So You Wanna Be a VO...

I think probably everyone who has ever worked in the VO industry has been asked, "How do you get into that kind of work?" My guess is that everyone in the industry has a different answer, too. The biggest thing, I think, is actually getting jobs. But that's not where you start. (Well, OK, truth be told, I actually landed my first paid job before I even knew what a studio looked like, but don't take that as "the way it works".)

I guess what I'm trying to get at isn't so much the way to get started as the way to actually improve and succeed at this sort of work. That way is just to record and listen to yourself. Compare what you hear to what's on the radio, TV, movies, trailers--whatever medium you're trying to perfect. Keep working on it, even if you're not working on a paying job.

Now don't get me wrong--I can hardly be held up as a VO who has "made it" in terms of financial success, fame, or even general reputation. But I can definitely say I'm a more capable voice actor now than I was last year, or the year before that--you get the picture. And everyone I know who is successful in this business is, first, just plain in love with what they do; and second, working on their abilities at every opportunity.

So if you're one of those people who wants to know how to get started, I can't tell you. But I can tell you how to work on your voice. Talk. Record. Listen to EVERYTHING. Take acting classes, or get a voice coach--anything to get feedback on how you sound and what kind of reaction other people have to your delivery.

Sometimes, the question comes in the context of equipment; as in, "What kind of equipment will make me a professional voice actor?" The answer to that is, "None." There isn't a microphone, preamp, mixer, EQ, effects deck, sound card, or software that will turn you into a pro. Yes, all these things become important at one point or another, but none of them are the key to success. When you start auditioning for jobs, if you want to submit auditions you've recorded yourself, you'll need to have equipment good enough to put together clean tracks. But you can also get work in a variety of markets where you won't do any of the recording at all. So the voice is the thing.

To get started recording yourself on a computer, so you can listen to yourself and get better, you don't need much. I typically recommend a USB microphone and the audio recording/editing software Audacity. The nice thing about USB mics is they bypass the sound card in the computer, so you can even use them with laptops, which typically have notoriously low-quality sound capabilities. I've heard some pretty good results from the Samson C01U, and Blue also has a USB mic called the Snowball that sounds very nice. They can both be had for $100 or less.

Speaking of price, be careful when looking for equipment. The temptation is to buy the least expensive thing you can find that looks semi-pro. Don't do it. You'll end up spending a lot more in the long run when you realize the cheap item doesn't give you what you want and you have to buy something with a bigger price tag. I'm NOT saying you get what you pay for, necessarily, because you can seriously overspend as well, but you should always try out equipment you're considering if at all possible. At least seek out some feedback from pros you trust who have used the equipment.

Then there's the software end of things. Yes, you can record with the Sound Recorder mini-app in Windows, but don't. Trust me on this. You want an application that allows you to record, edit, and produce. This is where Audacity comes in. It's open source software, so it won't cost you anything to download and use. It's also very powerful software, so it will give you the opportunity to explore many of the issues involved in producing audio as well as just recording. "But I'm not an audio engineer; I'm just a voice actor," you say. That's fine, but in today's world, the more you know the better your chances become. You can download Audacity from audacity.sourceforge.net.

Finally, get involved with other people who do this as well. RadioDaddy.com, which I mentioned previously, is a great site to do this. There are also pay-for-play job boards and sites, but don't worry about those until you get lots of information about the industry and what direction you think you want to go.

Whew. That's enough for now, I think. I'm going to listen to myself talk now... ;)