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I often get queries on how to get into the Voice-Over business, like - 

“Now that I have been working in radio, I am interested in doing some freelance voicing, but am not too sure how to get into it. Any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated.”  

Short of giving you a personal critique of your voice and ability, here is my two cents worth… 

Regardless of how ‘ready’ you are to get out there, let’s start from the beginning - with the voice you want to market. 

If you are just stating to take it seriously, here are a few tips on how to improve your voice and ability to use it: 

Practice speaking while holding your nose closed. The point is to try not to sound ‘nasal’. This practice helps you learn to ‘project’ from the right spot. It forces you to deliver from the diaphragm and your chest, not your throat and nasal cavity. This can overcome the ‘sound of a cold’ when so plagued.

Enunciation is important. Watch for little things like: to (ta), you (ya), can (kin),etc. It’s subtle, but it’s the little things that distinguish you as a pro. Don’t over do it or you will sound stiff and ‘announcer-ish’ – the kiss of death with today’s obsession with being ‘real’.  In practice, over enunciating is very important, using your teeth tongue and lips to an extreme when warming up or even while performing. As long as you are not on camera, listeners can’t see it and, ultimately, shouldn’t be able to hear it either. 

Use your voice as much as possible. Talk to yourself, a lot… out loud, the more you use your voice the more control you will have over it. Mimic every thing you hear. Not to sound like someone else, although that might be helpful at times, but to expand your delivery styles. Record and listen to yourself often. Compare your recordings with what you hear on the radio and TV. Try and emulate the deliveries you like. Be very critical… and very careful. What you often hear is not necessarily what you want to emulate.  

The tone and manner of delivery you use depends on what the message, and who the intended audience, is. What kind of project is it? Corporate narration? B2B promotion? Documentary? Commercial? Training video? As far as commercials go, work at even more diverse deliveries. Mimic every thing you hear to try and keep stretching the extremes. In all of that, you should ultimately try to find your voice; who you are; your ‘uniqueness’. What’s going to set you apart from the other voices that are being considered for a project? You need to find your own style - inflection and cadence often define personal style. Yours will emerge in time.

Your voice may have some natural character but, it’s not so much what you have as it is how you use it. A ‘pleasant’ or ‘deep’ voice isn’t necessarily a pre-requisite to success in this business. Don’t focus too much on forcing the lower end of your register. It limits the dynamics in your delivery and can make you sound lifeless. The more you use your full range the more it will expand at both ends of the scale.  

Consider a voice coach - Google and you will find. There are many that can work with you from wherever they are. If you are really serious, take singing and acting lessons or some type of training in these areas. This, at the very least, gives you some great ‘warm up’ routines exercises.  

Ready to get out there? 

Since you work in radio then you have access to the resources needed to put together a demo reel. With regard to your ‘reel’ (CD, MP3 on the web, etc.), to elicit better feedback and critiques of your demo, you should include some full reads, as opposed to just quick snippets, so the reviewer has an idea of whether you can sustain a delivery or character for the length of a 60 or 30 second spot. And don’t do character voices and impressions unless they are very, very good. You’ll need unbiased opinions and true objectivity for comparison sake to make that judgment. 

Now, you might get hired based on your demo, but performing in front of a control room of people is a whole new thing that most don’t take to naturally. The point is - your demo might sound great, but can you duplicate that ‘live’ while incorporating direction and nuances suggested by the producer/director/writer? A good demo that you spent hours producing may get you in the door, but if you can’t perform on cue, you’ll not get hired by that person again. Make sure you are ready. 

 Once you have a demo that stands up to everything else you hear, you’ll need to contact ad agencies, independent producers and recording studios (most listed under company names in advertising, audio/video and recording categories in the YP) with your demo and any other self-promotion. Also, register with the ‘voice banks’ on the internet that offer FREE registration.  

Now, you need to get out there, if only for the experience. Like everything else, you’ll find “you can’t get a job without experience and you can’t get experience without a job”. Just wait for someone to let their guard down. Introduce yourself at the local recording studios. Volunteer your services as a way of getting experience and introducing yourself. 

You should be aware that many contractors have a pool of ‘favorite’ talent that they use. Many stick with the ‘tried and true’ out of convenience and lack of imagination (please, don’t quote me on that). That is not a practice uncommon in any market. You certainly won’t get the call if ‘they’ are not aware of your presence, desire, ability and availability. 

With a local agent, assuming your talents have been evaluated and you are able to perform as expected by clients, you would probably at least get the opportunity to audition for available jobs. 

Again, this is general information intended to answer the questions I often get from those looking to get into the Voice-Over business. Take it all with a grain of salt. There is a wealth of information on the internet, including lots of inexpensive books that can offer an introduction to the business. There are quite a few web sites that offer free information on what the business is all about and what it takes to get into it. One caution: paying a membership fee to a web site to host your profile and demos may be a disappointing exercise in the early stages of your VO career. 

 

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