How to Start Working with Voice Over

For all those who wish to pursue a career as VoiceOver artists – and here I think it’s important to clarify that I’m not referring to radio work but rather VoiceOver for commercials, e-learning, manifestos, narration, audiobooks, and voice performances for dubbing and video games – I believe the first step is to have some experience with theater.

The Importance of Taking Acting Classes

In theater, we learn the art of communication like no other field. We learn how to navigate literary texts and interpret them in their complexity. “What is this character saying with this line? What are the emotions behind it?” In theater, we learn about subtext, which is crucial for infusing your speech with richer layers of understanding and meaning.

Moreover, we also learn to trust ourselves, which is essential for working behind the microphone. Any insecurity while recording will be evident in your audio. 

Our voice reflects our emotions; have you ever noticed that? The theatrical experience will help you develop your self-confidence, which you’ll need a lot to unleash your voice!

If you’ve never tried acting before, consider signing up for a quality acting course. I recommend dedicating at least three months to practice, but be sure to assess how you can fit rehearsals into your schedule.

Be the Voice Behind the Brand

All this learning process will make a big difference when you’re delivering a 30-second message. Each brand has a different personality, purpose, and specific audience. Knowing how to adapt your voice to change its tone, rhythm, and articulation when necessary is essential to meet each brand’s needs and represent them accurately. Having a versatile voice capable of selling, persuading, or informing different audiences should be your goal as a voice actor. Keep in mind that you must work to make your voice flexible and eclectic and stay away from any patterns that could confine you, such as thinking you’ll only work if you have a beautiful voice. 

After all, what is a beautiful voice?

Study your Voice

Alongside your acting classes, engage in some vocal practices. Think about enrolling in a singing class, or choir, having sessions with a speech therapist, and improvising at home singing along to your favorite songs. Look for texts that challenge your speech articulation and also those that evoke different emotions. Read them all out loud. Also, be aware of whether you’re respecting the text’s punctuation or not. It’s by exercising your voice that you’ll recognize, understand, and take ownership of your instrument, making it more versatile every day.

Invest in a Microphone and set up a Recording Space

Once you’ve had some acting and vocal practice, consider recording small texts and listening to yourself afterward. It’s a good time to invest in a microphone. My first microphone was the Apogee Mic, which I still use when I travel. It’s compact and features a USB input, making it ideal for beginners. Additionally, choose a suitable location for your recordings. The acoustic quality of your recording space is paramount and shouldn’t be compromised. 

Remember, the quality of your acoustics is just as crucial as the quality of your performance. Here’s a tip: consider recording inside your closet. The clothes will help dampen sound, preventing echoes from affecting the microphone.

Listen to Yourself

When you start recording using your microphone you’ll naturally start listening to the results of your recordings. This step is crucial for several reasons, one of the main ones being the opportunity to hear how your voice sounds outside your own body. Listening to your voice through a computer can initially feel strange. You might find yourself questioning, “Is this really my voice? It doesn’t sound like me at all!”

I see many people getting stuck during this process because they don’t like what they hear.

At this point, liking or not liking your voice is somewhat irrelevant because there’s nothing you can do about it, right? It’s your voice, and it is unique! If there are elements to improve it, you can improve it for sure, but you can’t change your voice. 

This is a process of self-discovery, there’s no way around it. 

Here is where you need to understand that, if you truly want to work as a voice talent you will need to abandon any preconceived ideas that your voice should sound in a certain way. Here is where you need to open your ears and heart to hear what you have, what is uniquely yours, and play, take ownership, and have fun with respect and love for your vocal identity.

Create a Demo

When you already have some samples of your voice recorded with acoustic quality, you’ll have the necessary ingredients to put together your business card, that is, your demo. Without your demo, you won’t be able to promote yourself as a VoiceOver artist. It’s through your demo that you showcase your work to a producer, studio, or director. It’s only when these professionals have your demo that they can connect your voice with possible job opportunities.

But how do I send my demo to directors, studios, and producers?

Well, I still believe that the best way to present yourself is in person. You need to have confidence in yourself to knock on doors, introduce yourself, and talk about your work. 

Have you ever heard about Elevator Speech? Well, that’s it! How do you introduce yourself to a potential employer in 1 minute or even less?

Prospect Clients

You can, of course, do some previous work at home and call these studios to try to set up a meeting with someone and ensure the opportunity to introduce yourself in person. Make your list and call, insist, send emails, but never miss any opportunity to go to the studio. It’s through human contact (who’s behind that voice?) that people will remember you.

Yes, you’ll hear many “no’s”… many of them. People who don’t treat you so well, yes… plenty of them… but believe me, at some point, your “yes” will come!

Upload Your Demos on Voice Platforms

In parallel with contacting studios, you can start creating profiles on platforms like voices.com, voices 123, voice bunny, etc… Some of them charge an annual fee, while others don’t. On these platforms, you have the chance to upload your demos and talk a bit about yourself to start receiving auditions. 

And you will always remember your first audition!

Voice platforms are our allies because they not only connect us with what’s happening in the international market but also allow us to expand our networking. Not to mention the training! With each new audition received, there’s a new opportunity to experiment with your voice for different projects.

Get to Know Audio Editing Software

Oh, and one more thing before I forget – nowadays, it’s unavoidable: you need to have at least some basic knowledge of recording and editing audio. Especially in the early stages of your career, you won’t want to rely on others to do it for you. So, dive into software like Audacity, ProTools, Izotope, TwistedWave, Ableton, Adobe, or any other recording and editing tool you prefer. You can’t skip this step. Remember, the more you can offer in terms of acoustic quality, acting prowess, and technical skills, the greater your chances of securing work in the industry.

I know that editing might feel overwhelming initially for some people, but here’s a question for you: Do you want to work with VoiceOver? If so, then learning to edit is essential! The more you immerse yourself in editing, the more familiarized you’ll become with your voice. You’ll start to notice nuances, understand your breathing patterns, recognize your best takes in auditions, and so forth.

In essence, you’ll learn to harmonize with the rhythm of your voice, ultimately bringing out the best sound in the final result.

Trust in your voice, trust in yourself, and most importantly, enjoy the process!