There are thousands of free voice over learning resources available on the web, and while there are a lot of misleading duds, there is also a lot of great free stuff. This is a great way to get a better idea of what voice over is all about and how to go about doing it (or how to do it better).
Blogs by Voice Over Artists
Blogs are very valuable, and a great free voice over resource, plenty of professional and successful voice over artists have a vast backlog of insightful and useful blogs that they update regularly. If you find one you like then subscribe to their blog to get regular updates, or simply google their name occasionally and have a read.
There’s my Kim Handysides blog (obviously), the blog my colleague Paul Strikwerda writes, J Michael Collins, Anne Ganguzza, Marc Scott and so many more good ones. Blogs are also a great resource for other freebies, often tucked between the words. Often I link out rate guides, other interesting articles, and anything I think might be useful.
Voice Over Learning Rate Guides
I created a voiceover eLearning rate guide as I found there wasn’t a very detailed one out there. The result of about 20 hours of surveying union, non-union rates, and over a dozen leading eLearning content creators, my guide has become a useful industry tool.
GVAA (Global Voice Academy) offers a very detailed rate guide as does SAG-AFTRA, and GFTB (Gravy for the Brain) but please remember that these are base rates. With more training, coaching, and experience your rate will be higher. Determine your voice over rate by factoring in your experience level, location, skills, etc.
Voice Over Podcasts
As a voice-based medium, a podcast is a very effective way to get tips and tricks right from professionals. Podcasts are perfect for on the go, particularly for the beginner voice over artist who might have a day job with limited time to master new skills and terminology. Plugin your earphones and learn on the commute, while shopping, or out walking the dog. There are lots more voice over podcasts but here are a few noteworthy:
- Audio Branding by my friend Jodi Krangle looks at sonic strategies as a marketing concept – I particularly like this for thinking about sound from different lenses.
- Everyday VOPreneur by marketing buddy Marc Scott, who worked in marketing before becoming a voice artist and leads the way forward.
- Voice Over Sermons has all sorts of helpful tips and tricks, while also being entertaining.
- The Sound Advice Voice Over Podcast (love the name) hosted by Kate McClanaghan and Jeff Finlay.
- Voice Over Gurus Podcast hosted by Linda Bruno and J.J. Wilson who “talk about talking”, conduct interviews, and answer student questions.
Voice Over Learning Videos
If you prefer a mix of audio and visual learning then I recommend perusing YouTube at your leisure. There is a lot of free voice over content and the best part is that after watching a few videos, the all-knowing algorithm is likely to add voice over videos to your recommendations.
The Voice Over Body Shop or VOBS YouTube channel is a “how to do voice over” show hosted by George Whittam, a voice over tech consultant, and Dan Lenard, a home studio expert. I also refer to Voice Over Buzz Weekly with Chuck Duran and Stacey Aswad out of LA for more cool info from the epicenter of the voice over industry.
Voice Over Books!
Remember books? As the market for voice over exploded, so did the publication of material on the industry. Where there used to be about 6 books written on this niche industry, there are now about 30. Ranging from observations to interviews with A-listers, to how to set up studios, to performance tips, to niche-within-a-niche topics like commercial voice over. Some of these are free with a Kindle or Audible subscription. Cozy up with a cuppa to listen and learn with audiobook versions.
Other Voice Over Learning Freebies
On my website, I have a free script timer (recommended for scriptwriters and voice over artists alike), a series of infographics of stats, as well as my eLearning rate guide. Also, my blog, which you are reading right now, has a whole category dedicated to Voice Over Coaching as a resource for artists as well as many other posts on working from home and running a business. These include topics I wish I had more information on when I first started in the industry. I think it’s pretty darn useful, how about you?