ALL of my demos were DIY; Primarily dry reads and simple narration, such as audio books, e-learning, explainers, etc., and I have a few PSA's and commercials with very simple music beds- All of my DIY demos have served me very well!
Because people don't get that auditions using the scripts given are more important than demos. I hire for VO all the time and I care more about how the person sounds reading my scripts than what they sound like in demos.
@@voices For real. I'm also just getting into it and this was extremely helpful and removed a lot of barriers many people think they have to surmount to break into VO work. The scripts, the impromtu "studio" and the music editing lesson were very helpful.
This was genuinely the best "how to create your voice over demo from scratch" video I've seen - and I've been researching for years on different methods.
Thanks a bunch for making this video! It's extremely helpful for someone like me who is beginner in this space. I'm wondering what software did you use to record your takes? Did you record them directly in Audacity or did you record them using another software then export the takes to Audacity? Thanks!
Big up Randy.👊 I have a question.....can I use my iPhone for voiceover work? I just have an iPhone SE 2020 and a desktop so what apps can I download on my phone or desktop to improve my voice quality? Love from Cape Town, South Africa.
Hey Keenan, you sure can! You'll likely find that your booking rates are lower than average if you're using a cellphone as a microphone, but there are some microphone attachments that will help step up the quality. As far as apps go, just make sure that the app isn't adding any processing to the voice. Apple Voice Memos does this, and it drives me crazy. I'm not too familiar with other options though. Audacity for desktop is fantastic though. Lots of features and totally free. Best of luck! -Randy
You can use Twisted Wave on your iPhone. But acoustics and your mic will make the biggest difference. I think Randy thinks you’re talking about voicing into the mic on your iPhone. Don’t do that unless you have agents and the client already knows when you go to actually voice after your great audition, the recording for the actual job you do from your pro booth will sound beautiful.
Randy, This was AWESOME! I'm new to VO and have been doing a lot of research on RU-vid to gain more knowledge. I can't believe this is the first time that I've stumbled upon your page! I really enjoyed this video... I will be binge-watching all of your videos this week for sure. BTW, can you please do a quick Demo recording on Adobe Audition? That's the DAW that I'm currently using and would love to learn your process on how to record, edit, add music, blend, etc. I'm an educator and your way of teaching and explaining is thorough, concise, and easy to understand.
Thanks so much for the kind words, and welcome to Voices! We actually have already done an Adobe Audition video :) You should be able to find it on our channel. Thanks again for the words of encouragement. Please keep us in the loop in you have any questions! -Randy
Hi Randy! Excellent video, thanks! I’m an actress and want to pull a Voiceover Demo Reel from the Video Demos I have. I’m absolutely new on this… 1- How can I save the audio without the video? I’ve worked my Video Demo Reels on iMovie. 2- If I have some mp3 files of some VO’s that I did for radio, how can use them in my Demo Reel? Thanks again!
We use a provider called Epidemic Sound for our videos. It's not free, but it is a great service! There are some free music options, this blog covers some of those options - www.voices.com/blog/music_in_voice_over_demos/
thank you for this. I've always wanted to do voice overs, especially for anime, or video games or even animated films. this is perfect for 28$ thank you ❤️
I don't have any stores where I can rent the microphone and other but I have purchased a Razer Seiren Mini - USB Condenser Microphone which I hope will do the job adequately for now. My first try with a USB headset was okay but could definitely be improved with a better microphone. Fingers crossed it sounds good.
Very good video. Thank you! Question: I was looking at some of the music links you posted but most of them "seem", per the comments, to state that you can use them on your channel but you end up with a HAWK violation on RU-vid?
You're welcome! More on compression and normalizing in future videos! These steps are in no way essential, and you can certainly have a great sounding demo without. But we'll add some more resources for you shortly! -Randy
@Voices what do I need to buy (cable, audio interface?) in order to connect it to my OMEN HP laptop? I am starting here, I would like to know what else I need to buy. Btw, the updated price of AKG P220 in Chile is around 230 USD.
Voices ; Whats the Best and Easiest (Free ) Platform to Upload all Voice Over Demos to ? (Preferrably approved by Acting Agencies Worldwide ?) Thanks !
Hey there, sorry for the late reply, I was away on some much needed summer holidays. I would recommend adding your demos to your Voices profile! Voices.com is used by acting agencies to identify promising talent and advertising agencies who actually hire the talent. It's a really great place to start. -Randy
If I was going to have multiple commercial spots on my demo would i be able to record/save and then splice together or do I need to record them all in the same session on audacity?
Great question! If they are all separate files, you can combine them in Audacity or if you haven't recorded yet, you can record them all in the same session and edit them closer together. Both options will work just fine! -Randy
Good question and good eye! For the purpose of making the shot clean and not cluttered with cables, we had the audio interface under the table. Just wasn't visible in frame.
Thanks, I'm glad it was helpful! Yes, you would need to -which is kind of a drag. I think it's a good tool for getting a demo up and running, but if you really want to start competing in the VO space, you'll need a setup that makes this easy to replicate. -Randy
Hi, I'm late to the video but I had a few questions. 1) why is the microphone upside down when you record? 2) is there a specific distance from the microphone you should ve when speaking?
Hey Billy. No real reason for having it upside down other than to be out of the way. It doesn't make a difference assuming it's pointing the same way. Secondly, the best distance to start is around 4-8" from the capsule. You can play with that distance to tase. Closer means more bass in your sound, but more chances of plosives on the mic. You'll want to start around 4-8" and test from there. -Randy
New to this and had a question...for a DIY commercial demo, do you need to write your own script, or is it acceptable to use actual scripts from promotions you've either heard or find online? Is either one better?
Using public commercial scripts would technically fall under copyright infringement. Although it's unlikely to ever be a problem for an unpaid demo, we recommend that talent avoid using pubic material. We have dozens of royalty-free sample scripts on our site. Just google Voices Sample Scripts. You can also use ChatGPT to create your own custom script or put a twist on one of ours :) Hope this helps -Randy
I am new to audacity and voiceover. I appreciate the information in this video, but is there a video where you have an example of putting multiple spots in one demo? I am not sure how to do this.
Great question. As a general rule of thumb, demos should sound finished (music and production). Auditions, on the other hand, should sound natural with no music and very light production. I hope this helps! -Randy
I had it plugged into another computer that was off screen to do the recording. I realized as I was filming that I didn't have a USB A to USB C adapter, so I had to improvise. It should be plugged into your computer and you can plug your microphone into it. Hope this helps -Randy
This was really helpful and informative. Thank you for sharing how to do these things. It helps reduce some of the feeling of fear in starting to do these things.
The audio interface was under my desk. Sorry, I should've made that more clear. The audio interface connects an XLR microphone to your computer and allows you to plug in headphones. If you have a USB microphone, those have interfaces built right in! Hope this helps -Randy
Welcome! You only need a couple of demos on our site to help you match with the right types of jobs to match your skills. However, without a Premium Membership, you'll be waiting for clients to reach out to you. If you'd like to take your career into your own hands and audition directly to our clients, a Premium Membership is the next step. -Randy
Music is optional for the most part. It also depends on your production skills and the type of demo. Audiobook? Probably not. A commercial? Probably, yes.
But... $28 with tax makes it $30.80... so no $ left for ice cream... lol😅 but maybe ice cream is not good for the vocal chords anyway... true or false?
Hi Sir ،I'm from Pakistan 🙏 I just creat an account here from my Android phone for voice over .how can I post and share my voice with others.kindly guide me thanks you🙂
Unfortunately, our clients tend to have higher expectations for the audio quality they're after. It would be extremely hard to book using a cell-phone mic. Hope this makes sense -Randy
In one of your last videos from 2020 Adobe Audition for Beginners you mention that this product is the best on the market and in this video 2022 your using Audacity which program do you feel is better now?
Both are really great for voice over especially for those starting out. Audacity is more accessible for many since it is a free software, whereas Adobe Audition requires you to pay a subscription. But at the end of the day, there is no right or wrong answer for the right Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)!
Is it legal to use a audio track that's likely copywritten, that you screen recorded from Spotify and put in the background of your demo if the demo is just a mockup of a script you made and isn't being used for income?
It's a bit of a grey area. We strongly recommend avoiding copyrighted music for this reason. It likely wouldn't ever cause a problem, but better safe than sorry. -Randy
I know you mentioned you're not a voice talent, and this little critique isn't about performance, so the only thing "I'm obsessed with" is the editing detail that you were okay with that unnatural lengthy lead in gap between words when you spliced in "acting now to double your order", and that you decided to leave that very audible breath on your track, otherwise I'd say your earned your ice cream treat.
Always open to the feedback! My background is mostly music and video editing, both of which, removing breaths can be a big overstep. I don't have a whole lot of commercial VO editing experience, so I'll take the feedback! Glad I can enjoy my ice cream :D
OK you had me with, 'How to Create a 'PROFESSIONAL' Voiceover Demo'...but this clearly would be a 'DIY Demo'! It's true that almost every professional voice actor has a high-quality demo that shows off their strengths and works to establish their personal brand...but I question if using rented gear, downloading Audacity and just getting acquainted with audio production would constitute what's considered a high-quality demo. (At least to the ears of agents and casting directors.) While I do believe you, "gotta start somewhere..." I'm totally on board with the informative steps and suggestions you've provided to help people get their toes dipped in the water. And for casting sites, absolutely...a DIY demo can get you on the platform for one to start receiving auditions right away. But please cautiously do your career a favor and refrain from submitting your DIY demo to agents and producers. They'll hear 'inexperienced' immediately...and boy is it hard to unring that bell!
@@bassman251000 Record your peaks (loudest parts) around -6 to -12 while voicing. A little over or under on your peaks is ok. Set your threshold to -12, Ratio to around 2 to 1, 10 ms of attack, 100 ms of release and no makeup gain. Then normalize to -3dB if Garage Band has the option. Hope that helps.
absolute legends!! in the beginners phase right now of getting my new (dream) side hustle started, and this has been so helpful! :D P.S. I don't believe Randy is "not a voice talent"... your voice is incredible my man! XD