[VO MegaThread] So...You Want To Be A Voice Actor

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The Joe Man: Apr 7, 2007; Flirting With Apathetic Waitresses Since 1984

"Hey, my mom says I have a great voice and should seriously think about getting into radio or voice acting! Hrmmmm..."

"I do a pretty great Paul Hogan impersonation, and chicks LOVE guys who can make funny voices. HRMMmmmm..."

"Oh man, I'd love to work on my own schedule, laze about in my pajamas, microphone in one hand and dilz in the other. I've also heard that voice actors make a lot of money...HRMMMMMMM!!!!!!!"

Does this sound like you? Do you have the desire to live fast & hard, play by your own rules and make an ungodly amount of money by merely uttering a few words into a phallic metal tube?

THEN DO NOT GET INTO VOICE ACTING!!!!!

Even though there are folks who make a significant income doing voice work for commercials, cartoons, movies, audiobooks, instructionals, phone systems, games, etc...they are few and far between. Not only that, but the majority aren't landing jobs because of an amazing voice or professional training, but because they're famous for something else. Oh, and even though voiceovers should've naturally moved to 100% digital distribution by now, I'd say a good 65% of all open gigs are based in/require you to live in Los Angeles, CA. These things will never change.

HOWEVER...there is a market for dedicated people that can provide quality voice work for a reasonable price. You're still competing with hundreds, sometimes thousands of other people, but if you're actually talented, your chances of landing a paying job rise substantially.

The purpose of this thread is threefold:

1. To answer any questions you may have about the business, and add notable/informational posts to the OP for quick and convenient reference. Also to provide leads, job-boards, and potential work for anyone currently looking. It's here that I request the knowledge/wisdom/personal experiences of other goons who've done work in the field, and hope to add their advice to the OP as well.

2. To provide an outlet for you to practice your oratory skills, and if willing, to receive detailed and sometimes critical advice on improvement techniques. Again, I'm almost positive that other experienced forum members will also be willing to help develop your voice.

3. To allow any goon to "post a job" in this thread, whether you're willing to pay $0 to insert number here. If you need or want something recorded, post it! Even if it's just for fun and you aren't willing to pay anyone, I'm sure that you will have plenty of submissions to choose from. It goes without saying though that the higher you value your script at, the higher volume/quality your submissions will be.

:words:

"Okay, so I got a mic and I think it's working. What do I use to record it?"

I was born and raised on Adobe Audition, but if you're looking for a free alternative that'll get the job done, I suggest Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

After saving your recording as an .mp3, you can then upload to Tindeck for mass consumption: http://tindeck.com/

MICROPHONES
Blue Yeti (USB wired): http://www.bluemic.com/yeti/
This is what I use, and I love it. Very clean sound and easy to calibrate. If you don't have a mixing/sound board, this is probably the best quality microphone you can buy for vocals. However, I would not recommend it for any musical/studio recording. The new Blue Yeti Pro also has an XLR input but I haven't tried it. I'm sure it's good, but if you're going with XLR, then you might as well buy...

Shure SM58 (XLR wired): http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/sm/sm58-vocal-microphone
This is also a wonderful mic, and an excellent option if you have a mixing/sound board. I've used this microphone extensively in a radio station and it gives a very clean recording. Durable as hell, too. Apparently they've come out with an XLR-USB adaptor, but I don't have any experience with it so I can't comment. Might be something to look into.

JOBS
Craigslist: http://www.craigslist.org/
Haha, no, I'm not kidding. You can find the rare job on Craigslist, but I would try browsing for jobs in larger areas that you might not be local to and convincing them that you can record from home, email the file, and save them money on a studio rental fee. Just make sure to watermark your work if it's for an unknown company or they'll probably just use it and not pay you.

oDesk: https://www.odesk.com/
Freelance contract site with a surprising amount of voiceover & audio engineering jobs posted. You set your own hourly price or accept the employer's flat payout. Completely free to talent (unless something's changed recently). I've never landed a job with them, but they seem legit.

Voices.com: http://www.voices.com/
A complete scam as far as I'm concerned, but others have claimed success with them. Last I checked, it cost $30/mo for talent. Large competition pool, and zero accountability on the employer. On over 30 submitted open jobs, I watched as each posting expired and the employer "never picked anyone." What actually happened is that someone out of the 200 people that submitted never watermarked their work, the employer thought it was good enough to steal/use, then let the posting expire without paying anyone. I sent several emails to the company regarding necessary employer accountability policy changes and why I was cancelling my membership (after like 2 months), but the only thing I received back was a form letter advertising a "special reduced price!" Not worth the money, but maybe your results will vary.

InfoList: http://www.infolist.com/
A national casting list that mostly advertises auditions for reality shows, and then at that, mostly requires you to live in Southern CA. However, I have seen a few voice jobs come through here. They're high-buck jobs, but rare, and they send out a ton of emails. Up to you if it's worth your inbox space or not.

Local Acting Lists: http://www.????????.com/
Check around! See if there's any local casting companies in your area that have mailing lists for casting calls/auditions, and sign up! The Twin Cities area is really incestuous for actors and extras, but I've landed a few neat things through a local mailing list. In a larger area (New York, Chicago, LA, etc...), your chances will be much better than someone in a smaller metro. Sign up for multiple lists if you can!

Voice123: http://voice123.com/
King Lou posted: "Voice123 is similar to Voices.com but has smaller average payout. It costs about the same as Voices.com. I had both for a year and never booked a job on Voices.com. I did book quite a bit of work on Voice123 and more than made my money back but YMMV. One thing I will say about voices.com is that they actually do provide some good advice and blogs about the biz. I've sat through several of their webinars. Some of the advice is lame but some is worthwhile. One thing I prefer over V123 for is that you can be alerted to when someone has listened to your demo and when if they decide to rank you, where you sit in the running. That way you aren't left wondering if anyone ever listened. Of course then it's frustrating when you get listed 1st and they never decide but that's the nature of the ad world. Last fall I did a bunch of spec reads for Ronzoni and was highly confident the ad agency was going to pick me and it appears the job just dropped off the face of the earth. Hooray!"

VOX Talent (Canada Only): http://www.voxtalent.com/
Toriori posted: "My mom has been a radio personality for 15 years, but she's also done voice overs for big companies such as Canadian Tire, Blackberry and more. She goes through VOX, which is for Canadians."

GOON ADVICE

robodex posted:

You can warm up all you want, but really reading out loud is one of the best things you can do. When I was in school it was the #1 thing they told us to do--just read out loud every single night. Focus on enunciation, not slurring words, not stuttering and being able to read clearly and emotively no matter what you're reading.

Seriously, no matter what awesome funny voices you can do, nobody's going to hire you if you can't read from a script. Even if you're already good at reading out loud, keep doing it.

Also, Voice Acting isn't just people able to do silly voices really well. There's a huge demand for natural-sounding voices--just think, how often do you hear a funny voice on the radio? On a TV commercial? In narration? Unless you're expecting to pidgeonhole yourself into doing exclusively anime, cartoons and video games, practice using your natural voice over all else. You're doing yourself much more of a service practising using your normal voice than using a funny voice since A) if you're serious about voicework, you'll probably get more and B) it helps your speaking overall if you can enunciate/read well with your natural voice.

Dr. Bit posted:

The SM58 is a good mic because you don't need a good room. It's not super-sensitive, so it's not going to pick up all the reverb that's bouncing around the literal box of an apartment that you live in. The nicer the mic (like a good condenser mic), the more room detail it's going to get. I noticed this problem with some podcast DJ stuff a friend of mine was doing. She was using an excellent mic, and all the boxy room noise came through brilliantly. I told her to switch to the cheap dynamic Shure mic she had, and it sounded a lot better.

A good condenser mic will pic up a lot of harmonic detail (it can respond quickly to sharp attacks, is very sensitive, etc.), and is nice for use on musical instruments, to record sounds that are further away, or to faithfully capture the quality of a sound. One drawback is that they can result in a harsher sound (because they respond to sound quickly). They're also generally more expensive, sometimes a hell of a lot more. Lastly, condenser mics transfer sound into electric signals through fluctuations created in an electric field between two plates. This electric field needs to be created with electricity. This means a power supply of some sort is needed, and that's what phantom power is. It's electricity that runs along your microphone cable and powers your mic from whatever source it's plugged into so you don't need a dedicated power supply or battery.

A dynamic mic has the benefits of being cheaper, less sensitive, more durable, and sometimes more colored in tone (use the right mic for the right job, and that color is a good thing. The SM58 is designed for voice). It's the type of mic you want to use for doing announcer poo poo in your bedroom, for sure.

A ribbon mic is what the old announcers used. They're super loving expensive (generally) and break really really easily (one wrong "p" sound without proper pop filter protection and it's goodbye $1000 microphone, and don't ever plug it into something with phantom power on. Or better yet don't plug it into something that even has phantom power capability). They also respond very slowly to sounds (the sound has to move this relatively massive metal strip back and forth). This slow response smooths attacks, creating a rounder sound. They are generally warmer in tone, which announcers like.

Wow this is a longer post than I intended. So I'm just going to continue with the wall of text and go to microphone preamps.

You know that really nice "professional sound" you're having a super hard time getting, even with your expensive microphone? You need a nice mic preamp. If you're absolutely 100% serious about recording, spend the money and get one. And by nice, it shouldn't cost less than $500. I know that sounds snobby, but it just isn't worth it to spend $200 on an "entry level" preamp. The difference in sound quality is huge. You might as well just use the preamps that are built into your mixer or audio-to-digital converter; and there's honestly nothing wrong with that - be creative with the poo poo you have. But if you're really loving serious, as in professional-level serious (and talented, nice equipment's not going to make you a better musician or speaker or whatever), get something that's a real professional tool.

I only bring this up because I know there are a lot of creative types who post on these forums. I think a lot of DIY musicians and other people aren't aware that this is the missing link in making a good recording. I know some very serious creative people who have gotten very frustrated because they think they have all the right tools, and yet they can't get a professional, full sound in their recordings. When they finally get a nice mic preamp, they're very happy. You can have the best mic in the world, and if it runs into a lovely mic preamp, then it's not going to sound good. You can have a cheap crappy mic, and with a great preamp get a great sound out of it (or at least a sound that's going to be useful in some situation).

I would go with the Grace Designs m101 or a nice tube preamp like a Universal Audio SOLO/610. The 610 would work really well for announcing, and add a lot of warmth. The Grace Designs is a good all-around preamp that doesn't break the bank. Just look at other preamps around that price point, and you'll find something that'll be great quality and last you forever.

Oh, and get a nice pop filter if you want to do anything with speech. They only cost a couple bucks.

JossiRossi posted:

When you are trying to edit or fix audio remember that there is no magic "make x stop" function. I highly recommend you learn what the tools you are attempting to use actually do.

Gating: Gating is a tool that "opens/closes" your audio. You can do full gating where when open the sound flows through fine and when closed no sound exists at all. Removing fan noise with gating is not removing fan noise, it is just lowering the volume to nothing once the overall volume reaches a set level. You can also do partial gating which just lowers the volume further upon reaching a particular level, but not fully removing it.

Compressing: Compressing can do a lot of things depending on how it is used. You have several variables with compressing and frankly I still struggle with keeping my head wrapped around it. The basics are that you are setting a thresh hold, for instance -20 dB FS (deci-Bells Full Scale, which runs from 0 to -infinity). When the volume increases above -20 dB the compressor kicks in. It will attenuate the volume based on a set ratio. 1:3 is a common starting place, 1:10 is hitting it pretty hard. So all sound's above -20 dB will be essentially cut down to one third. This allows you to raise the overall volume up to a higher level.

Compressors are used to make subtle sound qualities become audible. Normally in your voice only the loudest parts are heard. Here you can make the louder parts quieter, and the quiet parts louder all focused around that thresh hold. So when you compress you level out the louder parts and bring everything else up to compensate for the lost dBs.

Equalizers: You didn't mention them but they are valuable as well. Let's say you hear a high pitched whine wither from poor equipment, or room noise, or any number of reasons and want to remove it. If you can analyze the audio to see the frequency patterns or can use a Real Time plugin (which I don't believe audacity has unfortunately) you can attempt to find the offending noise. If you get a graphic visualization of the frequencies it'd be on the high end and probably not much else around it. Take not of this frequency.

You then open of the equalizer. There are two kinds. Graphic EQ and Linear EQ. Graphic EQ is typically used in physical equipment and it's inclusion into the digital age is a bit anachronistic but to each their own. Linear EQ will present you with a straight line. In Audacity you can then effect this line by adding new points to the line. DO NOT GO CRAZY WITH YOUR EQ. It's an easy way to gently caress things up. Only use it if you know what you want to accomplish. Don't go in and say "I want to make my voice BIG" and then start drawing all over.

In the example given you'd go in and make a new point on the line right before and right after the high pitched whiney noise. Then on the whiney noise you draw and drag a new point down lowering the volume at that section. This is hyper simplified and the actual complexities of hoe Equalizers work is well beyond my ability to explain, but for basic purposes you are now cutting that particular frequency range out. Try not to remove it entirely. It is always best to cut as lightly and as little as you can manage as it will have unexpected and really negative effects if you cut too much or too wide a range. But feel free to experiment. You can take a look at Audacity's built in examples and hear how it changes things to get an initial feel for how it works.

Why did I just talk about EQ so much? You wanted to remove fan noise. Fan's often put out low end noise over a very broad frequency range. As such removing the fan noise with EQ will most likely remove the same frequencies as your vocal range.

Signal Flow: This is not so much a tool as a mental map of what you are doing. It typically goes like this.

Source -> Microphone -> Pre-Amp -> Tape (recording) -> Monitors (speakers) or Headphones

Knowing how each of these steps affects your recording is vital. The source includes your voice in this case, but also the room you are in. As you emit sounds they bounce around the room and echo. I once has a room where if I snapped my fingers I could hear the sound bouncing for a full 5 or more seconds. Needless to say my mic picked those resounding frequencies up. Rooms also respond to particular frequencies. You know how a guitar is hollow to allow sounds to build up and be reflected back out increasing volume and giving the guitar certain sound properties? Your room works the same way. Your source is also fans, street noise, ect.

The Microphone will have certain pickup patterns and frequency ranges. Your manual will state this information and should give you some graphs as well. Read this. In fact read the whole manual. I'm a tried and true "no manual" guy, but gently caress if I don't try to memorize my microphone info. The mic will affect a lot of things and knowing the pickup pattern will help a lot. Many mics pick up sound from in front of and directly behind the mic very well, so placing the mic close to a wall is a bad idea as it will pick up vocal reflections.

Pre Amplifiers are what bring the signal power up to usable levels. It takes your existing signal and amplifies it. Pretty simple. Except they hate you. A poor pre-amp will introduce noise and static, or will also amplify actual interference. I have some good equipment that is very finicky to use thanks to noisy pre-amps. There's also something about microphone impedance and pre-amps but I'm not smart enough on that one to be honest.

Finally recording, some similar issues to pre-amps, but in our case it's all digital. Ah, almost forgot. Here's where we go from analog to digital. An Analog to Digital converter is needed, this is typically unseen, but happens and should be considered. This is where Hz comes in. This is your sampling time. 48K Hz. 48 thousand times a second your nice and neat sound "waves" (they actually wave up and down, like on an oscilloscope. That's what is pouring out of your mic and pre-amp) your nice analog electrical waves are slashed up 48 thousand times a second and then looked at. Technically you no longer have a wave but many points of varying electrical strength. Also for note 48k Hz is typically for TV and Movies. It is when it will be integrated to video. 44.1K Hz is for music.

Then finally speakers/headphones. The output will be colored by your equipments ability to replicate the signal being sent. If your signal was Analog your speakers basically move in and out smoothly following the waves of your captured sound. When a sound is loud and fast your speakers move in and out really far very quickly. Quiet and low, the drums of the speakers move in and out a little bit and comparatively slowly. This will agitate and force the air to move as it would if the sound was being created by the actual source i.e. your voice. We don't have waves after A to D conversion though. We have a series of sustained force at 48 thousand times a second. So the speaker will bump out to it's location and hold until the next sample and then jump to the new level. This happens so fast though we have absolutely no idea. The human mind can not perceive individual acts at 48k a second, so we perceive it as a flowing sound.

NOW! You are thinking about flow. Good.

Effect flow is equally important. You need to combine all of this. What does the tool ACTUALLY do. How will that effect what my next tool does?

In your case you compressed a sound, thus making the overall recording louder. Most all of it. Then you attempted to Gate. Gating works best when there are clear differences in the levels of sounds. You destroyed that with the compressor.

If you Gate first, you remove (or lessen) intermittent fan noise, but then later compressing can bring this right back unless you make sure it is set not to.

I personally EQ once to remove bad sounds. Such as a low rumbling or high pitched whine. This cleans the recording slightly for the next tools. I would then use the Gate to close when the levels drop below my speaking voice. This means that ideally when you Compress, you are only raising the overall volume of the spoken parts. Then if you feel the need to alter your voice(and please for the love of god don't) try to boost some frequencies with a final EQ pass. But seriously, just don't.

FINALLY

Tools, no matter how good, intuitive, or stupid proof will never, ever replace the most valuable thing a vocal artist or recording engineer can have and that is an acoustically clean work space.

Leofish posted:

It's a combination of mic placement, controlled breathing and practice. A good mic or a good pop filter can help diminish that kind of stuff, but good habits are an important thing to develop.

Another good tip for people is to wear headphones as you're recording. It takes some getting used to hearing yourself as you're speaking in a new way, but you can detect problems as they're happening and adjust accordingling. A good test is to read something with a lot of P's in it, like Peter Piper, to get an idea of how much you pop.

I think Joe alluded to this as well, getting a good read from a cold script is really hard. Read it over a few times before even sitting down (or ideally standing) to record. If you can print it on a piece of paper, this gives you a chance to mark your copy. Underline or circle areas you want to focus on, like places to attack or emphasize, that sort of thing.

Camo Guitar posted:

I reckon a few people on this thread with confidence and strong voices should start investigating...MC work!

If you don't have a fear of public speaking, have a friendly outgoing nature and you can ad lib (ie bullshit) then you're well on your way. You don't have to be an expert on what you're hosting but more of a plan of how you're going to do it.

You might have to do a couple of free gigs/friends weddings to build up practise/ a reputation but you'll find there's plenty of events in charity/sport/everything that need someone who can talk credibly. They don't pay the MC to steal the show (unless you're a stand up comedian) but to ensure the night runs smoothly, make the guests look great and make the audience enjoy themselves.

In the last month I've done a couple of easy MC jobs on weekends, one at a football club I don't follow (I follow their rival team) and a netball festival were I was paid to introduce players to the court (what do I know about netball? Nothing. But I can introduce people, do half time announcements and just keep the show going.) I've got two more weddings on the horizon and an event down at the casino in October.

It's time consuming and some of the events have a supreme lack of organisation but the money's good (I average anywhere from $50-$100 per hour depending on the size of the event) and a great trick to find extra work is to make friends with another busy mc - both of my recent jobs were referred to me because the first guy was booked out.

So goons if you're struggling to find recorded voicework, keep on the lookout for the live version

blinkeve1826 posted:

For those of you just starting out and looking for things to put on a resume, look around you--there are opportunities for you EVERYWHERE. I'm a bit envious of those starting out, actually, because that first step is deceivingly easy BECAUSE of the wealth of opportunities around you. Does your job need a new voicemail greeting? Offer to record it in exchange for a positive testimonial on your website. Does your Aunt Bertha need to deliver a Powerpoint presentation next Thursday? Offer to provide narration for it for credit at the end, and to keep you in mind for future projects. Turn to family, friends, and work for potential opportunities to get your voice out there. If nothing else, it's great practice, and these little opportunities can--and DO--often turn into paid ones! I was at my boyfriend's house a few months ago, and his mother was stressing out over a script she had to write for the head of her company to read on camera for a training video or something. Just to be goofy, I read it out loud, clearly over-enthusiastically, so she'd get an idea of how it could sound out loud, but again, just for fun. The next day, my boyfriend calls and tells me his mother told the head of the company how good I sounded reading it, and he decided he wanted me to read it instead--along with the company's voicemail message. Just from reading something out loud, I was offered not one, but TWO voiceover gigs. Get your voice out there, and read for anyone who will listen! You never know when it will happen for you!

JossiRossi posted:

Amateur Auditions
In my experience these are some pretty important things to keep in mind when you are participating in an audition process. I have zero experience with professional auditioning so perhaps someone can give some more specific advice pertaining to that, but I imagine there will be at least some crossover. I've managed to land a few "for fun" roles, but I'm not some Auditioning God either. However, when I sit down and do the work as I should I will more often than not get at least some recognition for a good audition (not canned responses fortunately. At least I think... I hope anyway), being in the running, or the role itself. It might just be really nice Listeners though. Additionally, having casted a few things, this is what I personally look for in an Audition.

Know Your Strengths/Weaknesses
There is a time and a place to stretch your ability, skill, and comfort zone. During an audition recording is not the best circumstance. Being uncomfortable with an accent, shooting for a voice too deep or too high, or performing outside of your ability will almost always come through in your audition. Casters can hear when someone is not confident with the script or lines, when someone stumbles over how to accent a particular line, or when you stretch into an emotion you've not practiced. You'll want to iron all these problems out with practice, or at least some development before you record. Many problems can be solved with reading the content a few times, saying them aloud, and just general practice. For bigger things such as entire accents, unless your accent is ready for showtime, I'd avoid using them. Nothing bothers me more than a bad accent.

Always Try
Despite the above, ALWAYS try. Even if you don't send the audition, it is worth the experience of creating the audition. What someone asks for may be something you never thought of trying. So, it can expand the ways you stretch your limits. It is important to keep in mind though that if the Audition sucks, don't send it. A horrible recording in your hands is a fantastic tool to improve. A horrible recording in a caster's hands may tarnish your reputation and make it harder the next time around if they are a repeat caster. So, if you find a role you want to try for, give it a go, and then assess it objectively later.

Know Your Audience
Keep in mind just what your voice will be used for. If a particular production team has previous or ongoing works, give them a listen for a benchmark. Context will change your performance a lot. Voicing for a cartoon, video game, or audio play will have differences in how you should treat the audition. Even within those examples there is a massive variety. As a result it is often touch and go with what you may want to strive for. Some games have decidedly cartooney acting, others have very serious and dark work. An Audio Play may like a really close and present voice, a cartoon may want something less intimate and more ready to be dropped into a location, a video game would be more of a neutral ground if it involves information to be presented. I'm coming up a bit blank on really good tips for this other than research as best you can what the casters will be listening for. Don't, for example, send a really goofy light hearted voice if you are auditioning for a game staring Space Marines.

Variance of Performance
When you audition, you may be afforded the oppourtunity to provide more than one take per line. If it is unstated, ask first. I've not run into a situation where I was not allowed to send more than one take per line, but do not assume anything. I find that 3 takes per line is ideal. When utilized to it's fullest this will allow you to achieve a few things. First, the most basic, is if a caster dislikes your initial take on a voice, they have 2 more versions to taste. Second, is you can show that you have a performance range the audition lines may not normally convey. If you have to read a very angry set of lines, having some lines be gentler than others will let the caster at least know you are capable of it. I wouldn't force lines into an out of context emotion, but if a line's instruction is simply "anger" well that can be taken in many ways. One seething contempt, one screaming outburst, and a final take of pissed off covers an appropriate range. Let's the caster know you have that range, and that you can take a basic line and give it several different lives. I do want to stress, again though to try not and over do it.

Keep It Clean
When I ask for auditions I don't want to know what music or ambient noise an actor feels is appropriate to the recording. Just your voice is all that's needed. Don't try to get fancy. It's the equivalent of Tobias sending headshots with pounds of glitter in the envelopes.

Final Product Quality
Send an Audition that is as good a quality as what you plan to send if you get the part. Don't take shortcuts in your signal chain. Don't skip a pass to remove clicks or pops. Before you save your files, listen to the whole Audition from beginning to end. If ANYTHING stands out to you, it WILL stand out to the caster. Even if you need to scrap an entire recording, do so. Technical problems in an Audition will signify to a caster that those problems (even if solvable) may exist in what they receive later. Breathing, rumbles, car noise, computer noise, sybillance (sssss noises), pops, clicks, chair squeaks, processing artifacts, that sound you can pick up if your cell phone is sending signal, ANYTHING. If it is not your voice and performance, get rid of it. If you don't take the Audition seriously, the caster can not just assume you'll start taking things seriously if you are given a part.

Follow Directions
THIS. IS. THE. MOST. IMPORTANT. RULE.

There will almost always be a submission procedure when you audition. This procedure may be as simple as:
E-mail auditions to blahblah@email.com

Or you may be given a list such as this:
Auditions must be in .mp3 format.
Please .zip up your files and e-mail them to blahblah@email.com

Or if you have an anal bastard like me:
Record your files as 44.1khz
Save files as .ogg
Name your file "Role_Show_FirstinitialLastname"
Example: Jack_DistantStars_JRossi.ogg
Compress your files
Title your email "James is the best, and I want to Audition for _Role_"
In the body of your email please provide details about your recording setup
Send Email to blahblah@email.com

I have in the past known people who add little caveats to their rules just to see if people are actually paying attention.

This is your first impression. Before your voice is even heard, it will already be apparent if you are capable of following basic instructions. When you are assembling a 500 line audio play, it is vital that your cast can follow guidelines. If all 30 cast members send their audio in different formats, with different naming conventions, it will be a nightmare to assemble the project. All it takes if a few minutes to read and double check that you have followed all the given submission instructions properly. While following directions will not get you a role on it's own, failing to follow directions can absolutely disqualify you from a role on it's own. Particularly in amateur projects you can get a lot of flakes. A lot of trust is given by casting someone to a role. You need to trust that they will send in lines when you need them, and in the proper method. Being incapable, or unwilling to follow provided directions is essentially the worst way to start building that trust.

I think that's a pretty decent summary. A lot will come down to practice as with so many things. There are plenty of rejections in our futures as we Audition, but each one is a chance to identify how we can do better next time.

RebBrownies posted:

I didn't really see anything about conflicts in the OP so I thought I'd share something I learned recently.
As everyone here knows when you are hunting down and submitting applications and auditions for jobs yourself you are "freelancing", and when an agent is doing those things for you, you are "signed."
After talking with a voice acting agent recently he told me that there is a thing in the acting/voice acting world called conflicts. For example, if I was signed to an agency and I booked a job doing a voice over for a Scion car commercial I would be unable to do to voice over work for a Mazda commercial because it would be considered a conflict. Depending on the life of the commercial and my contract with Scion, this means that this Scion commercial would be my car commercial for 1-3 years, and I would be unable to represent any other brand.
If you have a poo poo agent and that somehow happens where you end up trying to represent two car companies or two cleaning products, you can get in major trouble legally. MAJOR trouble.

Now when actors start freelancing they don't really think about this. But many voice over artists and actors that freelance can book online jobs like "industrials" or online commercials which can have a lifeline of up to five years, with contracts that enable the company to renew your work over and over again if they see so fit.

If any of you do go out and submit your work to an agency, the agents I have talked to advised that you make them completely aware of the freelance work you have done so they can avoid conflicts and know what jobs to send you out on (that is when you sit down to discuss being signed to them).

A freelanced industrial for an online cleaning product could actually keep you from booking the voice-over work for a national Scrubbing Bubbles commercial, if you were signed.

I just thought this was some useful info .

Zorblack posted:

I've been doing a lot of studying on this subject lately, and I'm getting into it more than I thought I would. As I've skimmed through the internet, I found a ton of awesome resources that everyone should be checking out if they have any interest at all in the industry.

Crispin Freeman is a very successful actor with a totally free biweekly podcast that covers everything he can think of in the industry Here. Bonuses on his website: the toolbox section, where he outlines all the best equipment he has used or knows of for beginners, intermediates, and pros. It's a really well thought out section that gives some options outside of the Blue Yeti (not that there's anything wrong with the yeti). He also has no equipment snob attitude, which is great.

Of particular note: This episode covers finding a coach. This episode covers vocal health, which is important to think about when you're starting out and practicing.

Rob Paulson is a legend in the field, and his podcast can be found here. His podcast is less informational (although he does some Q&A stuff here and there) and more entertainment based. Go check his podcast out for a who's who of the voice acting world that will give you a great idea of who is doing what kinds of voices, where they came from, how they got where they are, etc etc.

Also Dee Bradley Baker runs a great website with links, tips, and general help about this and that over here. It's definitely worth a quick read through and bookmarking as a reference. DBB is also crazy successful in voice acting.

For all three of these guys, you can check their IMDB profiles and know that they are not blowing smoke. They seriously get tons of work, and they are all still working hard today.

For anyone interested in classes, I've found the following info by poking around:

Rob Paulson IMDB Website does private one-on-one coaching in LA or online via Skype for $500 bucks per 90 minute session. He frequently does small group online question and answer sessions for serious voice acting questions along with successful voice actors (he books different people every time, they are always working, successful voice actors). These sessions usually run $100, last for a few hours, and include tons of QA, so this is a good place if you have a few specific questions that would be best answered by working voice actors.

Crispin Freeman IMDB Website does private one-on-one coaching in LA or online via Skype for $150 per hour. He also offers live or online small classes (limited to 8 people) for $185 for a 4 hour session. Everyone gets time "in front of the class" with direction from Crispin. Note: You can not sign up for private lessons with Crispin until you have taken one regular class. He really feels that the classroom setting helps a lot with the basics and lets him know where someone is with their skills. Also, there are benefits to the group setting, so he'd prefer to start everyone off with at least one class of that type.

Pat Fraley IMDB Website has a number of options available. He has two home based options for $185 each. They are five week courses with assignments to complete. Pat will then give asynchronous feedback on all the work you do for the course, helping you to improve. This is a nice option for someone who wants something more structured. He also offers an asynchronous direct option for $200 per hour. The way it works: he sends a script and direction, you record your best take, and then you go back and forth until the total time he takes recording notes and direction equals an hour. Both of his options are very different from the other options out there, so I included them for the sake of a completely different offering.

General tips I have found that are interesting:
1)Don't record a demo until you reach a plateau in your skills. You don't want an early demo to reach the ears of anyone you want to impress, or they may close their door forever. You only get one chance at a first impression!
2)Don't showcase your skills in any way in front of casting professionals until you have skills to showcase. Same reason as number 1.
3)A bite of a granny smith apple (specifically) will quickly cure spitmouth. Weird, but true. Voice acting studios actually keep granny apples on hand for this reason.

Cubemario posted:

I'm of the opinion that if a read can't stand on its own, then there's something wrong with the performance. This is especially true of audiobooks which often include nothing but the reader's voice.

As far as Fair Use, that is a nebulous thing, and nobody really knows what it means. It seems to constantly vary, so it's best to avoid entirely.

While VO/VA are often used like they're the same thing, they really aren't. VO is typically reserved for audiobooks, announcements, some narrations, and commercial work in general. VA is playing a character in something, and is a lot like acting in theatre, or being on camera, but with just the microphone. Both areas bleed into each other, which is why they are often spoke of as the same thing, but I think for conversations like these, having a distinction is helpful.

It's best to avoid putting anything legally dangerous in anything you send to someone. You don't know what may happen, and there are people who will frown upon it, especially among certain circles.

As far as having a "good" voice goes, forget it. This is a highly subjective thing, and is commonly misunderstood when people look to get into the biz. Please refer to my post on the previous page for more information. In addition, a voice like David Attenborough's or Barry White's is not something everyone needs, and is by no means the benchmark. In commercial work especially, casters are often looking for the guy next-door, not the deep and bombastic voices.

You are also making a huge newbie mistake. You don't look to get work this early into it, you are far too green, and there are scores of people who will be better than you. This is the time to practice, not go out promoting yourself and apply for auditions. Getting into this business is long-term and requires planning. Going out and promoting yourself now can prematurely kill everything your working towards, and make it incredibly hard to get any future work. First impressions are everything.

Another important fact is that the "business" is you. Being a VO/VA is in reality, a self-employed and self-ran business. There is no place where you go to get employment, it's all contracted work. You are essentially fired after you finish your work.

If you are just seeing this as a hobby, that's perfectly fine, but don't expect to land any work while being a hobbyist, or even part-time. This kind of industry doesn't really accomodate hobbyists, the jobs (especially the best ones) are given to people who go full-time.

When you get to the point where you are absolutely confident and completely measure up to the best out there, AND have have reached a peak in your skill-level, that's when you spend a nice chunk of change on making a demo reel and go out there promoting yourself. Of course, I am only talking about professional stuff. Different story if it's just small stuff, and you should be doing those. As the thread pointed out, doing things for friends and family is a good idea and may lead to nice small opportunities.

As far as music goes, I've gotten most everything I need from this site https://www.freemusicarchive.org

There's plenty of great and useful stuff there, it just requires a lot of intense searching.

Another thing you need to be doing is RESEARCH. Can't emphasize that enough, you need to start listening to audiobooks and narration and everything you can get your hands on. You gotta listen to how the pros do it and take whatever you can learn from them. You also need to take advantage of the resources in the OP, such as http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/

This podcast largely focuses on VA itself, but is still completely applicable to VO. While there are differences between the two, they both require the same set of skills. Listen to every episode of this podcast, it's an extremely valuable resource, which I've learned much from.

So kid, you think you got what it takes? You're not going to get anywhere without a shitload of practice anyways, so let's see what you got. I prefer the following format if you wish to be added to the OP as talent:

FOR TALENT

Name: (your forum name)

Specialties: (this is gimmicky, but humor me because there's a reason behind this. I'd like you to describe your voice in as few words as possible. Also add in any notable character voices that you can do)

Tindeck: (post a link to your tindeck account here. If you don't have one, I'd strongly suggest you sign up: http://tindeck.com/)

IMDB/Portfolio: (post a link here if you have any secondary accounts/pages that showcase your work. Otherwise, leave out)

Contact: (a preferred method of contact if someone wants to hire you for something outside the thread. PMs? Email?)

Payment: (add PayPal or alternative payment info for if you actually get hired for a paying job! If someone wants to pay you for your audio work, it'll be up to you and the employer to work that out)

FOR SUBMITTERS

Length: (1m, 30s, whatever you need the length to be if you have timing requirements. Otherwise, leave out)

Due: (post the date/time you need it completed if the finished recording is time-sensitive. Otherwise, leave out)

Notes: (if you have any certain way you'd like it read or anything the VA should know. Otherwise, leave out)

Script: (post the entirety/body of what you'd like read)

Pay: (post how much you're willing to pay for a quality read that you're satisfied with ($0 - whatever). If it's just for fun, leave out)

Even if you never make a dime off voice work, I hope that you can learn something from this thread and substantially improve control and manipulation of your voice. The main thing that will strengthen your voice is practice. Practicing script-reads, practicing specialized advice and techniques, and most of all, just practicing being comfortable in front of a microphone. I'm here to help, and as you'll see, a lot of other goons are too. This business is so situational and the requests are so varied that there is absolutely no sense in worrying about "potential competition," especially between goons.

We're all in this together and we all want to improve, so let's stop wasting time and get to it!

[NOTE: This OP will be heavily modified/added to as time goes on]

The Joe Man fucked around with this message at 09:50 on Apr 16, 2014

# ? Jan 18, 2012 08:28

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 18:49

The Joe Man: Apr 7, 2007; Flirting With Apathetic Waitresses Since 1984

(Reserved for talent)

Adib posted:

Name: Adib

Specialties: Deep, confident, authoritative, announcer/broadcaster, reciting all kinds of passages and excerpts. I can also do this in Persian, and people have also given me props on my Buk Lau (think of the Asian voice done by OwnagePranks) impression, so I can do that too.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/adib - I don't have anything uploaded here, though.

IMDB/Portfolio: I have a reading of Poe's "The Raven" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oedWRWNPL-k
Also did a promo ad for a school performance here: http://soundcloud.com/adibm/swag-entertainment-audition

Contact: adibmasumian@gmail.com

Payment: Just contact me by e-mail and we'll work something out.

Android Blues posted:

Name: Android Blues

Specialties: I'm a woman with a fairly deep natural voice, but I have decent range and can go up or down a ways. I tend to do best with emotionally vibrant 'character' voices (happy/sultry/angry/aggressive, that kind of thing), and would like to get better at more naturalistic reads. I can do a pretty wide stable of women's voices, and some men's voices too, although I don't quite have the resonance for the really low/gruff ones.

Tindeck: is here.

Contact: PMing me is fine, or you can hit me up at amnesiophila at g mail dot com. Anything's good!

Payment: Paypal'd be grand, although getting paid isn't really what I'm here for of course and likely a distant prospect anyway.

Anorexic Sea Turtle posted:

Name: Anorexic Sea Turtle

Specialties: Apparently I sound like Aziz Ansari. Don't know if that's a good thing...

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/Anorexic+Sea+Turtle (there's nothing good in there except some Marble Hornets stuff and a crappy song I made to be crappy)

Contact: evilclosetmonky@gmail.com (it's my throw away email address from when I was 13, but I still have it so don't judge me you meat handed goons)

Payment: I don't really care if I get paid. You wanna hear me talk? Good. I'm awesome at talking.

bear is driving! posted:

Name: bear is driving!

Specialties: Bad guys. I can do quite a few different accents (british, irish, scottish, australian, russian). Nothing wacky, mostly serious stuff.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/bearisdriving it's mostly crazy autotune songs and other related BS.

Contact: meadows.sean at gmail.com

Payment: money is cool but I really just want to make stuff for now.

bigtom posted:

Name: bigtom

Specialties: Accents include NY/NJ, Boston, as well as Yiddish/Jewish. I have a smooth, mature voice, somewhat low but not Barry White. Can deliver high energy or laid back & relaxed

Portfolio: http://bigtomlawler.com/?page_id=6...scroll to the bottom for my voice demo (under Production), or listen to the radio demos

Contact: PM or email - tom@bigtomlawler.com

Payment: Paypal preferred

Equipment: Shure SM-7B, Symmetrix 528E mic processor, M-Audio MBOX soundcard. Will give with compression/eq and without for comparison.

blackswordca posted:

Name: blackswordca

Specialties: I have a fairly neutral accent with a slight canadian twinge to it. I can negate it if needed it takes some effort. Though on the other hand i can crank it up do Bob and Doug McKenzie levels if needed. I can do narrator and announcer voices. I also have some general character voices. Evil Villian, dashing hero (think Dudley Do-Right). I have a character who is a mesh of different accents as well. I can do some proper accents but they arent great, I am working on them.

Tindeck: Not at the moment.

Contact: Feel free to PM or email me. My email is blacksword(dot)ca (at) gmail (dot) com

Payment: I do have paypal.

blinkeve1826 posted:

Name: blinkeve1826

Specialties: For sure character voices, even though most of the work I find/am hired for is relatively straight-read. Children, both boys and girls; young, middle-aged and elderly women; teenage boys; valley girls, geeks, princesses, nasally housewife, overbearing boss/drill sergeant, elves...oh, just listen to my demo: https://www.listentomelanie.com/demo.mp3
As for my commercial/narration/"normal" voice: youthful, energetic, fun; perhaps also innocent, clear, enthusiastic, humble

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/ListenToMelanie
Animation demo direct link: http://www.listentomelanie.com/demo.mp3
And I have a much more comprehensive collection of demos on my website, which is...

IMDB/Portfolio: https://www.listentomelanie.com

Contact: PMs are okay, email is the most surefire way to get in touch with me: ListenToMelanie at gmail

Payment: My Paypal is the same as my email, but it's something I prefer to discuss with clients before I start working on a project.

Camo Guitar posted:

Name: Camo Guitar

Specialties: I'm actually a breakfast radio announcer (been in radio for 10 years) so I'm very good at innane chatter, very quick reads with clarity and I can do a sprightly old man voice. 32 year old Australian male keen to read anything you like - fast slow, excited, serious, up to you.

Tindeck: No Tindeck, see below.

IMDB/Portfolio: I host my own voiceover site at https://www.almigoproductions.com where I've put up samples of my work. There's hardly any outside work that comes into my station so I started an online prescence that I'm trying to build up slowly. This thread will be perfect for that!

Contact: Email Al@almigoproductions.com or post to https://www.almigoproductions.com

Payment: Paypal is fine, cheques, rock up and pay my debts in person, up to you.

Canuck-Errant posted:

Name: CanuckErrant

Specialties: An average Canadian / Midwestern accent is my default speaking voice, though I can do the Stereotypical Radio Announcer and a pseudo-Russian accent. I've also got a half-decent singing voice, but don't ask me to sing Billy Idol.

Tindeck: Here.

Contact: PM me, and I'll see it probably within the hour.

Payment: Paypal is perfectly fine.

Captain Bravo posted:

Name: Captain Bravo

Specialties: Texan. That's probably the best description of it! To go into a little more detail, I have a Medium-range voice. It sounds a bit off if I try to go higher or lower, but that might just be my opinion. I come standard with a light Texan accent, not annoying but pervasive. If I'm not speaking conversationally, I can mask it a bit, but I'm probably best suited to stick with roles where a southern voice would be acceptable. I'd like to think I can do upbeat, informational, or clinical voices with equal skill.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/Captain+Bravo

Contact: Email is best, as I don't have PMs. huddlestonorama at gmail.com

Payment: Paypal, email is the same as contact email.

CaptainYesterday posted:

Name: CaptainYesterday

Specialties: Mid-to-low range voices, accents of all kinds, can do consistent falsetto voice, can only do impression of Texas Longhorns football coach Mack Brown, can sing, can act (BFA in drama)

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/CaptainYesterday

Portfolio: http://graysonlittle.wordpress.com/

Contact: graysonraylittle at Gmail dot com

Payment: None yet

ChaosTheory posted:

Name: ChaosTheory (CornetTheory)

Specialties: Serious Old/ middle-aged guy. Dr. Kleiner

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/chaostheory

IMDB/Portfolio:

http://www.onlyintheory.com/audio/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2651160/

Contact: Information (email, skype) in the footer of my website

Payment: paypal is my email.

CuddleChunks posted:

Name: Cuddlechunks

Specialties: Exasperated, crazed male tenor voice. Sing-song storytime voice for kids, raspy redneck trucker voice.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/cuddlechunks

Contact: You can reach me at my username@gmail.com or through PM's on this site.

Deathy McDeath posted:

Name: Deathy McDeath

Specialties: My voice has been described as deep and radio-like. Something that would go well on NPR.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/deathymcdeath

Contact: PM

Payment: Paypal

DirtyDeluxxx posted:

Name: DirtyDeluxxx

Specialties: News reads, sports announcing, speed reads, various styles (generic nice guy, the triple-e -energetic, enthusiastic, emphatic - and others) Impressions include Jim Rome, NFL Films voice, Wacky-AM DJ, multiple accents, among others.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/DirtyDeluxxx -- This is an amalgam of stuff I do, more than just voicing. Haven't had time to really organize or filter anything.

Contact: Email - phildawsonradio@gmail.com

Payment: Email me

dscruffy1 posted:

Name: dscruffy1

Specialties: I've got a dry documentary voice. I also do a decent Kermit and Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. Not sure how good I am regarding other voices.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/dscruffy1

Portfolio: Nothing solid. I do LPs for more samples and I was part of the goon VCRS podcast for MechWarrior Online. Episode 9 had a hard boiled detective bit at around 25 minutes, I did the radio narrator, the client, and the mechanic. We were short on talent!

Contact: PMs work for me.

Payment: I'm not really in it for the money. But I'll take handouts!

Dudley Downright posted:

Name: Dudley Downright

Specialties: mature resonant male, FM announcer, regional Canadian, US, & English accents, also Irish, Scots, and maybe French/German/Russian accents (all silly or not as required).

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/Kellis

Contact: PM

Pay: PayPal

Equipment: Blue Yeti, home-made porta-booth, & Audacity

Geop posted:

Name: Geop

Specialties: Texas accent (AU NATURAL~), sounding like an old-man, various impressions (ie: Jollo from King's Quest, #24 & Dr Girlfriend from Venture Brothers, other little ones spread all over)

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/listen/qaob (just a one-off voice clip)

Contact: PMs, Twitter, or just around the forums is fine!

Payment: Paypal is pretty ideal, but I can wing other alternatives

goku im piss posted:

Name: Goku I'm Piss

Specialties: Hanna-Barbara character voices, Movie Trailer Guy, Sports announcer Guy.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/laser+vampire - Nothing there atm except a music track.

Contact: neal@mtowndj.com

Payment: Paypal for small projects, email me for big items.

Grand Prize Winner posted:

Name: Grand Prize Winner

Specialties: Don't even know yet. Used to speak with a heavy surfer voice, man, but spent a couple decades breaking the habit. I can use the words

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/GPWSA

Contact: Just looking for commentary on the forums right now.

Payment: I don't know that I'm looking for money yet, just commentary.

Equipment: Sennheiser E935, Behringer x32 Producer mixing board (used as I/O unit via USB), Adobe Audition

ifire posted:

Name: ifire

Specialties: None yet, this just seems entertaining

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/ifire There's not much there yet. This is the first time I've used my tindeck account.

Contact: PM or mike (at) omgcupcake dot com

Payment: If I ever do something worth being paid for, we'll figure it out.

INTERNET NERD RAGE posted:

Name: INTERNET NERD RAGE

Specialties: Corporate, Professional "Banker" sound, Guy Next Door, and some character voices.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/davidcramb

Contact: I have PM's enabled but I never check them, email is better.
david.cramb @ gmail

Payment: Paypal!

J.A.B.C. posted:

Name: SquidRadio

Specialties: News and narration, looking to get into voice acting. I honestly don't know my specialties yet, so I want to learn.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/SquidRadio

Portfolio: None Yet

Contact: PMs, or though the e-mail in my Tindeck.

Jacobus Spades posted:

Name: Jacobus Spades

Specialties: Character Voices. To name a few: Spongebob, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Robotnik, various typecasting tropes. Flexible pitch range. Also do some narration.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/jspades

Contact: PM

Payment: Details given as needed

JossiRossi posted:

Name: James "Jossi" Rossi

Specialties: Emotive medium-low to medium-high voice. Good for on the level documentaries or off the wall acting roles. Ugh, that sounds corny...

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/JossiRossi

Contact: JamesRossiAudio at gmail.com

Payment: Paypal

King Lou posted:

Name: King Lou

Specialties: Warm, Deep, Smooth, Authoritative, Friendly

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/King+Lou

IMDB/Portfolio: http://loureads.com/lous-voice-over-demo/
Main Demo - http://media.blubrry.com/loureads/p/content.blubrry.com/loureads/Lou_Fernandez_Demo_V3-cuisinart.mp3
Technical Reading Demo - http://voice123.com/mp3/demos/luisfernandez1%20-%20Technical%20Read%20Demo.mp3
I did a various voices/wallah on this anime series http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=1009

Contact: loureads@gmail.com & PM

Payment: Paypal is cool. Checks are also fine for higher amount.

kizeesh posted:

Name: Kizeesh

Specialties: Pompous, jocular, reassuring, authoritative, powerful, soft, relaxing, chilling, I can do quite a lot. Various male accents and voice styles. UK and US, as well as various European. I have a wide range of pitch and depth. Can do a variety of celebrity impressions, as I have a good ear for picking up individual traits. I also specialize in adding depth, feeling and inflection.

Equipment: I use my Sennheiser U320 headset and mic, as it's superclean and records really well. I edit on Audacity.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/The_reviewist

IMDB/Portfolio: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6187553/

Contact: PM me or email me at Kizeesh at hotmail dot com.

Payment: I've got Paypal.

Lolitas Alright! posted:

Name: Lolitas Alright!

Specialties: Anything that requires a somewhat-deeper female voice, accents ("Posh" English, "Chav" English, Irish, Russian, German, pretty much any American regional accent from New York to Southern to Midwestern to Valley Girl), singing (Alto with a wide range, can go up to mezzo-soprano and down to high tenor, trained in musical theater and some opera). I also act, my specialty being Shakespeare, so dramatic or comedic readings are second-nature to me by now. Notable characters include Harley Quinn, Cartman, Joanne from "RENT", and Kate Monster.

Tindeck: COMING SOON with sample clips from the game mods I've voiced for and some singing bits.

Contact: PMs will reach me just as well as e-mail.

Payment: Can be discussed via PM.

madlilnerd posted:

Name: madlilnerd

Specialties: female and young classic English accent, can also do a more "street" accent and sometimes a northern one. I can go pretty high pitched.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/madlilnerd

Contact: PMs, although my hotmail account is my username @hotmail.co.uk

Payment: Paypal is fine and again is username etc

Matt Cruea posted:

Name: Matt Cruea

Specialties: Versatile. I can go high and low. I can do a few accents (Russian, a few English accents, Australian, Canadian, all sorts of American accents, and a really racist sounding Japanese accent). Impressions are mostly comically bad and include pretty much every President since Reagan, Patrick Warburton, Christian Bale's Batman, etc. I do a pretty good Michael Caine and John F. Kennedy. Edit: I think it's also important to include the fact that I can also ACT. That's pretty important.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/mattcruea Most of it is me reading threads from various forums mocking people. I think my Christmas story audiobook is on there. A lot of the stuff in my Tindeck is very, very old! I have a much better mic now.

IMDB/Portfolio: You can hear my voice one to two times at week on the podcasts at https://www.yninteractive.com. Most paid work I've done has just been minor stuff. Not enough to get an IMDB page, I'm afraid. I've done some amateur stuff with https://www.voiceactingalliance.com where I'm also a moderator.

Contact: PM here is fine. Or my username minus the space at gmail.

Payment: Whatever. I just like acting.

Metal Ray Sunshine posted:

Name: Metal Ray Sunshine

Specialties: I like to think I have a wide range of vocal areas, though I am not skilled in high pitched voices. I can do both cartoony and serious style roles. I can do most American and English accents. Characters can be from teenage to very old man. I can do announcer style roles, recitations, character acting (most notably wrestlers and old people), commercial voice over, and various others.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/listen/yjzj Here is a link to my VO Demo, though it is a bit old

IMDB/Portfolio: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpGHEH5MGV1cep1q3M8es_nKmztRGS6Jt here is a playlist of Audio related things I've done, though its mostly interviews and podcasts

Contact: metalray(at)ymail.com is probably the best way

Payment: Contact me through email and we can discuss it. Will do both big and small projects.

Mihai Zetta posted:

Name: Michael A. Zekas

Specialties: Approx. 16-80-ish Age Range, Accents, Villains of Many Types, Dandies/Fops, Anger & Angst-Heavy Characters, ESL Material (Audition requests are always welcome.)

Portfolio: michaelazekas.com & Character Demo

Contact: PMs or E-mail at michael(at)michaelazekas.com

Payment: PayPal, Google Wallet, Venmo, E-Check, Other Methods upon Agreement

Mudge Coleman posted:

Name: Mudge Coleman

Specialties: Australian, but not that Australian (people think I'm English sometimes). Smooth and deep. Dorky. Can do some high pitch, can attempt gruff.
I haven't tried many voices but I can do the Mario "wahoo" pretty good.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/Dshearer

Contact: Just send us an E-mail d.shearer2@hotmail.com

Payment: I don't want to put up my payment stuff, but we can sort that out in e-mails.

Mutant Headcrab posted:

Name: Mutant Headcrab

Specialties: Narration, Sports Caster/News Announcer style readings, a sleight smattering of impersonations, things that might one day kill my throat

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/Mutant+Headcrab

Contact: PMs or E-Mail (mutantheadcrab at gmail.com)

Payment: Pay-Pal

Nessa posted:

Name: Nessa

Specialties: I guess I'd describe my voice as pretty quiet and higher pitched, but not overly frilly (if that makes any sense). I could probably voice young girls, little boys and old ladies best.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/Xgirl1251 All I have on there right now is a song I sang from the first and only time I ever set foot in a recording studio. It's easy to hear how nervous I was, but should give a decent impression of what my voice sounds like.

Contact: Feel free to PM or email me. My email is Xgirl1251 @ gmail.com

Payment: I've got a Paypal account, but I'm really just looking for practice.

nny_ix posted:

Name: nny_ix

Specialties: sight reading, "news caster" voice, "noir detective", "smug rear end in a top hat"/gravelly, "rich guy" I can do a number of voices but I have trouble describing them.

Tindeck: http://www.tindeck.com/users/nnyix

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/nnyix (the most recent video features me sight reading and a variation of my news caster voice)

Contact: PMs preferred, e-mail: nny_ix at yahoo dot com

Payment: Paypal - nny_ix at yahoo dot com

PaladinNasicom posted:

Name: PaladinNasicom

Specialties: Medium-high nasally characters, medium sincere characters. Normal speaking voice is med-high jovial quality. Like an over enthusiastic consumer. I can also do a fairly decent Elmo impression.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/PaladinNasicom

Contact: I don't read PM's from the forums, it is easiest to contact me at paladinnasicom @ gmail.com

Payment: Paypal is the easiest.

Rupert Buttermilk posted:

Name: Rupert Buttermilk

Specialties: Accents, some impressions.

Tindeck profile: Mostly music for now, with more VOs to be added soon (like, this week!). Currently, I only have me reading "Jabberwocky" as a cartoonish Walken) - http://tindeck.com/listen/vlyu

Contact: My gmail address is slaptheolsentwins

Payment: I don't expect even much attention until I have more clips of my voice up on TD. I'm just doing it for fun.

Sgt. Snake posted:

Name: Sgt. Snake

Specialties: Sleazy, over-enthusiastic game-show host, radio imaging informer. http://tindeck.com/users/Jaykzo

Porfolio: Narrarating an 8 year old's "Jaws" fan-fiction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIjxQ9kLO00
Voice acting as the character POOPLOSER_69 aka Snake in Minecraft: The N00b Adventures https://www.youtube.com/show?p=nBC-74rwGZg

Contact: snaykzo@gmail.com

Payment: Paypal, anything, really.

Skippy Granola posted:

Name: Skippy Granola

Specialties: Youthful, low-key, aimiable

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/SkippyGranola

Contact: skippygranola at gmail

Song For The Deaf posted:

Name: Song for the Deaf

Specialties: Narration. Announcements/Promos. Earnest-sounding, serious, no real age to my voice. A few accents, with some ability to do dramatic reads.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/duckfeed

Website: http://duckfeed.tv

Contact: kole (at) duckfeed (dawt) tv

Payment: Paypal

Spiffster posted:

Name: Spiffster

Specialties: Deep Voice (baritone and bass), but I'm flexible as well. Some notable impersonations are Solid Snake, Cookie Monster, Anything Chris Sabbat (Funimation fame), Morgan Freeman, and others. Will gladly sing.

Tindeck: COMING SOON: My Demo Reel

Contact: My Gmail is Spiffster13

Payment: I am willing to do Freelance work and few lines for fun and practice, but if it's a big project, we'll talk in email.

StealthArcher posted:

Name: StealthArcher

Specialties: Baritone, decent range along the lower end, lots of capability with subtle voice differences and accents.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/StealthArcher

Contact: jadair@origintech.ca I also have PMs

Payment: not gonna go for this at the moment

Stinkmeister posted:

Name: Stinkmeister

Specialties: Lots of dialects. I'm particularly proud of my bombastic British gentleman, and old man

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/stinkmeister

Contact: PM me, or email thestinkmeister at hotmail dot com

Payment: PM or email me and we'll work it out

The Aphasian posted:

Name: The Aphasian

Specialties: I have a deep, pleasant voice that sounds authoritative.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/theaphasian Will make an official demo reel someday, currently has random uploads but you can get a feel for my voice.

Contact: PM, jeremiahbritt@gmail.com

Payment: Mostly want critiques now, if the project is bigger we can negotiate.

TheComicFiend posted:

Name: TheComicFiend

Specialties: Teen or young adult protagonists, smooth/sly villains, radio announcer, trying to get a feel for the corporate voice. I can attempt at accents but not 100% confident in them yet.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/pcasao

Contact: PM or email pcasao3 (at) gmail (dot) com

Payment: Paypal is the way to go

Equipment: Blue Yeti & Audacity

the jizz taxi posted:

Name: the jizz taxi

Specialties: Voice-over, several languages and accents, poetry

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/thejazztaxi

Relevant experience and skills:

> I have a good deal of experience in public speaking (audience range between 20 and over 800) as well as prose and poetry reading
> My native language is Belgian Dutch. My (slight) accent could be either an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on what you're looking for.
> I'm currently doing some voice-over and presentation work in English for the company I'm employed at.
> I can do a good impression of French, Flemish and German accents in English as well as the French, German and Dutch-Dutch accent in Dutch.

Contact: PM me

Payment: TBD

The Joe Man posted:

Name: The Joe Man

Specialties: Naturally gruff but able to imitate a smoother, pitchy salesman. Characters include Macho Man Randy Savage, Duke Nukem, Skeletor, Droopy Dog & The Brain.

Demo Reel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFp6xWd6eko

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/TheJoeMan

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4104438/

Contact: PMs & jgaudio@live.com

PayPal: jgaudio@live.com

Tim Burns Effect posted:

Name: Tim Burns Effect

Specialties: Announcer voices, various accents, and just about any Nicktoon character from the 90s.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/TimRecordsaVoiceOver

IMDb/Portfolio http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4408131/

Contact: timrecordsavoiceover at gmail dot com

Payment: Paypal will have to do for now, but only if I turn in something worth paying for.

Tinsin posted:

Name: Tinsin

Specialties: A medium-deep voice, I guess, with a possibly nasal quality to it. Also, a variety of fun and whimsical character voices. Yeah.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/tinsin

IMDB/Portfolio: I've been in a few minor fan-productions, like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M82ppvoLI-M
But nothing too major yet.

Contact: Please email me at my unfortunately-named yahoo account, incoherental.

Payment: If you want to pay me, great! Otherwise, as long as the task isn't too arduous, I'm fine with whatever.

titties posted:

Name: titties

Specialties: Listless douchebag, growly listless douchebag, growly space marine, military comms chatter

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/rock_band_mic

Contact: PMs are preferable, if not we can do e-mail or something

Payment: cash, sexual favors, paypal

topenga posted:

Name: topenga

Specialties: Female. Ethnic female? Nothing really.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/topenga

Contact: PMs and email (topenga (at) gmail dot com)

Payment: Paypal

Triangle Head posted:

Name: Triangle Head

Specialties: Female medium-low to high range. When naturally speaking, I sound young (teens to early 20s, med-high). Capable of children's voices (girls and boys). As for goofy impressions, I can imitate Veronica Taylor's Ash Ketchum voice (y'know, from the first season of Pokemon), Jigglypuff (Pokemon yet again), and Stitch from Lilo and Stitch.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/trianglehead

IMDB/Portfolio: No proper portfolio or demo at the moment, but I've been voice acting as a hobby for years. Some very old SA related samples:

The Terrible Secret of Animal Crossing by Chewbot. Only parts 01 and 12 have official audio tracks. I played Billy and Penny.

Contact: PM me or email me at ekyo.va at gmail dot com.

Payment: I've got Paypal, but I'm happy to just get more practice. We can talk about it.

Whimsy posted:

Name: Whimsy

Specialties: I perform as a puppeteer, so I've worked out voices from gruffy monster characters to high-pitched girly voices - think Cookie Monsters to Prairie Dawn. I've performed character gimmicks in video games either winning the love of the server or becoming universally hated by the community.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/Whimsy - I only have one recording up from an early draft of a script.

Contact: PM is good. You can also reach me at multiballer at gmail dot com.

Payment: Paypal's good.

WhollyChao posted:

Name: WhollyChao

Specialties: Upbeat, friendly, genuine voice. Not announcery or movie phone at all. More youthful, engaging and slightly (slightly) raspy.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/testephen

Contact: email at t.stephen.jr@gmail.com

Payment: Contact via email or I have a paypal, but at this point, I'm just trying to work!

Zratha posted:

Name: Zratha

Specialties: Corporate narration, monsters & animals, little kids, old ladies, sci-fi fantasy voices etc.

[b]Tindeck:[/b] http://tindeck.com/users/Zratha

[b]Contact:[/b] PMs are fine, or post at me in this thread and we can figure it out from there.

[b]Payment:[/b] Paypal, money order, Interac money transfer if through a Canadian bank

The Joe Man fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Nov 26, 2016

# ? Jan 18, 2012 08:28

A Terrible Person: Jan 8, 2012; The Dance of Friendship; Fun Shoe

I don't need anything recorded, have never attempted voice acting, yet am incredibly interested in the field itself.

I can't wait to see how this thread plays out!

(I'm not being sarcastic, by the way, and am seriously considering buying a mic just to see how I'd fare)

A Terrible Person fucked around with this message at 08:36 on Jan 18, 2012

# ? Jan 18, 2012 08:34

The Joe Man: Apr 7, 2007; Flirting With Apathetic Waitresses Since 1984

ReverendLondo posted:

I don't need anything recorded, have never attempted voice acting, yet am incredibly interested in the field itself.

I can't wait to see how this thread plays out!

(I'm not being sarcastic, by the way, and am seriously considering buying a mic just to see how I'd fare)

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'm much better at answering specifics than just throwing out a ton of info. Once myself and other forum members answer questions relating to differing topics, I'll be continually adding & organizing new information within the OP.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 08:40

Time Crisis Actor: Apr 28, 2002; by Hand Knit

Hey cool, a VA thread. I havent done any professional work, but I've done a few amateur bits. I guess I did one professional bit (A voiceover for an IT course), but my compensation was merely a copy of the course :sigh:

Unfortunately I ended up taking a course in VA after I did most stuff, so I didn't have the opportunity to apply the lessons learned there. I use a Samson C01U and Audacity.

Name: Deathy McDeath

Specialties: My voice has been described as deep and radio-like. Something that would go well on NPR.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/deathymcdeath

IMDB/Portfolio: N/A

Contact: PM

Payment: Paypal.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 08:41

Spaghett: May 2, 2007; Spooked ya...

I actually do a lot of PSA recording for my college radio station. This could help me out with getting better at editing, recording, and voice acting myself. Any and all advice is awesome for me!

Name: Anorexic Sea Turtle

Specialties: Apparently I sound like Aziz Ansari. Don't know if that's a good thing...

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/Anorexic+Sea+Turtle (there's nothing good in there except some Marble Hornets stuff and a crappy song I made to be crappy)

Contact: evilclosetmonky@gmail.com (it's my throw away email address from when I was 13, but I still have it so don't judge me you meat handed goons)

Payment: I don't really care if I get paid. You wanna hear me talk? Good. I'm awesome at talking.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 08:52

Jacobus Spades: Oct 29, 2004

Posted in the Ask/Tell; posting here.

Name: Jacobus Spades

Specialties: Character Voices. To name a few: Spongebob, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Robotnik, various typecasting tropes. Flexible pitch range. Also do some narration.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/jspades

Contact: PM

Payment: Details given as needed

It was pointed out that my Tindeck samples are somewhat poor recording quality; these were done with a cheap desk mic and I do own better equipment. I'm not going to drag it out for recording a plain request though.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 09:11

BiggerJ: May 21, 2007; What shall we do with him? A permaban, perhaps? Probate him for a few years? Or...shall we employ a big red custom title? You, the goons of SA, shall decide his fate.

How difficult-to-break-into and dream-crushing is the VA industry in general?

# ? Jan 18, 2012 09:50

Tinestram: Jan 13, 2006; Excalibur? More like "Needle"; Grimey Drawer

Please define: "reasonable" price.

Are we talkin' $10/15/20 per hour here or what?

# ? Jan 18, 2012 11:12

Samuro: Aug 28, 2004; I'm going to make you cry like I did when my goldfish died!

Can someone living abroad ever obtain any kind of voice supremacy?

# ? Jan 18, 2012 11:29

Manxome Foe: Apr 6, 2005; Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Name: bear is driving!

Specialties: Bad guys. I can do quite a few different accents (british, irish, scottish, australian, russian). Nothing wacky, mostly serious stuff.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/bearisdriving it's mostly crazy autotune songs and other related BS.

Contact: meadows.sean at gmail.com

Payment: money is cool but I really just want to make stuff for now.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 15:07

Rupert Buttermilk: Apr 15, 2007; 🚣RowboatMan: ❄️Freezing time🕰️ is an old P.I. 🥧trick...

Name: Rupert Buttermilk

Specialties: Accents, some impressions.

Tindeck profile: Mostly music for now, with more VOs to be added soon (like, this week!). Currently, I only have me reading "Jabberwocky" as a cartoonish Walken) - http://tindeck.com/listen/vlyu

Contact: My gmail address is slaptheolsentwins

Payment: I don't expect even much attention until I have more clips of my voice up on TD. I'm just doing it for fun.

Also, I think smokers have an unfair and unhealthy advantage when it comes to kickass voices.

EDIT: vvvv Everyone go home, Lou's posted. Seriously, he's fantastic. Awesome podcast, too!

Rupert Buttermilk fucked around with this message at 16:30 on Jan 18, 2012

# ? Jan 18, 2012 16:04

King Lou: Jun 3, 2004; They say the fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live

Name: King Lou

Specialties: Warm, Deep, Smooth, Authoritative, Friendly

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/King+Lou

IMDB/Portfolio http://loureads.com/lous-voice-over-demo/
Main Demo - http://media.blubrry.com/loureads/p/content.blubrry.com/loureads/Lou_Fernandez_Demo_V3-cuisinart.mp3
Technical Reading Demo - http://voice123.com/mp3/demos/luisfernandez1%20-%20Technical%20Read%20Demo.mp3
I did a various voices/wallah on this anime series http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=1009

Contact: loureads@gmail.com & PM

Payment: Paypal is cool. Checks are also fine for higher amount.

Most people know me for my podcast, Lou Reads the Internet for YOU!. I do VO work when I can. Clients include CBS, PBS, ORKIN, CUISINART, BLIZZARD GAMES, The New York Times & More. I even got to go to Blizzcon last year to help out because of my VO. http://imgur.com/a/ZprfN

I forgot add that I use ProTools or Audacity to record and use a MXL88, Blue Snowball or Blue Yeti Pro to record depending on the situation. I also have one of these Harlan Hogan Portabooth things. It really does make a difference but its absurdly expensive. It was a gift. I also have the square style of VO box which you can easily make yourself.

King Lou fucked around with this message at 19:46 on Jan 18, 2012

# ? Jan 18, 2012 16:17

54 40 or fuck: Jan 4, 2012; No Yanda's allowed

My mom has been a radio personality for 15 years, but she's also done voice overs for big companies such as Canadian Tire, Blackberry and more. She goes through VOX, which is for Canadians: http://www.voxtalent.com/

# ? Jan 18, 2012 16:27

Paradox Personified: Mar 15, 2010; SoroScrew

I sound like a young Alanna Ubach had a lovechild with Bret Somers, with a Cajun accent. Have been fascinated with voicework since I read about Christine Cavanaugh as a lil'kid. I assume no one would want my voice, ever. Am I correct in my assumption?

# ? Jan 18, 2012 16:33

Soulex: Apr 1, 2009; Cacati in mano e pigliati a schiaffi!

As soon as I get back to work I'll pull some of my commercials and stuff that I've done. I'm glad this finally came to fruition.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 17:47

Geop: Oct 26, 2007

The Blue Yeti is nice, but if you're in an apartment or a noisier place, it'll pick up white noise very easily. I tweaked one for ages and ended up getting the "simpler" cousin, the Blue Snowball :staredog:

That said, I found a trick for reducing white noise (or racket in general) in the process: make a sound cube! Awesome guide can be found here.

It's hard to buy it in modest amounts, but I found some Auralex foam here.

Not sure how this would work with the Yeti, honestly, since that thing is freakin' gigantic. Maybe my memory is fuzzy, but I don't know if it'd fit in there. I'd like to upgrade from my Blue Snowball on general principle, but the Yeti's sensitivity coupled with my apartment makes it impossible.

Geop fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Jan 18, 2012

# ? Jan 18, 2012 18:00

Chumbawumba4ever97: Dec 31, 2000; by Fluffdaddy

edit: nevermind

Chumbawumba4ever97 fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Jan 19, 2012

# ? Jan 18, 2012 18:11

Whimsy: Jan 8, 2001

Name: Whimsy

Specialties: I perform as a puppeteer, so I've worked out voices from gruffy monster characters to high-pitched girly voices - think Cookie Monsters to Prairie Dawn. I've performed character gimmicks in video games either winning the love of the server or becoming universally hated by the community.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/Whimsy - I only have one recording up from an early draft of a script.

Contact: PM is good. You can also reach me at multiballer at gmail dot com.

Payment: Paypal's good.

I use an AT2025 XLR and I record with Audicity. I've also done some volunteer VO work on voiceactingalliance.com just for fun. I enjoy the challenge of creating a character from a break-down and picture, acting it out in pieces and hearing it all magically come together.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 18:29

robodex: Jun 6, 2007; They're what's for dinner

Former radio guy here who once had a dream to get into Voice Acting. Went to college for radio, worked at a (college) radio station on contract for a year, made a voice demo but after meeting some voice actors IRL I realized I probably don't have the chops to do it. I do have a tindeck with my various demos (mainly spots/imaging I recorded for the station I was at) but I'd have to drag it up.

Either way, if anyone has questions about the radio business (which tends to be a bit of a springboard for a lot of people wanting to get into VA/VO work) I can answer some stuff too.

[edit] Also, just so you know, the reason a lot of VAs now have radio/broadcasting backgrounds is because it's such a competitive industry that you need experience to get a job. It's a lot easier getting work when you have similar experience and radio/broadcasting is pretty much the way most people get it and get known.

robodex fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Jan 18, 2012

# ? Jan 18, 2012 18:40

Incredulous Dylan: Oct 22, 2004; Fun Shoe

Geop posted:

The Blue Yeti is nice, but if you're in an apartment or a noisier place, it'll pick up white noise very easily. I tweaked one for ages and ended up getting the "simpler" cousin, the Blue Snowball That said, I found a trick for reducing white noise (or racket in general) in the process: make a sound cube! Awesome guide can be found here.

It's hard to buy it in modest amounts, but I found some Auralex foam here.

Not sure how this would work with the Yeti, honestly, since that thing is freakin' gigantic. Maybe my memory is fuzzy, but I don't know if it'd fit in there. I'd like to upgrade from my Blue Snowball on general principle, but the Yeti's sensitivity coupled with my apartment makes it impossible.

Glad to see this thread get made! Sure I'll see some familiar faces here soon enough

. I picked up a Blue Yeti Pro with a Blue windscreen about two weeks ago for my online DJing and I am really impressed with it so far. I just love the quality of vocals on this thing. I used to use a Samson C01U but I just never really was a fan of it - I eventually ended up using the built in microphone on my old Sennheiser PC 350s for my shows (surprising quality, actually). When I get home a bit later I'll set up a little profile post. I think I posted literally the worst samples of my voice I had in that other thread since they were all I had on hand!

Even when I was handling announcements back in the day at my old job it was always for a laugh and will likely always be that way for me. Not looking to go pro

. I'd love to see this thread become a resource for places to hone vocal technique, etc. Do you folks have any recommendations as far as resources to learn from?

Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Jan 18, 2012

# ? Jan 18, 2012 19:10

Song For The Deaf: Aug 10, 2006; I HAVE TO USE MY SOUND SWORD NOW.

Big ups on the Snowball recommendation. I used that thing for a few years, and the only downside I found was the lack of a headphone jack for lag-free monitoring.

I recently upgraded to the Heil PR-40, and I'm looking for work to justify that. I'll get my listing ready soon.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 19:25

Spiffster: Oct 7, 2009; I'm good... I Haven't slept for a solid 83 hours, but yeah... I'm good...; Lipstick Apathy

Love to whore out and play with my voice, so I hope to have some fun here!

Name: Spiffster

Specialties: Deep Voice (baritone and bass), but I'm flexible as well. Some notable impersonations are Solid Snake, Cookie Monster, Anything Chris Sabbat (Funimation fame), Morgan Freeman, and others. Will gladly sing.

Tindeck: COMING SOON: My Demo Reel, till then enjoy my Goon X-mas song. http://tindeck.com/listen/dtsl

Contact: My Gmail is Spiffster13

Payment: I am willing to do Free work and few lines for fun and practice, but if it's a big project, we'll talk in email.

I use a Samson USB Condensor mic and Wavepad, but I have been curious about Adobe Audition for awhile... May have to try it out sometime soon.

Spiffster fucked around with this message at 20:49 on Jan 18, 2012

# ? Jan 18, 2012 20:45

Geop: Oct 26, 2007

Incredulous Dylan posted:

I picked up a Blue Yeti Pro with a Blue windscreen about two weeks ago for my online DJing and I am really impressed with it so far.

The Blue Yeti with its windscreen looks awesome in pictures, but I recall reading that it was a nightmare to attach. Is that true?

# ? Jan 18, 2012 20:55

The Joe Man: Apr 7, 2007; Flirting With Apathetic Waitresses Since 1984

BiggerJ posted:

How difficult-to-break-into and dream-crushing is the VA industry in general?

It's better not to think of it like a big vault to break into because it's much more spread out and opportunities/open jobs are more about seeing it at the right time...and more importantly, being in the right place. Basically, if you're deadset on becoming a majorly successful actor, voice actor, or pretty much anything "glitzy" in the entertainment industry, you really need to bite the bullet and move to LA. In pretty much any other location, the jobs are really spread out from random employers and you need to 1. Find them, and 2. Be better than everyone else who found it.

If you complete these 2 things, you might get paid for a VO job! It's not dream-crushing, just be prepared to do a shitload of work (audition spots) without getting accepted or even acknowledged. I've been doing this for a pretty long time, and have worked some decent jobs, but I still don't have a resume that I'm satisfied with. It's getting there, but our comparatively smaller metro helps. Double-edged sword, though. I've seen TONS of casting calls out in LA that I'd honestly have a very good shot at end up slipping through my fingers, simply because I don't live in the area.

Even though I kinda rambled, I hope that answers some of your questions!

runupon cracker posted:

Please define: "reasonable" price.

Are we talkin' $10/15/20 per hour here or what?

I much prefer to work on a flat payout scale, and most of the jobs you see will follow that format anyways. Undercut a posted price by a bit and say you're able to send everything back & forth through email, saving them studio costs. The actual "reasonable" price varies by employer. The flower shop down the road might only be able to pay you $50, but Best Buy's minimum bid could be $500. Feel it out. More importantly, if you're just starting out, having a notable client on your resume is MUCH more important than whatever cash you get.

Paradox Personified posted:

I sound like a young Alanna Ubach had a lovechild with Bret Somers, with a Cajun accent. Have been fascinated with voicework since I read about Christine Cavanaugh as a lil'kid. I assume no one would want my voice, ever. Am I correct in my assumption?

I honestly can't answer this question without hearing what you sound like. I'd like you and everyone else "just starting out" to keep in mind that EVERYONE sounds like poo poo until they start training their voice. Go ahead and create a tindeck account and fill out the Talent Form I have listed in the OP. When goons start submitting stuff they'd like read, then friggin read it and upload it to your tindeck. It's all gotta start somewhere, buddy.

Samuro posted:

Can someone living abroad ever obtain any kind of voice supremacy?

Only you, babe. You were telling me about how they go nuts for American actors out there. Get some decent equipment and start the long road to supremacy.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 21:20

The Aphasian: Mar 8, 2007; Psychotropic Hops

Name: The Aphasian

Specialties: I have a deep, pleasant voice that sounds authoritative.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/theaphasian Will make an official demo reel someday, currently has random uploads but you can get a feel for my voice.

Contact: PM, jeremiahbritt@gmail.com

Payment: Mostly want critiques now, if the project is bigger we can negotiate.

I use a Sony H2 Zoom in a sound dampening cube I rigged up.

I really want to get into this, but need some critiques and pointers.

I took a voice and diction class, and can do accents, but only by way of the fairly accurate but arduous process of transcribing them in IPA, something I haven't done in years. I worked at an NPR affiliate for a couple of years in Marquette, Mich. and my voice is still used for bumpers and promos at Public TV 13 there.

I really think we should make a Google group for real-time workshopping, provided one of us is knowledgeable enough that we aren't teaching each other bad habits.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 21:27

Rabbit Hill: Mar 11, 2009; God knows what lives in me in place of me.; Grimey Drawer

I'm lucky enough to work at a university that offers courses in voice training for actors, but I'm wondering what kind of training I can do on my own (besides practicing reading aloud). Can you share some tips/techniques/exercises that have helped you train your voice? Any good vocal warm-ups you recommend?

Who are your voice acting idols?

# ? Jan 18, 2012 21:39

Cartridgeblowers: Jan 3, 2006; Super Mario Bros 3

Name: Matt Cruea

Specialties: Versatile. I can go high and low. I can do a few accents (Russian, a few English accents, Australian, Canadian, all sorts of American accents, and a really racist sounding Japanese accent). Impressions are mostly comically bad and include pretty much every President since Reagan, Patrick Warburton, Christian Bale's Batman, etc. I do a pretty good Michael Caine and John F. Kennedy. Edit: I think it's also important to include the fact that I can also ACT. That's pretty important.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/mattcruea Most of it is me reading threads from various forums mocking people. I think my Christmas story audiobook is on there. A lot of the stuff in my Tindeck is very, very old! I have a much better mic now.

IMDB/Portfolio: You can hear my voice one to two times at week on the podcasts at https://www.yninteractive.com. Most paid work I've done has just been minor stuff. Not enough to get an IMDB page, I'm afraid. I've done some amateur stuff with https://www.voiceactingalliance.com where I'm also a moderator.

Contact: PM here is fine. Or my username minus the space at gmail.

Payment: Whatever. I just like acting.

As for going pro, I have a lot of pro VO friends, but of varying success. My good friend Cody does commercials in Arkansas and the Southern region, while my friend Lucien lives in LA, does lots of work, and was even a gym leader on Pokemon. They both took VERY different routes and have VERY different stories, so there's no one way to get into VO work.

Cartridgeblowers fucked around with this message at 22:02 on Jan 18, 2012

# ? Jan 18, 2012 21:55

Incredulous Dylan: Oct 22, 2004; Fun Shoe

Geop posted:

The Blue Yeti with its windscreen looks awesome in pictures, but I recall reading that it was a nightmare to attach. Is that true?

It definitely IS awesome but you are correct in that it is tricky to attach. Well, not really tricky but it isn't stable. You screw it on against the back of the stand the yeti comes with and moving the mic around will rather easily dislodge it if you jostle it at all. If you have it nice and tight it won't droop or anything, though. I don't use a different mic stand or anything so I never move it. Once I had it in place I had no issue. Check out this helpful youtube if you want to quickly and safely drill a little hole in to have a more solid solution. I'd do it myself if I really had any issue with the filter but I don't.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 22:01

DeepQantas: Jan 13, 2008; Ah, to be a Hero... Keeping such company...

Geop posted:

The Blue Yeti is nice, but if you're in an apartment or a noisier place, it'll pick up white noise very easily. I tweaked one for ages and ended up getting the "simpler" cousin, the Blue Snowball That said, I found a trick for reducing white noise (or racket in general) in the process: make a sound cube! Awesome guide can be found here.

Oh wow, that cube looks pretty professional. Mine was just a sofa turned up against a wall.

Anyways, I voiced a gruff space marine for a video game once and the problem I ran into was I couldn't really do any other emotion than angry and more angry while doing a low/strained voice. How do real VAs do it?

# ? Jan 18, 2012 22:22

emf: Aug 1, 2002

DeepQantas posted:

Anyways, I voiced a gruff space marine for a video game once and the problem I ran into was I couldn't really do any other emotion than angry and more angry while doing a low/strained voice. How do real VAs do it?

Whiskey.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 22:24

robodex: Jun 6, 2007; They're what's for dinner

Rabbit Hill posted:

I'm lucky enough to work at a university that offers courses in voice training for actors, but I'm wondering what kind of training I can do on my own (besides practicing reading aloud). Can you share some tips/techniques/exercises that have helped you train your voice? Any good vocal warm-ups you recommend?

Who are your voice acting idols?

You can warm up all you want, but really reading out loud is one of the best things you can do. When I was in school it was the #1 thing they told us to do--just read out loud every single night. Focus on enunciation, not slurring words, not stuttering and being able to read clearly and emotively no matter what you're reading.

Seriously, no matter what awesome funny voices you can do, nobody's going to hire you if you can't read from a script. Even if you're already good at reading out loud, keep doing it.

Also, Voice Acting isn't just people able to do silly voices really well. There's a huge demand for natural-sounding voices--just think, how often do you hear a funny voice on the radio? On a TV commercial? In narration? Unless you're expecting to pidgeonhole yourself into doing exclusively anime, cartoons and video games, practice using your natural voice over all else. You're doing yourself much more of a service practising using your normal voice than using a funny voice since A) if you're serious about voicework, you'll probably get more and B) it helps your speaking overall if you can enunciate/read well with your natural voice.

Also, I found my tindeck. I'm not a professional and never will be, and I'm not going to put a profile up, but some of what I've done: http://tindeck.com/users/robodex . All my work is stuff that's newer than 11 months old (pretty much everything from "Humber Live Intro.") I don't have any equipment now since I was spoiled and had unlimited studio access back at the station, but I do intend to get a Blue Yeti once I have some more space to set up a real studio. So for now I'm not going to bother with a profile since I don't really have access to any sort of equipment.

[edit] And I'm nthing the Audition recommendation; it's a pretty easy-to-use editing suite while not being stupidly expensive (like Pro Tools.) A lot of radio/broadcasting programs are teaching it now.

robodex fucked around with this message at 22:37 on Jan 18, 2012

# ? Jan 18, 2012 22:24

Spiffster: Oct 7, 2009; I'm good... I Haven't slept for a solid 83 hours, but yeah... I'm good...; Lipstick Apathy

Rabbit Hill posted:

Who are your voice acting idols?

Jim Cummings, Billy West and Mel Blanc are the ones that immediately come to my mind when I think of voice acting, and they constantly have an influence on how I do my performances. All of them have influenced the medium and are constantly surprising me with the things they pull off. I wish I could meet all of them but I can't meet Mel Blanc :smith:

Some notable influnces are Chris Sabat, Phil Hartman, and Charlie Addler.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 22:37

The Joe Man: Apr 7, 2007; Flirting With Apathetic Waitresses Since 1984

DeepQantas posted:

Anyways, I voiced a gruff space marine for a video game once and the problem I ran into was I couldn't really do any other emotion than angry and more angry while doing a low/strained voice. How do real VAs do it?

Rabbit Hill posted:

I'm lucky enough to work at a university that offers courses in voice training for actors, but I'm wondering what kind of training I can do on my own (besides practicing reading aloud). Can you share some tips/techniques/exercises that have helped you train your voice? Any good vocal warm-ups you recommend?

Who are your voice acting idols?

I smoke and drink a ton of coffee. Usually to warm up, I'll repetitiously record a spot just like I'm going to finalize it and send it off, but always throw it out and start from scratch at the last minute because you can hear a huge difference from when you started to the present. You could also try singing power ballads around the house and cough up any crap in your throat/lungs. At least for me, I've found that a hot liquid like coffee or tea is key. Others claim the opposite. Just gotta experiment and see what works!

Oh, and my favorite voice actor is easily Maurice LaMarche.

robodex posted:

You can warm up all you want, but really reading out loud is one of the best things you can do. When I was in school it was the #1 thing they told us to do--just read out loud every single night. Focus on enunciation, not slurring words, not stuttering and being able to read clearly and emotively no matter what you're reading.

Seriously, no matter what awesome funny voices you can do, nobody's going to hire you if you can't read from a script. Even if you're already good at reading out loud, keep doing it.

Also, Voice Acting isn't just people able to do silly voices really well. There's a huge demand for natural-sounding voices--just think, how often do you hear a funny voice on the radio? On a TV commercial? In narration? Unless you're expecting to pidgeonhole yourself into doing exclusively anime, cartoons and video games, practice using your natural voice over all else. You're doing yourself much more of a service practising using your normal voice than using a funny voice since A) if you're serious about voicework, you'll probably get more and B) it helps your speaking overall if you can enunciate/read well with your natural voice.

This advice is 100% accurate & spot-on. Definitely will be added to the OP later tonight/tomorrow.

# ? Jan 18, 2012 22:56

Nessa: Dec 15, 2008

I've been interested in trying out voice work for a while now, but didn't really think it was possible to do here in Alberta until a friend of a friend of mine mentioned doing some animation voice work here in town.

I was going to attend a local voice acting workshop, but couldn't make it since I had to move house that day, and they really haven't updated their website the past few months. Supposedly, the next workshop is on February 6th and 7th at a "TBA" location and there's no mention of how much it costs. Should I even bother at this point?

I took pop vocal lessons for over 8 years, so I'm familiar with a lot of good vocal warm-ups and tended to do a lot of musical theatre songs and "talky" songs. I performed in all kinds of venues from summer campgrounds to charity fundraisers to trade shows. I wasn't that great, but would my experience singing help me out as far as voice acting goes?

# ? Jan 19, 2012 00:30

The Joe Man: Apr 7, 2007; Flirting With Apathetic Waitresses Since 1984

Nessa posted:

I was going to attend a local voice acting workshop, but couldn't make it since I had to move house that day, and they really haven't updated their website the past few months. Supposedly, the next workshop is on February 6th and 7th at a "TBA" location and there's no mention of how much it costs. Should I even bother at this point?

I can almost 100% guarantee that this will be a waste of your money. There are local shills like this hosting "workshops" everywhere, and there is nothing subtantial you can learn in an overpriced, 4hr class. If you'd like to actually learn something and improve (for free, no less), I suggest signing up for a tindeck account and reading some of the scripts that are bound to come through this thread.

I'd like to see you try, if not only for the fact that you're female and you statistically have waaay less competition. Your odds of landing a job (if you're good) are much, much higher than any non-famous male.

This is fact. Take advantage of it!!

:frogsiren:

TO ALL GOONS: :frogsiren:

Post stuff you'd like read/recorded and put these guys to work! Doesn't matter if it's free or for fun!! The main focus of this thread is for folks to practice...give them something to read!

# ? Jan 19, 2012 01:32

goku im piss: Mar 18, 2005; Your mama was a snowblower

Name: Goku I'm Piss

Specialties: Hanna-Barbara character voices, Movie Trailer Guy, Sports announcer Guy.

Tindeck: http://tindeck.com/users/laser+vampire - Nothing there atm except a music track.

Contact: neal@mtowndj.com

Payment: Paypal for small projects, email me for big items.

I started out as wanting to be in radio, spent a few years there, moved to production, and then started working as a DJ.

I generally like doing just about anything, even really silly stuff.

# ? Jan 19, 2012 05:06

Whimsy: Jan 8, 2001

I'll bump with some questions!

I've been slowly winding down out of some other work I've been involved in, and I'm devoting more time into entertainment. A few years ago, I thought I was crazy to consider this shift, but since getting involved in the Toronto entertainment community, I'm meeting a ton of amazing people and finding that the work itself is challenging and fun. In short, I'm working, I enjoy it and I want to devote more time to it.

I'm taking some acting classes and learning a lot. But one agency stopped me at the gate, telling me to find a vocal coach.

I intend to connect with VOXtalent.com soon, but I want to make sure I've got everything in order. What do I look for in a vocal coach? Are there different kinds? (I once spoke to a voice-for-acting teacher, who made it clear that she didn't do voice-over training, and it felt needlessly awkward).

Also, where do I begin a proper reel? I've done dozens of recordings, but I feel like my initial "formal" demo should be something special while showcasing my talents; would it be appropriate to record old radio drama scripts? One agency suggests that it must be professionally recorded and mixed, which would be fine, but I also want to ensure that I'm using material that's appropriate for a demo.

# ? Jan 19, 2012 05:10

Nessa: Dec 15, 2008

The Joe Man posted:

I can almost 100% guarantee that this will be a waste of your money. There are local shills like this hosting "workshops" everywhere, and there is nothing subtantial you can learn in an overpriced, 4hr class. If you'd like to actually learn something and improve (for free, no less), I suggest signing up for a tindeck account and reading some of the scripts that are bound to come through this thread.

I'd like to see you try, if not only for the fact that you're female and you statistically have waaay less competition. Your odds of landing a job (if you're good) are much, much higher than any non-famous male.

This is fact. Take advantage of it!!

TO ALL GOONS: Post stuff you'd like read/recorded and put these guys to work! Doesn't matter if it's free or for fun!! The main focus of this thread is for folks to practice...give them something to read!

Okay. Good to know. I don't want to waste my money. I was only interested in the workshops because they came in 3 parts where the 3rd part is invitation only and you get to work on a demo with real vocal directors. From what I've heard, a professional demo is the only way to get any substantial work.

I had been asked a couple times in the past if I wanted to work on comic book dramatization projects, but those never panned out. I'd love for people to suggest some things to read out as a starting point, cause I have no idea where to start. I'll post a Tindeck profile soon.

I guess I could describe my voice as quiet and higher pitched, but not overly girly/frilly? I think I could voice younger female characters, little boys and old ladies okay.

# ? Jan 19, 2012 06:26

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 18:49

The Joe Man: Apr 7, 2007; Flirting With Apathetic Waitresses Since 1984

Whimsy posted:

I intend to connect with VOXtalent.com soon, but I want to make sure I've got everything in order. What do I look for in a vocal coach? Are there different kinds? (I once spoke to a voice-for-acting teacher, who made it clear that she didn't do voice-over training, and it felt needlessly awkward).

Also, where do I begin a proper reel? I've done dozens of recordings, but I feel like my initial "formal" demo should be something special while showcasing my talents; would it be appropriate to record old radio drama scripts? One agency suggests that it must be professionally recorded and mixed, which would be fine, but I also want to ensure that I'm using material that's appropriate for a demo.

Admittedly, I'm a better coach/have a better ear than an actor. If I were to say one thing to watch out for, it'd be "don't trust anyone that says they can perfect your voice in (insert time here) or (insert dollar amount here) without working with you for awhile." Every person is going to develop their voice at different rates, and it's arrogant (and a flat-out lie) for someone to guarantee that you're ready, send you off with a demo tape, and take your money without spending some significant time speaking & training with you. I can't speak for other "famous" coaches, but I know of one guy here in MN that's a complete scam artist. He charges what amounts to $1/minute, hosts a couple weekly workshops for hundreds of dollars a head, and sends people off with a lovely demo tape when it's painfully obvious they're not ready. Just don't trust anyone that vibes like that guy.

As far as your demo is concerned, it needs to have a certain flow to it. Very difficult to describe and impossible without me hearing everything you've got, but yes, there's no reason why you couldn't throw in a radio drama snippet. Make sure to fully produce it though and just cut out the part you want. Variety is good; it doesn't have to be all serious. My current demo (that I really need to retool/refocus) has landed me a few jobs, and if your stuff isn't way crazier than this, I wouldn't worry about if it's appropriate or not:

One thing to note is that the total length of the demo should be 60 or 90 seconds.

Nessa posted:

Okay. Good to know. I don't want to waste my money. I was only interested in the workshops because they came in 3 parts where the 3rd part is invitation only and you get to work on a demo with real vocal directors. From what I've heard, a professional demo is the only way to get any substantial work.

My story about the guy here in MN kinda falls in line with your post, but I'd like you to ask yourself this: do you think you'd be at the peak of your game after 2 8hr workshops? If not, why bother creating a demo before you're ready? Not to mention paying (what I assume to be) hundreds of dollars for it. You will get x99999 more experience by reading aloud and practicing on your own than any "invitation only" workshop.

Practice is free.

When the time actually comes for you to put together a demo, you'll know it (because you'll realize how much your voice has changed/strengthened).

The Joe Man fucked around with this message at 10:47 on Jan 19, 2012

# ? Jan 19, 2012 10:04

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > [VO MegaThread] So...You Want To Be A Voice Actor

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