Similar to the author of this article, I’ve been on a weight loss and fitness journey (for 10 years now!), and one thing I have discovered is there is no “quick and easy” way to get fit and lose weight. Likewise, there are no shortcuts to becoming a tech-savvy voice talent.
Mastering the skillset of a successful voice talent takes time, effort, and failure. Fall down, get back up, and do it again. Too often I see aspiring talent trying to find a shortcut to doing things that successful talent have taken years to get good at, such as shortcutting mic technique by attempting to have tools do the job for them, or working with tools they don’t know how to use because some influencer said, “Use this to be successful.” Well, guess what? It’s not going to go well, and you’ll end up more frustrated than when you started. The more you try to avoid the hard work, the harder the work gets.
There is no shortcut (I promise I would tell you if there was). The methods required to record, edit, and deliver really good audio were developed decades ago, and in spite of the advances in technology, the foundational steps still apply. Sure, digital audio workstations have made it simpler, and microphones and interfaces have gotten exponentially cheaper and better. But the steps required to make your audio sound its best remain the same. You need a good-sounding space (free of echoes and with a noise floor below -60 dB), and you need good equipment (but not a lot of it): a microphone, an interface, and a modern (and quiet) computer with a digital audio workstation that allows you to record, edit, and deliver your files. That’s it; that’s all you need. Sure, there are many tools available that may help you do it better, faster, and cheaper, but I implore you to learn your craft without the extras first. Learn your signal flow, and learn how to use and troubleshoot your tools. Learn what the knobs on your interface do. Record and edit until your fingers bleed if that’s what it takes to understand how to edit.
Most importantly for a voice talent, learn how to set a proper level for your voice. THIS is the foundation for everything you deliver—both auditions and final files to clients. It is absolutely the opposite of correct to record at too low of a level and then use a normalizer or some other gain tool to raise the level of your recording, and (shocker incoming!) if you properly set your level before you record, there is a good chance that a normalizer may slightly lower the volume of your recorded file! What?!
Finally, learn how to address the microphone for the read you are doing. On a large diaphragm condenser microphone (which is likely what you are using), it is absolutely okay to back away from the mic when getting loud or to move closer when being quiet. With practice, you will develop an innate sense of where you should be based on the read you’re doing. Learning this microphone technique will allow you to be as dynamic as you want but still deliver a smooth, fairly even level (extra important for anyone trying to hit ACX specs!).
I get it; between running a business, marketing, acting, and tech, there is a lot to learn, and it can seem overwhelming. But remember: many people before you have learned, and you will learn as well. Just take breaks when you need them, and keep moving forward. There is no such thing as someone who can’t learn tech; there are only people who haven’t learned tech. And hey, that’s what all of us coaches are here for, to help YOU get really freaking good at running your studio and being successful. Now go crush your dreams!