Voice Over Actor: Navigating the World of Traditional and AI Voice Overs

What It Means to Be a Voice Over Actor

Being a voice over actor traditionally means lending one's voice to various forms of media such as audiobooks, video games, podcasts, documentaries, e-learning courses, explainer videos, promos, and more. Voice over work can be incredibly diverse, ranging from the magical voices heard in Disney animations to the professional tones in corporate training videos. Voiceover artists bring scripts to life, providing a believable and engaging experience for the audience.

The Costs Involved

Entering the voice over industry isn't without its costs. Firstly, creating a high-quality demo reel is essential. This demo reel showcases your voice over talent, highlighting different types of voice work you can perform. The cost of producing a demo reel can range from $500 to $3,000, depending on the recording studio and the quality of production.

Building a home studio is another significant investment. A decent setup, including a microphone, pop filter, audio interface, and soundproofing, can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000. Additionally, voice actors often work with a voice coach to refine their skills, which can cost between $50 to $200 per session.

Time and Process

The journey to becoming a professional voice actor involves auditions, casting calls, and constant practice. Beginners often start with smaller gigs, such as local commercials or independent projects, gradually building their portfolio. Professional voice actors spend hours perfecting their craft, ensuring they can deliver a great voice for any project, be it dubbing for foreign films or narrating an audiobook.

When I started, I spent countless hours auditioning for voice over jobs, sending out my demo reel to casting directors and scouring websites like voices.com for opportunities. The process can be lengthy and competitive, especially in major hubs like New York and Los Angeles, where the best voice over talent often resides.

Evolution of AI Voice Overs

The voice over industry is evolving with the advent of AI voice overs. These AI-generated voices have become increasingly sophisticated, offering a high-quality alternative for various projects. AI voice overs can be cost-effective and time-saving, as they eliminate the need for a physical recording studio and lengthy voice recording sessions.

However, AI voices still struggle with capturing the emotional depth and nuance that professional voice actors bring to the table. While AI can generate a type of voice that sounds professional, it often lacks the human touch that makes voice over acting so compelling.

Top 5 Places to Find Voice Over Actors

1. Voices.com

Voices.com is a leading platform connecting clients with professional voice artists. It's perfect for finding talent for voice acting in English, British accents, TV commercials, and more. With a straightforward process on how it works, clients can easily post jobs and review auditions from top voice artists.

2. Voice123

Voice123 offers a vast directory of voice over actors ready for various projects, from audiobooks to explainer videos. The platform provides tools to find voice artists with specific skills, such as on-screen experience or a great voice suited for TV commercials.

3. Bodalgo

Bodalgo is an international marketplace that helps clients find voice actors for diverse needs, including e-learning and dubbing. The site features numerous voice artists with high-quality demo reels, making it easy to find the best voice for your project.

4. Backstage

Backstage is well-known in the entertainment industry for connecting talent with casting calls. It offers a dedicated section for voice acting, making it a great resource for finding professional voice actors for various voice over jobs, including British voice artists and those specializing in TV commercials.

5. Fiverr

Fiverr provides a platform for freelance voice artists to offer their services. Clients can browse through different gigs, listen to demo reels, and choose the voice actor that best fits their project. It's a budget-friendly option for finding voice over talent for beginners and small projects.

Top 5 AI Voice Generators

1. Speechify

Speechify tops the list of AI voice generators, offering high-quality, natural-sounding voices for various applications. It's ideal for creating voice overs for audiobooks, e-learning, and explainer videos, providing a seamless user experience with an easy-to-understand process on how it works.

2. Amazon Polly

Amazon Polly is a powerful AI voice generator that converts text into lifelike speech. It supports multiple languages and accents, including English and British, making it suitable for diverse voice acting projects and TV commercials.

3. Google Text-to-Speech

Google Text-to-Speech offers a robust solution for generating AI voices. It's widely used for applications requiring professional voice quality, such as voice acting for explainer videos, podcasts, and dubbing. The service supports various accents and languages, ensuring a versatile voice generation tool.

4. IBM Watson Text to Speech

IBM Watson Text to Speech is a reliable AI voice generator known for its accuracy and high-quality output. It caters to a range of voice over needs, from e-learning to promotional videos, offering voices that sound natural and engaging.

5. Microsoft Azure Text to Speech

Microsoft Azure Text to Speech provides a comprehensive AI voice generation service with a focus on delivering realistic and emotionally expressive voices. It's ideal for projects needing a believable and engaging voice, such as TV commercials, audiobooks, and on-screen narration.

These platforms and tools ensure that whether you're looking for professional voice actors or leveraging AI for voice generation, you have access to top-tier resources to bring your projects to life.

Coexisting and Leveraging AI

Voice over actors can coexist with AI by focusing on projects that require a personal touch, such as character-driven roles in video games or emotionally charged documentaries. AI can handle more straightforward tasks, like explainer videos or e-learning modules, freeing up voiceover artists to pursue more creatively fulfilling work.

Leveraging AI can also be beneficial for voice actors. For example, AI tools can assist in creating synthetic voices for auditions, allowing actors to experiment with different styles and tones without straining their vocal cords. Additionally, AI can be used to produce rough drafts of voiceover work, which can then be refined by a professional voice actor to add the necessary emotional depth.

The voice over industry is vast and ever-changing. As a voice over actor, I've seen firsthand how important it is to adapt and evolve. While AI voice overs present new opportunities and challenges, they also highlight the irreplaceable value of human creativity and emotion in voiceover work. By embracing new technology and honing their craft, voice actors can continue to thrive in this dynamic field, delivering believable and engaging performances across all types of media. Whether you're just starting your acting career or are a seasoned professional, the world of voice over work offers endless possibilities for those with a passion for bringing words to life.

Try Speechify Voiceover for AI Voice Actors

Cost: Free to try

Speechify is the #1 AI Voice Over Generator​. Using Speechify Voice Over is a breeze. It takes only a few minutes and you’ll be turning any text into natural-sounding Voice Over audio.

1. Type in the text you’d like to hear spoken
2. Select a voice & listening speed
3. Press “Generate. That’s it!

Choose from 100’s of voices, and a plethora of languages and then customize each voice to make it your own. Add emotion like whisper, right up to anger and screaming. Your stories or presentations, or any other project can come alive with rich, natural sounding features.

You can also clone your own voice and use it in your voice over text to speech.

Speechify Voice Over also comes loaded with royalty free images, video, and audio that are all free to use for your personal or commercial projects. Speechify Voice Over is clearly the best option for your voice overs - no matter your team size. You can try our AI voice today, for free!