Getting Started w/ Voice Acting

[Sapphire]

Tips for Voice Acting [Online]
If you find anything you feel is wrong with this guide, lemme know. I've been asked by various people to make one, so here it goes!

Just to clarify, this is not a tutorial teaching you how to voice act, that's something that you learn to pick up on your own through years of practice. Rather, this guide was designed to give you some tips on how to get started with voice acting. It may not be helpful to all, but it kinda helped me get where I'm at now (lol wut).

Note: I'm not promising that you will get cast in everything if you follow this guide. It took me a few years to land my first role ever, and it will possibly take you that many years or more to get your first role.

1) Join a Community in Need of Voice Actors/Actresses

How else do you plan on getting practice? I totally recommend joining the Voice Acting Club , a fun voice acting community created by Rina-chan. You'll find some pretty sweet voice actors that reside there like Tomamoto, Hnilmik, D-Mac Double, and Omahdon! Not only that, but that place is just crawling with auditions for flash movies, games, machinima, etc, so you'll always have something to audition for.

There is also another place for your to find voice acting opportunities. Chances are if you're reading this guide that you're already part of a community in need of voice actors--Newgrounds! What? Newgrounds needs voice actors!? Most of the time, yeah. You just have to look in the right places! A good place to start would be this thread . There are artists of many kind who are always looking for voice actors. You'll probably get most of your work in this thread if you're starting out.

"Okay, time to audition!"

Wait, no, hold on. Do you even have a microphone?

"Um... I have a usb headset mic!!!"

Ahaha... read on.

2) Dude... Recording Gear

I hope you didn't come into this thread thinking producers/artists would just GIVE you roles if you asked them nicely. That's funny. You're funny. Every voice actor/actress needs a microphone, but not just some crappy headset microphone, a decent quality microphone! Here are some suggestions:

Shit Tier Microphones - $5.00 - $40.00:
These microphones are not really microphones, but people like to think they are. They're most known for being used to play Rockband with, having skype calls with friends, etc. You know, the crap you would probably find lying around your house. Headsets,webcam microphones, USB desktop microphones (ex: Logitech) are crappy microphones that you should NOT be using for voice acting purposes. They produce horrible quality sound and they tend to break very easily. I mean, why spend $10-$20 on a headset mic every week or month when you could be saving up all that money for a better one? If you really can't afford a microphone out of this price range, then go for the Dynex USB Microphone. You can find them at Best Buy and possibly other electronic stores. The quality isn't too bad on this, but it's not great either. The price is around $30.00.

Now let's get a little serious.

Good Tier Microphones $70.00 - $300.00 :
If you think you'll be pursuing voice acting for a long, long time, then you might want to pick out a good microphone within the $70-$200 range. Most VA friends of mine use the Samson CO1U Studio Condenser. Hell, I used it and I'll say that it's a pretty damn good mic for its price. It's a USB mic and fairly simple to use, so don't worry about wondering how to use it. Just plug it in to your USB port and off you go! This mic costs around $100.00. There's also the Samson CO3U Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone. It's supposed to be an upgraded version of the Samson CO3. The cost if $150.00 if you don't mind spending an extra fifty bucks on this. I'd get it over the Samson. I don't think there's a bundle pak out for it so you may have to buy a stand and shockmount.

Another good microphone you could purchase within this range is the Blue Yeti USB Condenser Microphone. This mic is a little more expensive than the Samson, costing around $150.00, but that's probably because you can record in stereo (will talk about this in a moment), cardoid, omnidirection, and bidirectional modes. It also has a couple of nifty buttons on it. I've never used it, but there are people I know who own one and they sound just as good as a Samson. There is also the Blue Snowball USB Condenser Microphones. This microphone probably isn't as bad as I think it is, but most of the people I know who have owned this didn't know how to use it properly. If it's used right, it sounds just fine. The microphone costs around $100.

There are other microphones out there that you can look into. If you want a really cool USB microphone (and don't mind spending a few hundred bucks), then I recommend getting either the Audio-Technica AT2020 Medium-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone ($150.00) (breath) or the Shure PG27 Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone ($200.00) Two awesome brands for a pretty awesome price.

God Tier Microphones
Price: $500+
There are other microphones out there that are better than the ones listed above, but are incredibly pricey (they even reach the thousands!). However, since this is a beginners guide, we'll avoid these types of mics for now. Unless you're doing profesional voicework in the real world, I don't suggest wasting your money on them.

In the end, you want a microphone that makes you sound good. It'd probably be a good idea to go to a local music store to test out these microphones before you buy it. You could also be like me and just ask voice actors/actresses who are in a lot of projects about what kind of microphone he/she uses.

Remember: A microphone can make you sound good, but it's useless if you're not a good actor or actress yourself. Start out a bit cheap, and then invest in a better microphone in the future (when you get much better than you are now).

Also, just so we're clear, unless the microphone specifically states it, most microphones require you to record in mono. This does not mean one speaker (and stereo does not mean two speakers). Wanna record in stereo?

"In order to record in stereo, you have to capture the audio in stereo. If you capture in mono (meaning one mic) and double the track. That isn't stereo. Its dual mono."

"Okay, time to audition--"

No, wait, there's more! You need a recording program. Check out my next post for that.
-------------------------------

[D-Mac-Double]

But wait, there's MORE!

[Sapphire]

Part 2

I'm not going to go too much into detail on this one. There are a bunch of audio programs out there, but I'm going to list the ones that I'm most familiar with:

Audacity (Free): Yes, it's a free program. You can download it here . A very reasy to use program, but it has its limitations. If you plan on doing more than just recording (like mixing audio), I'd advise getting a different program.

Goldwave ($30-$40): Oh yeah, it costs money but it's not a bad program. I think the best part about this program (and why I choose it over Audacity) is its 'Noise Reduction' feature. Unlike Audacity, this one doesn't leave you with tinny feedback on your recordings. If you don't have a recording studio or a VERY GOOD preamp, you may need a program that has a good noise reduction tool. I say this because microphones tend to pick up other surrounding noises whether it be from your computer's fan, the airplane that just passed by, or your air conditoner. If you run into this problem, I'd go for Goldwave.

Adobe Audition 1.5-3.0 ($150-$350): I love this program. You can record and edit your sound files using Adobe Audition. The only thing I don't like about it is its Noise Reduction tool because it still leaves the noise behind your vocals. Adobe Audition has pretty neato default plugins that you can use to spice up your recordings. Just play around with what they've got and you'll eventually learn how to use everything. I use third-party plugins for the most part, but I still use the defaults from time to time.

Okay, so you have the audition thread, your microphone, and your recording program set. Let's look into auditioning.

3) Time to Audition!
Yes, it's time!

I'm not going to go into full detail on how to audition because it varies from person to person. What I think is most important is showing proper etiquette.

FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS GIVEN BY THE PRODUCER/ARTIST! A lot of newbies will pop into a thread and either expect the producer to auto-cast them, ask a question that has already been answered in the directions, or post their auditions in the thread for everyone to see. Basically, newbies are more likely to do stupid things, and since you're reading this you will learn to avoid being stupid. Read the directions, and THEN ask questions.

Most auditions require you to send recorded lines from a sample script or to send in a voice sample (like a demo reel). When you contact these people, make sure you're polite and tel them what character(s) you're auditioning for. You may even want to leave your contact details at the end of the message just in case they like you and want to keep in contact with you.

There will be times you won't get cast in a project because the artist/producer liked someone else's voice. This does not give you the right to bitch and whine at them, asking them "why i not get role???" Grow up, and move on. Avoid making yourself look like a jerk in public. If you don't get cast, so what? There are plenty of other people looking for voice actors and actresses!

Audition for as many characters as you can. I mean it! You're new and in no position to be picky about what characters you want to voice for. Even if there are haracters out of your range, this method is a good way to increase your vocal range. You may accidentally discover a new voice one day and decide to keep it in your stash of unique voices.

4) Patience is a Virtue... and a Bitch.
Once auditions are closed, you start to wonder when the cast list will be up. In some rare cases, the person may never put up a cast list, but most of the time it will be posted in the audition thread. Sometimes the artist/producer will contact you via email to tell you whether you got the role or not. If a producer/artist is taking a while to post up a cast list, don't contact them about it. Be patient and move on to other auditions. In fact, don't touch the thread again unless it's to confirm for a role. You'll know when you get cast when you see the castlist or when the casting director emails you.

5) Anything Else?
Like I said before, it may take a long time before you nab your first role. Right now, you should think of auditions as a way to get good practice. Compare yourself to other voice actors and try to figure out what you need to improve on. Auditions aren't the only things you can do to improve on your voice acting. Check out sites like Voicebank.Net to listen to a load of professional demo reels ranging from animation to narration. Listen to what sort of voice they put into their demo reels. You could even try to mimic some interesting voices to create your own unique voice(s)! Watch some of your favorite cartoon shows and analyze the characters' acting. Try to figure out what makes the voices bring their respective characters to life. This is all about gaining knowledge and getting better!

Demo Reels
Avoid making a voice acting demo reel until you've landed a handful of roles, or until you've gotten 70% better from the day you started acting. For some reason newbies like to create a crappy demo reel as soon as they get into voice acting. Just chill and improve on your skills before you create one.

Impressions
Now, a lot of people like to do impression reels, and although it's nice that you can only sort of sound like Mario, you shouldn't waste your time making a demo that only has impressions. I say this because most people aren't good at them even though they'd like to think they are. If an audition calls for a sound alike, then go for it. Besides that you're most likely going to be asked to use a uniqe voice: your voice.

Play Nice
Last but not least, I'd like to point out that although auditions are sort of like competitions, you should shouldn't treat everyone auditioning as your rival. For example, say someone else got a role you auditioned for. Don't go up to them and tell them that they are now your rival. That's ridiculously childish. Whether you're being friendly or not, it sounds a bit douchey to tell that to someone. Some may take it as a joke, and others not so much. Congratulate the person on a job well done, and pat yourself on the back and promise yourself to do better next time!

And that's all I've got to say about that! If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me or post them in this thread.

[Step]

I'm not into voice acting and I'll never do Voice Acting, but this is a very well-written guide. I'll make sure to link any people who need some tips about Voice Acting to this thread.

[YChang]

Just so people know, like the Yeti, the Samson CO3U can also record in cardoid, omnidirection, and bidirectional modes.

[Sapphire]

At 5/14/10 12:40 PM, YChang wrote: Just so people know, like the Yeti, the Samson CO3U can also record in cardoid, omnidirection, and bidirectional modes.

This is true!

[Hnilmik]

This is a goooooddd guide~

It even comes with a decent mic guide that we don't see too often!

[Thenkth]

Just so you know, Audacity has a noise reduction feature as well.

[D-Mac-Double]

At 11/27/10 09:40 AM, Thenkth wrote: Just so you know, Audacity has a noise reduction feature as well.

It's reeeeally not very good. Now, NCH Wavepad has excellent noise removal. Even its free version.

[Thenkth]

At 11/27/10 07:23 PM, D-Mac-Double wrote:

At 11/27/10 09:40 AM, Thenkth wrote: Just so you know, Audacity has a noise reduction feature as well.

It's reeeeally not very good. Now, NCH Wavepad has excellent noise removal. Even its free version.

Actually it is really good. I use it all the time, you just need a few seconds background noise and it's super!

[FatKidWitAJetPak]

Great guide Sapphire! Also, for extra info make sure to check out the voice acting wiki!

And for anyone who wants to enter a contest, check out this winter voice acting contest.

[SSJDre]

Thank you for putting this together Sapphire, I got quite a bit more info from this than I expected, and it's nice to know that I was mentally on the right path, not I just gotta get a decent mic, so I can eventually move on to auditioning for roles. And also get better recording software, I'll want to noise reduction done as best as I can get it. I hopefully, will be able to find some opportunities, I really wish I would have started checking the forums a long time ago.

[Arthur-Swordswinger]

Very good guide! I learned a lot from that. I have a really good mic too but the port only fits my Olympus audio recorder for when out covering a story. Does any1 know if you can buy an adapter that will allow me to use it a usb port?

[yesysh]

Do you know anyother good audio programs?should i go with adobe soundbooth

[aznpikachu215]

Can the Samson CO1U Studio Condenser be used for casual purposes? (Skype, Gaming, etc.)

[Shock-Dingo]

At 1/31/11 09:37 AM, aznpikachu215 wrote: Can the Samson CO1U Studio Condenser be used for casual purposes? (Skype, Gaming, etc.)

Yup. I've got one and other than voice work, I use it for Skype. It's pretty compatible with other programs. :)

[aznpikachu215]

Dang, I guess I'll have to stick with logictech for now, despite that it's awful quality to use, but would the Samson Condenser Studio have cancellation? Like no background noises whatsoever?

[ReklessCreati0n]

Horray For a DJ Hero Microphone!!!

lol works just fine for me :P

I'll be getting a new microphone when I get my macbook pro

[aznpikachu215]

So would the Samson Condenser cancel all background noises? Should I buy a used or a new? (On a budger right now.)

[tehKLN]

Thank you.
I'm inspired!