These days, there is more room for a much wider variety of styles than ever before in the history of the voiceover industry. With the emergence of the Internet and easy-to-use audio editing software, new markets are continually being created and expanded upon. Commercials, animation, audiobooks, and documentaries have been joined by podcasts, industrial and educational training videos, videogames, a wide range of telephony, and many others. But perhaps even more integral to this visible increase in opportunity is the fallen preeminence of the male-dominated “Voice of God,” as it is referred to in the vernacular of the industry. Once the industry standard, the Voice of God has merely become one more voiceover style among so many others – others that are often much more effective. 

This voiceover revolution has been brought about by changes in the advertising industry, and how they create relationships between their products and consumers. Combined with the arrival in the workplace of the flip-flop wearing, iPod listening, Facebook-checking Generation Y, it should be no surprise that voiceover marketplace websites have seen the light of a new direction. Holding on to the old voiceover norms of 10 or 20 years ago can only result in stagnant demos that sit collecting virtual dust in the barren recesses of these avenues for advertising your voiceover business.

Two big factors have influenced the advertising industry in recent years, according to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Roy Williams. Internet browsing has trained the public to more quickly disregard empty words and message relevance has become more important than repetition. This has lead to a much greater emphasis on creating a “meaningful message.”  

Williams was able to nail down a pattern.  He says if you want your ad to succeed, which ultimately means “get noticed,” you’re going to have to: 

• Talk about things your customer actually finds interesting.
• Write your ads in a style that rings true.
• Avoid heroic chest thumping, such as “We are the number-one...”
• Close the loopholes in your ads – ambiguous claims make you seem dishonest.
• Use specifics. They’re more believable than generalities. 
• Remember that substance is more important than style.
• Relate to the customer on their own terms.

While all these are important for the voice actor to remember, none may be as important to the way we do our job as number seven. The idea of relating to the customer on their terms is what has ultimately knocked the “Voice of God” off its pedestal and ushered in the era of the “next-door neighbor” voice. 

These trends have brought about an entirely new set of job requirements for voice actors. First of all, the term “voice actor” has become common. The name itself invokes a certain style change. Very simply, the new wave of consumers are not as likely to heed the words of omniscient basses – who resonate at a frequency reminiscent of fire, brimstone, and their fathers – as they are to “everyday” people, who sound like friends with whom they can easily relate to and trust. 

In addition, changes in the industry norms have allowed a level playing field with respect to style and gender. Whether she is the stay-at-home Mom or the ambitious businesswoman or even the excited college student, the female consumer longs to hear a voice she can identify with. As a result, more women are doing voiceovers than ever before.

That perfect, rich, velvety, “radio” sound is no longer the top order of the day. In fact, “textured” or even “damaged” voices have become quite desirable – if you know how to use ‘em! Inevitably, it is more about what you bring to the table as an actor. In today’s voiceover industry, the best coaches are focusing primarily on emotions, not the voice itself. 

How do these trends impact other areas of the voiceover industry? After all, commercials only represent about 10% of the entire industry. “Real people” are showing up everywhere. Industrial and educational
film producers want narrators that can speak to their target audiences like peers. Audiobook publishers working with female authors want female narrators. Animation producers want voice actors who can entertain. 

Even the Help menu on the installation CD that comes with your all-in-one printer isn’t likely to feature a thundering Charlton Heston-like voice saying, “Press power!”  Instead, the narrator sounds like someone else that also bought that printer and needed a little help getting started.

Someone just like you.

This timeless offering can certainly be applied to getting started in voiceovers. "Looking before you leap" can involve making sure voiceovers is something you want to do, grasping the basic fundamentals of what is involved with getting started, and most importantly, understanding that you shouldn't try to do this alone!   

Embarking upon a voiceover career can be, and hopefully is, a time full of excitement, hope, and promise. For many newcomers to the industry, it is also a time fi
lled with nervousness and anxiety. Now before you begin to panic, be reassured that this reaction is completely normal. Anytime you begin something new, the fear of the unknown and the pressure of pursuing your dreams are sure to cause these emotions.   

This is why it is of paramount importance for you to choose the right producer to assist you in the creation of your first demos. Embarking upon a voiceover career without a reliable guide is a daunting task for someone that doesn't know the ins-and-outs of the industry. You need to find someone who is accustomed to working with new, nervous voice actors. Someone who can help you get the most out of your voice and vocal delivery.    

Major obstacles lie in many different areas and around nearly every corner. Aspiring voice actors might have to redo, relearn, and just plain start over as a result of getting less then stellar advice. Sometimes this advice comes from a person or company claiming to be a voice coach or producer when in truth, they are just out-of-work voice actors or recording studios trying to make a few extra dollars on the side. Even worse than the inexperienced producer is the voice actor who believes their basic knowledge of the voiceover industry qualifies them to handle the responsibility of launching another aspiring voice actor's career. Some of these people and recording companies speak a good game. But when it really comes down to getting a new, wet-behind-the-ears voice actor pointed in the right direction with the most effective and necessary tools, they just can’t deliver.  

There is a distinct benefit to hiring a producer who specializes in working with new, and possibly nervous, voice actors as compared to a less experienced voiceover producer. The right producer, for example, will understand the obstacles that a
first-timer may have to overcome. The right producer will be able to help a newcomer deal with the fears and insecurities that they may experience during their first visit to the studio. In addition, the right producer has a big bag of tricks to help you, the new voiceover actor, relax and relate to the script.  

In fact, the right producer can incorporate his or her coaching and critique with elements of positive reinforcement and instruction. The right producer will understand the value of the recording session and will help you attain the maximum educational benefit from the experience. In essence, not only can the right producer get the best possible performance out of you, they can ensure that your time in the studio is a valuable learning experience as well! 

As a new voice actor, you probably won't realize your full range of capabilities and versatility during the production of your demo. However, working with an experienced producer can help identify the kinds of challenges you are ready to face. The right producer can gauge your abilities and guide you during the session. Even more valuable, the experienced producer will have a vast script library on hand, and they can assist you in choosing scripts that are going to best showcase your voice and delivery styles.  

When choosing a producer or recording studio to help you create your demo, it is vital to ask for references! Ask for the names and contact information of voice actors they have launched into a successful voiceover career and then, contact them! See what they think. You might be surprised. 

Next, always listen to demos produced by the studio you are considering. Be sure to listen with a discerning ear. Most budding voice actors are dazzled by the mere sound of a voice recorded on decent equipment with some cool music or sound effects thrown in. Although sound quality is important, it is equally as essential to take note of the flow, timing, cadence, and tempo of the recording. The right producer or studio is experienced in producing recordings that take all of these elements into account.  

In a nutshell, finding the right producer who has experience in the industry, gets results, and can help you deliver the best performance possible will provide the confidence and assurance of “looking before you leap” and bounding ahead to a successful voiceover career! 

Demo Critique?  Watch out! Opinions are like mouths... everybody has one (and boy oh boy will they use theirs while telling you all the problems with your demo).

Let's cut right to the chase.  Demos are subjective.  Yes, there are important characteristics that every good demo must possess, but make no mistake about this... If you ask 10 people to critique your demo, you will get 10 different answers.  Maybe some positive things, but chances are you will hear much about where you went wrong and how to fix it.   

Why are we warning you about this? In a minute we will get into the specific characteristics that your demo must possess, but first, heed our warning.  There has been many a new aspiring voice actor who has created their first demo and worked hard in the studio to record the highest quality demo they could, only to have some “industry expert or veteran” shoot it down and kill their momentum.

The first question you ask might be... “Well, don’t I want to get other people's opinions on my demo?  The short answer is yes. The complete answer is... only if you can take their opinion with a grain of salt.  Demos are very subjective, and everyone wants to show you how much they know by telling you their opinion about how to make things better.  More times than not an opinion is not fact, and it may or may not have any relevance to your personal situation.

These opinions might be helpful to hear, but think about these questions...

• Which artist was better? Monet or Renoir...
• Which band is better? U2 or the Rolling Stones...
• Which car looks better? Mercedes or BMW...
• What food tastes better? Italian or Mexican... or Chinese... or Thai...

Get the picture? The answer to all these questions is ALL of them! It just depends what you like during that moment in time for that purpose.

The same goes with demos...

• Should your demo fade or cut between scripts?
• Should the background music be a little louder or a little quieter in relation to your voice?
• Should the spots be a little longer or a little shorter?
• Should your demo have 4 spots or 8?
• Should you try to show your vocal variety, or is your strong voice so good compared to your alternative voices that you should mainly stick with that one?

The answer is not quite as simple as choosing your favorite band or car. Do you know why?

Lets digress for a minute and then we will come back to that question.  If you were to send us your demo to critique we could certainly tell you our impression.  But, what would our impression be based on? We would have no choice but to base our opinion on what we think other voice actors we know are capable of, and how we think a session in the studio would go with you, and the music library that we have access to, and a given VO job that we were thinking of.  If we were to listen to your demo we might say... “well, we think you should have spoken more like this, and we think this spot should have gone longer here, and that one should have been shorter there, and it might sound better overall with your voice more in the mix."  But there would be one very important thing missing from our critique.  Our opinion would not be based on how the actual studio session went, or your personal ability at the time the demo was made. 

Back to our above question...

• Everyone has weaknesses and strengths.
• Everyone has certain vocal characteristics.
• Every employer is looking for a “certain” type of voice.
• Every agent has their own ideas of what makes a good demo.

Maybe there is a good reason why your demo does not show the variety that we wanted to hear?  Maybe you were just not yet capable of showing more variety at that point?  Maybe there is a reason why the scripts are ordered and cut the way they are based on your performances and on the way the studio session went as a whole? Maybe there is a specific kind of work that the producer of your demo thought you would be best for and as such directed you to make sure that you made a good impression in that light?  Perhaps there is a good reason why some people like your narration demo better than your commercial one?  Maybe at that point in time you are just better at narrations and so of course that demo sounds better to some people?

The point here is that we can give you our general opinion, but as long as the basics such as; good recording quality and post production processing; good scripts for your voice and style; and a generally typical industry standard layout for your demo are employed, then we are simply telling you what we think based on a number of conditions that we could never fully understand or predict.  

So what makes a good demo?

• Good recording quality.
• Appropriate music and FX behind your voice (this is subjective in and of itself).
• High quality post processing and production.
• Using one of the many industry accepted formats (script lengths and transition types).  

In addition to these things there are a few other very important things that must go into your demo...

• You must try your hardest to show what you are capable of at that moment in time.
• You must make sure that your demo shows your strengths and hides your weaknesses, even if that means keeping the variety to a minimum for now.

If your demo is made with these 6 things, then that is pretty much your best demo at that point in time. Regardless of what some “expert” tells you.  No matter how many people you meet who are trying to do you a “favor” by taking time out of their schedule to give you a dissertation on all the problems with your demo.  No matter what anyone says, if you can say that at the time of the creation of your demo you made sure that the six things listed above were utilized and taken into consideration, then your demo is your perfect demo for you at that time. 

Remember, especially if you are a graduate of VFA, then this demo is only your first demo. If you listen to it 3-6 months later and cringe because you think you could do so much better then good for you!! That means you have been honing your craft and it is time for you to begin your demo makeover (a very easy task for those with home studios). At the same time, if after 3-6 months you listen to your demo and you don't cringe, at least a little, then you might think about spending more time practicing your technique and evolving yourself as a voice actor.  Even 3 months is a long time for an aspiring voice actor and most people should improve considerably in that amount of time. If you do not, then you are simply not putting in the time required to make progress.

We want to strongly encourage you to read the next article on our site titled, To Demo Or Not To Demo - That is the question! it is a must read follow up to this article. 

So in closing we want to once again caution you about taking other people’s critique of your demo too seriously. Make sure that no matter what anyone might say to you, that you continue to market yourself and follow your plan for finding success. Yes it is true that there will be times when you want to spruce up your demo to show your new, best capabilities.  It is actually a requirement in this industry. You should always be improving and therefore be updating your demo regularly.  It is your resumé!  Don't let that stop you from getting out there and finding some fun VO jobs as you continue to evolve.  Hands on experience is the best kind there is. So remember, this is your first demo not your last, it is not the only demo you will ever have.  You can't get your feet wet without a demo, and there is much more to learn when becoming a voice actor that you simple cannot learn without being out there.  

Good Luck!

To demo or not to demo… that is the question!  When you're getting started in the voiceover industry, you want to put your best foot forward.  You want to come out of the gate strong, showcasing all of your talents and skills.  So you should work with a producer/coach to hone your skills and begin to maximize your versatility. Right?   Right…  And, the more training that you do to prepare for your demo, and the longer you wait to make sure you are ready, the more sense it makes.  Right?   Wrong! 

Throughout your career as a voice actor, you will continuously be learning new skills and evolving.  If you wait until you feel that you have “mastered” the art of voice acting before you make your first demos, you will be putting a major road block in the way of your success.  Besides...

• How will you know when that time comes?
• When will you be “good enough” to record those first demos?
• How will you ever be able to quantify when you are “ready”?
• What will your barometer of that right time be? 

If you are like pretty much every future voice actor, then you are getting in to this business to "voice act", and make money doing so.  In order to even begin your career as a voice actor, there are some very important tools that you need to have before you can begin to go out and find work.  Your demos are one of those tools.  Without them, you cannot effectively enter into the industry of professional, working, voice actors.  An invaluable part of your evolution as a voice actor will come through actually working in the industry, working with clients and delivering the read that they are looking for.  Without demos that show you are capable of doing a given VO job, there will be no opportunity to secure that job, therefore no opportunity to learn through experience.  The demo is one of the catalysts for further growth and evolution.

Now lets look at one of the places that the myth of waiting to do your first demos may come from.  There are many so called "voice actors" out there who saw the need to wait quite some time before making their first demos for one main reason.  They were under the impression that their first demo was going to be their only demo for a long time to come. They thought that they were going to have to make this expensive demo last for years and years, so they wanted to make sure it was going to represent them as well as possible.  If this is your plan, then you better think again.

Your first demo will not be your last demo. I don’t care how long you have trained, practiced, and studied up to the point where you record the first demo...  You will improve (and rather quickly) once that FIRST DEMO is done, and for many years to come.  If you speak to any national level voice actor they will tell you that they are evolving their demos all the time.  The reason for this is that they are always learning, growing and evolving.  Every time they aquire or refine a skill they want to show it in their demo.  And they should, an artist always wants to present their best work to date.

Enter the home studio. If you really want to make the most of your voice acting career, you will want to strongly consider creating a home studio.  There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is because it will allow you to improve and refine your demos for very little money, any time you want.  A home studio allows you a chance to practice whenever you want, audition for and produce paying jobs all over the world from your own home, and create new improved performances that you can use to update your demos all the time.  A dry, unprocessed track is all you need to send to a studio to create or update your demo.  Now, we want to clarify that we are not saying that you should expect to fully produce your own demos right off the bat.  Some people will get into post production, but most will just record the dry tracks.  This means that you can provide a commercial studio with all of the performances that you would like to add to or swap out on your demos, and then all the studio will need to do is the post production.  Post includes processing the reads, adding music and sound FX, mixing everything together, and mastering the final product.  Sounds like a lot to the average person, but for a studio set up for this kind of work, it really is not too bad.  This can make updating your demos very inexpensive as compared to going into a studio to record everything from scratch.  VFA does this type of post production for its grads all the time.

You want your first demos to showcase your abilities and versatility at that moment in time that you record them.  With the assistance of professionals who can help you choose the right scripts to showcase your talents, to produce you in the studio, and to mix and master your first demos according to industry standards, you have a chance to go out and find paying work that will not only give you a nice paycheck, but also builds your resume, and gives you the needed experience to grow your voice acting business. Every day that you wait to make your demo, you are making a decision not to grow your voice acting business.  Once you have the basic tools needed to begin your career as a voice actor, you need to get out there and experience what the world of VO has to teach you. 

Yes it is true, that 3 -6 months after you record your first demos, you will most likely wish to give yourself a demo makeover.  With determination and persistence there is a good chance that you may already have some paid jobs under your belt, and a resume that has evolved along with your voice acting abilities.  That sure sounds better than the alternative of waiting  6 months to a year to do your demos and therefore putting your voice acting business on hold. 

One related side note.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking that voice acting is all about your voice.  We mentioned above that there are some very important tools needed to find success in voice acting.  It is true that learning proper technique for using your voice and developing your ability to interpret a script are very important to your success.  But...

• What about marketing yourself?
• What about creating a support network?
• What about putting a home studio together and learning how to effectively use it?
• What about knowing how to conduct yourself as a true professional with proper etiquette?

All of these things are pertinent tools needed to grow a successful voice acting business. These are also tools that need time to evolve and be refined.  For the most part, these are things that can not really reach their maximum potential until you are out there finding work and functoning in the voice over world.  Yes, your demo needs to be good.  It needs to be as good as you can make it at that point in time.  Spending that first 6 months marketing yourself and working in the voice acting field, while practicing and honing your skills, instead of simply just training, waiting for the day you are "good enough" to do your first demo, will surely put you ahead of the rest.  You should not wait too long to make your first demo. 

If you are an aspiring voice actor, you are probably researching options for coaching and training in preparation for your new voice over career. Good for you! You’re on the right track. Now what type of coaching are you considering? Do you even know that you have options? Many people believe that the training required to become a voice actor has to be one-on-one in order to really reap the maximum benefits. On the contrary, I’m about to blow this misconception to bits and tell you why group training is the way to go.  

So, imagine this scenario if you will: You are standing in a small classroom with your personal voice acting coach, learning the ins and outs of becoming a voice actor. You are working on a script and have just finished a read. Your instructor tells you that he wants more energy. He wants to hear more excitement and enthusiasm in your voice. He’d like you to be more dramatic, even over the top, and sound really positive, upbeat, and happy. You take a breath and go for it, delivering what you feel is the best interpretation of the script while applying your instructor’s direction. At the end of the read, your voice coach exclaims, “Great!! That was it!!” Now tell me, what have you learned? Wait, wait! Don’t answer that yet! 

Next, I want you to imagine the very same scenario, only this time you are in a classroom with the instructor AND a handful of other aspiring voice actors. This time, after you receive direction from your voice coach and deliver your best interpretation of the script, the instructor says, “Nice job! That was a great delivery!! Now, let’s see how Jane would interpret the script, and after that we will follow with Roy and then Dave.” So, Jane stands up and begins her read. Within moments, you are taken aback by how different Jane’s interpretation of the script is, even though she has received the exact same direction from the instructor. In fact, even though the entire class has received the same direction from the instructor, every single student delivers an interpretation of the script that is entirely unique! With each of your classmates’ performances, you suddenly identify ways they might improve their delivery or you might hear interpretations that inspire your own performance, picking up tips and tricks that you could use. Now tell me, what have you learned? 

Imagine that after each student’s delivery of the script, the group is encouraged to offer feedback on their classmate’s performance. The other students might validate good things they heard or offer gentle advice on areas that could be improved. Not only are you gaining valuable insight and direction from your instructor, but now you are also receiving advice from your classmates. You may discount some of the comments, but others make good sense and you might take them into consideration for your next read.

Let’s take a moment to compare the differences between these two learning experiences. Which one gives you a better idea of the many ways to approach a script? Which one helps you develop an ear for what a great delivery can sound like? Which learning experience is more relevant and necessary for a new aspiring voice actor – an individual who needs to learn how to respond to a future employer’s direction and how to self-direct in their home studio? 

In my professional opinion, a group setting offers the most benefits. Group voiceover training is where one can most effectively learn and apply the many nuances of voice acting technique. It is a setting where each student gets a chance to share and learn from each other, in addition to the instructor. It is a place where one can learn how to thrive and survive as a professional voiceover artist. 

I think it is important to mention that in no way am I suggesting that there isn’t a place for one-on-one instruction in your journey to becoming a successful voice actor. What I am saying is that group training is the best first step towards pursuing your career as a successful voice actor. Group training offers the most diverse and educational experience in the shortest amount of time. It also builds a solid foundation of knowledge that can be used to develop your own abilities. Once you have developed an ear for identifying great voiceover performances; once you begin to understand what is really possible as a voiceover artist; once you have witnessed others go through the same learning process, then you may be ready for the next step of one-on-one coaching. 

Oh, and have I mentioned how group training provides an opportunity to network and beef up your support system? You can cultivate professional relationships with like-minded individuals who are able to give you feedback, encouragement, and a sympathetic ear when you need it. In essence, you can meet folks to “talk shop” with. Your friends and family might not be able to appreciate your frustration with a client who doesn’t time a script, but you can bet that your fellow classmates will!

So in a nutshell, the major benefits of group training are:

• Hearing a variety of interpretation styles,
• Developing your ear as a voice actor,
• Giving and receiving feedback to and from classmates, and
• Networking and creating an extended professional network for yourself.

I think that you can clearly see that the benefits of developing your abilities as a voice actor in a group setting are undeniably abundant. As an aspiring voiceover artist, your goal should be to learn the most you can as quickly as you can, in order to get out there and start finding work. Taking that first step by training in a small group setting is a great way to get the ball rolling! 

Oh, and have I mentioned how much FUN it is? 

In today’s voiceover marketplace – a diverse landscape where cynical soccer moms get as much work as Budweiser-swilling dulcet-tones – knowing where a voice
fits into the exponentially increasing pool of opportunity has become even more important than the quality of the voice itself.  

Aspiring voice actors, who bravely attempt to blaze a trail into the untamed frontier alone – without the experienced guidance of established pioneers – may
find themselves saddled with an ill fitting and sorely lacking arsenal when the day is done. 

This all-too-common scenario emerges most frequently in the form of flat, one-dimensional demos that serve an earnest new voice actor about as well as a book of matches serves a blacksmith. Script selection is as important as every other element in the demo production process. Industry trends dictate that success will come to those who are able to showcase their versatility and range of marketability.  

Without access to a vast script library and a critical outside perspective that can help extract a wide range of characters and personas, demos will inevitably miss the mark. Once-eager and enthusiastic voice actors are often left feeling discouraged and confused as to why they seem to be mired at an outpost while others, perhaps less talented, boldly stake their claims in the Land of Voiceover Opportunity.      

Once the dust settles, the problem becomes obvious. When first starting out, it is tempting to choose scripts you “like,” instead of those that “like you.” In one way, this can lead to a greater emotional connection to the material and thus help build a demo replete with “relatable” spots. Upon closer examination, however, it becomes obvious that the voice actor has showcased only one or two styles where four,
five, or even more may have been possible.  

Self-sabotage is a much greater risk, with potentially much more disastrous results, when picking scripts you “like” for your demo. Venturing beyond your voiceover niche can make you sound unprofessional and downright bad. 

Imagine the train-wreck that would occur if BIlly Crudup, who provided the voiceover for the MasterCard “Priceless” commercials, were to include a “Budweiser: Real American Hero” spot on his demo because he thought it was cool. Similarly, consider the catastrophe that would unfold if Nancy Cartwright, who voices the well-known cartoon character Bart Simpson, included a clip from Planet Earth, a documentary narrated by Sigourney Weaver, on her demo because she was passionate about nature. 

Like what you like but demonstrate who you are. Consulting voiceover experts and choosing scripts that best market your range and ability will have you striking gold and shouting, “Eureka!” in no time at all.