Voiceover 101: Avoiding the Red

It is easy to spend more than you make when you are getting started in the voiceover industry. You obviously need to have certain equipment, a reliable recording space, the appropriate software, and  demos, at the very least. Of course, these things cost money, but you must make wise decisions if you hope to end the year in the black. Many beginners make the mistake of overspending and therefore are forced out of the industry, back to the 9-5:00 job, in order to afford normal living expenses. There are few areas where beginners are most apt to spend all of their earnings.

1. The Demo  It is absolutely necessary to produce a good quality demo that showcases your best talents as a voiceover artist. This is something that you will likely replace as time goes by and you further hone your skills. While it is an essential tool, you don’t have to break the bank to produce something worth sending to casting directors and potential clients. Many make the mistake of thinking they must hire a professional recording studio and producer. This will represent a huge sum of money that is likely to be much more than will be made on those first jobs. It is often best to create a reasonable home studio, that provides you a quiet space to record, and to put together your own demo samples. There are freelance audio engineers who can help with final editing to give you the clean demo you are desiring, and that service will generally cost far less than the producer and recording studio time.

2. The Microphone The price of microphones for home recording studios vary substantially. While it would not be recommended that you use a cheap variety that does little to block the background noise that will add endless hours of editing, you don’t need to purchase a $1000 microphone to get good quality recordings. You can get a decent microphone ($200-$500.00) and accessories for a tenth of that price.

3. The Agent A voiceover agent can get you in many doors that might otherwise be closed to you, but not all agents are created equally, and most want to see you succeed on your own for a while before they take you on as a client. If the agent is promising a future too good to be true, while charging a steep upfront fee, then stay away. This is a good way to spend a lot of money for very little return.