Voice over is an underrated skill and professional choice. With the digital space dominated by video content, the need for voice-acting fails to retrieve the limelight. However, voice-overs are a classic instrument for powerful narration.
Voice-overs are all around us, from documentary films to the instructions when you board a flight. The need for voice-over will grow parallelly as the demand for video rises. If you are looking to kickstart a career in VO, this is the ideal time.
VO artists can contribute in many ways. Radio ads or brand endorsements are the first most popular employers of voice over artists. With the boom of video content, this art has taken a new life.
Today’s technology efficiently allows anyone to add audio online, making voice over a much-needed skill. Have a peek here. Voice artists also have the added benefit of working to their will, never having to face a camera and create meaningful content.
Let’s further dive into what it takes to build this career path in voice-over.
Training and Learning
Like most skills, even voice acting needs an amount of practice and nurturing to monetize. Professional courses or the abundance of free online resources can help anyone hone this skill.
Irrespective of how good you think you are, a professional can guide you on the finer nuances of this skill. You must additionally also take immeasurable care of your voice. This practice means better diet and lifestyle choices for consistent voice-quality.
Voice acting courses also teach you many professional attributes like working with equipment, understanding sound editing, pauses, volume control, the enunciation of words, and much more. You must also continually strive to learn new words and master their pronunciation.
Formal or in-depth training will always help you secure a better understanding of this business and its working.
Equipment Overview
We breakdown the need for equipment into three distinct part:
Space:
The place you record your audio is a real reflection of the final output quality. The best audio recording studios aim to eliminate any unwanted echoes and reverberations. This fine-tuning occurs with soundproofing and acoustic alterations.
Set up a small recording space at your home to start things off. This corner will help you produce unlimited content without having to book a studio. You can either turn an extra room into a studio or create a dedicated hub.
Ensure this space has better soundproofing and sufficient padded furniture. This furniture and fixtures help absorb the sound and stop it from bouncing back into your mic. You can also use a heavy blanket or some curtains to create this same effect.
As long as your room is free from outside noise and other disturbances, you will achieve a good quality sound. Always check for the AC’s sound or the fan when you record — an easy to miss factor for beginners.
Gear:
Expensive equipment does not always mean superior quality. Each mic has its unique purpose, and finding the right one takes time and practice. For a beginner, it helps to visit a physical store and buy your equipment.
The mic must have a short-range but provide high-quality stereo sounds. Ensure they are adaptable to the recorder or your computer.
You can also use your phone to record. Phones microphones are well-designed to capture crisp audio and contain a minimal range like a dynamic mic.
You will also need a pair of wired-headphones for sound-feedback and editing. Quality headphones ensure that the final output is on-point with industry standards and sound harmonious to any audience or producer.
Invest in a mic-stand or a holder. This device will help you record audio without disturbance of a moving mic or the microphone-wire. It also helps to keep audio consistent in each recording. Lastly, you will need a pop-filter to eliminate any wind distortion.
Editing:
A voice-over artist does not need to hone sound-editing or mastering. However, having this additional knowledge will help you gain better dimes for your work. It gives you the ability to package your products better.
Editing and corrections help improve the final sound-file. A process like de-noising, de-reverbing, and audio normalization is the basis of sound-correction. This skill also enables you to create better quality files for promotions.
You can edit using software, a mobile app, or an online editor. The golden rule of content creation, both video or audio, is to leave minimal editing work. Strive to get the best quality output using your skills and equipment.
Promote Your Work.
Once you are ready to monetize your skills, it’s time to jump into creating your demo track. These samples help others gauge your abilities and provide job-offers. You will also need these samples to apply for auditions.
You could recreate existing voice-overs pieces or generate content from scratch. Upload them online to build your personal brand and portray credibility. Using online tools like voice2v, turn them into videos, and add them to your social media page.
The demo tracks must represent your range, experience, and expertise. Create audio in genres, languages, accents, and domains. The more diverse your portfolio, the better your odds of getting to the top.
Enure you only publish the best of your work and be open to feedback. Work on the pointers from booking-agents and friends to enhance your work-quality. Think outside the box for unique video ideas to separate yourself from the clutter.
You can also collaborate with existing creators to help spread the word about your skills.
Final Thoughts,
Your voice-over career will kickstart with the perfect balance of creative talents, professional skills, and technical knowledge. Missing one of these skills will force you to a massive disadvantage. Only being the best artist will fetch you very little work since no one knows you exist.
Get the right training, only buy the necessary equipment, and be on the constant lookout for more work. Putting out online content is a perfect step-one to reach a wider audience.
Lastly, this is a slow process. Starting anything new takes time. Being great at voice-overs requires consistent outputs and continuously learning to evolve with the times.
