Working In a Studio as a Voice Actor

The advent of internet communications and scaled down affordable equipment has helped the modern voice actor work remotely from their home studio - no longer are voice-over artists required to report to a third party recording studio for every single gig.

However, you will nevertheless come across instances where the producer demands your presence in the studio while doing VO.

Main Niches That Require Studio Work

Two types of voiceover gigs come to mind while thinking about studio work: animation and video games. Unlike commercials and audiobooks, these two media have a dynamic range and feel.

There are often multiple characters with a wide range of interplay between them. Directors usually prefer having different voice actors work together while creating the dialogues - this can help improve the overall quality of the recording.

What Happens When a Voice Actor Enters a Studio

Your first time in a professional recording studio might seem quite intimidating. When you arrive at the studio, they will direct you to a glass cubicle where they have the script, your mic, and headphones.

The creative and technical teams will sit on the other side, watching your progress and providing suggestions/improvements in real time.   

Sometimes, you might be dealing only with the engineer inside the studio. The creative types may be in another location, working remotely using ISDN networks.

In both situations, the director will give suggestions on how to effectively use your voiceover skills. They might also provide background stories of your characters to give you a more authentic feel for them. Cues will often be written on the scripts as well.

In other instances, especially involving games and some animated, the director might decide to show you sample reels or rough cuts of the source video. This process helps to give you an exact picture of what emotions you need to conjure up to satisfy their needs. 

How Long Does A Studio Day Last

The answer isn't cut and dry; however, studio sessions are indeed getting shorter than ever before. Very rarely will a session for voice acting go beyond the full workday. More often than not, the session is over within hours or less depending on the length of the script. Six hours per day would be considered a long recording session day.