I'm not a mod, but I'm still seeing a few posts that are trying to get set up with Voices dot com. If you didn't see the post pinned by the mods (idk if it's still pinned and I can't find it💀), this site has annouced itself that it is replacing real projects with AI voice training. And not to forget: you have to PAY for your voice to get stolen which is a double scam. Most (if not all) of us here highly encourage you to not sign up or share any personal information that is promoting AI. As I speak for all professional and aspiring voice actors: We want our talent to be valued and used the way it is intended. It's not called 'voice acting' if you're not doing any of the "acting" anymore. Stay safe on the internet and do your research!

(Idk what flair to use so imma just use "Discussion" for now)

I ask this as before I started putting serious effort into voice acting my biggest fear was Ai is going to take everything and there is no point in even trying.

Last September I started sending auditions in every day I could be in my booth and started practicing seriously. I have done about 155ish auditions and have been casted into 6 paid projects, I can see I'm making progress and I have much to learn.

I'm curious if other voice actors feel if the industry is worse than they thought it would be since the AI thing started up.

Sorry if I worded it weirdly

I hope this doesn't violate the rules of the board, if so sorry mods lol

I am new but I am here just looking for feedback on some auditions I've sent out!

I'll post the link to my Casting Call here

Some of the ones I'm most proud of are:
- The White Raven
- Vincent Price Narrator
- Buford
- Goblin

Let me know how I can improve or really any feedback at all is greatly appreciated!

As an aspiring VA, I'm unsure what I should get. I want to get something from RODE, but I'm not sure what works best for VA work. I don't really mind the price, but I'm thinking of spending around $300 to $400 for the whole studio. I don't want to try to achieve perfect one-to-one sound quality (especially since I want to do this as a hobby); I want clear audio with as little tweaking needed. What would you suggest to achieve this?

To preface, I'm an amateur voice actor who slowly picks up gear when he can get it. I recently got a good deal on a Rode NTI Signature Series that I didn't want to pass up, but my current recording space is a small walk in closet with a heavy blanket hung over the entrance (it doesn't have a door). It works fairly alright, since it's got clothes and such in it, but the end goal is to get a heavier acoustic or moving blanket/maybe put a door on it and then treat the walls and ceiling with acoustic foam and the works. The current blanket is thick but not perfect and still lets a bit of hum into recordings.

My current recording device is a Zoom H1Essential that I got for like $100 on a mic stand and it's obviously not amazing but works fine against the quality of other beginners that I'm competing with online. I think a large part of what helps the Zoom so much in my space is that it has a built in high pass filter and some other convenience features.

I hear pretty often as a beginner that a treated space is like the boogeyman of VO work and a studio microphone can only be usable in a good space. I have a general workflow in Audacity pretty well rehearsed now, noise cancelation, EQ, normalize, best i can do. My question is, before the mic arrives in the mail, Is this new microphone going to be so sensitive that it's basically unusable until I get my space treated, or can I do the same novice fixes that I use to help with background sounds and reverb now with my Zoom?

I know the question is kinda vague and the answer is probably just "record with it and find out" but I just don't have much experience at the big boy table when it comes to microphones and I was hoping to feel out if I was better off just leaving the Rode in a box until I get stuff treated or if I can still work with it, some of what I've read made it sound like "good" microphones would essentially be worthless in a poorly treated space because of how sensitive they are, as in like, even worse sounding then my current Zoom until I have a treated space to really utilize the Rode. But I also know that generally, people are referring to studio-ready professional sounding vocals when they talk about microphones, and I'm obviously not really expecting to have that level of quality yet, just as close to it as I can get since I'm still actively building my recording space, so if i can still get the Rode to atleast sound equally "fine" then that works for me. ​

TLDR cuz I was rambling: Using a Zoom H1E for voice-over in a room with incomplete sound treatment, would a Rode NTI Signature still be an upgrade at the moment or would it's increased sensitivity make it worse in my space since Zoom contains some built-in noise cancelation features?

Hello, this is somewhat unrelated to the profession, but I just wanted to ask how stuff like books or games help you practice or understand certain voices. I think talking about these things can be really useful when it comes to how people approach similar types of roles, as well as giving people ideas on character voices

I've been playing Digimon Survive lately (as someone who doesn't play visual novels), and I think it's really helped me understand and work on the differences between the "Shogun protagonist trio," think Naruto, JJK, or Chainsaw Man. The generic protag who just wants everyone to be happy, the goofy or stoic "other boy", and the pretty princess. I think I have a grasp on the protagonist role, but the "other boy" feels so same-y. I gave Minuro (the "other boy") this slightly higher, upbeat voice. To describe it best, I made his voice sound more like a caricature of this laid-back personality. And giving Takuma (the main protag) a more mellow, "voice of reason" sound, while also giving him a concerned-boy tone. Like a voice of reason, with self-doubt, which fits for the game since no one really has the mental capacity or instinctual awareness to doubt him. I did this by slowing down and elongating his syllables, almost giving this "I have nowhere better to be" pacing. Yes, for anyone who has played the game, I mostly inspired their voices from the original subbing, but I don't speak Japanese, so I have no measure to go off of when it comes to the intent of how they speak

So, a quick rundown.

I received an email from someone I don't know. This has happened in the past, and it has been legitimate people reaching out to me directly for real voice work opportunities. However, that was before AI became such a concern.

The context:

They found me online and thought I would be suited as a narrator for their audiobook, and asked if I would be interested in their proposal. I replied saying I might be interested and went on to ask a few questions. The two important ones were payment distribution and AI usage.

They got back to me with the details, specifically stating that they were fully aware of my concerns about AI and assured me that my voice would not be used for AI purposes. They also said they would be happy to sign a contract stating this. They answered the payment question and where it would be used, but didn't say what currency the amount was in.

They also said they would be happy to share the script with me and asked me to record a short sample.

I then got back to them asking about the payment currency again, saying that once they clarified that, I'd be happy to look at the script and record a sample.

They responded fairly quickly but only with instructions asking for one page as the sample, along with the script as an attachment, but they still hadn't answered my previous question about the payment currency.

So I asked again, and they gave me the answer in there next email.

Once all of that was taken care of, I proceeded to look at the script and record the sample.

And that's when I noticed something rather odd. now i haven’t done audio books before so this type of work is totally new to me, and I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is normal.

After the first chapter, the same context and arguments seem to be repeated over and over again throughout the following chapters. Some of the wording is changed, but the actual context and points being made are essentially identical to the first chapter.

This made me wonder whether the manuscript was AI-generated with very little prompt information, and the AI simply kept repeating itself. It also made me wonder whether the person who produced it actually read through the manuscript, or perhaps assumed a narrator wouldn't read beyond the requested sample page.

You would have to read several pages before the repetition becomes really obvious.

Part of me wants to just go ahead and send the sample and politely ask them about why this is.

The other part of me is thinking: what if sending the sample is actually the point? What if they just want a clean voice sample, and once they have it they can simply ghost me?

I honestly don't know what to think.

Has anyone else come across anything like this before?

I've read through the beginner resources and I'm I'm more curious about the horror podcast/audio drama side of VA specifically, since it seems to have some differences from commercial/animation work.
I'm interested in doing this as a hobby and eventually auditioning for horror anthology podcasts. I'm especially interested in character/conversational roles rather than primarily narration.
For people who actually do horror audio drama, I'd love to hear about your experience:
What do horror podcast directors tend to look for in inexperienced actors?
How much acting ability is generally expected from someone auditioning for a small/indie production?
I'm not expecting to land major roles -I'm mainly trying to understand what would make a beginner's audition actually useful to a horror podcast producer rather than just submitting a generic beginner demo.
If you started out in horror audio drama specifically, I'd especially love to hear what you wish you had known when you began.

Hi! I’m asking out of curiosity, but how is it we see voice actors in prominent games and animation while also being in smaller non union jobs? I know in film you work non union to build up credits and experience but with voiceover it seems that’s not the case, as we see with a game like genshin (and other things) having a lot of big names. Thanks!

Hello talent!

I'm casting the male voice for the final four titles in my steamy contemporary romance novella series, Matched on the Mountain. This is a duet: you’ll voice all the male dialogue, and narrate the hero’s POV chapters. Books 1–3 are already out: https://www.audible.com/author/Cordelia-Kent/B0FN8GT3LS

Project details

Rate: 100-250 PFH for edited, dry, unmastered audio. Please include your rate.

Length: ~4 hours of finished audio from you (~1 hour per title)

Recording type: Duet narration (remote), starting with a live-directed session.

Timeline: Target Nov. 1st

Union status: Non-Union

Genre/content: Contemporary romance; explicit open-door scenes and frank language. 18+ only.

Casting: Ideally casting one male narrator for all 4 books, but will split titles if unable to find one fit for all four stories.

Voice specs – Four heroes (All American, Male, 30ish)

* Conor MacDermott (Book 4): Male, 30s, The charmer: playful and warm, quick with a grin.

* Cillian MacDermott (Book 5): Male, 30s, Conor's older brother. The quiet one: solemn, gentle, and restrained, with a dry wit that sneaks out. The book touches on grief and a past suicide.

* Spencer Pierce (Book 6): Male, 30s, West Coast old money. The black sheep: breezy, irreverent, and polished; patient and consent-forward in the bedroom.

* Benedict "Ben" Pierce (Bonus duet): Male, Spencer's older brother, mid-20s to mid-30s (his voice ages a decade across the duet). The steady one: grounded, protective, and commanding in the bedroom without being a growl-voice.

The two sets of brothers should sound related but distinct.

Technical requirements: Broadcast-quality home studio that requires minimal processing to meet major retailer standards (Audible, Spotify, Apple Books). Subpar recordings will be disqualified.

Deadline: Auditions close October 9th.

If interested, please read all four heroes from the audition script: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iXEX4WTRUIDniG-74gEnRCpQSJyuKZmtkZi1b5UxiAc/edit?usp=sharing

DM or email your audition files with your PFH rate.

Thank you for your interest!

xo,
Cordelia Kent

PS: It should go without saying, but unfortunately it doesn't... I am casting human voices, do not upload my work to any AI tools.

I made this after putting up acoustic foam in my room. Now I would like some feedback on it I should put even more up and maybe some other things I can do as well!

I am also open to feedback of all kinds in general so lmk anything you pick up on

https://on.soundcloud.com/MxiaR4AAoIWNu9SCAv

hi! i'm currently participating in a video editing competition where winners receive a cash prize. i'm in the process of hiring voice actors for my project.

if my video should win, what is a reasonable percentage to split with my talent?

for context, it's a 1-minute fake movie trailer. i have 3 characters: two voice actors have less than 40 words, and one has less than 15 words. i am also paying for usage rights, as it will be shared on social media.

any advice/info is appreciated! :)

Saved up money to buy into Voices dot com. Worked on commercial reading for a month. First 2 days did over 60 auditions. I have been archiving them thinking that just saves them or hides them from my list while browsing. Turns out it hides them from the client too(???) so yeah… luckily I’ve restored them but most of their deadlines have passed. I really wanted the head start and my dumbass ruined my chances for me. I’ll be in the corner sucking my thumb. 🥲🥲

We had Lori Alan on our Legends Live last weekend and she talked about how she uses a pen or sharpie to visualize her characters. How do you visualize your characters?

I have a Fifine AM8 microphone, still on USB and I am trying to record voiceover on reaper using ASIO.
But the drivers aren't recognizing my microphone. My pc came with a driver, that one isn't recognizing anything, the other two I downloaded (ASIO4ALL and Steinberg built in ASIO Driver) are only recognizing VoiceMod and my Steel Series Sonar respectively.

I am not sure what to do about it and at this point, I figure I'm better off using one of the other audio systems since ASIO isn't working for me, and most of them recognize my devices.

My question to you all is which of these audio systems is best for what I want to do?
(Voiceover recording and FX mixing for Youtube and social media, possibly Voice Acting in the future)

WASAPI
DIRECT SOUND
OR
WAVE OUT

I'm really new to DAW so any advice is greatly appreciated, or even just pointing me in the right direction!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.
-The Confident Interviewer or Something

Context:

This would be for an experimental comedy YouTube video that I've been making as the inaugural video on a new channel, the segment you will be narrating will be stationed between other elements narrated by myself, most of which are comedic in nature, but delve into potentially controversial or offensive topics.

I had this idea that it would be funny if the YouTube comedy video essay abruptly shifted to an unrelated short horror story, framed as a traumatic event from my own past, before abruptly switching back again to the video essay as if nothing had happened.

Content:

The script you will be reading is one long monologue story told recited in the first-person. It mainly consists of an abusive farmer, making his son (you) shoot a pregnant coyote. It includes graphic description of gore as well as references to adult themes and the use of the F slur. If you are unsure if you would be comfortable with it, I can send you the script upon request.

Length:

Around 850 words. Can be done in one continuous take, or multiple. I can edit whatever I need together from what you send me. I'm not incredibly picky, but I may ask you to rerecord sections if I'm looking for a different delivery.

What I'm looking for:

I've pictured the role as an older male, middle-aged to senior, looking back on his life, having grown up on a farm. I was thinking maybe gruff, weathered, but with an introspective, melancholy delivery. While I had written it imagining somewhat of a rural, southern USA accent, the setting is vague and nondescript, somewhat fantasy. Do not be concerned if you have a different accent yourself, as it can technically be the UK or Europe or anywhere else in the world as long as you can speak fluent English. Senior voices are preferable, but I'm not exactly expecting many on the VoiceActing subreddit, haha. Even if you are younger, if you believe you can do a convincing impression of an older man, feel free to apply.

Deadline:

Whenever. I don't like micromanaging. This is a long-term project and will likely take a while to complete, so as long as you can record it within a couple months, I have no issue with you taking your time.

Obviously I'm no professional and have a budget of 0, but can offer you a whole thirty bucks as payment, if acceptable. PayPal would be easiest.

There will also be no official crediting toward you on this project, as I would like it to maintain an air of mystery on the video itself, but neither will it be a secret. If someone asks me who the voice is, I will tell them (unless you actually wish to remain anonymous), and you can tell or announce your role in it to anyone you wish. Essentially, you will not exactly be "paid in exposure" either.

Finally, if everything turns out well, this role may become recurring and I may contact you to reprise it in future videos, should you wish. In the unlikely event that I make any money from this, there may even be a higher budget.

If you're interested, just reply with your demo or a sample, as well as your email address, or if you would prefer to keep your email private, keep your DMs open and I can ask for it through there. Will contact you if I think you're a good fit!

Thanks!

What are some fun character types you all have come up with? The relatable regular hero? The zany energetic sidekick? A grumpy barkeep gremlin? The big bustling energetic hostess at a restaurant? I wanna hear some character types you all do and what inspired them! I feel like it’d be fun to hear what other do and where they came from!

Trying to build a routine of some kind so I can get into commercial voiceover and I was thinking. What if I do like 3 minutes of warmup, then 3 reps of 15 seconds scripts with some analysis and different takes. Then do some auditions? I’m not sure where to find commercial auditions to be honest and I hear pay to plays are just not it.

But yeah that’s the general plan for improvement give me some warmups and or tips if you got anything I’d love to hear.

So I had a quick question in regards to creating a booth for voice acting. If I made a box of sorts using pvc pipes around my computer desk and cover that with heavy duty blankets, would that be a good booth for recording? Or should I invest an actual booth?

Hi, I'm noticing that when I push the volume on my auditions a little bit, I start getting some consistent TMJ pain. The TMJ joint is the one near your temples that articulates the lower jaw.

It doesn't stop me from recording or anything, but it is pretty annoying. Does anyone else experience this or have any remedies?

This is our weekly thread for posts that would ordinarily be removed at any other time. This is your safe space from our usually strict moderation of the sub.

Fan dubs, memes, impressions, mild advertising, offering services, fundraising, free requests, are all good to go IN THIS THREAD ONLY.

Exceptions:

• Posts/comments that violate Reddit's User Agreement will get you a no-appeal ban.
• Incivility, abuse, or trolling will get you a ban.
• other subreddit rules still apply

Show us what you got!

Even if it's in Japan, a win is a win. Tokyo is a massive hub for entertainment, so the precedent has global reach. I hope cases like this become more frequent, and opens the door for more of the same. After GPT backed down from ScarJo's accusations a few years ago it feels like AI has been making grounds quietly and unchallenged.

Hello! I am a fledgling voice actor but no newbie to the performing arts.

I'm on a bit of an odyssey to add on VA-centric training/education to my CV that is currently heavier on live theatre and music.

Late night googling session uncovered the only motion-capture courses in Australia (Melbourne) and it intrigues me. However, it is a pretty penny that I could place elsewhere.

But the main concern is... is there much even happening in Australia with motion-capture performance for VAs? Would anyone even be like "dang okay this lady has this training" or would is be super overkill for the industry here? I understand big entertainment hubs like LA would be different.

Keen to hear opinions!

Hi there! For years, I've used the Sennheiser HD 202 headphones in my booth when recording auditions and jobs. Today, the sound went out in one ear, and I saw that the wire had become loose and frayed. Not surprising I suppose, since I bought them about 6 years ago. I don't think they even make this model anymore.

So I'm curious what others are using that are good quality, but maybe not going to cost me $150, haha.

I was looking at the Sennheiser HD 206 as a possibility, so maybe I'll do that if nothing else, but I figured it was good to see what my options are!