Preparing the voice demo - Newcomer's Guide

There are three categories of voiceover demos. One of them, a trade show, which consists of real or simulated radio and TV ads. Second, a demonstration of the narrative, which contains only the voice - without background music or sound effects, and goes to the movies and documentaries. Finally, a demonstration of animation that presents a selection of character voices, perhaps with accents, and are mostly aimed at the cartoon and the world of animation. Many voice professionals have three separate demonstrations, one for each specific type of presentation.

A well-designed voice demo is the calling card industry talent in the voiceover. It creates a point of contact for you as a voice artist. Without it, you will not find work.

His voice-over demo should be 30-90 seconds long. Shorter is better. Agents foundry industry has a hearing thousands of voices and usually can tell within the first 15 seconds of listening, if what you are looking for.

Excellent copy is of utmost importance to the impact of their demo. Turn on the TV, listen to the radio. Pay attention to what is relevant and exciting. Your trade show has to sound as if it belongs to the items currently on air. A date display, makes sound, well ... date.

Be patient. It takes time to develop their skills, personality and style.

A good goal is four to eight segments of audio from your demo. Select the points that resonate with you and talk to her inner voice. Keep them in a believable age range. Children, young adults, the Middle Ages and Superior are typical categories. Show that you are flexible and able to change direction with his readings, as well as being diverse and fresh sound. Do not select, for example, three points of car just because really dig cars. Choice of materials can make or break your chances of professional sound. It is also advisable to include a public service announcement (PSA) on his show. Be sure to include at least one spot using only your voice.

The mood is good. Everyone enjoys humor and always memorable.

Stay away from imitations and accents unless they're very good. If used, do so with caution. Many great demos have failed because of bad character voices.

Practice, practice, practice, and then ... you guessed it, practice some more. This can not be stressed enough.

Before entering the studio to record their demo professional, if possible, get a recording device and record yourself. Reproduce the results and criticism of what he heard. A primary key is the same training to read a lot of copy in a short period of time. You should develop your ability to speak fast without sounding natural. Know your topic, and yes, the copy is stored. If you are a hindrance to that during recording, reading will suffer and consequently their performance. If you need to 'cheer' reading, smile as you're reading the copy - which really adds warmth to the sound. We must also take into account variations in the pace and energy level and tone and volume. Go beyond the words, we lift the page and make your own.

Use good microphone. Appropriate distance from the microphone can and will affect the tonal quality of voice. As you move in closer to the microphone, the sound level becomes stronger, and the bass response of many microphones increases. If you do not know what you're doing, proximity effect can create problems. Professionals often use this proximity effect to take to make your voice sound rich and articulate.

Mindful of the letters 'Pop'. PA and B are typical problem areas can be avoided by maintaining a proper distance from the microphone. These familiar 'explosive' sounds are more noticeable when the speaker's mouth is placed 1 to 3 inches from the microphone. Most pop will disappear if the voice talent is 6 or more inches of the microphone. If you're doing a close reading and direct the mouth slightly off axis from the microphone.

Put the best material with the strongest readings in the upper part of the demo. The main objective is to make known his voice for what is interesting and memorable. Your first choice should be in your natural voice.