Voice Acting Auditions: How to Give a Better Read

Auditions are a strange part of voice acting because you can do everything right and still not get the job.

That doesn’t mean preparation doesn’t matter. It means the goal is to give the best performance you can for the opportunity in front of you.

Understand the Project

Before recording, I want to know as much as I reasonably can about the character, project, audience, tone, and situation.

The more context I have, the less I’m guessing.

Check out my blog on how to create a character voice for more on building context before you record.

Don’t Try to Guess What They Want

If the instructions give you a direction, follow it.

Don’t try to manufacture what you think a casting director wants to hear.

Make a specific, believable choice based on the material.

The First Read Matters

I want the first take to feel like a real performance rather than a warm-up.

That doesn’t mean I won’t experiment. It means I’m prepared before I hit record.

Alternate Takes Should Be Different for a Reason

If I provide multiple takes, I want each one to offer something useful.

Changing one word or slightly raising the pitch isn’t necessarily an alternate interpretation.

If the character is being played differently, make that difference clear.

Acting Beats Sound

A technically impressive voice isn’t enough.

The person listening needs to believe the character, understand the intention, and connect with the performance.

Check out my blog on voice acting is acting for more on why the performance matters more than the sound.

Then Let It Go

Once the audition is submitted, I try not to obsess over it.

There is always another audition, another session, and another opportunity.

Do the work, send it, and move forward.

How to Take Direction as a Voice Actor

One of the most important skills a voice actor can develop has nothing to do with vocal range.

It’s learning how to take direction.

Your First Read Isn’t Always the Right Read

You can make a choice you love and still hear that the director wants something different.

That’s normal.

The first take is often the beginning of the conversation, not the final answer.

Don’t Get Attached

If I’m too attached to my first interpretation, every note can feel like criticism.

I try to think about direction differently.

The director is giving me information that helps me get closer to what the project needs.

Check out my blog on voice acting is acting for more on why the performance always comes first.

Listen for the Intent Behind the Note

Sometimes a director says, “Make it more casual.”

That might mean less energy, less emphasis, a different relationship with the listener, or simply relaxing the delivery.

Understanding the intention lets me make a meaningful adjustment instead of mechanically changing my voice.

Make Adjustments Quickly

In a professional session, you don’t want to spend ten minutes defending a choice.

Listen. Adjust. Try it again.

If it doesn’t work, adjust again.

That’s collaboration.

Make the Director’s Job Easier

A great session feels like everyone is working toward the same goal.

Being prepared, listening carefully, and responding quickly makes that process much easier.

Check out my blog on voice acting demo reels to hear what casting directors are listening for before you even get in the booth.

You don’t have to be perfect on the first take.

You have to be willing to find the right take.

Voice Acting Is Acting: Why Your Voice Isn’t Enough

The name says it all: voice acting.

The microphone is important. Your voice is important. But neither one replaces acting.

Character Comes First

Every line has a person behind it.

Before worrying about how I sound, I want to know who I’m playing and what they want.

A line can be delivered ten different ways depending on the character’s intention.

Don’t Sound Like a Voice Actor

New performers sometimes think professional voice-over has a particular sound.

It doesn’t.

A commercial may need to sound conversational. A video-game character may need to feel exhausted or terrified. An animated character might be completely exaggerated.

The performance determines the sound—not the other way around.

Check out my commercial voice-over page to hear this approach in action across different types of reads.

Intention Changes Everything

If I change what the character wants, the same words can suddenly mean something completely different.

That’s why simply reading the words correctly isn’t enough.

The audience needs to hear the thought behind them.

Directability Matters

Professional acting is collaborative.

A director may want more energy, less energy, more vulnerability, less attitude, or a completely different interpretation.

The ability to adjust without losing the character is essential.

Your Voice Is the Instrument

Think of your voice as an instrument.

An instrument can be beautiful, but the musician still needs to know how to play it.

The same is true here.

Develop the acting. Learn the instrument. Then use both together.

If you want the full story on how I got started, check out my blog on how to become a voice actor.

How to Create a Character Voice That Feels Real

When you’re creating a character voice, it’s tempting to start with the sound.

How high should it be? How low? Should it be raspy? Nasal? Fast? Slow?

Those questions can be useful, but they’re not where I like to start.

I start with the character.

Who Is This Person?

Before I decide what someone sounds like, I want to understand who they are.

What do they want? What are they afraid of? How confident are they? How do they see the people around them?

Those choices naturally begin to affect the voice.

A nervous character might speak differently from someone who believes they’re the smartest person in the room. A character who’s exhausted may have a completely different physical quality than someone who’s constantly full of energy.

Don’t Try to Sound Interesting

One of the easiest ways to create an artificial character is to concentrate on making the voice “interesting.”

Instead, make the character interesting.

If the character is believable, the voice doesn’t need to constantly call attention to itself.

Physicality Changes the Voice

Even when the audience only hears me, I find that physical choices can make a big difference.

I might change my posture, move my head, tighten my shoulders, or physically react to something happening in the scene.

Those choices affect the sound naturally.

Make the Voice Sustainable

A character voice might sound great for thirty seconds and become exhausting after three hours.

That’s a problem if you’re recording a video game or animated project.

Check out my blog on Voicing Thestus and Additional Voices in Mortal Shell II to hear how that played out on an actual game.

The best character choices are distinctive enough to be recognizable while still allowing you to perform them consistently.

The Voice Serves the Acting

A character voice is a tool.

If I’m concentrating so hard on maintaining a sound that I stop thinking about what the character is actually doing, the voice has become the performance instead of supporting it.

The audience should believe the person exists.

That’s the real goal.

If you want to hear character work in action, check out my character and video game voice acting page for demos and details.