Welcome to episode 113 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 want to address a common misconception about voice acting, one that often causes a lot of anxiety and self-doubt in new and aspiring voice actors. There’s a widespread belief that in order to truly be successful as a voice actor, you need to be able to perform dozens if not hundreds of different voices. A common question I hear from first-timers is, “How do I learn to change my voice more?” or “How do I expand my range of characters?” Everyone seems to want to play a large number of radically different-sounding characters, and it’s seen as a particular badge of honor if “no one can recognize that it’s you” playing those characters. On one hand it’s easy to understand why it might seem really important to be this kind of vocal chameleon. After all, you hear about it a lot. Often the voice actors that get the most media acclaim are those who have the ability to change the sound of their voice so radically that it is hard to tell it’s the same person playing different characters. Mel Blanc is the most obvious example of this. Mel was the voice of almost every male character in the classic Looney Toons, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam and many others. In more recent years, actors like Frank Welker, Billy West and Jim Cummings are often heralded for their ability to be vocal chameleons and to differentiate the sound of their characters drastically.

When faced with such impressive examples of vocal transformation, many beginning voice actors believe that the most important skill they must develop is the ability to modify the sound of their voice. They feel that they must be the voice actor of a hundred or a thousand voices and they worry that if they can’t achieve that vocal flexibility, that they’ll never be professionally competitive in the industry. This can lead to them spending the majority of their time trying to find techniques to change the sound of their voice, rather than focusing on the highest priority in voice acting: the acting.

While being able to change the sound of your voice is certainly a useful and marketable skill, being a vocal chameleon is not nearly as important as being a capable actor. It is far more important to have the emotional flexibility to identify with a wide range of character psychologies than it is to be able to disguise your natural speaking voice. Ideally, a consummate voice actor strives for both and can not only portray the nuances of a character’s psychology, but can also adjust their vocal instrument to sound appropriate as the character. But too often I see aspiring voice actors put all their focus on trying to change the sound of their voice, and not nearly enough attention on their ability to act well.

Another damaging aspect of believing that one needs to be a vocal chameleon is it can lead you to discount the greatest asset you have in your voice acting arsenal: your own natural voice. I’m going to spend this episode debunking the myth that you need to be a vocal chameleon, if only to free you from the creeping fear that your own voice is not enough. I’m also going to give you a way to approach vocal flexibility that is based on the emotional believability of your acting, rather then trying to use technical tricks to change what you sound like. The fact is, any vocal transformation that is not rooted in the psychology of a character will not sound believable anyway, so the more you focus on the acting, the more believable your vocal transformations will be. Let’s get started.

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #113 Here (MP3)

VAMFR 008 | Interview with Erika Harlacher, Part 2

Welcome to episode 8 of the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report podcast!

In this episode our correspondent, Tom Bauer, concludes his interview with the prolific and mult-talented Erika Harlacher.

Erika has been featured in a number of Anime titles, including roles such as Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia in Aldnoah.Zero and  Sadira in Killer Instinct.

In the previous episode, Erika and Tom talked about how she got her start in voice acting and some of the struggles she had coping with her self-doubt. Erika has found that being patient with herself and developing a strong, emotional support system of friends and colleagues has helped give her the confidence she needs when performing in the booth.

In this episode, Tom and Erika discuss the importance of taking classes as well as practicing on your own in order to develop and expand your skill set as an actor. If you are pursuing a professional voice acting career, it is vitally important for you to have faith in your acting abilities, especially when you are called on to perform in the different realms of Voice Over such as Anime and Video games. Erika also talks about her plans for the future as well as giving some practical advice for those wanting to get into Voice Over. Let’s hear what she has to share!

The VAM Field Report will be released on the 1st Wednesday of every month so stay on the look out for it!

Download VAM Field Report Episode #8 Here (MP3)

VAMFR 007 | Interview with Erika Harlacher, Part 1

Welcome to episode 7 of the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report podcast!

In this episode our correspondent, Tom Bauer, begins his interview with the prolific and mult-talented Erika Harlacher.

Since this is Tom’s first episode for the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report, he wanted to interview a very gifted voice actor who is just starting her voice acting journey and making leaps and bounds in her career. Erika has been featured in a number of Anime titles, including roles such as Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia in Aldnoah.Zero and Ami Kawashima in Toradora! She’s also performed in video games, playing characters like Kyoko Kirigiri in Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Sadira in Killer Instinct.

In this episode, Erika talks about how she embraced the creative side of her personality and the steps she took to break into voice acting. Tom and Erika discuss at length the struggles she continues to face as an artist as well the importance she places on finding a support system to help her stay true to herself and pursue her dreams. We’re very grateful to Erika for sitting down with Tom and sharing her experience as an up and coming voice actor. As you listen to their interview, I think you’ll agree that her positivity and energy are infectious!

The VAM Field Report will be released on the 1st Wednesday of every month so stay on the look out for it!

Download VAM Field Report Episode #7 Here (MP3)

VAMFR 004 | Interview with Robin Armstrong, Part 3

Welcome to episode 4 of the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report podcast!

In this episode our correspondent, Ashley Huyge, continues her discussion with writer, director, and VO talent, Robin Armstrong.

As of now, there’s no traditional academic path for voiceover. You can’t go to college, study for four years and leave with a degree in voiceover. Finding someone to guide you as a mentor is invaluable and in today’s episode Ashley is joined by one of her mentors, actor, director and VO talent, Robin Armstrong. In the two previous episodes of this interview, Robin has treated us to stories about his journey to becoming a voiceover talent, and how he keeps his business and artistry balanced. Today he’ll be sharing a couple of very important concepts: generosity and community. It’s due to Robin’s generosity and his ability to develop his community that he and Ashley met. I think you’ll find the final part of their interview very enlightening.

The VAM Field Report will be released on the 1st Wednesday of every month so stay on the look out for it!

Download VAM Field Report Episode #4 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 108 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 a question from Greg from Nashville, TN.

Greg wants to know what he can do to overcome his feelings of anxiety and fear when it comes to voice acting. He feels like it’s getting in the way of taking his voice acting to the next level.

His question is a very common question. In fact, probably the most common question I get other than simply how to become a voice actor, is whether or not I can help someone overcome their feelings of anxiety. I actually did my best to address this question way back in episode 9 of the podcast entitled “Building Confidence“, and I encourage Greg and everyone in my audience to listen to that episode if you haven’t already.

However, I’d like to applaud Greg for asking this very common question in a very uncommon and insightful way. When you listen to his voice mail in the episode, you’ll realize that he’s clearly taken the time to analyze his own patterns of thought and his own internal emotional life. He understands the importance of mastering his own anxiety and he’s even aware that it’s possible to channel his nervous energy so that it can help him rather than hinder him.

Because Greg has put so much forethought into his question, and because he articulated it in such a clear and thorough manner, I’d like to take this entire episode to share with all my listeners the best tools I know of to help overcome anxiety from an actor’s perspective. Hopefully that will give Greg and my entire audience added confidence when pursuing your own voice acting goals.

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 #108 Here (MP3)

VAMFR 003 | Interview with Robin Armstrong, Part 2

Welcome to episode 3 of the Voice Acting Mastery: Field Report podcast!

In this episode our correspondent, Ashley Huyge, continues her discussion with writer, director, and VO talent, Robin Armstrong.

In entertainment, there are often people who wear many different hats and have multiple skill sets: Actor/ director. Model/ actor. Singer/dancer. In our last episode, Robin was kind enough to share with us his background as an actor, director and writer and how self-motivation was a key to his success. Now he’ll share with us his leap from film director to VO talent and how he believes the combination of artistry, science and business are important for balance in the entertainment industry.

The VAM Field Report will be released on the 1st Wednesday of every month so stay on the look out for it!

Download VAM Field Report Episode #3 Here (MP3)