9 Tips to Get Your Voice Over Career Off the Ground

Simply put, a voice over career is a highly-sought-after gig. With it comes satisfying work, the opportunity for additional jobs, and even the chance to work from your very own home studio every day. While a career in voice over can present all these things, it’s also a hard-to-attain job, as everyone with a great voice would love to make a living off of it. With this, you can imagine how difficult chasing a career in such an industry can be. Nonetheless, there’s plenty you can do to perfect your voice, get noticed, and really get your voice over career off the ground.

Here at the Voice Shop, we aim specifically to help those with aspirations of a career in voice over through effective voice over classes led by industry professionals. Of course, we offer a range of classes that cater to both beginners and those with a little more experience. While our voice over classes can surely help you in your endeavors, there’s plenty more to learn and practice to improve your chances of making it in the world of voice over. So, how can you get your voice over career off the ground?

Initial Steps in Considering Voice Over

Quite often, people who’ve been told they have a great or unique voice instantly believe they are cut out for a career in voice over. While having a great voice is typically a requirement for such, there’s much more to voice over than simply having a nice voice. Technique, skill, and projection, to name a few, all factor into one’s potential to become a voice over talent. Having said that, with the right practice, knowledge, and resources, you could very well improve your chances of becoming a professional voice over talent. So, before we get into our list of tips, let’s take a look at some initial steps you should take if you’re just getting started in voice over:

• There’s no need to compare yourself to established talent, but it’s good practice to search online and check out some examples or working talent. You’ll gain a little insight and see what kind of voice over work is out there.

• Do some of your own research, aside from taking online classes. This could be reading forums, reaching out to established voice over talent, and watching tutorials.

• Every voice over talent needs a quality mic. If you’re just starting out and are unsure of how committed you are, get a cheaper mic and start recording your own voice to see what you can do.

• Practice speaking and voice acting in front of others. While you may be able to work alone in a studio in the future, it’s always good to be comfortable speaking into the mic with an audience.

• Consider the money and time that’s often required to get started. To better your chances, you’ll need to record a quality demo, whether that’s spending the money on a legitimate home setup or paying for studio time.

Once you do a little research and decide you’d like to give voice over a whirl, it’ll be time to really take action and start improving your voice and getting it out there. Now, let’s get into the key tips to starting a voice over career.

9 Tips to Starting a Voice Over Career

We’ll say it again: voice over calls for much more than a great voice. You need to develop the right techniques, produce a quality demo reel, and have a firm understanding of the industry. With this, check out the list below for some key tips in achieving a career in voice over:

• Before you can perfect your voice, you’ll need to know where it needs improvement. Classes (as you’ll see below) are a good idea, but you should also practice in front of peers or even reach out to talents online to see if they’ll give you a review. Networking is key in the voice over industry.

• Learn the basics of voice over. Breathing, pauses in sentences, popping P’s, and smooth speaking should all be considered and reviewed.

• Take voice over classes online or in person to find your voice, perfect it, and more. Our classes can actually guide you through each step of the process. First, you’ll need to learn the fundamentals of voice over.

• Record a quality voice over demo. This usually entails about 90 seconds of several clips displaying your best work (voice). Quality is key, too, as any discrepancies in the audio can be an instant pass from the producer or whoever is reviewing your reel. You’ll want to consider paying for some studio time.

• If you feel you’ve got what it takes, you may want to consider setting up a personal home studio. This will be costly, but professional equipment and proper sound proofing can go a long way in producing a great demo—not to mention any gigs you land as a result. Soundproofing and a reputable microphone are two must haves!

• Consider finding an agent. This can be as difficult as finding a job, but a good agent will help you land jobs and best represent you. While not every talent needs an agent, some companies will only work with those with representation.

• If you decide to not utilize an agent, you’ll need to find the right places to submit. You can look for work on industry specific sites, but you may also find plenty on various classifieds sites.

• Send your demo wherever you see fit. The more submissions, the better your chances of receiving a call back.

• In sending out your demo, and auditioning in general, you can help yourself and better your chances by following industry protocol. That is, keeping submissions short and to the point. Keep your intro (slate) short or even exclude it. You should also ensure your demo meets everything that was asked.

Get Started at the Voice Shop!

As you can see, numerous factors, skills, and traits go into scoring a voice over career. While you can do plenty at home to perfect your voice and get it out there, taking voice over classes from experienced professionals can have far-reaching results. Within our classes at the Voice Shop, you can find your voice, better your technique, record a demo, and develop a strong understanding of the industry.

If you’d like to sign up for our classes or have any questions, be sure to contact us today! You can give us a call at 212.213.9487.

Vocal Classes NYC

For aspiring voice actors, harnessing your voice is essential. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done and requires a lot of practice and training. In fact, even established voice over actors continue training to ensure their voice is up to par for the industry. This is why we offer vocal classes in NYC, to help voice over actors find their perfect voice.

At The Voice Shop, we offer a wide range of vocal classes. From the Fundamentals of Voice Over acting to Intermediate Essentials and everything in between, we have the experience and tools to help you find your perfect voice. Of course, we also offer private lessons and if you aren’t able to visit our Manhattan studio, you can take our online Workshop Webinars.

Before you contact us to sign up for a class, let our expert staff explain each of our vocal classes in NYC to you in detail.

Fundamentals of Voice Over

In our introductory course, we are able to teach you a variety of fundamentals about the industry. This five-hour course will teach you common voice over techniques, allow you to record privately in the booth, and you will even receive a private evaluation.

We will also cover the differences between different voice over jobs. By covering the differences between commercials, promos, documentaries, and animations, we are able to help guide you toward the type of voice over work that appeals most to you.

Intermediate Essentials

Unlike our Fundamentals course, our Intermediate Essentials course is only three hours long, but you will gain more insight regarding various voice over topics. This course is also workshop focused, allowing for more active participation.

We also focus on more difficult voice over techniques to help you develop your voice. Vocal classes like this also help develop storytelling abilities. With this, you will be able to bring a story to life using your voice.

Private Lessons

Once you have completed our open enrollment vocal classes in NYC, private lessons may be the next step. In this, you will be set up with a one hour Skype lesson with Michael George, an established voice over actor. This vocal class is meant to further refine your voice over skills and help you take direction on projects from clients.

Workshop Webinars

Here at The Voice Shop, we offer two workshop webinar vocal classes. Our Marketing your Brand and Understanding the Industry course will help you learn how to get your name out there. We can teach you to build a website, and teach you recording session etiquette. We will also touch on union vs non-union voice over jobs and how to market your voice to casting agents and directors.

Our Building and Improving your Home Studio course will help you develop your home studio. We can help you understand the different types of equipment and how to select the right tools for your budget. Additionally, we will show you how to connect to remote parties via ISDN and source connect technologies, as well as other home studio essentials.

The Voice Shop: Vocal Classes NYC

If you are interested in taking any of our vocal classes in NYC, you can sign up on each of the vocal classes pages. Of course, you can also contact our Manhattan studio by calling 212.213.9487 to get started today.

The Fundamentals of Voice Over

Whether you’ve been an aspiring voice actor for years or were recently told how great your voice is, getting started in the voice over industry is often tough work. However, with the proper knowledge and right techniques, you could very well launch a successful career as a voice over talent. While this is all easier said than done, there’s plenty you can do to better your efforts and start landing voice over jobs. Before you do so, you’ll need a strong grasp on the fundamentals of voice over. No need to worry, though, as the experts at the Voice Shop in NYC can push you in the right direction.

Here at the Voice Shop, we offer a number of beneficial classes and workshops to help aspiring voice actors, and even established talent, to help them succeed in the voice over industry. To truly understand the fundamentals of voice over, you should take our class. In the meantime, we’ll gladly fill you in on some useful tips.

Fundamentals of Voice Over: Getting Started

So, you’ve decided to give voice overs a try. Whether you’d like to provide narration or really get in there and voice act, understanding some key fundamentals will go a long way. First, there’re a few things you’ll need to consider, especially if you’re just getting started.

Aside from taking a lot of hard work, getting started in voice over will require money, on both recording equipment and training. Also consider how much time it may take to land your first job, or even get a response. Finding jobs can definitely be a daunting and discouraging process, but with practice and determination, anything is possible. Now, before creating your first demo, you’ll need a few things. Let’s take a look at some key tips for beginners:

• Decide what it is you’d like to do in voice over. Acting and narrating differ in approach and technique.

• Take vocal classes to develop the proper techniques.

• Begin performing in front of your own personal audience.

• Find your natural voice and work with it. A forced voice is easily noticeable, and it won’t be easy to perfect.

• Get the absolute necessities: a mic and recording software.

Recording Your First Demo

Once you get a decent grasp on technique, approach, and recording your voice, it’ll be time to get started on your first demo. You have the option to pay and use a recording studio or, if you’re serious, you can build your own home studio. Whichever you choose, just ensure you’re getting a quality recording and consider the tips provided below:

• Demos really only need to be about 90 seconds or so, consisting of several 10 to 20-second clips of each voice.

• Don’t just talk aimlessly in each voice for your demo; give yourself a script.

• If you’re interested in animation voice over, be sure to avoid using existing characters and voices on TV.

• Put your best work first.

• Keep it clean with smooth cuts and transitions, ensuring there are no significant volume changes.

There’s a lot more to creating your own demo, but you’ll have to check out our classes to get the insider info there.

Think You’ve Got What it Takes? Sign Up for a Class Today!

Of course, there’s much more within the fundamentals of voice over, but you’ll need to take one of our classes to truly understand and acquire what it takes to become a successful voice talent. Fortunately, we offer a variety of classes to not only help you get started, but to continually perfect your voice and succeed in the industry. Whether you’re a beginner or an established talent looking to fine tune your skill, we can help.

Take a look at our classes and contact us today if you have any questions. You can also call us at 212.213.9487.

5 Types of Voice Over Work

Whether you’re a beginner voice actor or you’ve been at it for years, there’s always room to find new work. The many niches found across the voice over industry can no doubt be overwhelming, but it also presents an opportunity to find a variety of interesting work. We wanted to take some time to highlight some of the most interesting and potentially lucrative types of voice over work out there.

The Voice Shop is proud to offer a variety of classes and private lessons for voice over artists. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to the craft or you’re a voice over veteran; we can meet you where you’re at and help you evolve into the next big talent. Before contacting us about our classes and lessons, learn more about the different types of voice over work!

Voice Over Work

There are dozens of niche industries where voice over talent can find jobs. Whether you’re new to voice overs or you’re hoping to expand the scope of your work, it’s up to you to do the research and networking! Here are some of the best voice over markets to find work:

• Narration: Narration makes up a huge portion of voice over work. For many in the voice talent industry, narration voice overs comprise the majority of their work. There is a lot of work out there in the form of recording audiobooks.

• Commercials: Voice over work for commercials is a smaller industry. Estimates show that only around 8 percent of voice over actors find work in commercials. But we’ve added it to the shortlist because of how lucrative the commercial industry can be.

• Announcement: Ever wondered whose voice you’re hearing in airports, stadiums, malls, and other large public spaces? In many cases these recordings are the work of a voice over artist.

• Corporate: The corporate world has plenty of need for voice over work. You have training videos, human resources material, or similar such material that warrant the need for voice over talent.

• Education: There is a seemingly endless need for schools, universities and educational institutions in the form of voice over work. In this realm you can expect your voice over work to cover training and educational videos.

Finding Your Niche

With all the voice over niches out there, there’s plenty of places to find work. As we said above, it’s important that you do plenty of research and networking to find the perfect work to match your voice over style. If you’re worried about finding work on your own, you could always seek out the help of a casting agent, who will have a strong knowledge of the industry, and can help you get on the right track for finding voice over work!

Voice Over Coaching Classes With The Voice Shop

The Voice Over Shop offers classes and private lessons that cater to both new voice over talent and those looking to perfect their craft. To schedule a class or lesson, you can call us at 212-213-9487, or you can contact us here.