For a while now, I\’ve been posting my voice acting tip pics my on my facebook fan page as a way to bring helpful info to other young up and coming voice actors such as myself.  You can see them here:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.510686185640277.106752.375742249134672&type=3

However, I\’m thinking to make it even easier for you all, I\’ll post the first set right here on my own website.

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Cannot stress this enough, Engineers hate it when VAs try to adjust the mic themselves. If you\’ve never had engineering experience, then keep your hands to yourselves. Let someone who is actually qualified do all of the technical stuff for you.

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Those who know me know that one of my biggest inspirations to be a voice actor was Mark Hamill, who if you don\’t know (can\’t imagine why), is the voice of The Joker from Batman Animated. However, it was actually his performance as The Watcher in the video game, Darksiders, that I got me interested. I loved his voice so much that my first objective was to try and mimic the voice. As time went on, I kept on speaking in that voice because it was fun for me, but as I kept using it, it began turning into something more. It actually got deeper and the roughness got rougher. It then became something totally different and is now one of my signature voices. At least I like to think it\’s my signature.

Never stop talking, especially in character voices. You never know when one of those voices you got will just suddenly evolve into something even better than you expected.

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One of the golden rules of voice acting is to try and not mimic a voice. Impersonations will not get you work. However, I like to think of mimicking a voice as a good kind of voice training. There\’s a goal you have to reach and you practice and practice till you get it.
However, sometimes you just simply won\’t be able to reach it. As I said in a previous tip, I\’ve been trying for a very long time to mimic Mark Hamill\’s version of The Joker, but for all the practicing I do, our voices are simply too different for me to be able to copy it perfectly.
However, don\’t think of yourself as a failure if you can\’t copy a voice down to a T. Sometimes what you come up with can be used in something you never saw coming.
On a side note, While I may not be able to do a perfect Joker, I noticed that I can do a rather spot on impersonation of Death from Darksiders 2, as voiced by Michael Wincott.
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There’s a common misconception that since voice actors aren’t working up a sweat moving around in front of a camera or on stage, voice acting isn’t real acting, or that it’s one of the easiest jobs ever.
This is total crap!
Voice acting is SRS BSNS! Standing still in front of a microphone actually requires effort and you have to concentrate solely on your mouth. The slightest variation in your voice can either get you a paycheck our out the door with nothing. You don’t simply just talk in a microphone; you are putting on a persona. You are becoming someone else and making others believe it. Sure, you are expressing that transformation only with your voice, but that’s just a different form of expression. It’s not better or worse than using your whole body on a stage.
I consider this a valid tip because it’s a discouraging thought, being told that what you do isn’t real. VAs, do not get down if what you’re told that. People like that don’t understand the hard work you go through. It’s a real job that requires real transformation of yourself and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.