The Voice Over Performance Formula

Soon after entering the world of voice acting about five years ago, I unfortunately became afflicted with “Gear-it is.” It is a terrible, debilitating disease that has driven many an up-and-coming voice actor to madness. What is truly sad about this disease is that it is easily preventable with the setting of appropriate goals and priorities when starting a voice over career.

Gear-itis generally starts with the first trip to Banjo Center. (Names and locations have been changed to assure anonymity.) The aspiring voice actor purchases a modest microphone (the Acme F100s) and an inexpensive audio interface as recommended by the uninformed frustrated drummer who works days in retail to pay his rent.

Inevitably, after purchasing the Acme F100s, the voice actor reads an obscure blog post from an actor in Sydney, Australia (or Sydney, Nova Scotia — doesn’t matter), that he or she used to own an Acme F100s, but the new Aardvark TLM 108 kicks the Acme’s b**t, and no one should ever consider the F100s.

And another voice actor is infected.

I am still in recovery. I can tell you that an important step in my beating this disease was learning the VOICE OVER PERFORMANCE FORMULA:

A GREAT PERFORMANCE RECORDED ON A GOOD MICROPHONE WILL BEAT A GOOD PERFORMANCE RECORDED ON A GREAT MICROPHONE. EVERY TIME.

I think it would be possible for a talented voice actor to win an audition recorded into the microphone that came with a 40-year-old Realistic tape recorder, if the performance was good enough. Alternatively, a mediocre performance recorded through a Boyman U88 will never land the job.

I buy and sell audio recording gear because I love the technology, and I can generally sell what I have bought for what I paid for it. But I’ve never made the mistake of thinking that it really actually matters very much.

I think I’ve had modest success as a voice actor because of my commitment to learning the craft, not because of my Boyman U88. I’ve booked jobs because of the training and coaching I’ve invested in over five years, not because of the equipment I’ve acquired.

But I love my U88 regardless!

Graeme Spicer is Edge Studio’s Managing Director and he teaches Business and Money 101. For more information about Graeme or any other Edge Studio instructor, please call our office at 888-321-3343.