Why Are Voice Actors Nashville, TN Preferred?

It’s often said that Voice Actors Nashville, TN are a cut above the rest, given the superior quality of the work they do for TV and radio spots, puppet and gaming shows, documentaries, and feature films.

Nashville has an unending supply of some of the finest voice actors in the industry and who so successfully give life to those unforgettable characters in the animated movies.

However, voice actors Nashville, TN aren’t just about an actor in a recording booth casually delivering variations of the same dialogue into the microphone. There’s much more than that.

Qualities of voice actors Nashville, TN

A stellar voice and intonation apart, it takes a lot of creativity and hard work to become a successful voice actor. Nothing is free in this world no matter what someone tells you. Everything comes at a cost – it amazing how many people cannot understand that. Just see what is happening in some parts of the country and the world and so on but this is another topic. The competition is tough, you have to work to get what you want in this world.

Most voice actors Nashville, TN who have made it up the ladder, have the following common qualities:

They make the audience care: It’s a fundamental principal to first learn to care about the voice or character that is being played. Successful Nashville voice actors get under the skin of the character they’re playing and try to relate to his character.

They try to understand the character’s motivations and feelings and accordingly impart that to the audience through their voices. The excitement and enthusiasm clearly shows in the actors’ voices.

Voice actors Nashville, TN emphasize more on the acting: With Nashville voice actors, there’s always the right balance between voice and acting. They learn how to act first before they use their voices and take pains to actually study the art of acting.

This gives them the ability to actually personify a cartoon and help audiences connect emotionally to the characters they play. The character and actor become one, taking full control of their audience.

Their love for their work shows: With most top notch voice actors Nashville, TN, the passion and joy they have in their work shows clearly. There’s also an infectious quality about their work that influences audiences and keeps them glued. The way they constantly keep tweaking their voices without effort to get it right every time shows how much they love their work.

Be it comedic speed that’s hyperkinetic, quick-fire impressions or manic vocal fluctuations, Nashville performers will do it, as long as it fits the character. Moreover, their emotional performances feel so real, that often nothing about their work seems animated.

Their voices are the story’s carriers: Most successful Nashville voice actors use their voices in a manner that plunges their audiences right into the story’s heart.

We feel that we are hearing a moment-by-moment account from an actor who’s going through his journey. Be it mid-life crises, family responsibility, parenthood or marriage, a marvelous voice actor’s performance also reflects his own deeper understanding of such issues.

How To Choose The Right Narrator Nashville, TN

Choosing the right narrator Nashville, TN can be a tedious task, given the wide array of voice over and narration professionals the city has to offer.

Moreover, you also need to see which narrator Nashville, TN can best bring your work to life and ultimately make a grand success of it. For isn’t it said that narration either makes or breaks video.

Tips on choosing the appropriate narrator Nashville, TN

Check out his experience in your kind of work: If you want a narrator Nashville, TN for your radio or TV commercial or your corporate documentary, look for someone who’s had ample experience in these spheres of work.

Looking for someone with animation experience here won’t exactly fit the bill. Check out the samples he uploads on his website or ask for his demos and then take a call on the final selection. This way you’ll get the right person for the job.

A character voice should sound absolutely natural: An important point to be remembered when choosing a narrator Nashville, TN for your audiobook or documentary. It should never be cartoonish or over the top. Moreover, a ridiculous character voice disappoints audiences real fast, so it’s best to start an understated voice first. The narrator who gently introduces a new character is always better than any jarring tone change.

A slow narrator Nashville, TN is better than a faster one: When auditioning for a narrator, keep a sharp ear on his pace of reading. It’s always better if the person reads slowly than too fast. The true professional will know how to pace his speech depending on the content. For instance, romantic content will have to be handled more slowly than adventure novels or action books. However, the general perception is slower is better.

Check out the prospective narrator’s background & reviews: A salient way to make a selection of the right narrator Nashville, TN is to check out if he has any existing audiobooks to his credit.

If he has, you can always listen to them carefully and form an opinion for yourself. Moreover, most audiobooks also carry reviews on the narrator’s performance also which could guide you to the right person in the long run.

Trust your gut instincts: When checking out a narrator, chances are if you don’t like him, your audience won’t either and no one wants to have a Star Wars The Force Awakens or Iron Man III response! So trust your instincts when making the final selection.

How to Hire and Manage Voice Talent

The process of hiring new voice talent can seem intimidating if you have never done it before. Hiring the right voice talent is vital because the voice reading your script needs to connect with your target audience. This connection will lead them to trust you and buy your products and services.

The voice quality of the actor you choose will invoke emotion and response, and make the project successful. The right voice talent is of utmost importance for making your video or presentation a sensory experience.

Hiring a voice actor

Before you hire the voice talent, you must have a list of qualities that define the type of voice that you want. The right type of pitch and accent will vary from one project to another, so will the choice of hiring a male or female voice.

Usually, when you want to connect with a female audience, you use a female voice, and a male voice for a male audience. Although this isn't a thumb rule, this is what is typically done.

There are websites like Rick Lance Studio where you can listen to samples before choosing the actor. When you narrow down your choice and contact the actor, you might give them a passage from your script to record an audition. This will let you know if the voice is the right match for your project.

You also have to set your budget beforehand. You can do some research before setting the rate, although most voice actors have their own rate set. If you are someone they are excited to work with, their rates will be flexible. If you are on a tight budget, consider hiring someone new with less or no experience.

Some of the other questions to consider are if you're looking for a raw version of your script, and what type of file type will the audio be.

Managing the voice talent

Working with the voice actor involves proper communication. The project is close to your heart, and the better you communicate your vision to the actor, the more appropriate the result will be. You must provide the actor with some background on your brand and target audience.

Also, provide timely feedback once you have listened to the audio file. If you want changes, make sure you let the voice actor know immediately.

Rick Lance Studio has over 25 years of experience in the voiceover business, across a range of industries. For hiring a voiceover talent, get in touch with Rick Lance Studio.

The Importance of Vocal Coaching

If you are a newbie in the world of voiceover, then you likely find yourself feeling as though you are treading water.  Or worse, there may be times when you feel as though you are sinking.  This isn’t a skill that is mastered overnight.  Even the experts are constantly working to polish their talent, to learn new tricks, and to expand their skillbase. As a beginner, it is essential that you take steps to learn as much about the craft as possible.  This doesn’t necessarily mean enrolling in a four year program at the local university, but it does mean considering other educational endeavors aimed at improving one’s voice.

Vocal coaches are a hugely valuable asset in this industry.  There are many aspects of your career that can benefit from work with a voice coach. Remember, your voice is an instrument and you must understand how the instrument works, how to create the very best sounds with it, and how to properly care for it, if you are going to be a master.

A vocal coach can help you gain a better understanding of many aspects of the job and of your voice, including:

❖    All about tone, pitch & tempo

❖    How to warm up your voice

❖    How to care for a sick voice

❖    Tricks to fine tuning your performance

❖    Tips for in person auditions

❖    How to critique your own demo tapes

❖    Better breathing practices

❖    And more...

Many new, up-and-coming voiceover artists are worried about spending money on private vocal coaches before they have really started making money with their voiceover businesses.  However, this is an important investment and one that can bring great rewards.  Be sure, though, to seek out a vocal coach with a strong and positive reputation in the voiceover industry.  This will help you avoid costly scams, and it may even lead to new connections within the field.

Voiceover 101: Defining Your Voice

Most people will admit that it is difficult to talk about-, write about-, or in any way market themselves.  We are taught all of our lives to be confident but modest.  Thus, it goes against the grain to proclaim our own superiority.  However, that is exactly what you must be able to do if you are going to sell yourself as a performer -- on stage or behind a mic.  Voiceover artists, in most cases, will spend many years building up a portfolio of work, which will involve a lot of auditions and interviews.  Undoubtedly, along the way, they will be repeatedly asked to define their voice.  If you are entering the field of voiceover, then you better be prepared for the same.  Potential clients want to know if you fit the character or sound they are trying to portray.

So, how do you define your voice?

LIsten to Your Own Recordings This can be a painful practice.  As human beings, we tend to be our own worst critics, which leads many actors to not watch their own films, and many voiceover professionals to avoid listening to their recordings any more than absolutely necessary.  You must get past this and really hear what makes your voice special, so you can relay this information.

Does your voice sound childlike, young, old?  When potential clients ask about your voice, they really want to know which segment of the population you are most apt to represent.  This
begins with defining a stage of life.  Based on your voice alone, how old would people think you are?

What word best describes the personality of your voice? Does it sound bubbly, aggressive, motherly, highly starched, or carefree?  If you can describe your voice in one word, then you can more easily define your target market and that will make your job of selling your skills so much easier.

What accent or dialect does your voice fit? This is also something of great important to potential clients.  Most have a precise dialect and accent that they want to hear speaking their scripts.  This is generally because they want a voice similar (or appealing) to their intended audience.

So, now, how would you describe your voice?  Are you a British working mum of three, a rough and tumble high school jock from New England, or perhaps a warm but rugged Texas cowboy?

How Voiceover is Impacting Education

The DIY era was proof enough of the power of how-to articles and videos, but now there is proof that it’s not just the posts made on the web that can help students learn new tasks and information.  Several studies have been published recently that indicate that students enjoyed greater retention of material when traditional text was replaced with video learning, and that this was even more impactful when the presentation included voiceover. Good news!

The science of this makes sense.  It has long been known that people process new information in two ways because of the makeup of the brain.  One portion processes the information received visually.  The other processes that learned verbally.  Thus, seeing and hearing new material simultaneously greatly improves the likelihood that the information is retained.

This phenomenon was immediately pointed out to those created how-to videos online, but it is perhaps even more essential for traditional schooling.  E-learning is a growing trend, of course, but even traditional classrooms rely on certain web-based tools for enhancing the educational experience.  These services will generally involve slide show presentations, ‘in the field’ videos, and ‘performing the task’ videos. 

Those creating the videos and presentations can benefit greatly from voiceover professionals.  As stated above, the addition of that audio can greatly improve the retention rate among the students.  In some instances, the instructor or special guest will do the speaking him- or herself.  However, in many instances, voice over talents are hired to provide the vocal component.

This is a big niche that has really grown rapidly in recent years and is expected to continue on that trend in the coming years.  If you are new to the voiceover industry, then you may want to seriously consider the potential that exists in focusing specifically on this niche.  Often, specializing can greatly improve your chances of success and this is an area that will likely have many doors open to you.

5 Common Causes of Hoarseness

Losing one’s voice is almost always annoying, but for a voiceover professional, it is downright devastating. Time without a voice means time away from the studio. The loss of time is also generally a loss of money. So, avoiding hoarseness is paramount in this industry. This begins with understanding what can cause a problem.

1. The Common Cold! The most common cause of hoarseness is respiratory infection, which begins, most often, as the common cold. At the first sign of cold, flu, or other respiratory complications, it is essential to take precautions to avoid loss of one’s voice. The professionals have several recommendations for treating a cold. For the voiceover artist, the most essential three are blowing the nose, drinking hot liquids, and gargling. Blow your nose to remove mucus, but do so gently. Blowing too hard can cause irritation to the ears, throat, and vocal chords. Gargle with salt water to reduce the risk of a sore throat. Drink hot tea or other warm beverages (preferably without milk or cream) to ease inflammation in nose and throat. Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Tea is a popular product among voice actors. And simply warm water with honey and lemon can soothe the throat.

2. Vocalchord Cysts or Polyps! If symptoms occur suddenly and without any additional symptoms, consult a physician. It could be a cyst or polyp on the vocal chord. The sooner this is treated, the better for your career.

3. GERD! There are medical treatments for gastroesophageal reflux disease, so do speak to your doctor. You can also ease the trouble at home, which begins with weight loss. Being overweight puts you at much greater risk of this condition. Avoid foods that are known to make symptoms worse. Get more vitamin D in your diet, as it acts as a natural defense against the stomach acid.

4. Allergies! There are many highly-effective allergy medications on the market. Many can be purchased over-the-counter. There are also specialists that can help people get better control over their allergic symptoms. Try to avoid products with antihistamines in them since they are a drying agent and will dry out your throat as well as your mucus.

5. Smoking! This is easy to solve. There is no better time than right now to quit.

Singing Lessons for Voiceover Artists

If you are looking for a way to improve your voiceover prowess, but you simply can’t see the benefits of taking yet another acting or improv class, then you may want to consider singing instruction instead.

You read that right. No need to check your vision. Even if you have never considered yourself a singer, you may benefit from work with a singing coach. There are several ways that this sort of practice can help you improve your skills and push your career forward.

Hearing the Music! Very often in voiceover, there is a musical component. The voiceover is blended to fit with the musical intro or is set against a background rhythm. The ability to hear that music and match it with your own speaking voice will make your end product more appealing to the customer.

Stepping Outside the Comfort Zone! If you are not a singer by nature, but you sign up for classes with a singing instructor, you are forced to step outside your comfort zone. Growing accustomed to doing so will help you take on a greater range of roles as a voiceover artist, which discomfort or fear might prevent you from doing now.

Greater Range! Practice singing often improves a person’s vocal range and stamina. Both of these improvements will have a direct, positive impact in your voiceover career.

Learning to Breathe! If you have been working in voiceover for any length of time at all, then you know how troubling an ill-timed breath can be. Worse yet, losing your breath mid-sentence is downright frustrating and can call for additional takes. Singing classes can help you gain a better understanding of when and how to breath to get the best sound.

Although, hearing pitch, texture, dynamics and tone may be second nature to a natural born singer, being made aware of these things by an instructor will help you with your voice over performances.

Warm-Up Exercises! These are often done very well by singers and completely overlooked by voiceover professionals, yet the benefits are shared by both types of talent. Singing instruction will teach you how to properly warm up your voice, so you get better recordings and face less risk of damaging your vocal chords in the process.

To Blog or Not to Blog?

This is a topic that I’ve touched on before, but it is worth mentioning again, because it is one of the things most commonly asked of me by those who are just getting started in voiceover.  Looking for a good way to gain some exposure and market themselves, they wonder if blogging is the answer.

While it isn’t going to be enough on its own, handled correctly, a blog can be a tremendously effective tool for a voiceover artist.  I’ve made that claim here before.  However, this won’t be a good fit for everyone, and I try to be very honest about this.  In truth, I suppose a blog could work against a voiceover professional if not managed properly.  Here are a few signs that blogging may not be a good idea for you:

❖    You Are Bad with Commitment As I mentioned above, blogging is a great marketing tool.  When a regularly maintained blog is combined with several other marketing tools, a voiceover professional can build a strong following relatively quickly, while boosting the SEO of his or her website.  However, all of this depends on your willingness to devote time to the blog.  So, if you know you have a tendency to fail to follow through with things, and are apt to stop what you have started, a blog is probably not the best tool for you.  It may actually harm your reputation, if potential clients find just a few out-of-date posts on your blog. 

❖    You Are Not a Strong Writer Another thing that could damage your professional reputation is poor use of grammar or spelling.  A voiceover artist is supposed to have command over the language.  The potential client isn’t going to believe that you are capable of doing so, if they find numerous grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in each blog post.  There is, of course, the option of hiring an assistant, an editor, or a ghost writer to clean up your posts.  So, if you don’t feel that you are a strong writer, but do feel that you have something worth saying, consider those options.

❖    You Can’t Define the Audience You Would Be Writing For  Originally, blogs were seen as a sort of online diary and that’s how many people treated them.  However, when being used for marketing purposes, there should be a clear underlying theme that links all of the posts together.  This also means that, if you hope to build a following, you'd better know exactly who is most apt to read posts on that theme.  If you can’t define your audience or find a topic on which you are happy to write at least once each week, then blogging likely isn’t a great fit.