We have found 21,019 posts across 4 actor forums:
Looking for advice: when does a lack of communication from a demo producer become concerning? by AdUnlucky5593 • last post Jul 19th
I'm looking for perspective from people who've been through the professional demo process. A little background: \* \*\*June 12th:\*\* I met over Zoom with a very respected veteran voice actor/demo producer for a readiness assessment. He specializes in video game demos. He told me I was ready for a video game demo (which he mentioned was a fairly rare assessment), and asked me to choose five scripts from a packet he'd sent me and provide samples of my existing work. I also owed a 50% deposit before beginning production. \* \*\*June 16th:\*\* I paid the requested \*\*(50%) deposit\*\* via PayPal to the business account associated with the demo service. This PayPal account was shared with me by him directly. \* \*\*June 29th:\*\* I sent my five script selections and several relevant samples, including previous game work. \* \*\*July 6th:\*\* I later sent a polite follow-up to the email address that had sent me the AI summary of our Zoom meeting (I now realize this may not have been the best address to use), just asking whether he'd received the payment, scripts, and samples. No response. \* \*\*July 13th:\*\* I realized the PayPal account used a different email address than the one I initially wrote to, so I sent essentially the same polite follow-up there. It's now been another week without a response. To be crystal clear: \*\*I am not accusing this person of anything.\*\* He has an outstanding reputation in the industry, I genuinely respect him, and I think it's far more likely that he's incredibly busy or that there's been some communication issue than anything dishonest. My question is simply this: \*\*At what point would you consider the lack of acknowledgment unusual?\*\* Is this something you've experienced with busy, established demo producers? If you were in my shoes, what would your next step be? I'm intentionally leaving names out because I'm looking for industry perspective, not criticism of any individual. Thanks!
Are my vocal chords being destroyed by OngoingGenie • last post Jul 19th
So, I'm a somewhat aspiring voice actor. Mainly I just enjoy narrating things. I've made a long video essay type video and the beginning of a long audiobook. The issue is, I also work for probably a really toxic company in a loud server room. I have to wear hearing protection all day. But it's alright to need to yell every now and then to communicate with other people, but no one else loses their voice like I do. See... My personality has always been very... Out there. I'm straight but everyone assumes and insists there that I'm gay (this is important to the voice situation I promise) because of my personality. I've been compared to a human chihuahua in demeanor a number of times. Slowly over time many peers and especially my direct boss have taken to messing with me and jump scaring me 100's and 100's of times a day. But because it's higher ups, I kinda... Play into this loud obnoxious character because they like it, which means my employment stays safe. I've tired asking them to stop, and been blatantly told it's not happening. There is no union there and I'm pretty thoroughly convinced at this point HR is just a figment of our collective imagination there and don't actually exist. (Not literally, there just really useless and never respond to anything) I am aware my situation is probably some kind of abuse... It has to be. But if you knew about how this company operates... There's nothing I can really do. This has gone on especially hard since 2026 started I would say. It's 12hr shifts. At first my voice would be just fine. But then over time it would be kinda dead for a day and then come back. Eventually it started being dead for multiple days before being somewhat fully alive again on my off days. One week the plenty shut down and I was basically off work because of being out of town the week after for like 2 weeks, and it was jarring how nice my voice sounded again near the end I had forgotten what it sounded like to have full vocal range. It's now to the point that every single day my throat around my addams apple area hurts. I know this thread says no medical questions but this is more around wanting to keep voice acting and script reading and being unable. My voice because of my job at this point is in this perpetual state of being dead, and I feel it's made it impossible for me to continue my voice acting hobby, but I also really need this job as it's what I went to college for. Idk, thoughts beyond (just quit). This seems like the place where someone would know what I could do.
Storm Still - Bridge Street Theatre by wedmera • last post Jul 18th
Better Than the Movies - Netflix by user81704 • last post Jul 18th
Neeru - The water by Basha Penukonda • last post Jul 18th
"The farmer who believed in the soil returns to it when the rains betray him. Not even his tears could wet the fistful of earth he clung to."
I am 21 years old. Is it too late to get into the voice acting industry? And should I go to college and get a bachelor's degree in theatre? by SaltyGators528 • last post Jul 18th
Hi. My name is James, I'm a 21 year old aspiring voice actor, artist, and singer. I have many goals and aspirations, and I want to primarily land a spot in the anime industry! Of course, voice acting would be amazing as a character, english or japanese (I am learning japanese as well), but any position would make me happy. Anyways, is it too late for me? I am about to get an Associate's degree, so getting a bachelor's will be easier, but is it even necessary? Some other notes are I have a Fifine microphone, nothing too special. I have Audacity and I am actively looking for auditions and areas to improve my work. Seeing as I am a beginner, I am open to any tips as well. Thank you! I hope this post is green lit, I tried not to be too much of a newb. Lol
Favorite Audiobook by Voicelings • last post Jul 18th
Showing some love to the audiobook voice actors. Which book is your favorite to voice over?
[PAID] Voice Actors Needed for 2D Animated Fantasy Short Film (Orange, CA | Non-Union) by WavAraucto • last post Jul 18th
PLEASE EMAIL FOR LINES **\[PAID\] Voice Actors Needed for 2D Animated Fantasy Short Film (Orange, CA | Non-Union)** **Project:** *Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea* *Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea* is a 2D animated fantasy drama following Josephine, a deaf sailor who forms an unlikely bond with the very siren her captain is determined to destroy. Exploring themes of empathy, belonging and found family, the film tells a heartfelt story through both spoken dialogue and sign language. **Project Details** * Genre: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Period * Non-Union * Recording Location: Chapman University Recording Studio (Orange, CA) * Recording Dates: End of August 2026 * Casting Opens: July 17, 2026 * **Actors must be able to record in person at Chapman University.** # Roles # Captain Murdoch (Lead) **Compensation:** $100-$200 Captain Murdoch is the obsessive and commanding captain of a 19th-century whaling vessel, driven by a relentless pursuit of a mythical siren. We are seeking a strong, authoritative voice capable of balancing charismatic leadership with growing paranoia and menace. The role requires emotional range, powerful dramatic delivery and the ability to portray a complex antagonist whose obsession ultimately leads to his downfall. **Performance Direction:** Begin with a warm, fatherly authority that gradually gives way to condescension, hostility and obsession. The transformation should feel natural, ending with an intimidating and deeply unsettling presence. **Voice Requirements** * American male * 1830s Upper East Coast American accent * Strong Scottish accents will also be considered * Approximately 40-50 lines * One recording session (approximately 2-3 hours) # Josephine (Vocalizations Only) **Compensation:** $50-$100 Josephine is the courageous and compassionate protagonist of the film, a deaf sailor who communicates entirely through sign language. This role does not include spoken dialogue and instead focuses on expressive vocalizations, including breathing, effort sounds, reactions, pain, laughter and emotional expression. We are seeking a performer who can convey depth and emotion through nonverbal performance alone. **Role Details** * Female * No spoken dialogue * Approximately 80-100 vocalizations * One recording session (approximately 1-2 hours) # Submission Instructions Please email submissions to [**Araucto@chapman.edu**](mailto:Araucto@chapman.edu) with: * Your name * Resume (if available) * Voice reel/demo (preferred) * Any relevant acting or voice acting experience Selected applicants will receive audition sides for Captain Murdoch or additional instructions for Josephine. Compensation will be provided upon completion of the recording session. We look forward to hearing your work!
How I build vocal chains for Voice Actors by brasscassette • last post Jul 18th
**TLDR;** this is a rundown of how I generally put a vocal chain together for V/O. There are many ways to do it, but sound is largely subjective so there are no hard and fast “rules” found here. I’m always open to chat about audio and recording, and if there is something you’d suggest instead or take issue with I’m glad to have the chance to learn something new from you; constructive criticism never comes without someone trying to help. Hi all, I’m an audio engineer who has been working in post production, with an audiobook niche, since 2018. While individual settings will be different for every actor, mic, and room, generally I follow the same steps to get the result I’m aiming for. Before I get into it, I’d like to be really clear about buying software. For the vast majority of processing, the effects that come stock with your DAW are more than good enough. If you’re buying something, it is either for the convenience it gives you or for the layered series of effects utilized simultaneously that would be otherwise take a lot of your CPU or your time. **THE ONLY EXCEPTION TO THIS IS RESTORATION SOFTWARE.** DAWs generally do not come with de-clicks, de-verb, sophisticated de-noise, etc. If you have a recurring *problem* with your audio and cannot fix it in the room, restoration software from Izotope, Accentize, Waves, etc will pay dividends. Which ones you should buy is fully up to you, and there are very strong opinions out there about some of these companies, but here is where I would start depending on what’s important to you: Absolute best quality: Accentize. DX Split and DX Revive are insane for noise reduction. Their plugins will obliterate problem audio, and also smash it to pieces if you turn it up to 11. If you’re a pro with pro money to invest, Accentize is where you should look for this kind of software. Fastest set up: Waves. Waves Clarity RX, Clarity RX DeVerb, Sibilance, Debreath, etc etc are incredibly easy to set up and get pretty solid results without much thinking (Debreath is a little heavy handed, and will require you automate it off and on). That said, you’re paying \~$40 for each individual effect, so it isn’t the economic choice unless speeding through a single issue is what you’re aiming to fix. Best Value: Izotope RX. You’ll get the largest amount of tools per dollar with the RX suite of tools. There is a learning curve, and it isn’t cheap, but it is industry standard in post production for a reason. No cost?: Accusonus ERA bundle. The ERA bundle was discontinued when Meta bought their company, but their suite of restoration abandonware can now be (safely) found on the Internet Archive. Is it the best? No. Is it easy on the CPU? Also no. Does it punch above its price point of zero? Hell yeah. Will it ever receive updates? Not a chance. Which one do I use? A little bit of all of them. They’re all good at doing different things, and because I work on a wide variety of voices I need a wide variety of tools. Your aim to find what works for you should be to identify your problem, identify which tools can attenuate that problem, then download the demos of those tools to see what works the best for you. # Onto the good stuff: I do all of these steps in generally the same order every time, and I’ll give tips for harder to learn sections where necessary. **1. Restoration**: Fix your problems first. If you have spectral noise, a reverby room, a high pitched whine from an A/C unit, you need to get rid of this stuff before you begin. If you don’t do this first, you’ll struggle to adequately fix them later because it won’t be clear which effects are making this better or worse. Fix first so you can make better mixing decisions later. Obligatory: if these are issues that exist in your recording environment, you should fix your recording environment to your best ability before trying to do it with software. Software will help, but ultimately it’s a bandaid (a good bandaid occasionally, but a bandaid nonetheless). **2.** **Gate/Expander**: Generally, an expander is a better option for V/O, but either will work if set correctly. Start by finding your open threshold (how loud your clips need to be for the gate to allow sound through). From there, make adjustments to ensure that you’re reducing background sounds and breaths, but not clamping down on the end of phrases. Generally speaking, you should be going for a fast attack (0-10 ms) and a slow release (150-250 ms) to ensure that everything you say is allowed through immediately without cutting off words. **3.Subtractive EQ:** Eq is where I can offer the least amount of specific advice; there’s just no way to say that everyone needs to cut a particular frequency. What I can say is that bass rumble can be tamed with a shelf and is typically found around 100hz or less, boxy sounds are found around 400-700hz, and sibilance is around 3.5k-7k hz. Of course, this is all dependent on your mic and voice. One thing to note is that subtractive EQ is harder to hear than additive EQ. If you hear a boxy/roomy sound and you want to find its exact frequency, solo the EQ band and slowly sweep that part of the frequency spectrum. Once you’ve found it, pull that band down by about -3db and begin to experiment. See what happens if you subtract more than that, what happens if you widen or slim the Q? Adjust to taste! **4. Compression:** Compression is probably the single most difficult effect to learn how to “hear.” Luckily, compression can be learned in the same way I generally recommend using one for V/O. This is an old school compression trick from when the industry standard was to record on huge analogue boards. Start by turning the compression ratio to as low as your compressor will go. Next, bring your threshold as low as it will go. Finally, slowly increase the ratio until you get the warm sound that you want from a compressor but not distortion. I recently made a vocal chain for a VA where the ratio was 1.1:1, extremely low! However, since the threshold was also very low, the result was the entire signal getting compressed just a hair. This method is great for learning compression because it emphasizes every move you make in the knobs, but also makes it easy to apply consistent compression across the entire track. For those of you tracking with separate narration and character tracks, I generally add an additional compressor to the narration tracks. It doesn’t need to be drastic, but additional mild compression can make it clear to your listener when narration is happening vs when speaking is happening. Just my 2 cents. **\*\*\*Optional, De-Click:** if you like using a de-click in real time as a part of your chain, I’d put it here. Any clicks that are emphasized by the compressor will be better attenuated after the compressor than before. De-clicks can negatively impact transients, so if you feel the need to set the settings high, keep in mind that you’ll likely have a better result with *two* declicks one after the other with low settings than with a single declick at high settings. **5. Additive EQ:** I do my additive EQ after the compressor because the goal here is to sweeten the sound. One way to think of a compressor is as the widest EQ band possible, bringing down all frequencies when any one of them gets too loud. That gives us a nice sound, but it would compress all of our additive EQ along with everything else. Doing additive EQ after the compressor gives us better control over moves we’re making to sweet the sound. Assistive EQ is much easier to hear than subtractive EQ and you should not solo the EQ band while you’re making additive adjustments; it’s important to hear these changes in context. It is rare that I make any additive EQ moves that are above 3db or are not pretty wide, but there are always exceptions to the rule. **6. De-Essing:** Some people don’t like the sound of a de-esser and that is fair. If you’re going to use one in realtime, put it at the end (ish) of your chain. Your subtractive EQ should have reduced much of this sibilance to begin with, so you shouldn’t *need* to have strong settings here. De-essers usually have a button that allows you ti hear just what it’s affecting, *use it!* Make sure it’s only pulling down what it really needs to. **\*\*\*Optional Leveler:** A leveler (I like Vocal Rider, but there are many others) can make your volume more consistent, and give a nice result if you need to deliver lines at inconsistent volume (whisper, yell, etc etc). That said, Levelers can cause “pumping,” so the best practice would be to meter your audio track to find the average LUFS (volume), set the loudness target of the leveler to that average, set the gain to +/-3db and in the “fast” mode. This is not always necessary, but can be a life saver if inconsistent volume is making it difficult get your exports into spec (as well as a more pleasant listen for your audience). **7. MASTER TRACK:** You want two things in your master track and two things only: a limiter and a volume meter. Using a limiter is the fastest and least complicated way to get your exports into spec. Set your ceiling to -4db to ensure you’re under the peak RMS spec, and adjust your threshold as you watch the RMS average on the meter. If you have Ozone, you can use the Ozone Maximizer to do this quickly. Next to the “learn” button, set your target to -19LUFS. Set your ceiling to -4db. Click “learn” then export about half of a chapter. Exporting is always faster than standard playback, so you can more quickly feed Ozone your audio to learn from. Cancel the export, unclick “learn,” and your threshold is set exactly where it should be to get your export into spec the first time. **Final Notes:** There’s one process you probably noticed isn’t here, and it’s normalization. Normalization looks at the loudest part of your audio and adjusts the volume of the entire track so that the loudest section hits the target volume you selected. This *won’t* get your audio into spec without issue but more importantly, it’s not going to give you the sonically pleasing results you want in your audio. Unless instructed by a producer, don’t use normalization. Setting your vocal chain can be hard but it’s not impossible! The biggest issue you’ll probably run into is having to hear your own voice over and over, and there’s a reason for this. When you speak, you’re hearing your own voice *twice.* You’ll hear it the “normal” way when the your voice bounces off of surfaces and hits your ears, but you’ll also hear it as the sound vibrates up your jaw and into your ear drum. This is why many people find that hearing their own voice sounds “strange.” Over time you will learn how to be more objective with it, but at first you’ll probably need to at least run it by someone else first to make sure the moves you made were appropriate and helpful to the over all sound. Friends and family are probably willing to listen, but won’t have the vocabulary or ear to give you good advice. I’d suggest joining a VA community online that invites people to give constructive criticism. All that said, this is a *skeleton* of how I get the best sound and not a strict *guide.* There are many ways to accomplish vocal mixing, and I’m sure there will be other engineers who disagree with something I said. I invite the disagreement! Achieving the best possible audio is subjective because the best sound is objective, and the opinions of other experienced voices is one of the best ways to learn. I love this industry, talking shop, and helping people out, so please don’t hesitate to throw your questions here or in DMs; I’m always happy to lend an ear!
Two-hander drama, I want to use one Yeti in bi-directional. But should I use two Yeti mics? by aqsgames • last post Jul 18th
The script is very tight and needs the two actors to face each other, there’s a lot of interrupts and talking over each other. I’m tempted to record with a single yeti in bi-directional mode and keep the actors facing each other. But, would it make a significant difference to use two yetis and give each actor their own mic? Perhaps separated a bit more from each other?
Final Reminder: Tuesday’s PANA Meet-ups (including London) by TheNarrator_UK • last post Jul 18th
Message re the Professional Audiobook Narrators Association (PANA) Tuesday is International Narrator Meet-up Day and is open to non-PANA members and **non-narrators such as voice actors who are thinking about narration** as well as audio engineers who work on audiobooks. For London in particular, I’d love to meet any UK-based narrators and voice actors, so hope to see some of you RSVP in the next few days. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y-xDkzUoZL4q71P1UqrcpDB6IVO7M0iy2INMFdufH94/edit?usp=drivesdk
Outlander In Concert by gentlywithachainsaw • last post Jul 17th
BoothJunkie Reaper freebie class - very useful. by Icy-Tension-3897 • last post Jul 17th
Note: I don’t make a dime from any of this. I wanted to help other newbies out because there is a lot of crap out there. I decided to learn the Reaper DAW backwards and forwards before I get seriously into voice acting. I plan on taking the next month and playing around with Reaper and seeing how good I can make recordings with a crappy setup: $30 mic and no booth with background noise. In fact, I want the p’s to pop and the fans to hum and the echos to echo in the background so I can learn how to get rid of them. (Im also taking voice lessons, but that’s another post.) I have to say, as a complete newbie, BoothJunkie’s freebie class on how to configure Reaper is really wonderful. In addition to learning Reaper, I learned audio basics like compression, shelf, and what the hell the equalizer actually does. There are so many teeny little settings in that make Reaper easier to use for voice actors specifically that I wouldn’t have found for a hundred years. Like how to organize your projects and make your toolbars have things in them you actually use. I do plan on purchasing the rest of the class. Maybe this is a backwards to getting into this…but I want to understand the tech aspects before I start recording. What other tutorials do you all recommend?
Queer voice actors, please apply ! by NaejDoree • last post Jul 17th
Hi I'm looking for a queer voice actor to be the main voice of my award winning indie game. You'll play a trans girl, from her childhood to her adulthood, and the text is very emotional, so you'll need a good range and mastery of said range ! This is a paid gig of course, price can be negociated and the recording will be over three sessions spaced in time each lasting about 1.5 hours. The french voice actor asked me for a rate of around 300€ per session so I can do around that for a rate for you too! If you fit the role or know somebody that fits the role, please let me know at [naej@naejdoree.art](mailto:naej@naejdoree.art) ! More info about the game can be found here: [https://www.contenir.studio.naejdoree.art/](https://www.contenir.studio.naejdoree.art/)
Marriott Lightning Thief by pj7p • last post Jul 16th
Adirondack Chair Circle Steppenwolf (Underetudies) by Lesmissy456 • last post Jul 16th
Keanu Reeves shares advice for aspiring actors in new interview by Amanda Toney • last post Jul 16th
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2601381/keanu-reeves-shares-advice-for-aspiring-actors-in-new-interview
Guys and Dolls Lyric Opera Chicago by orlandogirl • last post Jul 16th
In search of Russian voice actors by PortalWTF • last post Jul 16th
So I kinda had to build a team for a project of mine in Russian. However all of me attempts of searching for Russian voice actors cannot be considered successful. So I just wanted to ask what is a good place to look for Russian actors any Telegram channels /Discord servers you would recommend?
I somehow got a role as a voice actor and was given a free talk section, but I don't know what to do. by RealTax3809 • last post Jul 16th
So I got a role in this yt series. I won't be naming it; I'm not sure if that is allowed here. Anyways, for my first project, I was given a free talk section (say something your character would say), and idk what to do, and the deadline is on the 22nd.