You can either click here and watch it on my youtube page or click below and watch it on the page for the post. Enjoy!

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It is a free resource for you to use as much as you want. There’s an unlimited supply of it almost everywhere you go.

Air.

Try saying a phrase on half lung capacity and then take a deep breath and use more air when you speak.

What happens? That’s right, your voice sounds more resonant, it carries better, and you have access to more of your range. Plus, if you keep using a good amount of air when you speak, this will energize you, raise your heartbeat, and give you a little bit of a workout. This increase in energy will allow you to focus better and put more energy into your performance, more than likely reducing the amount of takes you’ll have to do to get the copy just right.

The only downside I can see is you having to take bigger breaths when you need to breathe, but that shouldn’t ever be that big of a problem.

That was easy. Hey… where’s my staples button when I need it?

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1. Think it Through, It’s Good For You What do you think of when you hear the word...

Most people think of monks high on a mountain somewhere high in the Himalayan mountains sitting around on mats with their legs crossed.

That’s not where I’m going. Meditation is simply deep thought. It’s actually something I practice quite often.

Let me explain…

There’s a common phrase “Think before you speak” and that’s what I am advocating… sort of.

When you get behind the mic (those of you who don’t have a lot of experience) what happens? Do you feel a tightness in your chest? Does your heart beat faster? Do your palms start to sweat and your mouth dry out? Why is that? There is another common statement that says “We fear what we do not understand”. I put it this way, “We fear what we do not know.”

There’s one obvious way around that: get more experience. This is hard to do unless you’re landing gigs. If you’re not landing gigs because you don’t have experience, there’s no hope, right? Not quite.

There’s a way around that and it’s pretty easy, but it requires concentration and imagination. One way I prepare myself to get behind the mic without ever powering up the studio is run through the process of an audition or recording in my mind. Yes, meditation. It works wonders.

I know it may sound weird, but if you run through the scenario (any scenario, not just voice over stuff) enough in your head, it will become second nature when you’re actually in that scenario at a later time.

For instance, I close my eyes and I envision myself holding the script in my hand, sitting on a stool behind a microphone. I feel the headphones on my ears and hear my voice when I speak into the mic. I look behind the mic and there is a large glass window, behind which sit a producer and an audio engineer. The producer gives me instructions and I hear them in my headphones. I do what I am told to do. I read the script and time slows down… you get the idea.

Go into as much detail as you possibly can. It helps some people to imagine themselves in third person, kind of like watching yourself do everything.

To go through a complete session only takes about five minutes or less. Using your imagination, put yourself in as many different recording environments as you can possibly imagine. Change the wall coverings, change the mics, whether you can see the producer or not, sitting, standing, etc. The more situations you run through in your mind over and over again, the more prepared and calm you’ll be when it comes time for an audition or recording session.

This exercise can be included in your warm up. Your voice, lips, mouth, and tongue aren’t the only things that need a good warm up, you know.

Don’t do this when you’re tired. Closing your eyes when you’re tired can only lead to one thing. Sleep. Get up, move around, and do some jumping jacks to get your heart rate up, then start the brain up. It will be easy from there on out.

Meditation takes a lot of practice to stay focused, but it helps keep you centered and helps you prepare. I recommend it, not only for voice over artists before auditions and recording sessions, but for every kind of performer before any performance of any kind!

May your mind be focused and your thoughts clear, young grasshopper.

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Sounds a little harsh, but it’s true. If someone finds you on your Myspace, Facebook, personal website (do you have one?), or they contact you by phone, are they going to be impressed with what they see or hear, or will they blow you off because you sound like an amateur?

There’s one way to prevent that: Practice.

I never say practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to voice over work. Practice makes persistence. You can’t always be perfect when it comes to voice over. Perfection lies in the ears of the producer or the client, not with your ears. Something may be perfect to your ears but completely wrong for the listener.

How do you practice using your voice? There’s a lot of great practice methods I use all the time.

Tongue twisters are great for practice. Practice speaking them technically perfect. Focus on the beginnings and end of the words at a slower tempo (like Rodney does in the video) and then speed it up little by little.

I mention tongue twisters first, because they’re a great warmup. After you are nice and warmed up, start working on some real scripts.

You might say, where do I find copy? Think of a product you like or a commercial you like and find it on Youtube. If you hear a commercial on the radio you like, find some way to record it and write it down. Don’t use these commercials in your demos, they are more than likely copyrighted and someone might come after you.

In a few weeks I’ll be coming out with my first collection of royalty free commercial copy. I’ve already started writing a lot of different kinds of commercials. I am quite the writer (as you know if you’ve read any of my posts) so these commercials won’t be the typical royalty free copy you’ll find, they’ll be good. These are different, you CAN use them in your demos and however you want, I don’t care. The collection will be copyrighted, but you are free to use them in your demos. Subscribe to my RSS feed to make sure you don’t miss the premiere.

Also, another great way to practice is to read aloud. Grab a good book from the library and just read it (aloud to yourself, into a recorder, or to someone else). If the person you’re reading to falls asleep, that might be a clue to something. Either pick a new book or spice it up a bit.

Practice really is important. I’m sure you hear that alot (even in this post), but it really is, no kidding. You have to suck it up and practice or you’ll probably never get any better.

If practicing is hard or gets old fast, don’t do it for long and take some breaks.

What some don’t recognize is landing a project and working for a client is practice within itself! It’s great. There’s no better practice than work itself.

Not getting any work? Practice! Market! Network! All these subjects are covered extensively in this blog. Sign up for the RSS feed and get all the latest updates to the blog. Working for yourself as a voiceover artist can be difficult without help. That’s why I’m here, to help you out!

Have fun practicing! Leave some of your favorite practice techniques in the comments.

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“Hello Michael,

Hope all is well. Just wanted to let you know about my new motivational and
inspirational album, ‘Better Than Before.’ It’s seven songs
geared toward the voiceover community. Music designed to keep you in a positive
frame of mind as you pursue your voiceover career. It’s a collection of
R&B, Pop and Gospel selections sung by me. You can purchase it at
www.rodneysaulsberry.com.

YouTube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-okWBRH8K0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrRx54eRJDg

Your web site is very impressive Michael. Not only does it promote you greatly,
it’s a great source of information for the voiceover community. Happy
Holidays!

Thank You,

Rodney Saulsberry”

Thanks Rodney, I definitely appreciate it and look forward to getting my copy asap.

All of you should too, it will make a great gift to yourself or an aspiring voice talent that you know.

Also, Rodney’s book “You Can Bank on Your Voice” and “Step Up to the Mic” are amazing resources for voice talent of every caliber, you should get a copy or two if you don’t already have one. There are some amazing tips in these books, trust me, I have both.

All of the aforementioned are available via his website: www.rodneysaulsberry.com

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If you can read any of these faster and cleaner than him (especially the last one!), send it to me and I’ll post it here. This is AMAZING! Thanks Rodney! Rodney’s website

No related posts.

1) No matter what DO NOT CHANGE COPY! We are not copywriters (although we could write better copy in our sleep sometimes) therefore we should do what we can to make it SPICY.

2) Add inflection. Do not read the sentence in a monotone manner (unless the copy calls for that, of course.) Also, don’t span the gap between the Chipmunks and James Earl Jones. Too much inflection can be a very bad thing. I try to end the sentence on a different “pitch” than where I started. If the sentence is a question, the sentence should raise in pitch at the end. If the sentence is a statement, the pitch usually descends towards the end. There are no absolutes for inflection, in fact, it’s one of the elements that separates amateur from professional in the world of voice over. It often distinguishes a particular voice actor from another. Find your style and make it your own. Have different styles and make your life interesting.

3) Add dynamic phrasing. SLIGHTLY (and I do mean very slowly and gradually) increase or decrease the volume of words you speak. Similar to dynamics in a piece of music, words can be loud or very soft. Sometimes, and I do mean very rarely, a sudden change in volume is quite effective. I chose in one of my demos to include a piece of whispered copy. I think it makes the listener take notice. Some will hate you for making such a drastic change in volume, some will love it. Use your common sense to distinguish when or when not to use dynamic phrasing.

4) Change the speed up. Not only can dynamics and pitch be changed, but the speed of copy can also speed up and slow down. Tempo: the speed at which something is read or played. This requires a LOT of practice and experimentation. Different types of copy require different speeds. Once again, there are no rules set in stone for this idea, it is just something to get you thinking about the different ways you can make your time behind the mic and your listeners a little less miserable when bad copy strikes (and TRUST ME, it will!)

Leave some comments on techniques you use to bring life to dead or dying copy. Feedback is ALWAYS appreciated!

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