Voice Over Classes in New York City

Voice over is a rapid-growing 15 billion dollar industry. Companies such as Mastercard, Mercedes Benz, Calvin Klien, NBC, and others have recruited CMD voice actors to record for their commercial needs. If you’d like to begin a career in voice over, CMD offers a variety of classes at our premium New York City recording facility. We will give you free consultations to help you determine which class is the best for you. Whether you are just beginning or would like to work with experts to touch up your skills, CMD classes will help you enhance your career.

Since 1998, CMD has cast, recorded, and mixed hundreds of voice artists. Our incredible roster of talent will help businesses tell their stories. Visit our website to listen to samples of our diverse voice talent. Business looking to build their brand and share a message will benefit from quality voice over. As the podcasting industry thrives and radio marketing continues to reach millions, businesses are turning to audio advertising. People trust a human voice more than a printed ad, and businesses need talented voice actors to meet their client needs.

Begin Your Voice Over Career 

Our mission at The Voice Shop at CMD is to help emerging talent establish the voice and skills necessary to succeed. Taking classes at an established studio such as ours will allow beginners to break into the lucrative voice over industry. Call 212.213.9847 for a free consultation today. We will give you an in-depth look at our different classes to determine the best fit for you. After a tour of the studio and a personal assessment, you can choose from our technique or mastery classes.

For those outside of New York, we offer webinar workshops so that people at home can learn how to improve their voice overs. Also, we help beginners learn how to self-direct their recordings so they can confidently run their personal studios. Students can then create their own demos under the direction and supervision of our coaches and audio engineers.

Those looking to learn the fundamentals of voice over or the intermediate essentials will benefit from our selection of classes. Foreign language speakers looking to break into the audio industry can come record and take classes with the Voice Shop at CMD. As podcasts and audiobooks continue to rise in popularity, businesses and studios need voice professionals. We have a proven client list of some of the largest companies, and they are always looking for talented individuals to tell their stories.

Visit Our Website Today!

Visit our website for more information about classes or to read testimonials from previous students. Also, read about our coaches and how they will help you begin your voice over career.

Beginner Tips: Type of Voice Overs

The voice over acting industry is highly sought after and incredibly competitive. To differentiate yourself, you will need to choose the type of voice over to focus on. In short, there are many different types of voice overs, and you can read more about them with the Voice Shop at CMD.

Choosing Your Type of Voice Over

Once you have decided the voice over industry is for you, you will need to take steps to truly get your foot in the door. This includes taking voice acting lessons from the Voice Shop at CMD, creating a demo reel, and distributing it to agencies and casting directors alike.

You will also need to choose the type of voice overs to focus on. Narration, television commercials, and radio advertisements are just a few of the different types and each requires a specialized skill set and voice. Luckily, with the Voice Shop at CMD, we can help train your voice to meet the style and tone of the work your want to focus on.

For example, those who are interested in animation voice overs for kids will need to have a more playful tone, while a medical narration will require a more authoritative sound. Practice makes perfect and with our classes, you will be able to train your voice to become more versatile.

Voice Over Classes

Even established voice over talents continue to take voice over classes to further hone their skills. At the Voice Shop at CMD, we offer a variety of classes to help voice over talents continue to improve their skills. Whether you are in need of beginner’s classes, or more advanced techniques, our team of experts can help you improve on your skills to help land future voice over jobs.

Contact Us Today!

Whether you are a beginner looking to break into the voice over industry or have years of experience and simply want to improve your skills, the Voice Shop at CMD is here to help. Contact us today by calling our Manhattan office at 212.213.9487.

How to Become a Voice Actress

Voice actors and actresses are always in high demand. Whether for radio segments, commercials, or any other type of media requiring a voice over, becoming a voice actress can be is a fun and rewarding career move.

There are a number of tips that can help you gain experience in the industry and start landing gigs, despite the competitive nature of voice acting. The Voice Shop is here to help you get started in becoming a successful voice over actress or actor.

Practice and Breathing Exercises

We have all heard it before; practice makes perfect. While the old adage may be overused, it still rings true, especially for voice actors and actresses. Voice overs require a strong and steady voice, and you should practice each day to improve reading scripts and changing your voice.

Oftentimes, one of the problems new voice over actors and actresses have is controlling their breathing and taking short, strong breaths at the right time. Luckily, there are many breathing exercises that can help you improve this. In fact, vocalists often use similar breathing exercises to improve their singing ability!

Record a Demo Reel

Once you have improved your voice and have gotten into a daily practice routine, you will want to showcase your skills with a voice over demo reel. Since voice over actresses have to be versatile, your demo reel will need to include your best work, voices, and various tones. 

Once you have recorded your demo reel and you are happy with it, you will need to begin building your personal brand and send your demo out to casting agencies and voice over casting directors. You can even submit your voice over demo reel to online sites dedicated to the industry, allowing you to get more visibility than you otherwise would.

Take Voice Over Lesson with The Voice Shop

Whether you are interested in becoming a voice actress or are already an established talent in the industry, taking voice over lessons from the Voice Shop can continue to improve your skills. 

We offer many different levels of voice over classes, both in our New York City studio and over Skype. We can even help you create your own demo and help give you advice and tips on where to submit your voice actress demo reel.
If you have any questions or are interested in signing up for a voice over class with the voice shop, contact us online, or simply give our Manhattan studio a call at 212.213.9487. 

Radio Voice Over Classes and Tips

If you are looking to get into voice over acting, radio is a good starting point. While it might seem surprising, radio reaches more Americans than any other form of media. With thousands of local radio stations and programs, radio voice over is an ideal starting point for many actors trying to get their foot in the industry.

What is a Radio Voice Over?

Radio personalities do a lot more than simply throw a record on and hope listeners tune in. Radio requires various voice overs for each segment, and radio casting directors will choose the actor that has the right tone to match the segment. 

In addition to radio segments, voice over actors can find work in radio commercials. Much like radio segments, casting directors will listen to dozens, sometimes hundreds, of voice over demos in order to find the voice that best matches the brand.

Once the voice over actor or actress has been chosen, the real work begins. The talent will record various takes of the script and then the producers will begin working on mixing the voice in with music and other voice overs to complete the final product before sending it off to radio stations to air between segments.

Radio Voice Over Tips and Tricks

If you are an experienced voice over talent, you likely know the steps to take in order to land a radio voice over gig. If you are just getting into the industry, there are a few tips that can help you succeed and land radio voice over work.

• Record a Demo: One of the most important pieces of voice acting is to have a demo reel showcasing your ability and versatility. You can record your demo in your home studio or rent out space at an established recording studio. 
• Send Your Demo to Agencies: Often times, radio producers will work with talent agencies to find the perfect voice over for their radio segment. Advertisement agencies will also use talent agencies to find talent for radio commercials.
• Practice, Practice, Practice: Even established voice over actors and actresses continue to perfect their voice even once they are established in the industry. Continue to practice and take voice over classes to learn more tricks on how to improve your voice over work. 

Sign Up for a Class with the Voice Shop

At The Voice Shop, we help new voice over actors and actresses learn the tools of the trade with our voice over classes. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us by calling 212.213.9487. 

Sit Down with CMD and the Voice Shop’s Own Mike Zirinsky

CMD and the Voice Shop’s own Mike Zirinsky has been the subject of quite a few articles online recently. Upon launching the new class schedule at the Voice Shop, along with CMD making its mark in voice over, Mike Z has been keeping pretty busy. Recently, we shared some interesting articles about CMD, the Voice Shop, and even an interview with Mike himself, discussing CMD and being an entrepreneur in general.

More recently, Mike made appearances on a couple podcasts where he discusses CMD’s beginnings, a little more about CMD’s Voice Shop, and more on how it all started. The interviews also touch upon what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur, among other interesting topics. Take a look at the links below to sit down with Mike Z and hear what he has to say:

Escape 9 to 5 Podcast - In his interview with podcaster Ali Salman, from Escape 9 to 5, Mike Z. talks about leaving his finance career behind, purchasing CMD, and how he changed and grew the company from there.

Entrepreneur Podcast Network -  Gain insight as to how CMD has grown and become a top audio house in NYC, how Mike got into the VO business, as well as some inside information on the Voice Shop.

If you’d like to learn more about CMD, the Voice Shop, and what we do, be sure to check out some of the pages below:  

• CMD: Our Services

• Past Work at CMD

• Voice Over Classes

In the News: Mike Zirinsky, The Voice Shop & Our VO Classes

The last few months have been quite exciting over here at the Voice Shop. In addition to preparing for and launching our new class schedule, including a long list of voice over classes and workshops, we were featured in a couple great online articles, complements of theatre magazine Playbill and online magazine/community SonicScoop.

Covering the basics of the Voice Shop, our mission, and what we offer to aspiring voice talent, each article brings up some interesting talk. With words from CEO Mike Z. and head voice over coach Michael George, you can find some great inside information about what goes on here. The articles are now live and ready for viewing. If you’d like to take a look, check out the links below:

Playbill: How to Build a Career in Voice Acting

SonicScoop: CMD’s Launch of the Voice Shop

Mike Z. on CMD - The Times Herald

Interested in Voice Over Classes? Sign Up Today

Whether you’re an aspiring voice over talent just looking to get started or you’re just interested in brushing up on your skills and learning from industry veterans, be sure to check out the voice over classes we offer. From private lessons to workshop webinars, we have a range of classes for every level of voice actor. If you have any questions, give us a call at 212-213-9487.

Tips for Voice Actors: Maintaining Healthy Vocal Cords

As a voice actor, whether you’re just getting started or find work regularly, caring for your voice is of utmost importance. Though it may seem obvious, keeping your vocal cords healthy isn’t as simple as avoiding yelling or preventing strain by talking softly. While these tasks can certainly help, there’s plenty more you can and should do. In maintaining healthy vocal cords, you also need to be aware of the many factors that can put strain on them.

Needless to say, your voice is your most important tool as a voice talent, and you need to ensure it’s ready to go at all times. You never know when you’re going to get that next call and if your voice isn’t in shape, getting the job done won’t be simple. No matter your experience, take a look below to learn how you can prevent vocal strain and keep your vocal cords healthy.

Maintaining Healthy Vocal Cords: Factors to Avoid

It doesn't have to take a common cold to affect your vocal cords. Though a stuffy nose and sore throat will definitely inhibit your abilities, there’s plenty of other factors that can hinder the health and sound of your voice. Check them out below:

• Smoke: Whether it’s your own or secondhand, cigarette smoke is quite irritating for your vocal cords. Though a low, raspy voice is often needed for productions, smoking isn’t the way to achieve such.
• Exhaust: Much like smoke, you also need to avoid exhaust. If you live in a big city, or find yourself near exhaust, cover up with a scarf!
• Caffeine: Stated to dry out the larynx, caffeine can also give your voice some trouble. So, come the morning of a recording or audition, try skipping the coffee to keep your voice fresh.
• The Elements: During the winter months, that cold air can really be rough on your throat. Needless to say, stay warm when out and about, and consider throwing on a scarf.

Though it may seem a bit much, maintaining your vocal cords and avoiding the factors above is a must for voice actors. Compare it to professional athletes, for instance. From football players to Olympians, each and every one of these athletes must refrain from certain activities that could ultimately cause injury. Of course, staying healthy doesn’t only involve avoiding harmful factors—it also takes a good routine.  

Vocal Care Tips

Referring back to the athlete analogy, such professionals work hard each day to keep their bodies in shape, and you need to do the same for your vocal cords and voice. Not only that, but there’s plenty of warm-up exercises you can practice before a recording session.

Daily Care

• Keep hydrated at all times.
• Refrain from yelling and whispering, as it’s quite strenuous for the voice.
• Try not to clear your throat, as this too can be irritating.
• Stay active. Physical exercise, like cardio, can work wonders for your voice and acting skills, as so much of it is controlled with breath.
• Avoid talking from your throat. In other words, ensure you breathe with your words. Otherwise, you could put extra stress on your voice.

Before the Session

• Avoid caffeine.
• Drink plenty of water before and during the session.
• Much like caffeine, alcohol can also dry out your larynx. Avoid drinking the night before.
• Before putting your voice to use, do some light humming.
• Try gently singing (within your range) on your way to the session. It’ll stretch out your vocal cords, much like an athlete stretches their muscles.

Keep It Up

From maintaining healthy vocal cords to improving your technique, there’s plenty you can do to better yourself as a voice over talent—no matter your experience. Staying healthy is always essential, and doing so will help you get the most out of your voice. If you’d like more tips on voice acting, you can check out the pages we’ve provided below. If you’re interested in taking voice over classes, be sure to sign up today! For questions, give us a call at 212-213-9487.

• Voice Over Classes
• Tips for Voice Acting
• Creating Your Demo
• Reading a Script

How Famous Voice Actors Got Their Start

Whether it be famous on-screen actors or those simply providing their voices, most well-known faces and voices these days got their start through some form of training. While some actors have paved their road to success without classes or lessons, most had to work to perfect their skills—and it clearly paid off. Considering this, voice over classes are often a necessity for anyone seeking a career in the industry, as they provide invaluable insight as to how to improve your voice, perfect techniques, and much more.

Though not all famous voice actors took voice over classes specifically, some of the top names in the industry did take some form of lessons. As a result, they’ve maintained life-long careers in the industry and set the standard for many. Now, let’s take a look at some of the most famous voice actors and how classes benefitted their careers.

Famous Voice Over Actors and Their Beginnings

Just like we said, most voice over actors had to get their start somewhere, and while most took lessons other than voice over classes, they all took some form of education to get where they are today. In short, each of the famous voices to follow had to be trained and perfected, which is the case for many. Without further ado, let’s take a look:

Dan Castellaneta

Best known for voicing Homer Simpson and many others in The Simpsons, Dan Castellaneta found a passion for impressions at a young age. By the age of 16, his mother enrolled him in acting classes to help him hone his skills. From there, he worked on a radio show in college, in which he began to further perfect his voice over skills—and the rest is history.

Jennifer Hale

From cartoons to video game characters, Jennifer Hale has established herself as one of the top female voice actors. However, she too benefitted from taking classes. First studying theatre at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, Hale began taking voice over classes and training upon landing her first voice over roles, such as Ivy in Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? From here, she went on to voice various video game and cartoon characters.

Nancy Cartwright

Another Simpsons alumni, Nancy Cartwright is probably best known for voicing the infamous Bart Simpson, yet she’s had quite the career since. Discovering her talent at an early age, Cartwright studied theater in high school while entering public speaking competitions for categories like “Humorous Interpretation”. After doing part-time voice over work for a Dayton, Ohio radio station, she met fellow voice actor Daws Butler  (Huckleberry Hound & Yogi Bear), and began training as a voice actress with him every Sunday. Along with her natural talent, it was her studies and lessons with Butler that helped her become the voice actress she is today.

June Foray

Deemed the “Cartoon Queen”, June Foray worked on a broad range of cartoons, including some alongside Walt Disney. Better known for her various roles on Rocky & Bullwinkle, Foray first got her voice over start in radio. Before that, however, Foray got into doing voices at just 12 years old and began taking speech lessons with the host of a local radio program. From there, her teacher (who became her mentor), added Foray to the radio show and her career took off from there.

Get Your Start With Voice Over Classes Today

Clearly, most voice over actors need to get their start somewhere, and for many, that involves taking classes and lessons. However, aspiring voice actors today have an advantage that may not have been so readily available in the past: voice over classes.

If you’re interested in becoming a voice over actor and don’t know where to start, consider taking classes with the Voice Shop in NYC. We offer a range of classes for every skill level, so be sure to check out our options today. For questions, you can give us a call at 212-213-9487.