’t define your worth
• Accept that it wasn’t meant to be
• Remember that there can be endless reasons for this rejection that have nothing to do with you

3. Self Reflection

You might not always know why you were rejected. That lack of closure can be difficult. Whether you know why this happened or not, try to take an honest look at what could have been better. Maybe you could make some technical adjustments next time. Maybe doing more research, warmups, or deep breathing exercises before an audition could help bring out a stronger performance. Ask people you trust for feedback and remain open to change.

TIPS:

• Assess your performance honestly
• Ask for feedback from friends and colleagues
• Implement feedback
• Try something new
• Embrace learning and improving

4. Stay Positive

   

If you can shift your perspective and start viewing a lost gig as an opportunity to learn and grow, your fear of rejection will shrink, and your resilience will expand. With this outlook, every “no” is one step closer to a “yes”. One closed door might just allow another to open. Lean into your strengths. Connect with other voice-over artists who share your passion. Read up on voice actors you admire who have faced rejection just like you. Let this inspire you to get fired up for the next opportunity.

TIPS:

• Challenge negative thoughts
• Make a list of your strengths
• Remember why you love doing this
• Connect with other voice artists
• Be inspired by those you admire
• Use rejection as fuel for self-improvement and future success

5. Get Back Out There

Whatever you do, do not let rejection silence your unique voice. Putting yourself out there after being turned away is always challenging. But, with an open mind and a positive attitude, you can charge back out with your head held high and the tools to fail like a winner. Think about it this way, rejection can help you go into your next audition with more self-awareness, confidence, and excitement to show off what you can do — regardless of the outcome. Even if you don’t book the gig, every audition is an opportunity to make new connections that could lead to something even better down the road.

TIPS:

• Be brave
• Keep having fun
• Don’t let rejection silence your voice
• Make connections
• Take advantage of every opportunity to show what you can do

Whether it’s a failed audition, interview, or romantic date, if you can face every rejection fearlessly and turn it into an opportunity to learn and grow, then every loss becomes a lesson. Every “no” becomes a valuable experience to help you nail the next gig, or the next one, or the next one. Keep these five steps in your toolkit and you’ll be able to dust yourself off in no time, with an even more powerful voice.

Why not wear each rejection like a badge of honor? Print out that disappointing email, stick it to your wall, and never forget that there is often more to learn from failure than success. Rejection means you’re brave enough to go after a dream, and that’s something to celebrate.

Related Links:

https://www.suchavoice.com/blog/2017/05/13/dust-off-try-finding-inspiration-rejection/

Check out our free PDF with pro-tips from real working voice-over actors here!

Want to learn more about voiceover? Signup for our introductory VO webinar.

Source

Voice-over is a versatile field that offers countless opportunities. However, you don’t have to take on the industry as a whole without direction. The key lies in leveraging what you do best. Your voice is your most potent asset, and by honing your strengths, you can unlock possibilities in the world of voice-over that are specific to your strengths. In this blog, we’ll go through how to find your own signature sound and how to leverage it to bring in more opportunities.

Discover Your Unique Voice

The first step is to understand your unique vocal identity. Each voice is distinct, and the key to success is embracing what sets you apart. Start by identifying the following aspects:

• Voice type: Do you have a deep, resonant voice, or is it light and airy? Recognizing your natural voice type is essential as it will help you target roles that align with your vocal qualities.
• Range: Determine your vocal range, from the lowest notes you can comfortably hit to the highest. This information is important when locating and auditioning for different voice-over projects, as some roles may require a specific range or pitch.
• Tone and style: Your voice carries your personality. Whether it’s warm and friendly, authoritative, or playful, your natural tone and style will determine the kind of projects you excel in.

Play around with different styles and script types to see what comes naturally to you. You can seek feedback from friends and family or a voice-over coach. 

Build a Strong Portfolio

Now that you’ve identified your unique voice, it’s time to build a portfolio that showcases your strengths. Record professional samples of your voice across the various genres that align best with your voice, including commercials, animation, narration, and video games. A portfolio will demonstrate your versatility to potential clients and casting directors and identify where you might be a fit for them in the future.

Voice-over – like any other profession – requires continuous improvement. Professional training will enhance your skills and hone in on the places in the industry where you fit best. A voice coach can help you fine-tune your strengths, develop new techniques, and overcome any weaknesses. With guidance, you can refine your abilities and become a more competitive voice actor.

Target Your Niche and Market Yourself

Consider what types of projects resonate with your voice and style. Are you particularly skilled at narrating audiobooks, voicing animated characters, or delivering high-energy commercials? Focus on your niche to stand out in your best areas.

Then, start looking for people that hire voice-over in those segments. You can look into production companies, ad agencies, media companies, and more that focus on these specific areas in the industry. A lot of the bigger companies will have specific ways to submit your demos and portfolio to them.

Target What You’re Booking and Expand

Once you are booking voice-over work, you’ll start to notice trends in what you get hired for. This will give you a good idea of the areas of the industry that are a good fit for you. Then you can start looking for work in those specific areas. 

For example, when I first started, I began receiving a lot of work in children’s e-learning. I then started looking for companies that booked voice actors for children’s e-learning. I knew my voice was a fit because I was already booking work in that area, I had skills and knowledge from my previous e-learning experience, and I had specific clips from previous work that I could offer as an example. This worked really well for expanding into that niche.

Digital Marketing and Self-Promotion

Self-promotion is vital for success in the voice-over industry. Create a professional website or online portfolio showcasing your work and strengths. Utilize social media platforms to share your voice-over projects and connect with potential clients. Marketing yourself effectively can help you reach a wider audience and attract more opportunities that align with your strengths.

Stay Informed and Adaptable

The voice-over industry is constantly evolving, with new trends and technologies shaping the way voice actors work. Stay informed about industry developments, emerging platforms, and the latest voice-over techniques. Being adaptable and willing to learn will ensure that you continue to leverage your strengths effectively in a changing landscape.

Leveraging what you do best can lead to a successful and fulfilling career. Your unique voice, when showcased effectively, can open doors to a wide range of exciting opportunities. So, embrace your strengths, work hard, and let your voice shine.

Check out our free PDF with pro-tips from real working voice-over actors here!

Want to learn more about voiceover? Signup for our introductory VO webinar.

Source

Dubbing. It’s something that almost every voice-over talent I speak to wants to get into. If you’ve wondered what skills you need for this very fun, challenging, and possibly lucrative area of the VO industry, this blog is for you.

The first thing I want to point out is the difference between dubbing and ADR, because dubbing may be a form of ADR, but not all ADR is dubbing. Confused? No problem. The explanation is easy.

With ADR, which stands for Automatic Dialogue Replacement, the purpose is to replace the original dialogue with new dialogue. This can be done by the actor who did the role in the film, or someone else. The reason for replacement of dialogue is usually because they need to change the lines after filming. And there could be many reasons for that. Maybe there was loud wind, rain, or traffic in the background. Maybe they needed to improve the actor’s diction, or even put another voice in for the actor we are watching on screen. 

A famous example of ADR is Marnie Nixon replacing all of the singing for Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady”, or Andie McDowell’s voice being replaced by Glenn Close in “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan.” Other reasons for ADR could be to replace content for legal purposes, or to remove foul language when a film is aired on TV.

So, that’s ADR – and all of that is technically dubbing. But, when we refer to the dubbing industry, we’re referring to recreating film or television dialogue into a completely different language than was in the original version. For example, a film or television series might have been done in Turkish, and will be dubbed into French, Spanish, English, and Portuguese. If you are fluent in more than one language, that means more dubbing opportunities for you.

The languages chosen for the dubbing are usually determined by the distributor. There are companies that provide the service and that’s where we – the voice actors – come into play. If you’re interested in how we’re paid, it’s usually always an hourly rate or a per loop rate that is set by the dubbing company.

This work used to only be done at the location of the dubbing company, and the talent had to be near the studio. The pandemic was a major factor in opening up this work to remote talent, because, for a very long period of time the talent, engineers, directors, and everyone involved were not able to come physically to work. 

Now, even though a lot of the work is still done physically in the studio, many of these companies still use remote talent. That’s great news for us! I worked as a talent for a very large dubbing company that was located near where I lived. I had solid work each week. When I moved to a different state, I can tell you I sure missed that income. But when the pandemic rolled in, I was back in, working remotely, and I still am to this day. I have also worked as a dialogue writer (also known as script adapter) for them for several years. 

So, what skills do you need – and what is the experience like?

Number one on the list is acting, because that’s basically what we’re doing. We are just doing it in a different language than the original on-screen actor. In general, there is almost always a non-disclosure agreement to sign, and we don’t usually see the scripts before we are rolling through on the fly. 

If you’re working in your home studio, you are usually sent a connection link (like Source Connect or something similar) from the studio. You speak into your microphone, and it rolls into their studio. You are usually working with an engineer, who’s doing the technical work. However, I have worked with a few studios where they direct you as you record into your own set up. You would then send them the raw unedited files. There’s also usually a director present, who is there to make sure that the dialogue is being delivered in the way that it needs to be. You will need to match the emotion, cadence, tone, and style of the actor on screen. 

If you’re interested in dubbing, but have no acting background, definitely invest in some acting lessons. You’ll be moving on the fly, without a lot of time to think, so the experience is key for thinking on your feet.

It’s important to know that the clients usually want a similar sound to the talent on-screen, but your sound is only part of it. The acting is essential.

You’ll also need good reading skills. You’re basically sight-reading or seeing the script for the first time as you go. Most studios will show you the scene first to let you watch before you dive in, but I have worked with some, depending on their schedule, that just want to roll through the script. 

Reading out loud is the best thing you can do to hone those skills. In your headphones, you will hear the original actor as you are reading, which will help you to match the tempo and style. You will be able to see the video with a timecode on it, as well as on your script, by each line. The timecode will let you know where your character starts to speak, letting you know when to deliver your line. This is where reading skills are important, because you’re juggling a few things. 

The role of the dialogue writer or adapter is to take the translated script and rewrite everything so that the words you say match the “lip flaps” of the on-screen actor. It can take a full day to adapt an hour-long script. They will also note pauses, and reactions (like nasal inhale, cough, or sob) as you will need to match the on-screen actor. If you see a poorly dubbed film where nothing matches, odds are they didn’t have a script adapter and it was done with the translation only.

Usually, a studio will have you do a studio sound test to make sure your noise floor, microphone, and absorption are what they need. Then you will do an audition, that may or may not be for an actual job – it’s mainly to see what you can do and how you take direction. Depending on how you do, you might start with a smaller role. As you work into principal or leading roles, you will be booked for longer sessions, as there will be more lines. Yay! It’s exciting to get a principal role in a long running series. Telenovelas can have over a hundred episodes. I usually voice the villains, so I never make it all the way to the end. Almost, but not quite.

Next is to have good equipment and a quiet set up with no distractions. If you’re booked for two hours, you’ll need to get everything they need done in that time.

Finally, I think a very important thing to know is that after the introductions and polite chat when you start your session, make sure to just focus on the work without veering into stories of what you did last night at the fair, or how hot it is, because you’ll want to focus and get all of the work in that’s scheduled for your time slot.

There’s so much to tell you about this amazing area of voice-over, but I hope what I’ve crammed into this short time helps. 

Hone your acting skills, practice reading out loud at different tempos, make sure your equipment and set-up will pass, and be professional in live sessions. One last thing that will help: get familiar with the patterns of other languages, maybe by watching a few foreign films. This will help you to match the cadence or rhythm. If dubbing is something you’re interested in, give it a try. You’ll never know otherwise. So, get out there, and break a lip!

Robin Brooke is a voice-over actor, theatre producer, and inspirational coach based in Virginia. Connect via Instagram @babblingbrookevo 

Source