Becoming a Voiceover Artist, STEP ONE Equipment (Part 1)

(Check out the Video below as well, this was the transcribed script for it)

Becoming a Voiceover Artist

A Beginner's Guide: Step 1

Equipment.

What do you need? There is going to be multiple video steps to this process and each step will have to do with How to get yourself setup and ready to go. This video will cover the first three things you need. If you have these items, you can skip to the next step. I also go into the specifications of each item as well, so if you DO have these items and aren't sure if they are up to date enough then I'll go into that as well.

The first three items are

1. Desktop Computer or Laptop
2. Fast Internet Connection
3. Headphone

1. Desktop Computer or Laptop.

This is going to be the first item needed. I assume everyone has one but here are the requirements of the desktop computer. Which would include Monitor, mouse, keyboard, and speakers.

1. At least 20gb or more Free: Audio files will take up a lot of space and so will applications and possible updates to the operating system.
2. Fairly Recent operating system, within the last four years. PC, Windows 7 is usually a good start. If you see NT, XP, or have use DOS for anything, probably should buy a new pc. Not familiar with mac users, and if you are going to actually buy a computer I wouldn't use a mac because you'll be spending a lot of money elsewhere as well.
3. RAM: Bout a Gb or more.
4. USB ports, if you computer doesn't have any, it's probably too old and you should get a new one.
5. Have a 10/100 Mb Ethernet card for LAN and DSL connection or better.

Pretty simple eh? Everyone's probably got something like this. If you are going to buy a PC, just ask them this.

Here's what I need

1. At least a 60 Gig hard drive.
2. Windows 7
3. A gig of ram or more.
4. USB ports (they'll look at you funny but just ask)
5. Will this connect to my DSL / Cable line? Does it have a network Card.
6. Does it come with speakers?

If they try and upsale you over the cheapest desktop they have, just take the cheapest one. You could probably get the desktop itself for $300, and an extra $200 if you wanna upgrade the monitor as well.

2. Fast internet Connection
   1. DSL or higher, if you hear this________ you need to get a new internet connection. It is imperative because you will be uploading lots of information and that is going to cost you time and time is money.
   2. You could probably get a slower dsl connection for around 20-30 dollars a month, if you're just starting out that's all you'll need.

Lastly, for this step, Headphones. This is a constant thing with Voice Artists, some say use them and some say don't, I feel it's imperative to have this as a beginner for one reason only, to HEAR what your studio sounds like. I don't care how close you put your ears to your Bose sound system, there's something different about having them around your ears. Here are my recommendations for headphones.

1. Full Size Headphones work best in my opinion. Noise Cancelling isn't necessarily needed. So don't waste the extra money. Just mid level quality closed ear headphones. I use the Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones, they are Studio Monitoring Professional headphones and you should be able to get them for between 50-100 dollars and the investment is well made. There is no need for bells and whistles, Dre and Gaga do NOT make Voiceover headphones. They add to the sound and you really wanna hear the same thing that the client will.

That's the first step, and there's gonna be a lot of steps to go. So, now you have a workable computer, a decent set of headphones, and a fast internet connection. 

Brand New Video: Voice123 Review from Everything Voiceover by Justin D. Torres

The Benefits of Voiceover Work!

Admittedly, some people may not know the benefits of becoming a voice artist.

1) The Pay.  Starting out, it'll be slow, but at it heighth the pay can be very good. It's Acting for a living. If you're an actor, this should be your goal. Not having to wait tables or get a side job delivering food is great. Non-Union theatre, for the most part, won't pay your rent.

2) Work from home. Now, I've tried everything. Surveys, gambling.... lol. But, if you take the time to great a good enough studio for yourself, you will do work from home. I sit in my closet for a few hours a day, I know it sounds horrible but I love every minute of it.

3) The Possibilities. You're voice can be Everywhere. On the radio, in London, on websites, in cartoons, in videogames, everywhere. Thinking to yourself, "Hey, that's me!", is great! I remember I did a small videogame early on for troops going to Afghanistan, it was about how to interact with indigenous leaders. I just thought to myself, "That is so cool"

4) It may take you places. If you get great at this, people may fly you out to their recording studios and record there. Personally, that hasn't happened to me, but I'm also non-union and building my resume. Who knows, you could be in Atlanta at Williams Street hanging with the adult swim crowd.

5) Once you get the hang of it, it's easier than film or theatre in ONE WAY. More auditions, imagine if you had 20 film auditions today or 15 theatres had leads that they wanted to film and they all were within a mile from your house. You wouldn't care so much if you don't get them because tomorrow, there's 20 more waiting for you. You're bound to pull sooner or later, and if you're close and someone just like you get's the job, KEEP AT IT. Chances are he'll be working a job and the next one will go to you.


These are generalized benefits of voiceover work. Like anything it takes a lot of time and no one has a set route on how to get success. Only you know what you want. But, the Benefits are there!

Brand New Review from Everything Voiceover Enjoy!!!

Barebones Voiceover

Already here's the money aspect for all you beginners out there. Here is the BAREBONES that you would need to become a voiceover artists. The real big investment is gonna be if you need training. With this you can start voice auditions next week.

1) Computer and all accessories (Monitor, mouse, speakers, etc)

• Doesn't have to be expensive, just ask the representative if this can edit video. Doesn't even have to be HD. Chances are the cheapest Desktop can do this.  As for laptops? I am not a fan because I like the speed of a desktop but it can be done. I say at the very least -$500 total.

2) Microphones

• Firstly, don't buy the first guitar center mic you see. Don't even ask the rep. I'd recommend going to forums like http://www.vo-bb.com or  http://www.procommvoices.com/wordpress/choosing-a-voice-over-microphone  for specific microphones. There are only a few key things you need to know.
• 1) USB or XLR. There are good mics of both kinds. XLR would require a PreAmp, USB doesn't. I use the MobilPre from M-Audio and a Audio Technica 3035 microphone. The set probably cost me about $300
• Condenser: Only use them. I've never really heard of anyone using a non-condenser mic

3) Software

• This can vary from person to person. At the bare minumum you can use Audacity for free.  I use a plugin or two and use a video editing software for editing but that's only because I was familiar with it beforehand. So just use the audacity.

4) Fast Internet Connection

• Must have for uploading your auditions and if you wanna take a step further and make a website.

5) Audition Site Memberships

• I will go into this later. Primarily, there are two Audition sites, voice123.com and voices.com. Both charge a $300 a year fee which is very steep, but this is my recommendation. 

6) Headphones (optional but recommended)

• Some Vo artists use them, I definitely do. I have an Audio Technica ATH M50. It should be less than 80 bucks. The key is not to go overboard here, get the most real quality headphones rather than the over bassed headphones by Dre or Gaga. The headphones shouldn't add anything to the audio, you want to hear what the client will hear.

7) A microphone Stand (weighted preferrably)

• Not going to be holding a mic and talking into it. It has to be a good weighted one that you can adjust (maybe about 50 bucks)

8) Pop Filter

• Stops those P-s from popping into your microphone. There is actually a way to make one of these with some pantyhose and a crochet circle. The link is here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rs15oxOIec

That's all you need to get started!!! This however, is no guarantee of success, with this setup you can start making auditions for those membership sites. This doesn't mean getting an agent, starting a website, selling to local business, this is specifically aimed at the Bare Minimum.

There are also a few assumptions here as well, you have to have an email account, paypal account, microphone chord, (some way to get the mic to your computer--- preamp for XLR mics), a quiet place to do all of this and a willingness to learn the software. 


With these in hand, you can start auditioning for jobs right away.

For information about me

My Blog : Goal Become a Voiceover Artist
My Voiceover Website:  http://justindtorres.com/

Welcome to Everything Voiceover!

This is the first official post of Everything Voiceover, soon to be a website as well, just dedicated to giving free voiceover tips, advice, reviews, etc.  There's a lot of great voices out there that aren't heard because they dont' know where to start or don't know if they should try.   Hopefully this blog will help inform you! 

Also, checkout our wordpress site.

http://everythingvoiceover.wordpress.com/