An important aspect of voice acting (amateur and professional) is your audition, and presentation.
Consider the audition like you would a job interview. You're competing against many other voice overs, some with far more experience than yourself... This is your chance to stand up and show the world what you are made of.
If you find yourself auditioning for many projects and receiving neither roles or good feedback, perhaps it is time to take a step back and ask yourself "What am I doing wrong?"
The most important aspect for an AVA is not just how great your voice sounds, but how good your recording quality is. One major set back for an AVA are technical flaws that could be avoided if a little more time was spent on proofing the quality of your recordings.
There are number of important issues to look for:
Blowing into the microphone -- usually sounds like "b", "p", and "t" result in a "puffing" type sound, which are called "plosives". These sounds give the impression of eating the microphone. Avoiding this can be done a few different ways -- however, without professional equipment you can either use a make-shift "pop filter" using nylons and a coat hanger, or you can experiment with microphone positioning. Avoid speaking directly in to the microphone, and try positioning the microphone around two inches above your mouth.
Foreign noises -- whether it's your chair squeeking, microphone handling, or the noisy television in the background. These sounds are also amplified should the producer need to do any further processing of your files. Avoiding these are relatively simple. If your chair is noisey, stand up while recording. If it is windy, try shutting the window or weighing down any papers that may fly around and disrupt your recording. Microphone handling can be avoided by not touching the microphone, or the cord. Find a way to make your microphone stationary, by using it's original stand, or even taping your mic to a comfortable height.
Volume/Quality -- when you scream, or yell, does your recording distort, or hiss at the higher volume? This is referred to as "clipping". Depending on the severity, this cannot usually be fixed and brings down the quality of your audition. At the same time, if you stand too far away from your microphone, your voice will sound like it has no substance to it. Your audition will not be consistent, and will lower your chances of making a smashing impression. Try to even out your recordings, and stay consistent as much as possible.
Background humming/buzzing -- for most of us, it's almost unavoidable. It's just "one of those things"... However, there is hope. Sound editing programs like CoolEdit, GoldWave (etc...) have a noise reduction feature. While other programs may offer a more straight forward approach, other programs require a little more tinkering, or a tutorial to help understand. Experiment, and remember to save your settings should you need them in the future. Humming is generally caused by the computer -- if it's louder than normal, I'd suggest having the fans cleaned out. This can help reduce the noise. Some people have their computer's tower in a cabinet, however, if your geographical region is prone to heat waves, or your computer has a tendency to overheat this is not recommended.
Of course, getting into character is also important...
Listen to your audition. What do you think? Now, take a walk or eat a sandwhich. When you go back to the computer, listen to it again. Is there something you feel you could improve? If you're not sure, ask an experienced friend from the VAA forums to listen and see what they feel.
Remember, your audition is your chance to make a good impression. So be sure to put your heart into it -- if the line calls for screaming, then scream. If the line calls for an angsty, self-righteous rant then rant until you have no anger left in you.
If you do not feel comfortable with any part of the lines, ask yourself: "is this really the character for me?"
Following direction is also very important. If you can't follow simple guidelines for auditioning, this demonstrates either laziness or a problem with following directions.
Read carefully: if the producer is asking for their auditions in a specific format, don't do "what you really think they want/should get". If you are not sure about something, don't assume a "do what you want" -- it really does not hurt to ask.
Always zip your files. Be sure to name them in a way that will show the producer what the file is -- "my audition.zip" is not good enough in some cases. Try, instead: "[Your Name] Project Name - Character.zip" -- for example, if I were to audition for Asuka in Evangelion #2 Dub, it would look like: [Nikkita] Evangelion #2 Dub - Asuka.zip".
Be sure to include a text file with your contact information. It's hard to cast somebody, when you can't get in touch with them.
When e-mailing your lines, be sure to have a descriptive title -- instead of leaving the subject and body blank, try to include a little information. It also never hurts to ask for feedback -- even if you don't receive it, at least you tried your best and that's all you can really do.
Hopefully this guide has helped you out and you are now trying your best to improve and develop your skills. Should you have any questions, feel free to search or post on the VAA forums for additional information
Consider the audition like you would a job interview. You're competing against many other voice overs, some with far more experience than yourself... This is your chance to stand up and show the world what you are made of.
If you find yourself auditioning for many projects and receiving neither roles or good feedback, perhaps it is time to take a step back and ask yourself "What am I doing wrong?"
The most important aspect for an AVA is not just how great your voice sounds, but how good your recording quality is. One major set back for an AVA are technical flaws that could be avoided if a little more time was spent on proofing the quality of your recordings.
There are number of important issues to look for:
Blowing into the microphone -- usually sounds like "b", "p", and "t" result in a "puffing" type sound, which are called "plosives". These sounds give the impression of eating the microphone. Avoiding this can be done a few different ways -- however, without professional equipment you can either use a make-shift "pop filter" using nylons and a coat hanger, or you can experiment with microphone positioning. Avoid speaking directly in to the microphone, and try positioning the microphone around two inches above your mouth.
Foreign noises -- whether it's your chair squeeking, microphone handling, or the noisy television in the background. These sounds are also amplified should the producer need to do any further processing of your files. Avoiding these are relatively simple. If your chair is noisey, stand up while recording. If it is windy, try shutting the window or weighing down any papers that may fly around and disrupt your recording. Microphone handling can be avoided by not touching the microphone, or the cord. Find a way to make your microphone stationary, by using it's original stand, or even taping your mic to a comfortable height.
Volume/Quality -- when you scream, or yell, does your recording distort, or hiss at the higher volume? This is referred to as "clipping". Depending on the severity, this cannot usually be fixed and brings down the quality of your audition. At the same time, if you stand too far away from your microphone, your voice will sound like it has no substance to it. Your audition will not be consistent, and will lower your chances of making a smashing impression. Try to even out your recordings, and stay consistent as much as possible.
Background humming/buzzing -- for most of us, it's almost unavoidable. It's just "one of those things"... However, there is hope. Sound editing programs like CoolEdit, GoldWave (etc...) have a noise reduction feature. While other programs may offer a more straight forward approach, other programs require a little more tinkering, or a tutorial to help understand. Experiment, and remember to save your settings should you need them in the future. Humming is generally caused by the computer -- if it's louder than normal, I'd suggest having the fans cleaned out. This can help reduce the noise. Some people have their computer's tower in a cabinet, however, if your geographical region is prone to heat waves, or your computer has a tendency to overheat this is not recommended.
Of course, getting into character is also important...
Listen to your audition. What do you think? Now, take a walk or eat a sandwhich. When you go back to the computer, listen to it again. Is there something you feel you could improve? If you're not sure, ask an experienced friend from the VAA forums to listen and see what they feel.
Remember, your audition is your chance to make a good impression. So be sure to put your heart into it -- if the line calls for screaming, then scream. If the line calls for an angsty, self-righteous rant then rant until you have no anger left in you.
If you do not feel comfortable with any part of the lines, ask yourself: "is this really the character for me?"
Following direction is also very important. If you can't follow simple guidelines for auditioning, this demonstrates either laziness or a problem with following directions.
Read carefully: if the producer is asking for their auditions in a specific format, don't do "what you really think they want/should get". If you are not sure about something, don't assume a "do what you want" -- it really does not hurt to ask.
Always zip your files. Be sure to name them in a way that will show the producer what the file is -- "my audition.zip" is not good enough in some cases. Try, instead: "[Your Name] Project Name - Character.zip" -- for example, if I were to audition for Asuka in Evangelion #2 Dub, it would look like: [Nikkita] Evangelion #2 Dub - Asuka.zip".
Be sure to include a text file with your contact information. It's hard to cast somebody, when you can't get in touch with them.
When e-mailing your lines, be sure to have a descriptive title -- instead of leaving the subject and body blank, try to include a little information. It also never hurts to ask for feedback -- even if you don't receive it, at least you tried your best and that's all you can really do.
Hopefully this guide has helped you out and you are now trying your best to improve and develop your skills. Should you have any questions, feel free to search or post on the VAA forums for additional information
nice tips :D
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