Top 10 Voice Reel Tips

Producing a voice reel can be enjoyable and stressful at the same time. On the one hand, you have the creative freedom to add what you want, yet on the other hand, there are high expectations you have to meet to land jobs.

Yep, Voice reels can be challenging to get right the first time!

Our top 10 industry tips are all about improving the final product so that clients want to hear more.

Tip 1: Create a Script Unique to Your Talents 🎭

The first and arguably most important tip on this list is to create a unique script that doesn’t copy from other voice actors.

Not only would it be done in bad taste, but clients may ostracize you if they’ve heard the script already. Your reputation matters! Also, it’s uncool – please respect other voices!

There’s nothing wrong with getting inspiration from other talented actors or borrowing ideas from online script libraries like ours, but there’s a fine line between inspiration and duplication, so tread carefully.

Tip 2: Don’t Attempt To Include All of Your Portfolio 🎥

If you’ve already been in the industry for a while and have voiced top-tier projects, you may want to include examples from your projects in your voice reel. Remember, you only have limited time to demonstrate your skills. We’d recommend using these in your samples rather than your reel because your reel should be completely original and show off the best sides of your voice.

If you’re determined to include a client project, ensure it’s outstanding.

Tip 3: Reveal Your Vocal Range 🎤

Professional voice reels for actors should always demonstrate your widest possible vocal range.

Ensure you show various tones you can speak in and show off your ability to command and entertain using your voice. Start with using your natural voice and then figure out how to display how you can manipulate your voice to suit different themes. A good reel producer can help you pick out scripts that get the best out of your voice.

Tip 4: Choose the Best Equipment You Can Afford 🎧

A home studio is necessary if you want to work in voiceover full-time. You must choose the right condenser microphone, headset, noise protection filter, and shock mount to get the best possible recordings. You’ll also need to treat your room with acoustic panels to prevent the mic from picking up specific background noises. The right equipment combination will help you create high-quality and impressive voice reels. These are also the tools of the trade! So, access to this equipment is necessary for your budding career.

Even if you don’t want to do voiceover full time, it’s worth investing in quality equipment, but if you don’t yet have a home studio, ALWAYS book yourself into a quality recording studio. Never skimp on recording quality, or you risk your demos being skipped.

Tip 5: Find a Specialization 🎯

Finding a specialization can help you create a specific type of voice reel since you know what content clients want to hear.

For example, you can specialize in animation, advertisements, corporate training videos, and narration for educational material such as documentaries. We actively recommend this here at Voicereels, which is why our Ultimate package of 4 x Reels is the most popular, allowing you to create a reel for all the projects you want to voice.

Tip 6: Make the Beginning Amazing 📼

Clients often only listen for a few seconds before deciding to skip or listen to more. We’re the team behind Voquent and can always see this in action.

So, always put extra effort into wowing listeners at the start of your demos. Clients will also skip demos that aren’t on a quality par, so investing in a professional production service is worth it. It may sound ‘good enough’ to you, but trust me, you’re not getting picked if it sounds slightly worse than the last five demos the client played.

The total reel duration should be between 90 and 120 seconds. This is the average length of a voice reel. Any longer can damage the integrity of your audition; after all, it can become very tedious if someone is going through hundreds of different reels.

Chances are that casting directors will listen to the start and then move on – these are busy people. So, making sure you start with the most relevant, impressive, and attention-grabbing read is a priority.

Tip 7: Get Regular Coaching 🎓

Hiring a vocal coach can be expensive; however, rather than considering it a cost, it’s a business investment.

Mastering the command of your vocal instrument is how you become a star. Every successful person needs support, and voice actors are no different.

A vocal coach can help eliminate the tension in your jaw and improve your pitch and voice projection range. Furthermore, someone who has already worked in the industry can give you incredibly detailed feedback about what you are doing right or wrong and help you perfect your vocal characteristics. We can help you source a coach in your time zone.

Tip 8: Quality REALLY Matters 🎵

One of the most common mistakes beginners make when producing a voice reel is that they record on amateur equipment in their bedrooms – and then wonder why they aren’t getting cast for anything decent.

Think about it.

If your competitors are recording in pro studios and their demos are mixed and mastered by audio veterans, your demos will sound shoddy by comparison.

A shoddy-sounding demo = a big risk from a casting director’s perspective. It implies you don’t have a lot of experience.

Tip 9: Get Professional Editing 🎚️

Yes, it’s easy to pick up basic editing skills and use a free, open-source audio editing app to clean up your voice audio, but don’t do it.

It’s always best to pay for professional audio editing. What looks easy takes years to master, especially if you’re mixing with music and FX.

So either find your engineer or rely on a trusted service like Voicereels to do it for you. You won’t regret it.

Tip 10: Make Sure You’re Ready 🚀

We consult with people not ready to record a voice reel daily. Lots of people aspire to work in voiceover; it’s a cool-sounding job – right? Heck, they may have had a few coaching lessons and think that’s enough.

It isn’t.

We always recommend extra coaching and delaying the production a few months to give you more time to practice and perfect your scripts. It’s vital. Nothing is worse than falling short of your ambitions because you’re in a rush.

Also, warm up your voice. Before recording, you should perform a few vocal exercises to help facilitate blood flow and oxygen flow to the muscles in your throat, helping you perform more smoothly.

Examples of vocal exercises include massaging your neck and throat to relax the muscles in that area. Other exercises involve humming in different pitches and rolling your lips to remove tension.

Conclusion

As an aspiring voice actor, it can be hard to know if you’re ready to start and if you’re an experienced voice actor, deciding what to include in a reel is always a challenge.

Working with professional audio producers like the Voicereels team always delivers the best results. We’ll help you pick music scripts, obtain extra coaching and get the direction you need to nail your lines.

 

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