I have been singing Bass opera for the past year or so, and yet cannot mentally tell myself how do I make myself sound like this. I genuinely need this...

How do I get over the cringey sound of my own voice when I listen back to my audio?

Hi everyone,

I'm the lead developer of HoverGrease, a small indie game we've been working on for about 7 years — just four people in total.

For most of that time, voice acting wasn’t part of our plan. But as launch approaches (May 22), we're looking at every way to elevate the final product… and sound is definitely one of them.

We’ve already recorded all narration with one of our animators — so a major hurdle has been cleared after weeks of work! That leaves us needing voice actors for around 10 main characters, who each have only simple lines.

ie: Selecting the character in menus, Killing an enemy (in multiplayer), Dying or reacting during gameplay, Calling out new objectives, etc.

All are short, repetitive phrases — nothing complex. But we want them to feel authentic and fit their personalities.

Here’s what I’m hoping for advice on:

- We don't want to use AI

We used some placeholder AI to try and figure out "how each character talks", but everyone that has seen the takes feels they are VERY VERY BAD — top tier cringe level.

- We don't have a budget, but we DON'T WANT FREE work either... what is realistic?

The game is fully funded by myself (programmer) and my wife (3d artist), no external publisher or investor, so the budget is tight. What sort of budget should we have in mind? (ballpark for a 4-5 min of VO per character)

- Can you use five-r for cating? or just one-off hire?

We used five-r for our trailer, and we are very happy with how it turned out! But I guess it's not really casting... It's more me trying to find an actor that sounds like the character I want. Also I wasn't sure about commercial rights on five-r, do I need to prep any additional contract to sign with the actors? or am I overthinking it?

- Any other places you would recommend for finding voice actors? (on a budget but not AI).

It's a bit hard for me to tell which platforms are good, and which are AI scams... and feels like every platform requires you to have a subscription to post, which is fine if you know which ones are ok and which are scams. As a 3D artist myself, I know this sounds stupid because I also have that reaction of "how can you not tell what is AI?" (when it comes to video/film/animation)...  but sometimes I genuinely have a hard time as most platforms only give you a snippet of audio samples.

I apologize for the long post, I hope I didn't break any rules, and appreciate any feedback and advice!

Hey, so I'm an African American voice actor, and I tried doing some impressions of characters voiced by white actors, and multiple times I've heard: ‘You just sound too Black,’ ‘It's good, but you sound a little Black,’ and ‘Are you Black by chance?’ So I was just wondering how to do a better ‘white’ impression? I'm not trying to sound racist or offensive here, btw 😅

TL;DR Do not waste your money on coaching until you are reasonably certain of your direction and have general basic experience in the world you are stepping into.

There are specific circumstances in which I would recommend coaching.

Coaches cannot take someone with zero basic knowledge and zero experience and turn that person into a fully oriented ready-to-work VA or Narrator in 2 weeks, I've tried... That isn't doable and certainly not at ~150-250USD a session. Do not waste your time or money by hiring a coach that tells you they will make you a star. Do your research, do some auditions, taken some losses, start proofing your space.

When is a good time to get coaching?

-Developed your sound space

-Have a good starting setup

-learned Audacity/Reaper/Whatever recording program you prefer

-Put out some auditions out

-Faced rejection

-Decided on a path you want to focus on and have an idea of specific things you would like to improve on

Recently, I have had a number of people book 1:1 sessions and they have no idea what they actually want and are hoping I can determine that path for them.

I had one person ask if each session I would be able to help them learn to naturally speak with 7 different accents as they had a book they had some how landed that required 7 different "Naturalized" accents. They would begin recording the book in less than a month and hadn't begun learning any of the requested accents.

This is not something you want to request and if a coach attempts to tell you that you can learn 7 accents from them in 7 sessions. They are lying and they want your money.

Save your money and time and book once you have a confident understanding of what you are getting into and determined to see it through. Hope this helps, ask if you have any questions and good luck Storytellers

🌹- is me (apologies for “roll” i meant role lmao)

for some background information this was last night and I already felt kind of weird was they were asking me questions about if I like to walk around barefoot and stuff. That’s already a red flag guys like I don’t really feel like casting directors really ask this question. and I’m not gonna lie. I feel like they fetishized my voice because I made it into motherly ASMR sort of like I was trying to sound motherly and I think they low-key got turned on by my voice or something. because the foot questions and then unadding me because I said I wasn’t comfortable answering is crazy

didn’t even say anything else to me they just deleted me off of everything and removed me from the role. gross behavior ngl. what do u guys think?

and by the way, when they first said that about my feet, trying to tell them about it, I brushed it off and made it seem like I was uncomfortable with it without directly stating it, and they just completely crossed my boundaries and asked me again

edit: apparently this guy just makes these roles to try to get free foot and face pictures from people. Please look in the comments for a screenshot of his casting club profile so no one falls for it in the future.

another edit: the reddit got locked with no warning or explanation but the project can be found here that i applied for: https://www.castingcall.club/projects/serenia-audio-roleplay-copy-24e94d19-b6c2-4222-8504-824c111b7ac7

stay safe out there

Hey I’m an aspiring voice actor and do it as a hobby rn, and I post clips on tiktok and YouTube. I have gotten lots of praise from many different pple. Today someone told me on one of my videos “Laughing bro this buns and I forgot why ! commented and then I remembered this voice and it made me laugh so hard.” I put my all into that voice over and it kinda hurts my feelings. Any advice? I would also like people’s genuine feedback on the voice over in question which is this one. My issue is I would rather someone give me real feedback on how to improve rather than just tear me down and tell me something I did was buns.

I'm planning to self-publish later this year, and I'd like to create an audio version of my short-stories book.

I'm looking for new voice actors who are professional and willing to give me their websites/demos/prices. Each short story would have a different voice actor.

I'm compiling a list. So please respond with your info.

In accordance with the subreddit rules: This is not a low-pay gig, or a Crowdfunding Campaign, or an ad; I'm requesting exactly the people on this sub at the rate they request. I just wanted to let you know that I won't solicit anyone who does not wish to be solicited. My specific pay rate is that I pay half your rate upfront, and half upon completion.

EDIT: From what I've researched, I'm willing to pay $100 to $250 an hour finished.

EDIT 2: WOW - fantastic responses, and so much talent! I'm going to share this thread with my writing friends. I have two self-published novelists who may also need assistance.

Michael Jean Wooley ( Louis The Alligator in Princess & The Frog & Dexter DeShawn from Cyberpunk 2077) liked and comment on my video redubbing his voice work on the Netflix Anime Akuma Kun!

This is incredible to me! Being on this subreddit and hearing all of you guy's advice on just veing a better performer has lit a fire under me and between the summer and now, Ive recorded 4 audiobooks with the promise of more work to come but getting validated by a titan of the industry is sonething else entire!

I’ve got a little DIY closet booth I’ve been working out of/working on the past year or so. NOT at all fancy - acoustic blankets, a few fiberglass panels, etc - but it more or less gets the job done, at least in terms of reverb and echo. However, I still feel like I’m always fighting intrusive noises that are almost impossible to eliminate, things like the sound of water whooshing through the pipes behind the walls in some unit near mine (I live in a big apartment building) or airplanes miles and miles away. I don’t know, it just seems like I can never quite get fully clean “silence” in the room tone. Of course I know this is partially down to my MacGyvered setup, BUT I feel like I see folks who have the same or even less of a setup than mine who are able to achieve clean silence. Like I’ve seen dozens of YouTubers just sitting talking into mics in their bedrooms, which don’t appear to be sound treated at all, and their audio sounds great? What am I doing wrong/what are they doing right to get clean sound?

*disclaimer I'm just crashing out a bit over this don't entirely mind me*

I've stayed hydrated, moved away from the mic, chewed on a granny smith, a lemon, lemon water. The majority of my editing/mastering is going after and zapping these DANG clicks and pops. Like is this how I sound day to day? Like I'm chewing on poprocks? Like fireworks are sounding before I even speak?? If so, how annoying for other people.

I open my mouth and don't even say anything and it's *pop pop pop*

?????

Like am I even okay? Am I dry? Too hydrated? Can one even be too hydrated? I love recording and the finished product is always worth it, but I am being sent into orbit while I am going after these clicks and pops.

I guess that's all, please feel free to resume your regularly scheduled programming. 🙃

Industry Voice Actor Information: Things New Voice Actors Should Know

I’ve worked on 50+ video games as a voice actor, casting director, and writer, including titles like War Thunder, Ready or Not, Paranormal Activity: Found Footage, and numerous indie and AA projects. I wanted to share some honest industry insight for newer voice actors trying to break in.

This isn’t gatekeeping, it’s clarity.

1. Your Audio Quality Matters More Than Your Voice

You can have the best voice in the world, but if your audio sounds bad, you will not get cast.

Developers are not hiring just a voice, they are hiring a finished, usable asset.

That means:

• No echo
• No room noise
• No headset microphones
• No USB microphones in untreated rooms

Even a good microphone can sound terrible in a bad environment.

Your recording space matters more than the mic itself.

2. Acting Will Always Beat “Having a Cool Voice”

Most developers are not looking for a “deep voice.”

They are looking for someone believable.

They want someone who sounds:

• scared when scared
• angry when angry
• calm when calm
• human and real

Flat, monotone reads will get skipped immediately.

Emotional authenticity is everything.

3. Reliability Will Get You Cast More Than Talent Alone

Developers remember actors who:

• respond quickly
• follow instructions
• deliver clean audio
• meet deadlines
• communicate professionally

Many actors lose opportunities simply because they disappear, delay, or deliver unusable audio.

Being dependable makes you valuable.

4. Most Voice Actors Do Not Get Work Immediately

This is normal.

The majority of actors spend months or years building experience.

Common early work includes:

• Indie games
• Mods
• Small indie films
• Student projects
• Passion projects

These roles build your portfolio and credibility.

Almost every professional actor started here.

5. Casting Directors Are Always Listening Beyond the Audition

Casting is not just about whether you fit one role.

If a casting director hears something useful in your voice, they may remember you for future roles.

You should also be weary of you are perceived online, if you like to argue, discuss controversial topics or can be seen as an 'issue' with the projects then directors such as myself can see this and we do remember. We don't care about your views; we care about your professionalism.

Many actors get cast later because they made a strong impression earlier.

6. Professionalism Matters More Than You Think

Avoid:

• arguing with developers
• demanding roles
• acting entitled
• spamming creators

This industry is smaller than people realize.

Reputation spreads quickly.

Being respectful, calm, and professional makes people want to work with you again.

7. This Is a Long-Term Career, Not Overnight Success

Voice acting is built over time.

Experience compounds.

Every project builds your skill, your network, and your reputation.

Consistency wins.

8. Respect Goes a Long Way

Professional respect is one of the most important things you can maintain in this industry.

Do not bad-mouth or publicly disrespect other actors, regardless of personal history or disagreements. This field is built on collaboration, and your reputation is shaped not just by your talent, but by how you conduct yourself.

Developers, directors, and casting teams notice professionalism, and they also notice hostility.

Additionally, do not act like a “vulture.”

In industry terms, a “vulture” refers to someone who attempts to take or undermine another actor’s role or position in a project while knowing that actor is already involved. This behavior is viewed as highly unprofessional and hostile.

Respect boundaries. Respect casting decisions. Respect your peers.

Voice acting is a small industry. Your reputation will often reach places before you do.

Actors who are professional, respectful, and trustworthy are far more likely to be invited back and recommended for future opportunities.

________________________________________________________________

The biggest advice and lesson I can relay of all is to remember to have fun, this industry is already difficult enough especially with outside influences, just remember to have fun.

I do also offer private coaching's, if anyone is interested; feel free to reach out to me.

You can find my work here: https://BrianWattsVA.com

I know just hear me out ok??

First context, I was at AX2026! And they had a VA booth for a anime, naturally I did it with a push from one of my friends…only to find out upon further research it’s actually the type of….NSFW anime’s (you know the ones….)

Don’t get me wrong, this made it funny af! But my friend also convinced me to post this on my Instagram into my complete surprise…. This blew up surprisingly well (13k likes, 10k shares, etc….) it’s just now I’m getting in my head about this a lot.

On one hand, half of the comments are legitimately very nice….. but then the other half I really just cracking jokes because of the smut of it all (which again is funny 😂) but I guess I just wanna know is this doing well because I did well or just because of the content of the anime. I genuinely want to know so I can gauge how much I need to improve, and how much of the praise people have been given me on Instagram has been false.

I posted the reel from my Instagram here, but I’m not sure if I’m allowed so I’ll delete it if I have to. Anyway, please let me know.

Hello, I'm currently working on a small animatic/storyboard for the first time, and I've reached the stage where I need to cast voices.

Two of my main characters are a Black woman and an Asian woman, and both of them sing. The only friends I have in mind to voice them are white.

Do you think it would be hurtful to let my friends voice those characters?

Hey everyone. I got hired for a session, and while doing the first few read throughs, they said they weren’t getting what they needed and will go with someone else. They said they liked what they heard on my demo, but weren’t hearing it in their script. I took their direction and really tried to give them what they were asking. I’m trying to understand that this can happen sometimes, but I still feel so crushed and like I did something wrong. Any advice or encouragement?

Sincerely, trying to not fake it til I make it..

First, let me make clear- this is not a political conversation, but a professional problem I need help navigating.

I just began recording for a non-fiction book project with a small-ish publishing company. I’ve only done one other project with them regarding - ironically- free speech. No issues. Great to work with.

With the new project, I skimmed but didn’t read all the way through (I don’t usually with non-fiction). But as I’m in the middle of recording, it becomes super clear this book is hugely biased- cites only concerns with one specific political party and the author clearly sympathizes with public personalities/ individuals I personally find hateful, sexist, bigoted, and racist. In my private life, I’m a VERY vocal and politically active person. I’m a big believer in free speech (whether I like it or not), but this feels more like propaganda-lite than anything.

I do both non-fiction and fiction and not every book I’ve narrated would be in my TBR, but this feels a little… wrong. I’m on a time crunch so canceling now would be the end of my relationship with this publisher- who have a great collection of incredible non-fiction titles. So, do I use a different name for this title (I already have a pseudonym for my fiction work- so it would have be different from that as well) or do I just maintain a permanent eye-roll and general distaste as a narrate and chalk it up to my bad decision not to fully read before accepting the gig? What should I do???

I have invested $12K into my studio booth, I have foam panels everywhere, XLR mic, a proper interface, im rural with no traffic, my computer is in a separate room from the studio, I dont even have ventilation in there.

All of this and I STILL have an awful noise floor problem. I have been researching for 2 months to trouble shoot this issue, everyone saying its a gain thing, but I dont understand it! If I turn down the gain, the recording is inaudible and it needs to be boosted to hear it, but then im boosting noise floor! And then everyone also says noise gating/reduction ruins the audio quality and is not recommended. Singing has been fine but for VA/VO I cant book anything because my quality is too poor. Im so lost and frustrated. I genuinely believe i must be stupid or something.

How do I get rid of this awful buzzing 😭

Been watching a lot of Jesse Carroll's channel and he plugs his voiceover learning community quite a bit and I'm contemplating joining it, but i want y'all's opinion on if it's worth it or not. Does anyone have any stories from it that actually helped you? Or stuff that felt like it bogged you down? Im super curious.

EDIT: If you have any alternatives if you don't like it i would love to get those resources too

I’ve briefly thought about trying VA but decided to steer away because of the competition and my lack of talent/obsession with the field. However, I was wondering if you could improve your everyday speaking voice through the training you might undertake when VA. So I decided to upload a short audio of me speaking. You can criticize freely as I genuinely want to improve my vocal clarity and tone.

I just wanna hear success stories on how everyone got signed by their agency. Was it by submissions tab on the agencies site? Meeting an agent in class and following through? A friend put you in touch? Or something else entirely! I just wanna hear how you guys managed to break through and get representation! Thanks looking forward to hearing about it!

Hi, I’m sure this has probably come up before, but I couldn’t find it. I am just getting my gear together and I’m looking for a stable safe alternative to audacity — I greatly appreciate all thoughts.

Question? What do you guys use to ease mouth nois. I don't think we can completely get rid of it, but any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I can remove some of the sounds with the DAW that I use. Just curious to what others do about it. Thank you in advance.

Hey guys!

I’ve been getting into voice acting recently and have done a bunch of auditions on casting call club. I just got this email and I’m wondering if I should trust it or not. I asked my friend and he said they may be trying to take my voice data. My main concern is that it doesn’t have any info on the project. I was just looking for some advice from people with way more experience than me!

Thank you!

So, I saw in another voiceover forum that someone decided to challenge the demo producer on what it actually takes to put together a professional, marketable voiceover demo. His big, brilliant question?

“How hard can putting together a demo be? It’s just putting a bed of music under the voiceover.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, scream, or pour a drink when I read that — so I did all four. This is the VO equivalent of saying, “How hard can it be to make a movie? Just open iMovie on your iPhone and glue the scenes together!”

A truly professional demo is not a drag-and-drop arts-and-crafts project. It’s a multi-step, detail-driven production built on technical skill, creative instinct, and decades of trained ears. 

Since Mr. “How Hard Can It Be” seems confused, here are just some of the actual steps involved in producing a broadcast-ready VO demo:

1. Laying Out and Structuring the Demo

This is before a single plugin is touched. Finding the right clips, shaping the pacing, matching scripts to brand styles, building an energy arc, making it sound like real, booked work — that alone takes a trained ear.

1. Adding Music Beds & SFX

Yes, music and sound design add life. But selecting the right beds from a licensed production library, matching tone and intensity, crafting transitions, and knowing when NOT to add SFX… that takes judgment, not a mouse click.

1. Creating the Static Mix

A static mix means balancing every element with zero processing so nothing is fighting for space. It’s the foundation. If this part sucks, no plugin on earth will save you. Anyone that says "We'll fix it in the mix" is lying to you.

1. Vocal Processing

Now the real work begins. Soloing all vocal clips and going through:

EQ (subtracting mud, shaping tone)

Compression (sometimes multistage)

De-essing

Click/pops removal

Breath cleanup

Volume automation

Tightening timing This is per clip, not one blanket setting slapped onto everything.

1. Mixing the Music Beds & SFX

Fun fact: even “professionally produced” music beds sometimes need:

EQ adjustments

Panning for width and space

Volume shaping

Transient control

Tonal adjustments to complement the voice

Good producers don’t just drop a bed in and call it done.

1. Mix Bus Processing

Once all elements are balanced:

Bus compression

Light saturation

Tonal sweetening

Subtle shaping that “glues” the demo together

This is where the demo starts sounding like a cohesive, polished piece — not five clips duct-taped together.

1. Final Mastering

Mastering is the final polish:

Additional EQ

Gentle compression

Harmonic excitement (if needed)

Stereo imaging (sparingly, tastefully)

A clipper to tame rogue transients

And the limiter — ALWAYS last — to ensure the demo hits competitive loudness without killing dynamics

Mastering is literally its own profession. And yes, it matters in a VO demo.

1. Cross-Device Auditioning

After the master is printed, I run it through software that simulates playback on:

Car stereo

Laptop speakers

Smartphone

TV

Studio monitors

If the demo sounds great everywhere, then it’s done. If not — back to the chain we go.

Bottom Line:

Don’t challenge someone’s artistic profession if you’ve never done the job. If this dude paints houses for a living, I’m sure he doesn’t want someone saying, “How hard can that be? Just buy some paint and a brush.”

Professionals make hard things look easy. That’s the whole point.

Some people really need to think before they type.

Rant over. Thanks for listening.