Lauren McCullough

Female Voiceover Talent

828-398-4299

LaurenMcCulloughVO@gmail.com

Voiceover Industry

How to Find a good Voiceover Coach

Voiceover Industry

If you had a dollar for every Facebook post in a voiceover group about a coach, you’d be a millionaire before the week was out. From every possible angle, the questions come in a flood: how to find a coach, who’s the right coach, do I need a coach? And much more. Finding the perfect person to guide you into better performances is a challenging task! (Though here’s a tip if you’re in one of those groups, use the search bar first! You’ll make a better impression than if you ask the same question a thousand-literal-other people have.) This guide will help you find the right questions to ask, who and what to listen to, and some red flags to look for. 

Why you need a coach

Voiceover is a very specialized craft. There are many nuances that are different from any other kind of acting. If you’re an actor, think about it like this. Consider the possible tools you can use to convey your message. With on camera acting, you have voice, gesture, face, and movement all to convey your message. With voiceover, you have just one. Your voice. Some of your skills will still crossover, of course. But the emphasis is very different. You’re going to have to exercise “muscles” you haven’t used before. 

If you don’t come from a performance  based background, you’re starting from scratch. While you’re looking for a coach, practice reading aloud. It’s a great first step that will help you get yourself used to speaking at length, and maintaining tone and flow throughout the reading. You probably have great skills for some other part of your voiceover business, but you need training to get “fit” for this type of work. A coach will help you polish your product-your voice-to the best it can possibly be. 

Define your Goals

When the list of coaches is overwhelming, a great place to start is by narrowing your list. Ask yourself questions! What genre of voiceover do you want to pursue? Do you prefer to learn in person, or online? What kind of personality are you looking for? Meet with several coaches to get a feel for the options available. All are different. Need a demo? Better get listening to what your prospects have created. This will give you a feel for industry standards, and an idea who creates a sound you want to represent you. 

Group vs. Solo 

Depending on your personality, either group or solo coaching could seem scarier, but there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to coaching choices. One of the benefits of group coaching is learning from others and building a network, while solo coaching can help your deep dive into your performance. Don’t forget the previous section and make sure that you define what you’re looking for and what they’re offering. If you’re just looking for a general skills polish, a group session may set you straight. If you’re having a harder time booking, or you want to explore a new genre of the business, you’ll probably want to pursue one on one coaching. 

Vet your experts

Unfortunately, Voiceover, like many other industries has its charlatans and its short changers in business. In the digital age, it’s easy to make yourself look and sound very professional without the resources to back it up. Marc Preston has some great ideas of things to check into. Some of these ideas include–check that your prospective coach is actively working and displaying their work. Ask for references for their successful students. A reputable coach should have no problem finding people willing to speak about them to you. Listen carefully to what they promise. People who promise immediate high income and perfection in a short amount of time are waving a big red flag. Building a business takes time, money, and plenty of hard work.

Create a network

Although you’re the ultimate decider on who to go with, friends and colleagues can be a great resource. Using online and when available, in person groups and meetups, can provide a unique perspective on coaches. Your fellow talent will have some of the in person nuances that a coach brings to the table that you might have trouble finding anywhere else. If you find a local group, this can be a specifically valuable outlet on nearby coaches. In medium to small market towns, local coaches can be kind of tricky. I know many voicetalent that have created their own online workout groups from people they have met at events and they also become excellent resources for finding coaches.

Don’t put the brakes on because of price

Money is a challenge for a great many people these days. It’s understandable that you’d want to save your pennies for a career that requires some financial outlay before you can make money. But when it comes to coaching, as Kate McClanaghan says for Backstage, the cheapest option isn’t always the best option. Comparing prices is both needed and good, but make sure you don’t pick the cheapest just because it is. Quality is a far better bar to aim for. It might sound counterintuitive, because in many industries you can start out with low cost things and replace as you improve. But with voiceover, the sound you produce IS your product along with your voice. Poor sound will lead to your name being associated with that, and producers do talk!

Don’t be afraid to make a change

If you’ve gone to 3-4 sessions with a specific coach and you don’t feel quite right about it, stop. Take a little time and evaluate. There’s some great questions to ask yourself here. Some of the list is, are they exposing you to the work of other experts? What do they talk about more, you, or their own experiences? Do they want you to stay current, or are they more interested in how things used to be? Do they make sure you’re having fun and encourage you? Unless you’re seeking coaching for a specific element, do they stress the fact that there’s much more to learn than just what they’re teaching you? (For example, recording, recording space creation, editing, marketing, all the business aspects and so on.) If someone’s not working out for you, don’t be afraid of moving on. 

Whether you’re a raw newbie diving in, or a pro who needs to add some polish, coaching is always a useful tool. Finding the right person for you can be challenging. Take your time, listen to others and do plenty of research, and before you know it you’ll be sitting with someone just perfect for you. Whether you go through a few or many coaches in your voiceover career, some extra attention, time, and care will help you make the best decision possible. 

When to outsource editing as a VO

Business, Voiceover Industry

So the first thing I need to recommend about when to outsource your editing is a mindset change. It’s understandable that when beginning a voiceover business, money can be at a premium. Between classes, equipment, coaching, and marketing, there’s a hefty dollar cost before the money comes flowing in. Any additional expenses can feel dangerous or maybe unneeded. Jobs you get at first may not have ideal rates or client relationships. In fact, there is some benefit early on in your career as a voice actor to editing your own work because it’s a crash course in audio production.

However, at some point, there’s an important fact about what you’re doing that you need to think of. Business takes investment. In order to grow, you need to put money back into your business, and one of the best ways to do that is concentrate the most on what you do the best.

Talk. Your voice is one thing in your business that only you can do. Your voice is the centerpiece of your ability to make money in general. And the more you focus on what you do best, the more of it you can do. Obviously there are limitations with needing breaks to rest your voice, but outsourcing your editing also gives you more time for marketing, invoicing, or any of the other business elements you may need to catch up on. 

As an added bonus, you’ll also have more time for family or personal needs, which is easy to lose in the entrepreneurial mindset. So although it can seem like an unnecessary expense to hire an outside editor or proofer, it’s a worthwhile investment to help make your business more effective and sustainable for you. And cost isn’t the only mindset worry that you need to change–some people enjoy the process of editing and figure that why shouldn’t they just take care of it themselves? As an established talent, this can also hold you back because like it or not, you could have a better or more efficient use of your time. Give yourself the ability to have a greater flexibility in your day. It might be a scary jump to make, but it is worth it to make your business run like a business. You don’t have to-and shouldn’t-wear all the hats yourself.

Here are a few things to consider that will help you decide whether it’s time to outsource your audio. It’s important to make sure that not only are you ready, but that you’re ready to put forward effort on your part to make sure that hiring out not only is but stays effective as a business choice. 

  1. Length of audio. Are you working on shorter or longer audio in general? With shorter pieces (like less than 10 minutes) you may have a better ROI by doing the editing yourself, if you’ve got enough experience to make it work smoothly. It’s not that you can’t outsource shorter work, but by the time you send it out and wait for the audio to come back, you could have probably just had it done yourself. Many people do a good variety of work, and some much longer than that, but your auditions and short pieces are probably worth it to take care of in house. ***Though if you are in the position to hire an in-person assistant, audio editing for short narrations is a great task for them to handle. See number 5 & 6 on this list
  2. Finances ROI/income. I would never advise someone to take bread out of their families’ mouths, but it’s important to think about as you build your business that for some time after you start you may need either savings or a second income to help cover start up costs. Long term, editing will emphatically pay for itself, especially with longer work. Not only does it involve cost savings to focus on what you do best, it also offers benefits in terms of workflow smoothness, and the psychological benefit of having one less thing to worry about. But in the beginning when you’re still paying out more than you bring in, outsourcing may not be a good fit. When you are the sole person responsible for your business it’s easy to fall into an individual mindset, but shifting to a collabrative/team mindset can open up a lot of freedom for you. Lots of people come into voiceover from creative industries, where that kind of thought can be hard to set down for yourself. But it’s a necessary part of being successful, and sustainable. 
  3. Expectations. You should know what you’re looking for in an editor. What kind of turn around do you want? Keep in mind that what you do in your own life is not necessarily how someone else is going to think or operate. It helps to think carefully about your needs, and write them all out so that you can speak clearly about them and make sure that you get what you’re looking for. But also, particularly, if you have an acting or non-techie mindset, it can be a good thing to be willing to listen if your editor has experience that can help you learn what is reasonable from their end of the business. A good editor will be a strong support and aid in your work. 
  4. Friends in the business. One of the best ways to find a good editor is through word of mouth. Experienced talent often have an editor or two as a go to person, especially in the audiobook world. Sometimes end clients do the editing on their own, but even in such cases, talents will often hire a proofer to help make sure their narration is as polished as possible before they turn it in. And when you have a variety of clients, having an editor will help you be ready no matter what end client you’re working with. (Or whether or not they need editing.) 
  5. In person or at a distance. Another good question to ask yourself is whether you’d want to be physically near someone who is working for you. Some people would rather be able to see and talk to their employees face to face, and some don’t mind if the communication is all online. It’s a good idea to figure this out before you start looking so that you don’t end up in a situation you’re uncomfortable with. 
  6. Training. If you’re an experienced talent who knows the ins and outs of audio, sometimes you can get a little bit of a bargain by training someone-a friend, relative, child, or intern-and work with them. That can have upsides and downsides though, since the person doesn’t have your years of experience and getting good with audio takes a lot of time. Hiring a freelance pro means working with someone who already has the experience and knowledge you need-although you should make sure that they have recommendations or experience like you would with any contractor. 

At the end of the day, handing off your long form narration editing can free you up to tackle things in your business that otherwise would be pushed to the wayside. It can be scary to give up control, but prioritizing the things that need your direct attention is an important step in growing, and thriving in your business. Investing in a reliable, skilled editor can do wonders for your career if you give it a chance.

Amplifying Diverse Voices

Voiceover Industry

The business world has gone through some significant shake ups with social movements in the recent past. #MeToo shed light on the way that so many women have been treated. Black Lives Matter has lifted up Black voices and shown how much they are hurt and harmed. The killings of Asian people in connection with COVID-19 related racism. The striving and sacrifice of Native American water protectors fighting to keep their lands clean. Mexican and South American families getting ripped apart in a hideous border policy. All of these movements and many others have intertwined with social media. And being connected with social media means that the companies who interact with those groups are also in the spotlight. 

Here’s the thing. Even if you don’t understand why people are riled up, and what all of these folks mean, diversity is the way of the future. The planet is changing, and mass movements of people are only going to continue as time passes, meaning more diversity and mixture of folks. It can be hard and complex to take a good look at yourself and your company, and the way that you interact with BIPOC employees and outside people. It is uncomfortable to hear, and may make you or others in your organization feel very defensive.But making an effort to foster real, top down change will set you up for success both now and in the future. In addition, you’ll be giving yourself a far wider scope to find truly perfect people for your company. It’s a well documented fact how many organizations avoid ‘ethnic’ names on resumes. You may not even realize that you do it! That’s how sneaky internal biases can be. Or if the company does hire a BIPOC candidate, they’re the only one in the office. Show the kind of values you can be proud of both inside and outside your organization and look for the kind of people you’d overlook before. 

Plus, it’s the right thing to do. 

So what’s the fastest way for a company to jump on the diversity train? Start with inside hires. If you want to hire consultants to help shift things, make sure that whomever is on that team is BIPOC. Too many times there will be a table full of white folks, and 2 people of color. The norm isn’t enough any longer. Yeah, there’s lots to learn, but it’s the difference between keeping an unfair system and making a true difference. 

One of the first things to learn is why being colorblind is wrong. That probably feels strange to read. Most white folks were taught as kids that we should “not see color” and just treat everyone the same. But the reality is when we are ignoring color, we are missing the unique challenges and pains that BIPOC are going through. Justice and good values means that instead of colorblindness-equality, we should strive for equity.  Equity means giving resources to the people who need it so they can have the same opportunities as everyone else. 

Ask the BIPOC folks in your company what their specific needs are, and just accept them. If a Black women doesn’t want questions about her hair, or an Asian woman doesn’t want people mumbling pretend Asian language gibberish at her, those requests are valid and reasonable. There are a hundred examples like the above, some more racist in the way that white folks are used to seeing, some harder for the average person to understand. But all of them are just as real and valid as anyone else’s issue. And just the same, don’t make your BIPOC employees explain racial justice to every white person in the company. Ask who has the space and time for that kind of conversation and then PAY them or another BIPOC teacher to educate your company on diversity and racism in the workplace. For white folks, it’s a topic of hot topic or interest, for a BIPOC person, it’s about their every day life itself. It’s about the harm done to them personally, or to people they know. It’s neither a light or an easy conversation.

It’s not possible for white people to completely understand the BIPOC experience. Sadly, the kind of hurts that those types of actions can cause are things that get dismissed far too often. You don’t have to understand how someone is feeling to accept that they are being hurt–and that is the core of what can help people understand the kinds of changes needed. Company values should be to encourage understanding and cultural exchange, but to accept that regardless, if someone says ‘please don’t do this’, to accept and move on. This is also a conversation that will never truly be over. Race is an extremely complex issue, and the nuances of policy and company life will always need revisions to greater understanding. 

The second major way your company can get on the diversity train is to connect with diverse voices! Social media influencers are of as many backgrounds and perspectives as there are people. Recent social media campaigns like #sharethemicnow have given you an awesome way to start. Turn over your channels to influencers that are BIPOC and allow them to highlight their movement, their work, and they in turn will draw attention to your company simply by being there. It’s likely that you can find an influencer that relates to your company in some way in their project or interests, so you can cultivate that connection. There’s no limit on the kind of partnerships you can create. More well known organizations like the NAACP and many others are out there for you to build bridges with. Make giving a company value-and lead from the executive level, not an employee drive.

The most important thing about these actions, both internal and external in your company, is truth. These days people care about companies doing what they say they will, and displaying their values in action as well as with words. If you make a big statement about making diversity a part of your company, actually make the change. News and information can leak out any time and anywhere, and with how easy it is to be anonymous, you can never stop it. (You’ll look even worse if you try.) Whether it’s internal experiences as an employee, or an external one as a customer, when you don’t take action, people will notice. And the longer it takes for any real action to occur, the more people will notice. That’s the way that reputations are changing as time passes. Make the changes now, and stand up for what’s right, and make it top down truth. 

When you’re looking for organizations to connect your company with, make sure that the leaders are of the population in question. It’s unfortunately not uncommon for organizations to say they are for this or that group, but to have no real connection with the minority in question. Influencer’s aren’t immune to this too, more than one has collected money that didn’t end up where they said they were going to send it. Thankfully, online research is easy, and just like with your company, these people will have backgrounds and information available online also. The following links are some BIPOC organizations that will help you get started making your diverse connections today.

Iconic Voices: Tim Curry

History of Voiceover, Voiceover Industry

“Anticip-”

Tim Curry, born Timothy James Curry, is an icon of stage and screen, and the recording studio. Participating in productions as diverse as Annie and Spamalot, every turn he makes is an indelible memory.

EARLY LIFE

Born in Grappenhall, Cheshire, England, on April 19th 1946. His parents were a school secretary, Patricia, and a Royal Navy Chaplain, James. He also had an elder sister, Judith who was a concert pianist. His parents met in Malta during World War 2 and married in Egypt. Judith was born there, and Tim was conceived in South Africa. He was born in England, but before he was a year old the family had moved to Hong Kong. The Curry family moved like any military family until Tim’s father suffered a stroke. Then they moved to Plymouth, near Tim’s maternal grandfather. The stroke did not still James’ efforts, he received an M.A from Bristol University in 1956. Sadly, after another stroke and a bout of pneumonia, James Curry died in 1958. 

EDUCATION

After his father’s death, Tim attended boarding school. After that, he got a scholarship to attend Kingswood School in Bath, England, where he began to act in plays. He also developed his singing voice. For a while, he went back and forth trying to decide which art he wanted to pursue. He spent a gap year traveling around Europe with a friend, and decided to focus on his acting. Tim chose the University of Birmingham for college. At the time it was one of the only schools in England to offer a drama program. 

Academics weren’t Tim’s passion in school. He went through his classes putting the minimal effort. The majority of his time and passion was spent on stage. He participated in as many extra-curricular productions as he could. A story from those days is that one of Tim’s professors wouldn’t let him sit for a final exam because Tim had been absent so often that the professor didn’t recognize him. 

THEATRE

After college, Tim wanted to break into the theatre scene in London. But he faced the classic college grad problem. And in the unique flavor that actors deal with. In order to be in his first professional show, HAIR, in 1968, Tim needed an Actor’s Equity union card. In order to get the card, you need professional acting credits. And in order to have professional acting credits, you need to have the card. 

Tim decided to fudge his resume. He lied and said he had both an Equity card and professional experience. By the time the producers caught on, they were so impressed with Tim’s talent that they allowed him to stay in the show, and helped sponsor him to get his card. During the run of the show, Tim met Richard O’Brien, who would change his life just a few years later. HAIR palled for Tim quickly, and he managed to get out of his contract. 

He moved on to AFTER HAGGARTY with the Royal Shakespeare company in 1970. After that, the next three years were a mixture of small television roles, various productions in the West End, the Glasgow Civic Repertory company, and the Royal Court Theatre, where stardom waited under the spotlight. 

British great Ian McKellen recalls how Tim would come to his Christmas parties in the early 70’s. Tim was mixing with the London theatre crowd at the time. Ian recalls Tim as “the quiet lad in the corner who was a little hard to understand because he never opened his mouth.” 

ROCKY HORROR

In 1973, Richard O’Brien invited Tim to audition for his experimental musical project, called THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. This production would be produced at The Royal Court Theatre upstairs. Tim’s audition song was Tutti Frutti. Originally, the director had another actor in mind for Frank-N’-Furter, but once Tim auditioned, there was no other choice. 

Rocky Horror was an enormous hit, setting off fireworks in the London theatre scene. The show moved to progressively larger venues, attracting celebrity attention. Mick Jagger and Tennesee Williams were two names interested in the show. After several location changes, the show moved to Los Angeles, where it enjoyed a very successful run at the Roxy. Next, the show moved to Broadway, and for some reason, did not enjoy the same success. It closed after only 45 performances. 

Tim was enormously crushed by Broadway’s reaction to Rocky Horror. He retreated to his apartment, and dealt with his first real failure as an artist. He said about that time, “‘I think that was really one of the most formative things that has ever happened to me. I just went home and took out a bottle of vodka for about a month, actually. I sent out for submarine sandwiches and drank and got hugely patched, and then started work again. And I think once you’ve had a really serious failure, nothing can ever be as bad as that again. So you might as well just go for it, because they can’t make you feel any worse than they did before.”

BEHIND THE MIC

Tim Curry didn’t let his failure keep him down. To detail his career over the next four decades would take a far longer article. He was in numerous plays, television shows, movies, and also moved into voice acting. Interestingly, Tim particularly enjoyed voice acting as it gave him a chance to practice American characters. He is so well known as having a British accent that producers wouldn’t hire him for onscreen American parts, so voiceover gave him the opportunity to stretch his craft in a new direction. His credit list for cartoon voices is just as diverse as the rest of his resume. Tim also worked in video games and audiobook work. One of the biggest markers of Tim’s career has been diversity. He has said about his choice in roles, “I want to establish a wide range and play all kinds of parts. It’s that sort of acting career I really respect. I like to turn a sharp left from whatever I’ve done before because that keeps me awake. That’s why I want to be an actor — I don’t want to play endless variations on one character.”

In addition to his incredible range and talent on stage, screen, and behind the voiceover mic, Tim also was able to produce several solo record albums. His youthful ambition to be a singer was given an open door by the success of Rocky Horror. He was able to work with A&M records and produce three solo albums between 1978 and 1981. Tim didn’t find as much success as a singer as he did as an actor, later saying they couldn’t make a ‘greatest hits’ album for him because there weren’t any. 

VOICEOVER AND RETIREMENT

In more recent years, Tim’s health has begun to decline, and in 2012, he suffered a stroke. The stroke left him using a wheelchair He has remained more out of the public eye since, but credits his sense of humor for helping him get through his recovery. “Maintaining my sense of humor through rehabilitation was absolutely vital but not tough. It’s just part of my DNA.” Tim has attended a few comic conventions, table readings, and premiers as he has slowly recovered. However, voiceover remains a way for him to continue to perform.

Tim’s long career and many iconic roles across all media render him an iconic cultural voice. One can’t help but admire the passion and craft that has driven him to choose such a variety of roles from the silly to the most serious. The world will always be grateful for his contributions to the entertainment field. 

“-pation”

What is audio description?

Voiceover Industry

This not-new-but-growing field is a great one for folks who want to do some good with their voice practice. 

The federal government defines audio description like this: 

“Audio Description. Narration added to the soundtrack to describe important visual details that cannot be understood from the main soundtrack alone. Audio description is a means to inform individuals who are blind or who have low vision about visual content essential for comprehension. Audio description of video provides information about actions, characters, scene changes, on-screen text, and other visual content. Audio description supplements the regular audio track of a program. Audio description is usually added during existing pauses in dialogue. Audio description is also called “video description” and “descriptive narration”.” 

Different from Subtitles

This differs from other types of adaptive services like subtitles, since you need an earpiece or other sort of headset to hear the descriptions that let you know what’s going on. 

There is more than one type of audio description, that which is pre-recorded and synched with the audio of the movie and fit into dialogue pauses, and the kinds that go along with live performances and are voiced as the performance goes on. 

  • For pre recorded media, there is one other type of description, called extended description. This is used with media that does not have frequent pauses, or has heavy visual elements that need a great deal of explanation. With this option, you can pause the action in the movie or show to play out the entire description before going on. Libraries will also sometimes have DVDs with recorded descriptions added to borrow. 
  • Other genres of audio description can be found in self guided museum tours or other visual art exhibits. Non-visually impaired people may enjoy this service also due to alternative processing needs when watching a movie, or other disabilities. 
  • Persons on the autism spectrum can use audio description to help understand interpersonal or emotional cues with the pairing of visual and auditory description. This helps them understand challenging areas with increased clarity. 
  • Children developing language can also benefit, since it improves their association with words and visual objects or events onscreen. 

Audio for Visually Impaired

Creating additional audio for blind people has an interesting history. 

There are a few early incidents of movie theaters doing special showings for blind people with live description as part of the program, but this was few and far between as technology continued to advance. Early media formats hindered the development of the service, since analog signals could only transmit one audio channel at a time. The American Council of the Blind includes some history of audio description, sharing “Credit for the “invention” of audio description in 1981 generally goes to the late Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl and her late husband Cody, although in independent efforts a man named Chet Avery proposed the concept in the late 60s, and Gregory Frazier worked on the idea on the 1970s. 

In 1990, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded Margaret an Emmy for her “leadership and persistence in the development of television for the visually impaired.”  In 2009, Margaret received the Excellence in Accessibility Leadership Award at the LEAD Conference at the Kennedy Center for her lifetime commitment and enduring advocacy on behalf of audio description and other forms of information access for the visually impaired community.  Over the years, the Pfanstiehls personally trained hundreds of audio describers around the world.  Since then, many of those trained describers have gone on to train other audio describers.

Accessibility

Disability advocacy has increased the type of assistive services available across the US, with many media producers making more efforts to include disabled folks in their creation but we still have a long way to go. 

The government has moved back and forth on whether or not television stations have been required to provide audio description services. In 2002, it was ruled that the FCC did not have the authority to require stations to provide audio description. Then, in 2010, it was ruled again that the descriptions were within the FCC’s authority to require. Unfortunately, the FCC’s requirements for major stations to provide audio description does not cover all stations and all programming, so you may not be able to utilize this service for certain programming.

Increased Popularity

Over the decades, audio description has become more and more popular as visually impaired people want to consume more television, but in the past they had to rely on friends or family members for description duties. In 1985, WGBH in Boston started providing audio description services for PBS programming due to this. After running tests and reviewing studies, they created an organization called Descriptive Video Services to match up with PBS programming. 

As time passed, DVS programming has continued to expand, going beyond PBS services. Not all stations offer it, as the FCC’s requirements only apply to the major network stations and not to smaller stations or syndicated programming. Many stations choose to run a Spanish dubbing track rather than one for the visually impaired. Some of the streaming services are moving forward with offering audio description, but none of them do as of early 2021. There are now also many other companies, both for and non-profit that provide this service to interested media creators. 

Opportunities for Voiceover Beginners and Seasoned Pros

Audio description is a great way for beginning voice talent to offer their services on a volunteer basis with non-profit companies while you learn your craft. 

Veteran talent can also pursue paid projects through companies like Netflix that are utilizing audio description to make their content more accessible to a their audience.

There are a great many companies that provide this kind of services for media creators. Anyone interested can look on this page at the American Council of the Blind with Training or Education resources. There is also a great deal of information on organizations that offer audio description services, and you can look on this page to find out more information. Some of them will offer training or testing programs to get started. This is a type of service that will never run out of need, since not only are there constantly new shows and movies to describe, there are also oceans of older media that needs a run down. Once you are familiar with the voicing process for this type of work, you can also get your name on the list of voiceover rosters that have experience in that area on the ACB’s website.

VO Advice: Finding the right equipment

Voiceover Industry

A thousand and one times in any given week in any voiceover group online, you’ll see one type of question from newbies worldwide. 

  • What kind of mic do I need? 
  • How do I set up my studio? 
  • What kind of equipment should I have? 

The equipment side of voiceover can seem really intimidating to the newbie, and it’s importance makes it an area you don’t want to make mistakes in. 

Why?

Your sound, your voice, are your product. Going cheap here means that people who hire you are not getting the best available product, and they’re going to notice and remember it if it’s not up to snuff. That will lead to it being harder for you to both get and keep work. And the more you invest in the “wrong” way the more you’ll have to do to make up for it, and to get new work for yourself. 

So how do you find the right equipment? 

Well, the first thing you want to do is get a sense of your budget. How much do you have available to spend? The second thing you want to consider is your timeline. How soon do you need to be ready to go? The shorter the timeline and the smaller the budget the more difficult it is to make things work, of course. 

If you’re trying to get started in voiceover quickly and cheaply, you probably want to find another industry. It’s a great way to make a living, but a poor one to make a living quickly. A good analogy would be to think if yourself as a farmer for business, instead of a hunter. 

Voiceover requires developing relationships and trust between you and your clients, and also that requires significant time and financial investment in order to make a good start that you are able to maintain. Newbies can run in the red for some time before they’re able to start showing a real profit. This is why it’s more like farming, because you are planting contacts and doing marketing slowly over time, nurturing your business, and then having many sources of income once they and the metaphor grows.

Consider your Space

The next major question, before you spend a penny is to consider your space. This is the foundation of everything you’re building. The first thing you want to look at is the size of the space. The bigger it is the more challenging getting everything ready will be. Sound bounces, and a larger space will be far more difficult to avoid “bouncing” and sounding bad. 

Many people start out their working life in a closet full of clothes or blankets hung to create a “dead” space. This isn’t ideal, and won’t do anything for outside noises, but is a workable place to start. Others have purchased PVC piping and moving blankets to make a small box to record in. As mentioned earlier, this will help you keep your voice sounding acceptable, but you will have to either time your recordings or purchase software to remove outside noises. (Lawn mowers, leaf blowers, trucks, cars, airplanes, air conditioners, and much, much more.) 

No matter what space you choose, there are two more key things to consider. One, is what that space adjoins. If it’s a closet next to a busy traffic space in your home, you may want to look elsewhere for your space. That traffic will bleed through the wall. The second is ventilation. It’s unlikely that you would come to any harm, but you will be putting yourself in a small stuffy box for what can be hours at a time. It’s important to make sure that you have some way to cool off and get a breath of fresh air periodically. 

Type of Equipment

Microphone

  • The centerpiece. First of all, no matter what any budget voiceover guides tell you, a USB mic is not ideal. The sound is in general not good enough for voiceover work. With a mic, you also need a stand, shock mount (the thing that keeps vibrations from transferring to the mic) and pop filter to keep your spit out of it. A little googling will show you countless mic comparisons from the top end to the bare minimum. Different mics fit with different voices, genre of voiceover, and the way your space is set up. 
  • If you’re unable to get a good sound treated space put together, a shotgun mic may help you out. This type of mic is designed to only record whatever it’s pointed at (i.e. your mouth), and thus avoids some of the ambient noise that may be picked up in a mic with a larger pickup area. This article from Backstage has some good budget options that won’t break your bank when you’re getting started. 

Cables

  • Thankfully these are one of your simplest purchases. XLR cables will work–although be careful how you lay them out. Cables laying over one another can cause a buzz in your recording that is difficult to remove. Also, cables can eventually “go bad” and need to be replaced, so if you’ve got a clean layout and noise or problems still exist, you may want to consider swapping them out. 

Interface 

  • This is another area where you can ask 100 talents what interfaces they use and get 100 opinions on what the right one is. There are a few more common interfaces that are popular like the Scarlet 2i2, but when you’re choosing this piece of equipment, in addition to the budget questions I mentioned above, you also want to consider your level of technology understanding. 
  • If you’re not all that familiar with audio equipment, don’t buy the fanciest thing on the market. If you don’t have tons of equipment that needs a million plugs, you don’t need something that has that. (And make sure whatever kind of connections it has are the same ones that are on your computer. This article by Gravy for the Brain highlights some of the most popular choices and includes audio files for comparison. 

Computer

  • No matter where you are or how you are recording, you will need some sort of computer to work with. The key elements that you want to look for here are noise–does this computer come with a big honking fan? Not a good idea to have in the booth with you, because your mic will pick it up.
  • It is possible to use an iPad or other type of tablet in the booth to carry your script and keep your computer outside your recording area, but this is some additional work/cost to set up. 
  • The next consideration you need is a good amount of ram. You want at least 4 GB of ram, and preferably 8 to make sure that you can move around sizeable files and save them often. A better processor and a good sized storage drive are also good investments. Many talent choose to save their work, since if a client comes back to you needing a minor revision, you are then able to find references and add to them, rather than re-recording.
  • Better yet, buy an EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE to store your recordings on so your computer processor doesn’t get slowed down.

DAW

  • This is short for Digital Audio Workstation, and it’s the name for the software you use to record into, and generally edit on. There are quite a few types of software available, and you will find people who are die hard fans of this or that kind. 
  • Audacity is one that many people start with since it is free and has some good basic tools. (Avoid garage band if you buy an Apple computer, it is not good software for voiceover though you can make any software work if you really want to)
  • A simple and affordable option for Mac as an alternative to Garageband is TwistedWave.
  • Other options out there include Quebase, Reaper, and ProTools
  • There is a pretty hefty learning curve with most types of software, so watching some videos and spending some time learning the ins and outs of your DAW will help you have a quicker and more efficient workflow.

At the end of the day it all comes down to what suits your needs best. Thankfully there are lots of FREE RESOURCES out there that can help you make your selection process easier. Break a lip!