Jumping into the world of Voiceovers is scary. There is a lot of information to absorb. It takes time and money. Setting up your home studio, getting demos made, learning about editing, training, pay to play sites, and more. It’s a lot. Sometimes it’s so much you forget about the most important thing, and that is improving your voice. There are two ways to improve your voice through practice and coaching. Practice is vital, but coaching is where the real improvement comes from. A professional coach who knows what to look for is the only way you will improve. Being able to take and use feedback is crucial.
My first coach was a man named Art at Edge Studios. He pushed me hard, doing reads over and over again. At first, it was frustrating, and at times I thought maybe I wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t that at all, though, Art knew I was talented and wanted to push me to be the best I could be. He helped correct certain tendencies I had especially “upspeak”. A lot of it is getting repetitions.
My next coach was Danielle, who is helping me with my narration demo. Danielle helped more in getting certain emotions out of me, getting me to relax and getting me to warm-up to put me in a specific place. Through this, it is incredible the progress I made in five sessions with her. It is noticeable after each session.
Finally, my third coach was Harry, who helped expand my range. He is helping me with a promo demo. Harry pushed me not to be a one trick pony and develop the rest of my vocal range. He too was good at pulling out my emotions and getting me to adjust my pace accordingly.
All of these coaches were to help me prepare for my demo. However, they were also there to give you tips and skills you can use for the rest of your voice-acting career. Each coach was there for me, even after the demo was complete. Yes, I realize that continuing coaching can be expensive, but it is worth every penny. You cannot become great on your own, no matter who you are. As I progress in my career, I will undoubtedly continue with coaching.
The point is all three coaches taught me different things, and all three of them made me a better voice actor. It is important that why you are figuring out everything in the voice actor world, that you don’t stop getting coaching. Don’t just get a few coaching sessions for your demo and then stop. Keep getting coaching even as you become successful. Try out different coaches; see who works for you, and you will probably learn something different from each coach. I am forever grateful to my coaches; I wouldn’t be the voice actor I am without them.