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The Voice-Over Roadmap

The Voice-Over Roadmap is an educational platform for Voice-Over Talent of all experience levels to start, grow, and sustain a profitable business as a professional VO Talent. It is the creation of Michael Langsner, Professional VO talent with over 12 years of experience voicing projects for brands like Adidas, Google, Dell, Levi's and many others.

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VO Pro Tip: Receiving Direction with Active Listening

Voice-Over Pro Tip Active Listening in Direction Hey Reader, When you receive direction from a client or casting director, it's easy to just hear the words and immediately try to apply them. But truly mastering direction goes beyond simply understanding what's said. It's about active listening. Active listening in VO means fully engaging with the direction, both spoken and unspoken. It involves paying close attention not just to the specific adjectives (like "warm," "energetic,"...

Voice-Over Pro Tip Making an Impression with your Site Hey Reader, Your voice-over website is essentially your digital storefront, and the homepage is where most potential clients will land first. They're often busy, and they want to find what they're looking for fast. So, how do you make sure your homepage makes a strong and effective first impression? Here's a key tip for your VO website homepage: Make your main demo reel immediately visible and playable. When a client arrives at your site,...

Voice-Over Pro Tip Mouth Click Tips Hey Reader, Have you ever found yourself listening back to a great take, only to be met with those small, distracting mouth clicks? They can definitely be frustrating, whether you're just starting out or you've been in the game for a while. The good news is, there are some really effective ways to tackle them. So, first things first: prevention is key. What really helps is focusing on hydration. Drink plenty of water throughout your day, especially before...

Voice-Over Pro Tip Imaginary Conversation Hey Reader, The “conversational” read is incredibly popular in voice-over, and it’s a style clients often ask for. But sometimes, when you’re reading from a script, it can feel a little… well, scripted, even when you’re trying to sound natural. How do you truly make it sound like you’re just talking, not performing? Here’s a simple trick that can really help: imagine you’re having an actual conversation with one specific person. Before you hit record,...

Voice-Over Pro Tip Vocal Variety Hey Reader, We often talk about hitting the right notes and having a pleasing tone and inflection in voice-over, and while pitch variation is certainly important, vocal variety encompasses so much more! Today, let's delve into some other powerful tools you can use to make your reads more dynamic and engaging. Think beyond just making your voice go up and down. True vocal variety involves manipulating several elements to keep your listener hooked: Pace: The...

Voice-Over Pro Tip VO Pricing Tips Hey Reader, One of the big questions for any voice actor, especially when starting out, is "How much should I charge?" Pricing your services can be tough, but understanding some key principles can help you establish fair and competitive rates. It's important to remember that there's no single "right" answer, as pricing can depend on various factors, including: Experience Level: Naturally, more experienced voice actors with established credits and a strong...

Voice-Over Pro Tip The Power of a Pause Hey Reader, In VO, it's not just about the words you say, but also about the moments in between. Today, let's talk about a seemingly simple yet incredibly powerful tool: the strategic pause. Often overlooked, a well-placed pause can dramatically impact the effectiveness and emotional resonance of your voice-over. Also, very importantly, it can add some uniqueness to your reads and help you stand out in a sea of auditions. A good pause can: Create...

Voice-Over Pro Tip What's the "Why?" Hey Reader, Ever feel like you're just reading the words on the page? Sometimes, even with perfect technique, a performance can fall a little flat if it's missing a crucial element: the "why." What do I mean by the "why"? It's the underlying motivation, intention, and emotional core driving the lines you're speaking. It's the answer to the question, "Why is this character/narrator saying this, at this moment, in this way?" Digging into the "why" can...

Voice-Over Pro Tip Speed Edit! Hey Reader, It should be a goal to become a very efficient audio editor, if you are not already. Ideally, every audition you do should take somewhere around 5 minutes start to finish, and that includes editing time. So how can you speed up your editing? Here are some tips: Templates: An obvious one is to have a template setup specifically for VO/VO Auditions in your DAW/Editing Software. This should include a plugin chain that is dialed in specifically for your...

Voice-Over Pro Tip Revving Up Your Reads Hey Reader, When you're auditioning or starting to record a project, the very first time you say the first lines probably aren't going to be your final takes. As you read the script and get your mouth around the words and hone in on the emotion and performance you are going for, your read will get stronger and stronger. Something that can help if you feel a little flat or just "off" as you begin reading is to sort of "rev up" into the read. What I mean...