For myself, my voice tends to be deeper and smokier sounding, but I can adjust that pitch range to effectively change my age range.  For instance, when I do a job asking for a young adult voice, I speak faster and higher.  Physically I place myself a little further from the microphone and speak a little louder.  For me, I have found that the louder I speak, the higher my voice rises in pitch.

Now to the hard part – stretching those boundaries and stepping out of your comfort level.  Just like a singer, voice over artists can extend their range.  Like anything else, it comes with practice.  There are lots of ways to practice.

Play with the scripts. So you have some old scripts laying around….use them!  Record yourself reading it with different aged voices.  Try it with a very young voice,  a bubbly 20-something voice, or a grandparent’s voice.

Spend the afternoon talking with an accent.  While you may never achieve a passable accent for voice over work, playing with an accent makes you concentrate on the mechanics of how you are speaking.  It’s a great vocal workout!

Be goofy! Create a character voice and spend time talking like a cartoon!

Take every opportunity to read aloud. Receive something funny in an email at work?  Instead of forwarding it to the person at the desk next to you, read it to them. Imagine it as a job and really focus on the flow of your words and the timbre of your voice.

Do you have children?  Read to them! Not only is it great for them, it is a really great way for you to stretch your boundaries. Take on the story and act out the characters with your vocal talents. They will love it and it’s great practice for you.

These are just a few ways you can stretch your vocal muscles every day.  The larger your vocal range, the more opportunities you will have!

From a performance perspective it was an interesting one.  I was given a storyboard of the video with timings to hit and also a sample voiceover for a different product so I could understand the sound they were after.  I nailed the timings and thought I had captured the feel they were after.  The client asked for another take  - faster and upbeat instead.  They loved the result with that one but it delayed things a bit because now the animator had to change their video.

So….which should come first?  The animation or the voice?  I haven’t had the opportunity to voice a big-time animated feature film…yet…but I know that the answer to the question is different even for that process.  I have seen “behind the scenes” shows documenting how a few animated movies were created.  Some have the animation in place and the voiceover matches the animation.  But what I have seen more recently is that the animation is done after the voiceovers.  When studios hire big name actors to do the voices for these characters, they let the actor do what they do best and film them doing the voices and then build some of the actors’ characteristics and expressions into the animated character.

Obviously, the short promo video I voiced is not a Disney flick….but the question remains the same.  Which should come first?  The animation or the voice?

One of the first things on the to-do list was to get a voice booth set up. Back in Iowa I had a comfortable booth that I created from a 3×6 walk-in closet. Here, there is a perfectly placed, albeit much smaller closet that is serving the purpose. It’s a “stand up only” booth, but it’s working.

Set up with a rack designed to go over a toilet for extra storage, I’m back in business. The rack worked well because it is so shallow, saving valuable floor space.

I am back to pursuing my dream of being a full-time voice actor, submitting auditions and snaring a couple of paying gigs already and moving up the weekly and monthly “favorites” list at voices.com. And I’m very happy that I finally cracked the all-tme favorite list!

This is such an amazing compliment.  She had poured her heart and soul into writing this book and much like a child, is careful to whom she entrusts it.  When I skimmed over the copy she sent me to offer a quote, I became attached to the project immediately.  I was captivated by her chapter on dealing with fear and was eager to read the entire manuscript and put my voice to it.

RESCUE ME! is the true story of a small business…the trials and triumphs.  While the story itself is an entertaining read, the guts of the book lie with Annette’s tools and methods to cope…with anything.  While centered around a business story, these methods work whenever things go wrong and you need to rescue yourself.  Annette has enjoyed very successful business and personal lives and has now written her “secrets”.

They say, “There are no accidents.”  Annette contacting me for the audio version of her book is an example of this.  Much of what she writes about is very applicable to me personally right now.  It really felt right and I’m so happy that she chose my voice for this project.

To read about Annette and RESCUE ME! visit http://www.annettecomer.com

Listen to the prologue!

I have been fighting off a possible cold this week and waking every day with a croaking, raspy, sore throat.  Not exactly the voice I get paid to use.  Any animators out there looking for a frog voice?

One of my favorite clients contacted me this week to do some new product VO’s.  I am their “voice” for all their products and they had some new descriptions to existing products as well.  The problem with this is that I needed my voice to match my previous recordings.

I was able to get it accomplished by really taking care of my throat…to a near obsession level.  I stayed hydrated.  This is the main key.  It’s winter here….a VERY cold winter…and the air is dry.   A dry, scratchy throat is not unexpected.  When I say hydrated, I mean water…and lots of it.  No carbonation, no juices, no sports drinks.  Water.

I always keep room temperature water at the mic with me.  Keep it in a closed bottle!  You don’t want to get all excited during a read and knock it over!  This week, I had extra water.  One thing I do just before and during a voicing session is drink some with an open throat.  This is the best way to describe what works for me.  It’s like gargling, but without the actual gargle.  Tip your head back and let the water collect in your throat like you are going to gargle and then just open your throat and let it slide down.  It really soothes and hydrates my throat.

When I am really feeling raspy, hot liquid is the best.  Hot tea, coffee, anything warm will open your throat and help get rid of the hoarseness.  Also, don’t commit to anything too early in the day.  I tend to hit the mic over my lunch hour or after my day job, so that isn’t a problem for me.  I have had clients that wanted sessions in the morning.  I know my voice and unless it’s that animator wanting a frog…it’s not likely to be pretty.  Sometimes you can’t avoid it, but if you are working one on one with a client, avoid times when you can’t be at your best.

I am on the watch for a full blown cold.  Pay attention to the taste in your mouth.  If you are sneezing or feeling a sore throat, check to see if the taste is coppery…like you’ve been sucking on pennies.  If so, it is a cold coming on and not just dry air or allergies.  When I taste copper, I immediately get Zicam.  I have found it greatly reduces the symptoms of a cold and often I can continue voicing even though the rest of me is sick.

Winston knew what he was talking about.  I changed my attitude and got back to not only positive thoughts, but positive actions and…as if by magic…things started happening.  It’s not that I have been auditioning and therefore getting jobs.  In fact, the computer I use for voicing was in the shop and so I hadn’t been doing any auditions at all.  The difference was in my attitude.

I have been going through the last year saying to myself (and others), “I am a web developer….and I do some voice work on the side.”  That is a true statement.  My main employment is working for a large company doing web development work.  It is my “career”.  True or not, the attitude was wrong.  I purposely stopped minimizing my voice work.  I am a voice actor.  I am a web developer.  Better yet, I am a voice actor who currently also does web development.

Even without my computer to record auditions, I started getting contacted about jobs.  In fact, it’s been a minor flood of calls and emails over the past two weeks.  Now granted…it may be a coincidence.  It’s after the holiday season and the business world is gearing up after a lazy few weeks.  I suppose that could explain some of it.  The fact that most of 2010 had felt like lazy when it came to voicing makes a sudden surge a bit of an unexpected, but very welcome surprise.

Open yourself to the possibilities.  Imagine your own reality.  I have and 2011 is starting off with a bang!

I have been officially voicing since 2009.  I say “officially” because before that I was an Internet DJ for fun and also did some e-learning and software demo voiceover work for the company I worked for.  It wasn’t until 2009 that I decided I wanted to give it a go and put myself out there as a Voice Actor…or Voiceover Artist…or any of the other titles that are floating around out there.  What do you call yourself?

Like so many that try this business, I had heard countless times, “You have a great voice! You should do radio or commercials!”  I would thank them and dismiss the notion.  It wasn’t until a listener contacted me and offered me a bonafide radio job that I started to think, “Hey…just maybe.”  I started researching and reading everything I could find.  Of course, the most prevalent advice out there is, “Don’t get into this business just because someone tells you you have a great voice…it’s much more work than that.”  I was willing to accept that, but was determined to try anyway.

I used my tax return to purchase a microphone, mixer, and audio interface.  After reading everything I could find about setting up a home studio, I converted a small walk-in closet into a voice booth.  I fussed and fiddled and messed with the equipment and booth until I got the sound I wanted.  Already proficient with audio editing software,  I was able to pull together some demos.  I was in business….sort of.  Now came the tough part.  How do I let the world know that I am here?

I hit it really hard – auditions, services, social media, networking – and built up a little client base.  The repeat customers have been wonderful, but I admit that this last year I have coasted.  I have relied on repeat jobs nearly exclusively.  They are great, but ultimately my goal is still to do this full-time and I didn’t do much to expand on that goal in 2010.  It is my resolution this year to change that.  I love the voicing.  I love the acting.  I love the editing process.  I love the business.

It’s common to hear stories about people who have struggled to get their first job for months..if not years.  I admit I have been very lucky.  I had my first paying job nearly immediately and met some really wonderful people along the way that are also voice actors or clients that wanted to use my voice.  I’d like to meet some more.  Are you one of them?

~ Jen