Voice actor training
Director of Voiceover Kickstart and Pro Voice Actor Guy Michaels answers the most common questions about the training needed for a successful voice acting career. As a leading voice in the voice acting industry for many years, the advice is tried and tested, practical and actionable.
Can you train to be a voice actor online?
Quite simply, yes.
Let’s put this question and answer in context. The vast majority of voiceover jobs are engaged, carried out and finalised ‘remotely’ these days. Voiceover artists must be adept at connecting with clients and recording engineers potentially on the other side of the planet. Therefore the training, when carefully considered and approached from a position of great experience, can and does work really well.
Training for voice over needs interactivity and that’s what Voiceover Kickstart does!
Oh…and what does a voiceover artist do?
ONLINE VOICEOVER TRAINING versus FACE-TO-FACE
Now, I come from a traditional ‘in the studio’ or ‘face-to-face in a workshop or classroom’ background. I used to always maintain that the experience was always better when you get in the room with someone – whether that be a real voiceover session or running a class for training voice actors.
Whilst there’s still something to be said for being directly on-hand (or hands-on) to help make minor adjustments to a voiceover artists’ position on the microphone, or indeed the undeniable energy in a live group session – remote training is a viable and often preferable alternative way of learning.
Covid has of course accelerated this and thankfully helped to improve the experience of teaching and learning, coaching and performing using readily accessible tools such as Zoom.
Great Voice Acting comes from a highly developed set of practical skills. If you want to become a successful voice actor, choose to wisely invest your time in a trusted source such as Voiceover Kickstart. Professional voice actors all over the world have either taken part in my programmes or worked with me in 121 voiceover coaching sessions (all voiceover coaching is online using Zoom).
LIVE Voiceover Training
But, and there is a BIG ‘but’, for voiceover training to be truly successful we must approach it as if it were ‘in the room’ and therefore a large amount of Voiceover Kickstart’s work is in live digitally enabled sessions rather than just passive tick-box elearning style modules. To become a voice actor takes more than simply buying a microphone and participating in a passive online course.
Every one of our online voice over training sessions will give you voice acting tips which you can action right away!
Voiceover training near me
If you are convinced you need face-to-face then simply google ‘voice over training near me’ and that should throw up some options. You might find a fellow voice actor who can help. Voice actors who are actually experienced and working can often give you some useful tips to help you get started in voiceover. However, what worked for them is not guaranteed to work for you in the same way. Instead consider professional voiceover coaching.
Beginners through to experienced voice professionals
We have a whole series of courses, specific skills modules and live sessions throughout the year. You’ll find some of our Live Sessions here
We don’t charge any extras for live-learning – workshops are included in the monthly or annual subscription.
FREE Voiceover Webinars with Guy Michaels
As an updated version of our original free programme, these new voiceover webinars for either experienced voiceovers or beginner voiceovers will answer many of the questions you might have about a voiceover career. Head here and sign up today. They are 100% free.
Thousands of voice actors worldwide have gone through my programmes or worked with me in 121 coaching to move their careers to the next level.
Learn Audiobook Narration – free voice acting course
Learn Audiobook Narration with Helen Lloyd | Voiceover Kickstart
Long-time friend of Voiceover Kickstart, Helen Lloyd recorded this introductory programme for budding audiobook narrators. In 5 modules there’s so much covered including the audiobook industry, the narrative voice, developing characters, vocal modulation and much more. ACCESS for FREE.
MEMBERS ONLY
This is where we get really stuck in to the voice acting skills that will help you take take your career to the next level. Successful voice over professionals know the importance of CPD. Aspiring voice actors should (within budget) engage with as much learning as possible in the early stages of their career and ongoing training.
Voiceover Kickstart is an industry leader in online voice over classes.
Joining means you’ll also get access to our vibrant and truly supportive voice acting community. If you have made the decision to become a voice actor or want to supercharge your career, joining is a no-brainer. You can always join for one month to try it out!
Voiceover Script Workouts – regular live session
Boost your voice acting skills today!
As mentioned, one of the many benefits of our full membership is voice acting training that is ‘live’ – working with me and other voice actors at all levels.
Our 90-minute Rehearsal Room sessions give you the opportunity to try out scripts for auditions, work on specific techniques, explore new voiceover genres all in the safe confines of a small and super-supportive group on Zoom. We work on radio commercials, short narrations and discuss all sorts of voice acting styles. It’s a fantastic way to build upon your natural talent.
Oh and have you accessed our voice over script library ? Voice actors all over the world use our resources to supplement their voice actor training.
Practice Voiceover Recording Session – regular live session
We call it ‘In-Session’ as that is exactly what it is! Improve your live recording session experience and confidence. In this mock session you’ll play the ‘voiceover artist’, the director or the client. Live voiceover sessions are very common and it is essential to become confident and able to ‘deliver great performances’ with the added pressure of directors and clients listening in.
Flex your acting skills too as you take on the role of voiceover director or client. Our members love these practical voice acting sessions! Voice acting demands flexibility and confidence and that’s what these sessions are for.
Connect with other voice actors on a similar path to you!
Voiceover Studio Primer – regular live session
I’ll share over 20 years worth of knowledge and know-how in this session designed to set-up and optimise your home recording studio at the lowest cost and least hassle. As the voice over industry continues to shift towards the home studio model, you’ll need to learn the fundamentals of audio production to improve your opportunities in voice over work.
Voiceover Tech – regular live session
Covering the tricky and daunting technical side of running a voice acting business. Learn to optimise your recording equipment and the ins-and-outs of your recording software in this live session. Most voice actors will have some kind of home recording studio but only some know exactly what to do in terms of audio production. I’ll teach you how to make the most of your home studio equipment from and share knowledge from thousands of hours working in recording studios. Learn the basics of voiceover recording and much more.
Critical Listening – regular live session
Voice actors need to develop their ears and mouth. Successful voiceover professionals can tell the difference between excellent quality audio and flawed sub-standard voiceover recordings. Join us as we listen out for problems in voiceover recordings.
Improve your technical skills and develop your critical listening in order to achieve higher quality and more bankable recordings from your own set-up. You’ll need a decent pair of studio headphones to listen to the examples. In the voice over business, it is often the technical side that can mean the difference between getting enough voice acting work or not.
Supercharge Week – quarterly event with ‘focus topic’
Each quarter we have a week-long focus that will help you to make your mark in the voiceover industry. Topics have included Marketing, Money Matters, Running Remote Sessions, Podcasting, Vocal skills, Acting, Character work and Audio Processing. Find out more here.
Get a wider and deeper understanding of the voice over industry with a little help from experts (and me!).
A pinnacle in voice actor training.
Creating Character
Successful voice actors are often called upon to ‘play a character’. This doesn’t necessarily mean in a video game, audio drama or narration but sometimes even in a typical corporate explainer. The ability to call upon a series of character voices and know how to develop them can help to propel you into the next level of voice talent. For an exciting and varied career, learn to hone your unique character skills.
Other content within the Voiceover Kickstart platform includes:
Creating Character in Audiobooks
Sometimes in an audiobook you’ll need to voice many many characters!
Approaching accents
Got an ear for accents? Want to learn how to improve your accents? This could open up even more voice over jobs.
Money Matters
Get a handle on your business finances. To sustain your voice acting career you’ll need to approach the business side with care.
Voice in videogames
Are you the next Lara Croft or Nathan Drake? Voicing for videogames is an exciting and massive part of the voiceover industry.
Tips for Home Studio Voiceover Recording
Voice acting is about far more than speaking. Get ahead of the competition with tech know-how! If you apply my advice, you’ll create your own professional recording studio.
Connected Directed – setting up for remote voiceover work
Thousands of voice over jobs are booked and directed remotely. Are you ready for this? Our dedicated programme will simplify setting up and give you the confidence for remotely directed voice over work.
Source Connect – basics
One of the most popular ways of connecting with clients.
Source Connect – advanced
It gets a little tricky!
Advanced Techniques for Remote Voiceover Sessions
Stand out in the voice over industry with technical mastery.
Articulation rounds
Keep your voice in top condition. Stretch yourself in these complex vocal warm ups. Lots of voice over work contains difficult language and a professional voiceover actor knows the importance of working on regular voice exercises.
Vocal Care
Look after your number one tool. One of the industry’s top voice coaches leads you through the essentials of vocal care. From breathing exercises to dealing with sore throats and more, learn voice exercises that will improve and maintain vocal quality.
Yoga for Voiceover Artists
Voiceover is physical! A voice over artist needs to be fit and supple, relaxed and ready to give their best in every recording session. Work through these exercises to witness the dramatic difference this can make to your daily working life both on and off the microphone. Access the taster here
Self-Direction Toolkit
This massive programme, accessible to all full members, takes minutes to access but months to master. It’s basically a comprehensive guide to voice acting in just this one programme! As with everything else this is inclusive for members at no extra cost! It’s like attending a series of acting classes from the comfort of home.
Social Marketing
Love it or hate it, you’ve just gotta do it! It probably needs to form part of your daily routine.
Content Marketing
Where do you even begin? We’ll show you.
Launching a Voiceover Business
Or re-launching?
Sustaining a Voiceover Business
Deal with those quiet periods! Voice over work is everywhere but you’ve got to seek out opportunities.
Corporate voiceover
The bread and butter stuff.
Voicing in animation
We interviewed one of the most famous animation voices. Animated characters feature in many different types of voice over work.
Podcasting – Audio Drama
Radio drama morphs into ‘Audio Drama’ – a gigantic and very popular form of entertainment.
Voiceover Kickstart is one of the most established voiceover education facilities.
Read more about improving voice over skills
Voice actor coaching
Working in voiceover for over 20 years and running voiceover training for thousands of voice overs at all stages of their careers puts me in the confident position to advise you on the best approach to your career.
If you have been working in voice overs for a while, you’ll know that it’s easy to feel lost and isolated. Even with proper training, sometimes there is simply no substitute for the bespoke expert advice that comes from a 121 coaching session. You’re a good voice actor but you want to make more money, land more voice work, improve your skill set, connect with prospective clients and learn to nail the audition!
Struggling to make it a full time career? Do you feel like you have wasted talent and your voice is just not being heard? Voice acting requires not only the skill set but the marketing and business strategy to thrive! Maybe you need help with the online voice over thing – a few tips on improving your recording quality? I am a highly experienced sound engineer so I can help you with that too.
How can I help? Is coaching even the right thing for you? Perhaps work with a vocal coach first? Do you need voice training? Do you want to work 121 with a voice acting coach?
If you want to work with me directly, you can book a VOICEOVER COACHING SESSION.
For more on how to start a voice over career (and sustain one!) check out our other useful resources.
Do you want to pursue voice acting? To be the best voice actor and maximise your potential as a voiceover talent, you need to learn from the best with truly professional voice actor training. Voiceover Kickstart doesn’t just cover how to start a voice over career, our content, resources, guidance and community are designed to Supercharge your Voiceover Career from the moment you begin with the free programme. If you want to learn more about how to start a voice over career, then access the free programme or jump right in a become a FULL MEMBER today!
