So, I Tried Voice Over Acting…

Hello blog reader! A short introduction is in order; my name is Nate Myers. I am the Social Media Manager here at The Voice Shop, a voice coaching school. I am relatively new to the world of voice over, and to submerge myself in the nuances of this art, I asked to attend one of The Voice Shop’s virtual classes, The Fundamentals of Voice Over. I learned about my voice in some ways I never thought possible.

So, I tried voice over acting for the first time, knowing absolutely nothing of the craft or the industry! What follows is a summary of the incredible value I received during the two-and-a-half-hour class.

The teacher for the class was Michael George. Mike, as he prefers to be called, has been a voice-over professional for decades. Trends, industry practice and standards have changed multiple times as he forged his path into the voice over field. I would use words like friendly, professional, genuine, frank, and uncompromising to describe Mike. The last one may be a bit of a surprise, but it was in the best way, as I’ll explain in a bit.

 Voice coach, Michael George, teaching voice lessons at the Voice Shop in New York City.

When I first joined the class, we went around the horn and introduced ourselves. It was a diverse group, both ethnically and regarding age and location. Some students had some experience in singing or other related respects, but we were all new to voice over. This “newness” made me feel very comfortable knowing that I wouldn’t be compared to someone far better than me. It can be intimidating to try something new. Luckily that wasn’t a factor at all that night.

The first half of the class consisted of Mike teaching us various techniques to control our voice. We practiced accentuating different words in a message, using our tone and expression. He had several voice over parts from commercials and the like that we could try and use for comparison. Mike was extremely focused on what he heard from us and provided clear feedback before trying again. I noticed immediately that my voice became lighter sounding, more positive, and friendly. And I got my first epiphany of the night:

 “Wow, I could actually do this.”

I have never in my life thought I had a voice-over-worthy voice. I thought I always sounded younger than I was and so casual that no professional voice over project would even consider me. I hadn’t thought these things specifically, but if someone had asked me, “Have you considered performing voice over?” I would have laughed at them. It wasn’t in the stars for me, or so I thought.

Mike continued to take us through the exercises and techniques, and something else started to shine through. We all had different strengths and personalities. Mike was helping draw that out of us and quite quickly. Two and a half hours felt like a very short time because I was so engaged the entire class. I watched as other students found their voice and started reading things as themselves. It was inspiring. I said earlier that Mike was uncompromising. I meant that he didn’t accept it if someone read the prompt exactly like the person before them. Imitation was not the goal. He wasn’t satisfied with unenthusiastic attempts. He had constructive feedback for every single line that was read. He was uncompromising in making sure we were all getting our money’s worth from the class.

 The Voice Shop brings out the strengths and nuances of each voice during the voice lessons.

Mike emphasized that we should try to be relatable, accessible, genuine, human throughout the night. Probably the opposite of what you would think of the voice over industry. In my mind, it’s full of talent who are actually actors, but their abilities are featured behind the scenes as voices rather than people on film. They were people pretending to be someone they were not. While this may be true in some cases, especially in animation, Mike wasn’t focused on that. He wanted us to find success in the best way for us individually. He said, “People these days don’t want to be marketed to; they want to hear from their friend or their neighbor about a product.” So, marketing departments and agencies have been looking for voice over talent that sounds just like that. REAL.

The latter portion of the class is dedicated to questions and answers. I found this section equally interesting and helpful as the first. All of us, being beginners, had a lot of questions. Some of the best ones were:

·         How much money can you make for a gig?

·         What equipment do I have to buy to get started?

·         What facet of the industry is best to focus on? Commercial? Animation? Radio?

·         How can I better improve myself?

·         How can I leverage an agent or agency to market myself?

Mike was brutally honest in his responses, which was great for the other students and me. Again, two hours earlier, we had zero knowledge of voice over or how to do it. Here we were, completely transformed into more professional beings. Every student wanted to learn the next steps. They wanted to continue down this path they had stumbled upon.

Mike recommended we sign up for the following classes, which include Intermediate Essentials and Advanced Techniques. He also offered to do one-on-one sessions with each of us if desired. Then we could really dig into the industry and where we wanted to contribute. Which opportunities we should pursue, how to further polish our voiceovers.

The class ended, leaving me a very different person from before. I had learned of a way that I could make income as a side hustle. I knew how to do it, what to do next and where to turn to for advice.

All in all, it was a 10-out-of-10 experience! Mike, you took a person with casual interest at best and turned them into an aspiring voice-over artist. Thank you.

Getting Started in Voice Over

For a second, let’s think about your favorite movies, kid’s favorite shows, that commercial that keeps coming on Pandora, the commercial that interrupts your binge-watching on Hulu. These all have something in common. A person is doing the voice over for each of those. That person is making money because they have learned to leverage something we’re all born with: Their VOICE.

 Next time you hear a voice over, pay less attention to the message and concentrate on the voice. Does this person have an incredibly charismatic voice? A “radio voice,” if you will? In most cases, they do not. Most companies these days are striving for authenticity. The person you’re hearing is meant to be relatable and easily understood by you, their target audience. That person could be your neighbor, your friend, your coworker. And because they are relatable to you, you are more receptive to what they have to say.

Listen to voice over samples from commercials to video games as voice over actors play their part in the media production.

For that reason, literally, ANYONE can be a voice actor. Little did you know, but there are companies out there with voice over projects looking for someone with your exact voice. They would choose you in the voice casting process to represent their products or services, but they need to know about you for that to happen.

At this point, you’re probably wondering how much you can expect to make in the voiceover industry. It will likely start slow as you audition, apply for, and interview for various vo projects as with any artistic career. This process will pick up in speed as you become more recognized and as you create relationships with clients and companies. Typically, we see voice actors making anywhere from $35 for a small radio spot to $100k+ for a national TV ad campaign. There’s a big range in there! It’s safe to say that many possibilities open up to you if you’re willing to put in the work.

 What is that work? First things first, you’ll need to polish up that beautiful, uniquely “you” voice. Most of your daily conversations take place at the same timbre, same vocal tone. When doing voice-over, you’ll need ways to mix that up and emphasize different words or phrases of the message. Enthusiasm, excitement, security, and even fear are emotions you’ll need to practice relaying as you read a script.

 The Voice Shop was founded to help you with this part of the process. Our mission is to help establish and develop all the vocal skills that you will need to succeed in the world of voice over. We’ve stacked our teaching roster with some of the most seasoned and industry-savvy voice over actors. We can elevate you from your current level to a higher plane by signing up for one of our classes. We recommend starting with “Fundamentals of Voice Over” for beginners. If you get value from that class, which we know you will, you can continue through our courses with intermediate Essentials and Advanced Techniques.

 Mike George, voice coach at The Voice Shop, trains voice actors from beginner to advanced techniques.

The beauty of taking these voice over classes is that you can improve yourself before heavily investing in the physical capability to record your voice. But that will be necessary as you take your first steps into the professional realm of voice over talent. You’ll need to cover these essentials at the very least: Microphone, Preamp (audio interface), Headphones, Mic Stand, Pop-screen/filter, and very importantly: Recording and Editing software. Depending on which tools you decide on, you can reasonably obtain all these assets for $500-$1,000. In comparison to any other artistic venture, this is extremely affordable. Imagine getting into music where you’ll likely spend $1,000-$2,000 on just your instrument, much less all the heavier equipment needed to record that instrument. In relation to other freelance efforts, voice over has what we call a “low barrier to entry,” and anyone can get their feet wet and get serious at a reasonable investment level.

 Okay, so your voice is polished to a glorious shine. Your remote voice over home recording studio is waiting for action. How do you go about finding voice over work? Finding voice over projects will likely be the most challenging part of your journey; it’s what separates the wheat from the chaff. In other words, the way you approach this step is what will distinguish you above your peers who are your competition in the voice over space. Have you ever heard the phrase “It’s all about who you know” before?

Luckily, by following the steps in this guide, you’ll have made connections with Creative Media Design, the sister company for The Voice Shop. But perhaps more importantly, you’ll have made personal connections with voice over professionals who currently operate in the voice over industry. They bring home the bacon and can be your guide to breaking into the scene. They’ve done it and continue to do it. Follow in their steps, and you’ll know which path is best for you, whether through a union, personal marketing efforts, or hiring an advertising or vo agency. How involved do you want to be? How proactive are you? Choose the path that is best for you and the time you have available today. That may change down the road but START NOW!

 The Voice Shop will be happy to help you get there.

You Can Do This Voice Over Job From Anywhere

Imagine being able to wear anything you want, have no commute, and be rewarded for your creativity every day.

Welcome to the world of the modern-day professional voice over artist. You can do this voice over job from anywhere. And that means ANYWHERE.

 Voice over artists get hired because of what they sound like, not how they look. "And that suits me just fine," says Judy Fossum of Cheyenne, Wyoming, who pops out of bed and produces content "in my pajamas, if I want to."

It's true. Today's voices you hear in media were probably not recorded in a recording studio per se, "and it suits the introvert I am so I can create beautifully from my quiet home studio," says Judy. "There is no boss."

 Voice over artist Judy Fossum provides voice work
from her home in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

 Fossum, 46, who is married and very well established in the voiceover world, proves that where you live makes no difference and confirms so because she's "never been asked." Yet to do business with Judy, who handles narration, e-learning, and commercials, all the producer does is contact her. She can have the voiceover done the same day. Judy is extensively trained in voiceover from the Denver Center for the performing arts. She believes "you must seek training to learn not just the voice techniques, but to understand technically how to satisfy the deliverable." (www.JudyFossumvoiceovers.com)

 Think about that. A few short years ago, you had to be near NY, LA, Atlanta, Chicago, or Miami. You had to be near a major metropolitan city. The reason: that is where the studio was. You'd go into the physical location, work with a producer, an engineer, and perform at a certain time with an entire team of people fussing over every word you said. But that has all changed.

 "It excites me that I can live here and be heard anywhere," says Kelly Wilson, 37, from Twin Falls, Idaho.  After all, she has the in-home studio, the talent, and the booking, but "technology changed all of that," As a married mother of two living in the middle of nowhere, "the industry has been more open to wherever you live," Kelly adds. (https://www.kellywilsonvo.com) The profession accommodates Kelly's life as a stay-at-home Mom, and "Yet, it has no effect on the voice work I deliver," she says.

 And Mike McGonegal agrees. Mike lives in Wilton, New Hampshire. Population 3,677. There is only one traffic light. But Mike, 53, a seasoned veteran of the craft, still invested in a custom-built studio specializing in E-Learning. (https://www.MikeMcGonegal.com) "With the advent of technology, it omits location, and all you have to have is electricity, that's it." Mike is the voice of Porsche Automobiles of South Africa. "I am heard all over the world, and I do it right here in New England, never leaving the front door."

 Not too far from Mike's place is Mary Catherine Jones, 54, who hails from Shelburne, Vermont. Population 7,500. "My negotiations involve organizing mow times with the neighbors," says Mary Catherine, who acknowledges a quiet studio is a healthy one. She's a specialist voice in audiobooks and E-learning, "and I'm also a sound engineer and can handle any technical requirement that Manhattan needs." So, Mary Catherine spends 90% of her time marketing for work and 10% producing. "The work is fun, but finding the work is the labor." And for 12 years, Mary Catherine has done Just fine from her home studio in New England, including a weeping willow tree in the front yard. Yahoo! www.voiceoververmont.com)

Voice actors (from left to right), Kelly Wilson, Mike McGonegal, and Mary Catherine,
create voiceovers from their home studios in locations across the USA.

 Conversely, there are still those that work in the big city, but they do it at home. Enter Hillary Hawkins, a bi-coastal talent with home studios in New Jersey and Los Angeles. Hillary can do it all. But she found a niche in accents that sets her apart. "I can hear any accent and mimic it," she says, or "I can talk like this, and you'd never know I was a woman." What she's talking about is her extraordinary ability to sound just like a little boy. And she did so on the phone during the interview for this story. She sounded just like a child. (www.HillaryHawkins.com/accents)

 Hillary booked 373 vo jobs in one day during the pandemic. She is, without question, an all-star. And now has a book out that is Amazon's #1 new release, "How To Become A Voiceover Artist." And, as Hillary comments, "I can do remote voiceovers right here at home." Hillary, who is single, lives the life she wants, all day, every day. "And my inspiration comes from my faith."

The new book from Hillary Hawkins, who records voice-overs
from her home studios in two different locations.

All the above performers do have one thing in common. They believe in education. "I took class after class after class," says Judy Fossum. "You've got to have the education to work in today's technological world." Judy, a former radio personality, feels "you have to treat this like a business, so sing or get off the stage." And therein lies Judy's key to advancing her abilities. "I got trained IN THIS FIELD, and it worked." Judy studied not only in Denver but at The Voice Acting Academy in San Diego. (https://voiceacting.com)

 And that's what the voice coaching team at The Voice shop in New York does. There's voice acting instruction in exactly how to develop your God-given voice talents. You choose the voice lessons study path. You set the pace. "And the vocal coaches help you get there," says Mike George, one of the leading voice trainers at The Voice Shop in New York City. (www.voiceshopcoaching.com)

Mike George (standing) is teaching a voice class at The Voice Shop in New York City.

 Judy Fossum believes that her degree in Journalism was not enough to carry her into a successful world of abundance. "If you're gonna be in this industry, you have to continue to learn," says Fossum. "My introversion has no factor on getting it just right, and it all happened because I took it seriously and trained…and trained and trained." Already holding two bachelor's degrees, Judy feels that going pro means you're thirsty for knowledge. "You learn as you go, but you always have to be in a learning mode."

 If you are considering a voiceover career, consider becoming a trained voice artist at The Voice shop, which is company-linked to Creative Media Design, vo agency and voice production studio. (www.cmdnyc.com) The advantage with both facilities combined, you can become a trained voice actor AND be exposed through voice over casting to producers hiring for voice projects.

 Leave the Armani on the hanger. Keep the Gucci bag in its' corner. And think BIG. You'll be entering a world of talented people on a global scale. The only thing you bring to work each day is your voice, and that speaks volumes.

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The Road To Voice Acting Success!

Do you feel Deep inside that you are just a little different than others when it comes to professional life?  This story is about the road to success as a voice actor and why personalities who succeed in voice acting are typically much different from others in the workforce.

"We want people to be Unusual," says Mike George, lead voice coach at The Voice Shop, a voice talent and voice coaching agency in New York. http://www.voiceshopcoaching.com/

"We want people who Do realize they are different and know who they are," says Mike.

Mike and a host of other seasoned voice instructors teach people who want to learn how to become voice talent. The Voice Shop teaches exactly how to enter the profession as a voice talent and how to get booked. And people who gravitate to this field typically do not resemble the personality of your bank teller.

"ODD and DIFFERENT" are traits that are positive," says Mike. "The person who stands for the status quo is not the typical profile of a voice actor.”

The Voice Shop coach, Michael George (right), has literally "done it all" when it comes to voice over. Michael's voice has been heard all over the world - his credits include Evian, Kia, Hilton, Dannon, Coca Cola, Disney, Motorola, The NBA, KRAFT, and Citibank.

Embracing ones' eccentricities is the common thread among most people in creative fields.  From musicians to singers, writers to even producers…the arts attract people who are much different from the status quo. Being a voice talent is no different. "Unusualness is the antidote to competition," says Mike George. "And that is why developing a voice talent career appeals to the type of person it does." 

One such type of person is John Kubin. John is one of the new young stars of the voice-over business. He has booked 40 jobs in the last 50 days as of this writing.  But he only discovered success in voice work after serious attempts as a musician and an actor that failed. It started slowly, but these days demand is quite high. "Every morning, I line up the auditions and reel them off spending only three minutes per assignment, then send them back and forget about it." He is a one-man business who found voicework after not succeeding at his first attempt on the road to an exciting professional life. "To me, I knew I was not ordinary, and I found a way to use that trait in voicework," says John. "I am chaotic in general, and voicework leans itself toward people just like me." https://www.prettynifty.tv

John Kubin is a young star in the voice over business.

When you enter The Voice Shop, you are taught everything you need to know on how to use your voice from concept to completion. Students at The Voice shop are taught techniques in voice classes and exposed to the agencies and organizations involved in voice casting and voice projects.  "I'm always thinking to think in terms of Big Ideas," says Mike George. "So, when a young new talent wants to become "the voice" we teach them concept to completion tactics."   

The new frontier of voice work is the web. Before it, commercials and documentaries were the extent of available opportunities. Nowadays, there are audiobooks, video games, e-learning, podcasting, animation voices, and character voices. And if your bi-lingual, you instantly double your marketability."

And there is a lot of liberty for the voice-over artist. "The main thing that surprises me is that I can voice from any country to any country, at any time," says John Kubin. "There are no limitations to the profession."

Years ago, the voice talent producers wanted was a very "broadcast-like" sound like a radio DJ.  But these days, if you don't have a perfect voice, "that's just perfect," says Mike George. "Just be you," says John Kubin... "and Use the natural you," chimes in Mike George.

Never in the history of storytelling has there been more opportunity than there is right now. So, if you need a roadmap to get you there, The Voice Shop offers the solution for an aspiring voice talent.

"I didn't realize I could do this 'til the day I die," says John Kubin. "It has led to everything, and it'll continue." Voice work led to John's exposure to commercials made for an advertiser that the client did not buy. So Kubin launched https://www.spexster.com, and it serves as a website that allows other clients to take advantage of high-end advertising that never made it to air. He calls it Advertising on Demand, "and it would have happened if it had not been for my voice work," says Kubin.

Meanwhile, The Voice Shop continues to teach the fundamentals of professional voice work as "a marriage of art and commerce," says Mike George.  And that ultimately is what being a voice over artist is. It's taking the art of your natural human voice and relating to other people in a way that'll provoke a buying decision. It's big business.  And you'll be at the apex if you decide to take the road to success.

So, The Voice Shop provides voice coaching and voice career guidance, and across the hall is Creative Media Design https://www.cmdnyc.com, a voice over studio for clients to record in every language for worldwide distribution.

"We record every language on earth from our voice production studio and send the voice project to whoever needs it with the click of a mouse," says CEO Mike Zirinsky. "And, we have every single language right here in New York, with international voice talent recording to satisfy the demand for worldwide communications." There are 7,000 languages globally, and Creative Media Design is recording in (80) of them. It's' an international audio soundstage interpreting human communication.  

Sound Exciting?  If it does, and you have wondered how to become a voice actor, it all begins right here. If deep inside you, you feel that calling to BE the voice, this could be your beginning. You'll wind up being a unique person who fits into the unknown world of voice performing. And along the way, you'll discover that life calls on you to take part in a profession that is absolutely anything but ordinary.

Let us hear from you! We're ready to listen.

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The Evolution of The Natural Voice

If you think that you are not talented enough with your voice to be a professional announcer, you could be wrong. But at one time, it was true. Only the selected few measured up to become a professional voice talent. In men, the deep resonate voice, and in women, only the voice with the most “butter” or sensuality was considered for casting. You had to sound just like everyone else sounded, and originality was never an option. But times have changed, and now the door is open for all types of style and vocal timbers. Even yours.

Voice coaching students at The Voice Shop.

But before we tell you how you can get into voicework, allow us a step back in time and educate you on the history of professional voices and how it all began.

In 1920, radio station KDKA in Pittsburg signed on, and the industry of broadcasting was born. In 1927, the first talking motion picture was produced. They were called “talkies,” and everyone in them were all stage actors from New York who had migrated to Los Angeles to seek their dream of being “in pictures.”

The way they sounded is referred to as the mid-Atlantic dialect. Everyone sounded alike. You can hear it even today in any of the old movies or radio broadcasts from the era. And because there was no history on how to perform the voice, everybody who did use their voice for a living sounded like everybody else.

Creativity in voice had not begun, so both genders emulated the other more influential actors to them, and that, as Louis B Mayer of MGM said, “is why the kid stays in the picture.” That same phrase later became Hollywood producer Robert Evans hit film bearing the title of “The Kid Stays In The Picture.”

The natural voices we hear today are an evolution from a time gone by that led us to where we are. The audience now listens to your voice more than ever before. But during the golden age of cinema, traits of the mid-Atlantic dialect were demanded. It had traits as a dialect of a high pitch, staccato in tone, and missing vowels and consonants on purpose. This would translate to you dropping the R In the word CAR to sound like you’re saying CAH. And in yesteryear, the vocal delivery had to be spoken louder because the microphones of the day could not pick up all the beautiful delicacies of the amazing human voice.

In 1956, Earl Nightingale was the star of the day. Earl was the highest-paid announcer in America. He sounded beautiful. He recorded “The Strangest Secret in the World” and sold one million copies making Earl the wealthiest announcer in America. But winning the vocal genetic lottery does not happen to everyone. And so, a very distinct and formatted “voice-wealthy” person was the target of every producer in radio, TV, and motion pictures. People with “pipes” (slang in broadcasting for a great voice) got all the work, and very few people could break-in.

Isn’t it nice how things have changed? Today, you can have a normal voice with emotive connotation and do very well. And this demand has opened doors for people who sound like people we know. Voices are no longer only deep or sensual. Today, voices sound like someone you know.

But none of this occurred until broadcast pioneers hired Nancy Dickerson as an anchor in 1960. Audience shares doubled with Nancy’s presence because the audience in television then and now was overwhelmingly women who were housewives. They watched their Soap Operas, such as “The Secret Storm,” then turned the channel on the television at home, and the family followed along. Innovation began. Advertising exploded with results upon her debut.

The founders of broadcasting discovered it just made sense to use a woman to become a news anchor on TV since women have the buying power for products and services in the family. And so, the revolution continued. This revolution increased the success of ad campaigns, films, and television because voice diversity had arrived. Advertising became more sophisticated. Movies became more relatable. Television news introduced more women, and audiences grew. And this happened all because of voices. Here’s the logic. If you are a housewife and a woman speaking to you in a commercial, you’ll be more likely to respond to her voice because she sounds like you.

The Mid-Atlantic dialect was the result of what media historians call “elitism.” Only the upper crust was a part of the industry. Because at that time, no one knew how to increase the audience. But they did, and they did it with voices. And with history being made every day in film, TV, and radio, research proved that the original elite voice of the past should stay in the past.

Today’s natural voices that evolved onto the screen and radio became solidified sometime in the late 80s to early 90s. It didn’t happen overnight. But the trend evolved out of the need for Americans to forge their own identity in mass media. And consumers found themselves paying attention to the new voices that were now the new normal.

It was once believed that the world-famous announcer Wolfman Jack was a voice talent that would always be “THE VOICE OF CHOICE.” But to find that proven impossible. And other famous announcers like Larry Lujack and Jay Thomas (WAYS radio-Charlotte) were interrupted when Rick Dees came on national radio with “The Weekly Top 40.” Dees is thought of as one of the first announcers to become famous for sounding so unlike the people he grew up listening to. Dees has a mid-range voice with vernacular that drew the audience in. And simply put, if an announcer sounds unlike an aristocrat, the audience will respond more favorably.

Baby boomers own a majority of the wealth nowadays, so it was pure programming intelligence to use a voice talent that appealed to that buyer’s market. And now, with today’s new talent who come from Gen X, the person with the best voice is the one that can draw you in and capture your attention with a natural delivery. And that means that you can learn how to become your own voice talent entity because of what we teach. You can learn that with us at Creative Media Design and sister company The Voice Shop. At the Voice Shop, we help you develop the skills to become successful voice talent, while at CMD, we expose voice talent to ad agencies and producers worldwide.

Still think you don’t have the voice? Enter National Public Radio. NPR is the gold standard of a relatable voice. “The NPR sound” is notable because the tone is soft, there are long pauses between signature statements, and there is a strong emphasis on certain words. This pregnant pause creates credibility for the listener. If you listen to NPR, you’ll hear no over-the-top voices, but you will hear an intelligent approach to all the information given. David Ogilvy, the Father of advertising, is said to have once summarized his ad philosophy with, “the audience is not stupid. Let’s not insult them.” Translation? Give the listener and the viewer a communication message they can really relate to.

The first language ever spoken is Sumerian, which first began in 3,100 BC. It was the dawn of a new age for mankind.  Fast forward 5,000 years, and more people are communicating in more languages than ever in history. And it all comes down to the basics which have been learned and are set in stone about the voice. If it sounds like you, wherever you are, successful, effective communication took place.

Now that you’ve read this, if you feel inspired to develop your pipes, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact us:
Creative Media Design – info@cmdnyc.com
The Voice Shop - info@voiceshopcoaching.com

Voice Over Casting Process

Finding the right voice for a tv commercial, video game, or other media project can be daunting. Casting the perfect voice is a core function at Creative Media Design (CMD). CMD has a proven process by leveraging extensive experience, a vast voice over roster and extended network, and a proven vetting process.

Voice Casting Specifications

Clients with a project will reach out to CMD to start the voice over casting process. Many requests are from advertising, production, and media companies, some of whom have worked with CMD in the past. The producer works with the client to develop the voice over specification. Many times, producers leverage CMD’s expertise to create or finalize the specification.

The specification generally includes several elements:

•              Number of actors

•              Age range of voice

•              Voice style, tone & other significant voice characteristics

•              Gender

•              Union or Non-Union

•              Recording timeframe and location

•              Licensing & Usage

Once the variables are compiled and agreed upon, the voice over specification is ready for casting.

Voice Over Specification Template

Next, CMD creates a template to include the details of the specification and character description. A selected piece of the copy is provided for the voice talent to read during the audition. If singing is part of the project, a few songs like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” are referenced.

Voice Casting Requests

Once the template is completed, a filtered network of VO actors are invited to audition, including CMD’s talent roster and reserve roster, targeted social VO groups, VO actors we’ve worked with, and other contacts in the acting/creative community. Unique requests are handled individually and sent to specific contacts in CMD’s voice casting network.

 CMD has an extensive network of voice talent for any project
ranging from medical narrations to video games.
Listen to the demos here

 Auditions And Voice Talent Selection

From this point, the responses from voice casting requests start to come into CMD for consideration. The voice talent provide demos based on the project specifications. CMD producers listen to each applicant and screen the demos to narrow them down to the best fit for the project. 

The screened voice overs are sent to the producer for feedback and review. Generally, the top two to five voices are selected. In some cases, a request for a second read might include a change to the style of the read to have more emotion or different pacing. CMD manages the callbacks to provide the final round of demos to help complete the voice casting decision.

CMD then coordinates and manages the recording phase of the process.

CMD – The Voice Over Casting Specialists

A proper voice over casting process takes experience and time, along with expertise and a network of vetted talent. CMD has over two decades of voice casting success, and we can find what you need for your project. Please contact us at info@cmdnyc.com

My Top 5 Audio Post Plug-Ins For Dialog Clean Up

By Bob Kirschner

I record and edit dialog on a daily basis for podcasts, TV shows, commercials and corporate projects. Cleaning up dialog can be very challenging, especially these days as the COVID pandemic has completely changed the way we work. Much of the dialog I work on is now recorded from people’s homes: either from a prefab vocal booth if we’re talking about professional voice actors, or from a closet turned into a makeshift booth, or simply from someone’s office or bedroom.

The quality of recorded dialog is determined by not only the equipment used but also by the acoustic properties of the room in which the dialog is recorded. A room with lots of absorptive material will usually result in a much cleaner, more direct sounding recording. A room with lots of reflective surfaces will result in dialog that sounds echoey, distant and indistinct - a real problem for audio engineers and for the listening audience!

So depending on what the dialog sounds like, I’ll look to my arsenal of audio plug-ins to clean up and sweeten the sound. Fortunately, there are a bevy of excellent plug-ins developed by a variety of manufacturers specifically for this purpose. I’m going to highlight some of my favorite plug-ins as well as a bit of how I approach dialog clean up.

De-Reverb

For my first step, I’ll listen for any problems with room reflections that make dialog echoey or distant-sounding. This is a very common problem for anyone not recording in a professional vocal booth. (Fun fact: Until only a handful of years ago, audio engineers had to rely on noise gates to try and remove ‘reverb’ (room reflections), which was not very effective for this. But now there are intelligent De-Reverb plugins which analyze the audio and can remove just the reflective parts. This development was a game-changer for dialog clean up!) My go-to plug-in for this is Izotope’s De-Reverb, part of their RX audio repair bundle.

When working with De-Reverb, or any audio repair plug-in, it’s very important to compare the result with the original and be sure you’re not overdoing it. Too much De-Reverb processing can easily kill the essence of dialog. As a general rule, cleaning up dialog is always a balancing act, you want to remove the problems but you don’t want to lose the life of the voice. Over processing can result in things like muddiness, underwater-sounding side effects, syllables getting chopped off, and other nasty problems. My advice is to always err on the side of caution! When in doubt, better to under-process then over-process.

Plosives

Plosives are low-frequency (bass) noises caused by a voice producing a hard consonant (usually a ‘p’) with lots of air directly into the mic. A good pop filter properly positioned on the mic (about 2 inches away) will prevent many plosives from being picked up. But when they do get recorded they need to be dealt with. Since plosives are a low frequency problem, and the voice is more present in the mid-range, a high pass filter can usually knock out even the most egregious culprit. When I clean up dialog, I’ll always keep the Avid EQIII High Pass Filter open and ready to go, set to a corner frequency of 150Hz and a 12dB slope, so I can quickly zoom in on the problem and filter it out. I may need to adjust the frequency of the filter depending on the voice (male vs. female) and the degree of the offensive sound.

Mouth Noises

Another common dialog issue is the unintentional but frequent noises that the human mouth makes - lip smacks and mouth clicks. As it turns out, some voice actors never have a problem with this, while for others lip smacking is a regular occurrence. (A pro trick to stop lip smacking - eat a piece of green apple, it usually stops the smacks in its tracks.) So what do we do about it? Apply a bit of Izotope’s Mouth De-Click plug-in. This little piece of magic will quickly remove just the problem smacks. But like all dialog clean-up, be sure to compare the before and after so you don’t make the voice too muffled. I’ll almost always use less processing than the plug-in’s default setting.

Sibilance

The last dialog problem I’m covering, and this one can be the most difficult to correct, is sibilance. Sibilance is the high-frequency cousin of plosives - a problem caused by producing hard consonants (commonly an ‘s’) that results in an overly bright and painful-sounding syllable. Sometimes you may even hear someone ‘whistle’ their ‘s’ - an extreme example of sibilance. Fortunately their are tons of great de-essers that are designed to fix this common problem. BTW de-essers have been around since the beginning of professional recording, but now we have some very advanced plug-ins that can do things like ‘look-ahead’ and tackle the problem without any delay. My go to de-esser plug-in is the Fab Filter Pro DS. It’s extremely powerful and very user friendly. But my secret trick for conquering sibilance is the McDSP SA-2 Dialog Processor. This plug-in recreates a unique hardware processor used by film mixer Mike Minkler for dialog sweetening. It simultaneously limits at five specific frequencies that are common problems for dialog. You can dial in the amount of processing for each frequency and control the overall shape. I typically use this on my dialog bus after individually de-essing dialog with the Pro DS.

That’s it for now! I hope my plug-in recommendations for dialog clean up help you achieve high quality results.

The Importance Of VO As An Art Form And Business

Professional voice overs sound effortless and impactful. Achieving this quality level requires extensive practice, patience, and focus to succeed in the competitive VO business.

Beauty Is In The Ear Of The Beholder

“Voice over is a craft before anything else,” states Jessica Schechter, Director of Education at The Voice Shop, a voice over coaching service. “The voice talent is an actor and incorporates an actor’s point of view. The vocal quality is a skill set that must be developed like other art forms such as dance or playing a musical instrument. When the voice over sounds effortless, this is accomplished by investing the time in preparation and training.”

Developing your VO craft and skills is critical to success in the highly competitive VO business.

The Business Of VO

Voice overs are important to brand reputation and bring the message to life. Several mediums are utilized to promote business offerings and awareness:

Commercials: One of the most common forms of voice overs are in television commercials. TV commercials are the most competitive and lucrative voice over projects. Nearly every commercial has a voice over to help carry the story the commercial is trying to tell. Often, commercial projects are difficult to get, and the voice talent will likely need to gain experience in other types of voice overs. Schechter elaborates, “You become the brand of a company. You have to find the sweet spot of tone, be consistent and stay on-message to be successful.”

TV commercial voice over examples

Radio Ads & Segments: Much like television commercials, radio ads and segments typically require a fair amount of voice over experience. Radio is still the most consumed form of media, and the ads have the potential to reach millions of listeners, depending on the station and market.

Radio ad voice over examples

Narration: Whether for a documentary, or company training material, narration voice overs can be large or small projects. Local narration voice overs, for example, can be a great way to break through into the voice over industry and build a voice-acting resume.

Narration voice over examples

“You have to love VO as an art form to compete in the VO business,” exclaims Schechter. “It is very competitive, and you are your own brand to promote, network, and pursue projects. It takes time and perseverance to be successful. You need to have an attitude where auditions are “practice” with a possible job opportunity.”

Schechter summarizes, “Find the area you love and focus on that. You cannot do everything well, and that is ok. Focus on the craft first, then pursue the business. You must have the skills to back it up.”

Let The Voice Shop prepare you for a lucrative career in Voice Over, a rapidly growing 15 Billion Dollar industry. The Voice Shop is a voice over coaching and education initiative. Our mission at The Voice Shop is to establish and develop the skills necessary for you to succeed as a voice over professional. Contact us at info@voiceshopcoaching.com