Everything You Need to Know About Becoming a Successful Voiceover Artist

Do you think that you have a compelling voice that can help you make money? Global media production has considerably vamped up with more voiceover artists needed than ever before, especially voiceover talents who have quality home studios and are willing to take up different projects.

Here are the basics you need to know about becoming a successful voiceover artist:

 

Do You Have What it takes?

To be a successful voiceover artist, there are certain characteristics that you need to have. For instance, you will need to have a genuine passion for speaking without self-consciousness.

Your voice must be clear and comprehensive, no matter what accent you have. You will need to have an excellent understanding of the grammar and syntax of English (formal and colloquial). You will also need to have a good computer literacy.

This is specifically needed if you plan to record and edit your voice overs at home. If you hire someone else to do this, you might earn less profit than you potentially can. Since a voice actor’s job is diverse, you should be able to easily and accurately sight-read scripts.

You must also be able to show/ express a wide range of emotions with your voice by having empathy with the script and speaking naturally. Voice-over artists are needed for a variety of reasons, including commercials and the recording of audiobooks.

In the case of the latter, you should be able to speak fast or slow and change your voice rapidly according to the situation or characters. If you are able to change your voice quickly, you will be able to change the mood, speed, and theme of the narration.

As a freelancer voiceover artist, you should be able to accept constructive criticism and follow the instructions provided by your clients minutely and accurately. You will need to have plenty of stamina for those long and complicated needs.

 

Have a Recording Studio at Home

Ideally, you will need to have a recording studio at home, which should be a naturally quiet small spot in your house. Or, you can also create a recording studio in an area of a larger room that can be acoustically restructured to eliminate reverberations.

Simply put, the designated area needs to sound acoustically “dead” if one would clap their hands in it. Unless you have a solid voice recording machine, you place your desktop/ PC into a soundproof box. You will need to invest in a quality microphone and stand and connect it with your computer while having your computer screen in the optimal position – in front of you, while you either stand or sit for recording your voiceover scripts.

Once you start getting orders and projects, you can always invest in a proper, professional voice recording booth, taking your job to the next level. A voice booth is specifically designed to eliminate and cut out any external sound while offering a completely dead audio-recording environment, which is ideal for recording.

Besides this mandatory setup, you should not forget your internet speed as a good broadband connection is required to work as a professional voiceover artist.

 

Potential Benefits of Becoming a Voiceover Artist

While becoming a voiceover artist, your job can be quite adventurous and fun; the truth is that this job comes with its own set of responsibilities, which is why it is similar to any other job. If you have decided to become a voiceover artist, you can immensely benefit from the following perks:

 

You will Get Surprises!

One of the best parts of becoming a voiceover artist is that you never know who or which character you are going to voiceover. Different clients will bring different projects to the table – for instance, you can expect to do serious narratives, or you can breathe life into fun characters, do commercials, record voice emails, and help businesses get promotions. You might also sign a contract with a popular sitcom and do the voiceover of a famous cartoon character.

 

Add Versatility to Your Life

One of the core aspects of voice acting is to understand your character well so that you can voice it properly, which is why you will learn to add versatility to your life. It doesn’t matter whether you will be doing a voiceover for a commercial or whether you will be playing a princess; you will have to take over the character and go all in.

By doing so, you will learn to adapt to different situations by using your skills, and specifically, your voice.

 

Have Fun With Your Job

How many people get paid to have fun at work? The percentage is low – as you might have already guessed. But, the thing about voice acting is that it is fun, and one of the basic reasons you would enjoy becoming a voiceover artist is based on your desire to have fun.

Besides, if one loves their job, they are more likely to work with dedication resulting in brilliant outcomes. That said, another essential benefit of becoming a voiceover artist is that you will have fun. If you ever play a tough character and get hoarse, there is nothing to worry about – here is how to get your voice back.

 

You Never Get Bored

As a voiceover artist, you won’t be performing a typical desk job that comes with the typical routine of 9-to-5. A desk is everything but not exciting where one is assigned mundane work – something that most people dread.

If you are someone who hates routine, you will be getting countless new projects and opportunities to try out your voice acting. Voiceover actors face unique challenges at their job, which is also why their job is so versatile – nothing like your ordinary job.

 

Final Thoughts

If you want to be a successful voiceover artist with a compelling voice that actually sells, you can get there with passion, hard work, determination, and perseverance. Once you start getting projects, you will be amazed at how versatile, interesting, and successful the job of a voiceover artist can be.