Voice: Acting

Business etiquette for voice over? Better believe it, if you want to “work in this town again.” Seriously, it’s easy to tick off a producer or studio engineer if you don’t know what they expect of you – or what NOT to do. Veteran voice talents Dawn Harvey and Vanessa Hart reveal four rules here – and ask you to share more …

Before each audition and voice over job, do you take the time to put yourself in the proper state of mind? Few people do this, says top voice talent and coach Susan Berkley, who shares her personal mindset checklist to clear her mind before every audition and recording session …

When YOU are the director of a voice over session – your ability to communicate the script’s written and unwritten messages to voice talent is crucial to your success. Veteran voice talent, audio engineer and producer Dan Friedman has seen it all, and shares how to simply and clearly convey your directions …

Think fast!! Who are you?? When you’re auditioning on-site for a cartoon or other character-voice job, before entering the booth you’ll probably have at least a few minutes to think about who you’ll portray. But maybe not long, cautions David Goldberg, producer and owner of Edge Studio. The trick is to develop a stock company of characters, and here’s how …

“How the heck do you keep track of what’s going on when you narrate an audiobook?” Veteran voice actor and coach Vanessa Hart gets that question a lot, and shares her system of making Script Notes to keep track of characters and plot – a system that saves everyone time and money …

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 …