Voice Acting

If you are like most voice over talent, you’ll have the odd (or regular!) evening recording session. By the end of the day, you’re tired, spent and may have little to give in terms of energy or enthusiasm. But those late-night sessions still exist! So how do you keep your voice buoyant and faculties alert? Here’s how a number of professional voice talents survive late evening and even nocturnal recording sessions …

The ability to “let go” at the microphone is what makes a voice artist an artist, says Canadian voice talent and coach Deb Munro. In other words, stop TRYING, and just BE. It’s not easy, but the more you grasp these pointers from Munro, the more success you’ll find at the mic …

Every recording session in a professional voice over studio has its own unique personality, but certain procedures and experiences WILL be very similar, says voice actor Maxine Dunn. To be your professional best, follow her guide to how to prepare for and act at your very first pro studio recording session …

& Working Voice Actor Group Note: The author leads a vibrant Linkedin.com discussion group: the Working Voice Actor Group, and with his permission we reprint excerpts from a recent thread…

Should you voice with headphones (or “cans”) on or off? Some major studios are canning the cans, but otherwise, it’s basically your choice, says Deb Munro, a top Canadian voice talent and coach. There are advantages and disadvantages to either way, she explains – but it’s essential to be able to adapt to whatever’s required for the job …

Sure, you’ve got a great voice. But what really matters for a successful voice over career is your ability to tell your clients’ stories, says voice over veteran Bob Souer. No, he doesn’t book EVERY job, but that’s OK, he says, because …

Can’t find a quiet place to practice voice over? Don’t know HOW to practice? Or maybe you feel you don’t NEED to? David Goldberg, director and owner of Edge Studio, sees through this procrastination and offers six ways to get over those walls. “I guarantee that if you apply yourself in regular daily practice, you’ll sound better,” he says. Now start climbing …

TV cartoons and puppets are no longer just for kids, as adults increasingly turn on to these shows. But voicing them takes the same attention to creating a “sense of character and truth in character,” says veteran voice actor, coach and puppeteer Paul Liberti. For instance, “A puppet still needs to have a sense of breath, of eye focus – and everything that goes into allowing us to suspend our belief that we are looking at a real living and breathing character – and not a bath mat with two ping pong balls on it.” Here’s more, plus news about his upcoming classes in puppetry and VO animation …

Variety in your voice over reads is a key to getting more jobs and keeping clients. You’re up to it – but your right and left brains might need a nudge. In this thorough practice guide, veteran voice talent and coach Randye Kaye shows how to combine mind control and imagination for results that you can – well, only imagine …

Acting skills are the key to success in voice overs, and veteran voice actor/coach Vanessa Hart reviews the “what” and “how” to obtaining these skills in this excerpt from her new voice over training CD and study guide, “The Power of 5 – The Fundamentals.” But even skilled actors must be able to make the transition to acting just with their voice …