(Note: Due to the popularity of this post, I’ve moved it from the archives to the home page.) Voice over acting is just that — acting. Which means that you must have the ability to express a myriad of emotions through only the sound of your voice. And it must be done in a completely believable way. How can you [Continue Reading…]
(Note: Due to the popularity of this post, I’ve moved it from the archives to the home page.) Anyone looking to become a voice over actor needs scripts to practice with. And since you can’t just walk into any bookstore and pick up a collection of scripts complete with radio, television, telephony, narration, video game, multi-person dialogue and more, it [Continue Reading…]
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to build a studio good enough for recording audiobooks, just a little ingenuity. Here’s how I made my all-new studio:
No introduction needed. Just watch and learn. (Note, some harsh language at the beginning, so cover any sensitive ears nearby.)
Starting March 12th, 2014, ACX will begin its new royalty share payment system. Gone is the 50% royalty, and kiss the escalator royalty rate system good-bye as well. From that date forward, all newly produced audiobooks using the royalty share system will only earn a 40% commission. And even if you sell a bazillion audiobooks, that rate will never ever [Continue Reading…]
If you’ve ever sent in an audition, then you know it’s a rare thing to get a real “Thank you for auditioning” email. If you’re lucky, you might get an automated email from the website saying that the job you auditioned for isn’t available anymore. But more often than not, you don’t get any notification whatsoever. That’s why the following [Continue Reading…]
I was just reading the reviews of an audiobook I’m thinking of buying at Audible.com, when I came across this little gem of a comment regarding the narrator’s performance: “Seriously I have heard more reasonable voices on Sponge Bob cartoons.” Well, I certainly hope you’ve heard more reasonable voices on Sponge Bob cartoons! They are some of the best voice [Continue Reading…]
In this latest (and I am sorry it’s so late in coming) installment of The making of an audiobook series, I’m going to talk about the pros and cons of the two most common ways to record an audiobook: punch record and straight record. Let’s dig in…
Here are a few quick tips from voice over legend Bob Bergen (the amazing voice of Porky Pig plus many many more.) Don’t do a demo until you are ready! When it comes to cartoons, every character has a voice but not all voices have character. If you physically play the character the voice will follow. It’s never slow in [Continue Reading…]
In this installment in The making of an audiobook series, I’m going to point out some very important little things you may not have thought about. You see, before you hit that record button, you’d better make sure everything is set up and ready to go (including yourself). Because if you don’t, it’s only more and more headaches down the [Continue Reading…]
2010-2016 Voice Actor's Notebook and David Radtke