How to Audition for Voice-Acting Jobs: 9 Preparation Tips

Here are some helpful tips to help voice-over actors prepare for an audition:

1. 1. Do vocal warmups. An essential part of preparing for a voice-over audition is warming up your voice through voice exercises. Vocal warm-ups and breathing exercises help prepare you for voice-over work because they open up your vocal cords and help with breath control. Additionally, practicing pronunciation during your warm-ups can help you ease into a “recording voice” with the appropriate breath support and clarity for audio recording.
2. 2. Take note of the casting breakdown. Casting calls may contain notes about the text’s direction and additional info about how the client wants you to play the character (dialect, age range, style of reading, etc.). Read these notes carefully to ensure that your audition doesn’t get disqualified because you didn’t follow instructions.
3. 3. Study the text. Ahead of your audition, you will receive a script (or sides) from the casting director or service. The text will provide context for how you should deliver your lines, which is why you should study it before your audition. Read your sides carefully to get a good feel for the direction of the words and the best way to perform them. When you’re not actively auditioning, download free voice-over scripts online to hone your skills. Select a few different options, then study and break down the scripts, noting the various tones and delivery you like for future use.
4. 4. Use your acting skills. A professional voice actor doesn’t just have a great voice; they should also possess acting skills. Voice-over jobs require various performance styles. One promo project may require you to use an announcer’s voice, while another may require accent work. Voice actors may take acting classes or hire an acting coach to work on their line delivery and technique. Before your audition, work on your line delivery through practice or lessons to ensure you’re in the right headspace to get into character.
5. 5. Mind your pronunciation. Read the text thoroughly and make sure you’re able to pronounce any unfamiliar words correctly. Look up the words beforehand and practice saying them to sound more natural when delivering the line.
6. 6. Use quality equipment. If you’re serving as your own audio engineer in a home studio, it’s important to use the best equipment you can obtain, as that can affect how your entire performance sounds. Post-production software can only edit your sound so much, so aside from a small, quiet room, your equipment needs to be the best quality you can afford. You don’t need to buy high-end equipment—there is a lot of quality recording equipment available for those on a budget.
7. 7. Do your slate. Before you begin your audition, you will need to slate—which is a brief introduction that includes your name and the project you’re reading for. You can do your slate in character or in the tone of the work. For example, use a cheery tone to slate your audition for a cereal commercial. Your slate should be under five seconds long and include your first and last name, the project’s name, and the number of takes in your audition tape. Job-posting websites that charge voice actors annual fees to submit auditions (pay-to-play sites) do not allow you to include your name in the slate. However, you can still slate with the number of takes to let the casting director know that there are multiple takes, so they don’t stop the recording after the first one.
8. 8. Record additional takes. Voice-over artists should record at least two takes to give a potential client additional options. Most professional casting directors or clients know the right voice when they first hear it, but another take may help convince them you have the best voice for the job. Keep track of your various takes by labeling them accordingly to ensure you send the casting director the best one.
9. 9. Be familiar with your software. If you’re auditioning from a home recording studio, you’ll need to know how to use the software to edit, trim, and export your audio files to a casting director or client. Ensure you have a good Internet connection and ample storage space on your computer or external hard drive to store audio files.

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