5 Vocal Practices for Voice Acting

Voice acting is a booming industry, and it’s easy to see why. The voice actor can shape the mood of any event by speaking into a microphone. Voice actors are in high demand, so much so that more jobs than professionals are available. Many people want to be voice actors these days, but few know how to get started or what skills they need for success. Here are 5 vocal practices that every aspiring voice actor should practice building their career:

Warm Up your Voice Every Day

This is probably the most critical practice for any voice actor. A warm-up loosens up your vocal cords and gets them ready to work. You don’t need to spend hours warming up. A few minutes each day will do the trick. Some good exercises include humming, singing scales, and saying tongue twisters. If you’re not used to speaking or singing often, it’s imperative to take the time to warm up your voice before each session. This will help prevent strain and fatigue later on. Warm-ups aren’t for beginners either. Even professional voice actors should take a few minutes every day to loosen their vocal cords.

If you have trouble coming up with warm-up exercises, there are plenty of videos online with voice-acting warm-ups. Search for “voice actor’s warmups,” and you’ll find many to choose from.

Learn the Basics of Voice Acting

Before you can even think about getting work as a voice actor, you need at least some basic knowledge of what goes into it. You don’t have to know everything, such as voice actors learn on the job, but having an idea is helpful for many reasons. Suppose you’re wondering how to get into voice acting, then understanding how your instrument works will make you successful. Knowing more about vocally demanding jobs will make life easier for you. Why? Because you’ll understand what’s expected of your body when you get hired for something like this. Learning more about vocal techniques now will give us insight into whether this is the right job for you. Not only that but understanding what to expect will make it easier for everybody involved.

Record Yourself and Critique your Work.

One of the best ways to improve your voice acting skills is to record yourself and critique your work. This can be difficult, but it’s a great way to find out where you need improvement. Listen to recordings of yourself and ask others for their opinion as well. What sounds good? What doesn’t sound so good? How can you make your voice sound better?

It’s also important to note that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses for voice acting. You might be great at doing character voices but not so great at doing dialogue. That’s okay! Figure out what you’re good at and focus on those areas. Trying to do things you’re not talented in will only lead to frustration and a lack of confidence.

Learn to Speak with Confidence.

One of the most important things you should learn as a voice actor is how to speak with confidence. Voice acting can be an incredibly nerve-wracking job, especially if it’s your first time doing something like this. People will judge you on whether you sound confident in your work, so why shouldn’t they? It will take practice, but speaking confidently will become more natural for everyone involved. You’ll find that when people aren’t nervous about their performance, then everybody has fun. This means better quality products.

When agreeing upon rates with clients, always make sure you’re comfortable enough before signing anything official. Why? Because once the contract has been signed, there’s no going back. Don’t let it intimidate you, and never take advantage of someone if they don’t know the ropes yet.

Avoid Cigarettes and Alcohol.

One of the most important things you can do as a voice actor is to avoid cigarettes and alcohol. This means eating right, drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep, and avoiding these two substances altogether. All these things are bad for your voice if they’re not avoided. It’s also essential to warm up your voice before every recording session. Five or ten minutes of humming or singing will be perfect. Give your throat a break in between sessions because sometimes, when you feel hoarse after shouting too much or talking all day long, it’s time for some rest until everything feels normal again.

Stay Healthy and Practice Good Vocal Hygiene

Last but not least, one of the most important things you can do as a voice actor is to stay healthy and practice good vocal hygiene. This means eating right, drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep, and avoiding cigarettes and alcohol. All these things are bad for your voice and will lead to problems down the line if they’re not avoided.

Besides that, it’s also essential to warm up your voice before every recording session. This doesn’t have to be complicated; five or ten minutes of humming or light singing will do the trick. And finally, always give your throat a break. If you’re feeling hoarse or like you’ve been yelling a lot, take a day or two off to let your throat recover.

Final Thought

These are five of the most important things you should know as a voice actor. There are others, but these will get you started on the right path! Stay confident, stay healthy, and have fun with it.