Welcome to episode 66 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

This episode of Voice Acting Mastery falls near the end of the year in 2013, and in most of the Western world, the holidays are upon us. During the holiday season, many people spend time with family and loved ones. This also tends to be a time when people look back over the year and evaluate what they’ve accomplished.

Many begin to look forward to the new year and to think about what they hope to achieve in the future. It’s a time for year-end planning and New Year’s resolutions. It’s also a good opportunity to do some mental housecleaning while you visualize your goals for the new year. So in the spirit of planning for another orbit around our sun, I thought I would share with you my experiences and insights when it comes to getting motivated to accomplish your goals.

If you’ve ever run out of steam or felt overwhelmed when trying to achieve your dreams, this episode is for you!

Happy Holidays and all the best to you in you voice acting endeavors!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #66 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 64 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode, I continue answering questions from my podcast audience! For those who may not be as familiar with the podcast, in past episodes, I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question about voice acting as a voicemail. From time to time, I’ll pick the most relevant questions I receive and answer them here on the podcast.

For this round of Q & A, I answer questions from Wallace from Savannah, GA and Jacob from Melbourne, FL.

Wallace is unhappy with his regional accent and would like to know what he can do to get rid of it.

It is true that one of the first things you should become aware of as you begin your voice acting career is how you sound to other people. If you don’t become aware of the way you speak, then your artistry will be limited since you will not know what you need to change in order to adapt your voice to different characters and situations.

However, there is nothing inherently wrong with the way someone naturally speaks. Our speech patterns are influenced by the environments in which we grow up. We adopt the regionalisms of the people around us in order to be more socially acceptable and to “fit in”.

So rather than thinking you need to eliminate your accent permanently, begin to see it as just one tool in your toolbox, or one costume in your wardrobe. You don’t want to invalidate your native accent, you just want to learn to turn it on and off when you need to.

I give Wallace a couple of suggestions on what to do to work on his accent including listening or re-listening to episodes 19, 20 & 21 of the podcast where I interview J.B. Blanc on his expertise and experience in accents. I also give him detailed directions on how to voice match talented actors as a way to become aware of one’s habitual speech patterns.

Jacob wants to know why his voice sounds different when recorded on a microphone versus when he is recorded on someone’s video camera.

If one is recording oneself on a high quality microphone like the ones I recommend in the Toolbox section of this website, then chances are it is a large diaphragm microphone. Video cameras and smartphones tend to have small diaphragm microphones that are of much lower quality. Also, when recording on a large diaphragm microphone you are often much closer to the mic whereas in a video, the camera person may be many feet away from you.

It is best to evaluate your voice on a large diaphragm microphone, since that is the most common recording situation you will find yourself in as a professional voice actor. However, I also give Jacob some advice on what to avoid when working with a large diaphragm microphone.

I hope you find the answers useful in your own voice acting endeavors!

If any of my listeners would like to call in with your own thoughts, thank you’s or questions, the number is:

323-696-2655.

Please don’t forget to include your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #64 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 58 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode, I continue answering questions from my podcast audience! For those who may not be as familiar with the podcast, in past episodes, I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question about voice acting as a voicemail. From time to time, I’ll pick the most relevant questions I receive and answer them here on the podcast.

For this round of Q & A, I answer questions from Matt from Duluth, MN and Felocity from Tampa, FL.

Matt wants to know what he can do to expand his character types once he’s found his signature sound.

In both this podcast and in my classes with my students I stress over and over again how important it is to know which characters suit your voice the best. I call this your character type. If you want to work as a professional voice actor, you need to know which characters you can play better than anyone else. If you don’t know your character type, you will most likely be fighting an uphill battle trying to get cast as a voice actor. Episode 26 of the podcast is entitled: Discovering Your Character Types. For those of you who haven’t heard it already, I suggest you give it a listen.

There are two aspects to understanding how to expand your range to allow you to play different characters believably:

1. The Technical Aspect
2. The Emotional Aspect

The technical side is the actual physical adjustments you need to make to your voice to create a character’s sound. But the emotional side of a character voice requires you to understand the psychological basis of a character. That emotional aspect of a character can often be far harder to master than the technical side. I discuss this in depth in the podcast.

Felocity wants to know why certain acting schools ask their prospective students to audition even before they attend the school. This seems backwards to her since how can one know if one is talented at acting if you aren’t able to take an acting class first?

I explain that there are plenty of voice acting classes that do not require you to audition, including the classes that I offer both in LA and Online.

However, I also address this issue of “talent” and how I think the notion of talent is not only overrated, but misleading. Talent is not the determining factor in having a successful voice acting career. Fascination is the key to success in any art form. If you are truly fascinated with a craft like voice acting, you will do whatever it takes to get better.

I explain the difference between talent and fascination and how I overcame my own lack of talent in the podcast!

I hope you find the answers useful in your own voice acting endeavors!

As a reminder, the number where you can call in and ask your question is:

323-696-2655.

Please don’t forget to include your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #58 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 57 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

It’s time for another round of Questions and Answers from my podcast audience! For those who may not be as familiar with the podcast, in past episodes, I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question about voice acting as a voicemail. From time to time, I’ll pick the most relevant questions I receive and answer them here on the podcast.

For this round of Q & A, I answer questions from Ben from Washington D.C. and Leonard from Calgary, Alberta.

Ben is recording a number of projects from home and he has discovered that when he raises his voice or screams, he ends up getting a lot of unwanted echoes or reverb on his recording. He wants to know what he can do to improve the acoustics of his recording space without spending a lot of money. There are two aspects to acoustical treatment:

1. Isolation
2. Absorption

Isolation can be very expensive, but sound absorption is far more achievable. One of the best ways to increase sound absorption in your booth is to use acoustical foam. The foremost manufacturer of acoustical foam is a company called Auralex. You can visit their website for more information including tutorials on how to treat your recording space.

If acoustical foam is outside your budget, some of my students have recommended using a Porta-Booth solution which is marketed by the voice over artist Harlan Hogan.

I discuss 2 other possible solutions in the episode as well that are even less expensive.

Leonard wants to know what to do when you encounter a rude or demeaning voice director. While most voice directors are incredibly professional and respectful, you may run into voice directors who can be quite obnoxious. I share with Leonard my techniques for keeping my cool in the booth when trying to work under ridiculous or even hostile circumstances!

I hope you find the answers useful in your own voice acting endeavors!

As a reminder, the number where you can call in and ask your question is:

323-696-2655.

Please don’t forget to include your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #57 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 53 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

I’ve been getting so many great questions from my listeners recently, that I thought I would continue answering their questions here on the podcast. For those who don’t know, in past episodes, I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question about voice acting as a voicemail. From time to time, I’ll pick the most relevant questions I receive and answer them here on the podcast.

For this round of Q & A, I answer questions from David from Albuquerque, NM and Amanda from Irondale, MO.

David wants to know what options there are for practicing voice acting that don’t cost a lot of money. I share with him the advice I give my voice acting students: try voice matching professional voice actors, especially celebrities. Voice matching can help you in a number of different ways:

1. It can help you expand your vocal range.
2. It can build up your roster of characters that are accessible to you.
3. You can get hired to voice match celebrities in video games, animation and commercials.

I not only share with David my advice on how to best practice voice matching, but I also explain the limits of practicing acting on your own and why it’s important to get the insight of a professional if you’d like to compete in the professional voice acting world.

Amanda wants to know if working on fandubs is a viable way to improve one’s voice acting skills. For those who may not know, a fandub is an amateur voice acting project where aspiring voice actors come together to re-record an animated show that they like with their own vocal performances. Some people do it just for fun, some people use it as a learning experience.

While there are many advantages to working on fandubs when you’re first starting out, including developing both your technical and artistic skills, there are also some pitfalls when working on fandubs. I share with Amanda what you need to know to best take advantage of fandub opportunities.

I hope you find the answers useful in your own voice acting endeavors!

As a reminder, the number where you can call in and ask your question is:

323-696-2655.

Please don’t forget to include your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #53 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 52 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode, I continue answering questions that my listeners have been leaving me on the podcast voicemail number. I’ve been getting so many good questions lately, that it seemed appropriate to go through a number of them. For those who don’t know, in past episodes,  I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question as a voicemail. From time to time, I’ll pick the most relevant questions I receive and answer them here on the podcast.

For this round of Q & A, I answer questions from Stuart from Westhill, Scotland and Victor from Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

Stuart wants to know how to do higher pitched characters without his voice cracking or feeling pain in his vocal cords. In order to help him with his question I explain the basics of traditional western vocal production, a skill I learned from my classical singing training. I demonstrate with my own voice the best way to do higher and lower pitched characters without straining your vocal cords. I then explain why one’s voice “cracks” and what can be done to minimize the effect.

Victor wonders if it’s possible to pursue voice acting part-time instead of full-time. I begin by reiterating the two types of voice over work that I discussed in episode 16 of the podcast:

1. Narration style voice over
2. Character style voice over

While it is possible to do one of these on a part-time basis, it is far more difficult to do the other part-time. I talk about what agents and producers are looking for and how if you’re going to play in the major leagues of voice acting, you need to show a major league mindset and commitment level.

I hope you find the answers useful in your own voice acting endeavors!

As a reminder, the number where you can call in and ask your question is:

323-696-2655.

Please don’t forget to include your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #52 Here (MP3)