So You Want To Be A Voice Actor?
I’ve had old friends ask.
I’ve had complete strangers ask.
I’ve had friends of a friend ask.
“I saw you’re a voice actor - I’ve always wanted to do that! Do you have any advice for someone who’s interested in doing it?”
Oh, you bet I do.
First things first and probably the most important thing to know about voice acting - Being a voice actor is HARD. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun a lot of the time, but there are times when it is 100% NOT FUN. And there is so much work that goes into a successful VO career that is not really apparent at first.
Voice acting is like an iceberg - it’s easy to see the exciting, fun obvious part that sticks up from the water, but the reality is that the other 90% of it is also there, just not as visible.
I have a friend who makes rings. Each of his rings sells for around $200. Now, the individual cost of the components for the rings is no where near $200, but when someone buys one of his rings, they are paying for his skill and expertise and in return they get a masterfully crafted ring. They are paying not just for the ring, but for the time, dedication and focus he put into honing his art. Becoming a master in voice over is no different.
Attaining a proficiency in voice acting requires the same time, dedication and focus as any other skill, and a serious commitment to the long haul. You will hear it over and over again in the voice over industry - it’s a marathon, not a race. It’s not unusual to hear that a voice actor has spent thousands of hours and thousands of dollars on training, buying equipment and auditioning, sometimes spending years voice acting before they recoup their initial investment. The good news though is that there are many different levels of voice acting, so even if you are just starting out with a USB microphone, recording in a blanket fort and practicing for free with friends on a Discord server, you can still be honing your skills while saving up for your first condenser microphone and sound treatments.
SO if you are wondering, “How do I become a voice actor?” Here are a few helpful first steps to follow!
Practice, practice, practice and record, record, record! Start recording yourself reading anything and everything; books, commercials, monologues, articles, heck, even recipes and shampoo bottles work - get creative! I know it might seem weird and silly at first, trust me - EVERYONE goes through that. But you have to get comfortable being in front of a mic.
Make sure to LISTEN to the things you record and always be asking yourself, “what can I do to improve my voice acting skills?” Are you reading too fast? Too slow? Is there any variation or are the lines all coming out the same? Does it sound like you are too close or too far away from the mic? Could some lines be said with more enthusiasm, or more anger, or more gently? Read something, then listen back and ask yourself how you can change it to make it better. Then do that again, and then once more for good measure.
Speaking of listening - start being an active listener. This means no more skipping commercials (I know, I know, but you said you wanted to be dedicated!). Instead, when a commercial come on, really listen to how the voice over artist is speaking, and try to mimic their technique and pattern. The same goes for any cartoons, anime or other animation you watch - really start paying attention to the way things are said and how the actors say them.
Speaking of listening again! You’ll start to notice that there are many categories in voice acting, and it’s not often that much strays from the norm. Is it a steak commercial? They’re probably going to be looking for a male with a deep voice. Is it a diaper commercial? Probably a middle-aged female. A cute anime girl? It will most likely be voiced by a young actress with a naturally higher-pitched voice. Listen to your voice and see if you can choose some categories where it might be a good fit. Some various descriptors I use for my voice are: neutral American female, middle-aged confident female voice, friendly, upbeat American woman voice over, business professional adorative voice, and so on.
Find your VO family! There are a lot of really awesome people in the VO industry and they can be an excellent source of information and guidance. Start by finding a VO group on Discord or elsewhere, join workshops and classes - many of them can cost a lot of money but there are plenty that are more affordable.
There are so many excellent and informative videos available for free online, and remember, you’re not just there to learn voice acting techniques - you will also need to get familiar with a DAW (Digital Audio Workspace). Generally most budding VOs start with Audacity - it’s free, it’s very good, and it’s quite user-friendly (once you know some basics). There are loads of tutorials online for using Audacity! Just remember to take everything you read/watch with a grain of salt - like every other industry there are a lot of differing opinions regarding voice acting, and part of the process is figuring out what’s best for you.
