Voice Over Tips & Tricks 5-21-2012
Brad Dassey Voice Overs
The BEST Voice For Promos and Commercials
http://www.facebook.com/braddassey
May 21, 2012
What type of voice over equipment do you need for your voice over studio?
So, you’re probably asking, “what type of equipment do I need for my voice over studio?” The answer is simple. Voice over equipment that is affordable, but quality. You want to have HIGH QUALITY voice overs when doing the voiceovers because for instance, if someone hires you to record their next audio/video project, it has to be the best of the best. If it’s a crappy Wal-mart computer microphone, chances are, they won’t be back to hire you again. If you want a personal recommendation on voice over equipment, contact me through my website, http://www.bestpromovoiceovers.com and I will be sure to give you an AWESOME recommendation for under $700 dollars.
“I’m just starting out in voice over, what do I need to do first?”
So, you’re just starting out in the voice over industry and don’t know where to start. First of all, RELAX, you’re NOT going to start getting gigs over night. And NO, if you join a talent agency, the voice work is NOT going to just start FLOWING in. It takes real SKILL and TALENT to do voice overs and to acquire that skill, it takes time, patience and PRACTICE! And LOTS of it!
3 Things You Will Learn When Just Starting Out In The Voiceover Industry:
The few things I’ve learned in my recent years of doing voiceover is that you have to be PROFESSIONAL. Even if you do an audition for someone and they turn you down, STILL, treat them with kindness because you never know if they will come back a week, a month, a year later and re-consider. If you treat them badly for what seems to be, “wasting your time,” chances are, they’ll NEVER be back again.
Another thing I’ve learned in voice over, is that you want to HELP the customers with their scripts. Offer suggestions to BETTER the script, to STRENGTHEN the script. You want to show your customers you mean BUSINESS, right? Chances are, if you go above and beyond the call of duty to write an AMAZING script for your new client, chances are, they’ll be back, plus, tell all of their friends how awesome you are.
Lastly, one of the most valuable things I’ve learned in voice over is that you have to just be YOURSELF. If you try to sound like the next guy, or a famous movie actor when you know you’re NOT, chances are, you’ll sound like a fool and the sound won’t come out right. You can’t be practicing your Don LaFontaine movie trailer voice when you really don’t HAVE one to begin with. And NO, getting a, “Don Lafontaine movie trailer voice changer isn’t going to work, either. You want to be a STRAIGHT shooter, right? Of course. Just act NATURAL, be YOURSELF.
So, that’s all I have for giving you voice over tips and tricks for now. There’s no REAL secret to voiceovers, just act natural, be yourself and learn anything and everything you can. There is a LOT of free information out there to learn from, so do the research, practice, practice, practice! I’m not going to bore you with a 10 page essay on how to do voice overs, so every week or so, I’ll be offering tips and advice on how to advance you to the next stage.
How to practice voiceovers:
As far as leaving you with one last piece of voice over advice, practice reading EVERYTHING. When you walk through the grocery store, read the signs posted, read them in a unique way to yourself. Maybe even out loud, but make sure you don’t sound crazy to the guy standing next to you.
Write up a fake script or find voice over practice scripts online for free. Read them, get familiar with them. As I mentioned, it takes real SKILL to be a professional voice over actor and you’re going to need LOTS and LOTS of PRACTICE. You might as well start NOW.
Once you record your voiceover and THINK you have it down, wait about an hour or so and come back and RE-LISTEN to it again… Chances are, it probably still sounds HORRIBLE.
Another thing you can do is LISTEN to all the TV Ads on television, or the RADIO ads on the radio. See how THEY sound and try and match the same tones and inflections in your voice, as theirs.
Don’t worry, you’re just starting out in voice over and you’re not going to become a famous voice actor over night…
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American Male Voice Over Talent | Brad Dassey 