Make your own Voice Demo/Reel

[@rautshsale1948]

i think the biggest hidden gem here is to get the music 1st, and listen to it while recording. makes so much sense but never considered this

[@domtom010]

Yes, this was a huge "duh" moment for me. Makes so much sense!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Just make sure it isn't too loud and bleeding out of your headphones into your mic. I've had that happen one or two times. But yeah, music is such a good way to get out of your head and just do good work.

[@rubenleavell]

Thank you, Thank you- I just got my first job yesterday!!!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

That is such fantastic news!!!! Congrats

[@JustRDanni]

Okay i need a list of supplies on the blanket fort box - this is where i am at the moment!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

I haven't actually done a long form video in a while so I'll have to jump back on the horse and get this done. I've had a few people ask me.

[@StaxVA]

Thank you! Everywhere and every group I ask always says the same thing that you shouldn't make your own voice demo reel and just focus on spending money to get a coach and letting the professionals handle making your demo reel. All I wanted was answers if I needed to add music and where to find it.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

I've heard a lot of people say that too. And I think it can be a dicey area, because a lot of people don't have the audio capabilities to do a good job when they're starting out. But I don't think that should deter people. It's entirely possible to learn the skills and give it a go. If you can book some work off those self produced demos, then you are able to fund the higher end demos. That seems more logical to me than forking out $2500 for a single demo at the start of your journey that won't even necessarily lead to work. Royalty free music sites are the place you want to be. I personally use Artlist.io which I think I mentioned in the video. But that is subscription based, so if you're only looking for a single song or two, it may be more cost effective to look at sites that charge per song (Pond5, audio jungle, etc). Good luck!

[@danielmcnaughton1381]

That was fantastic, thanks. Loved the way you demonstrated the progression of your pet food advt. I am brand new to VO, on the learning curve with the hills looming. I can see you will be a great help. Thanks again.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Welcome to the fold! It can definitely be a steep learning curve to start with, especially if you've never touched audio equipment or software, but once you get over that hurdle it's a rinse a repeat process.

[@1001Hobbies]

Retiring from my regular job to do film work (been doing that part time for 17 years) and looking to do VO work for fun and additional income. I've done a few things vocally, and did a ton of research before doing any of it. I'll be going through your channel to learn more. I really appreciate this video. One trick I learned to do while reading is to actually smile at key moments in clips that are to give a very friendly feeling. People can actually hear someone smile. You may have noticed this while speaking with someone on the phone. I did this in a VO for a TV commercial for a real estate agent and it really helped the feel of the read when people hear it. I've subscribed. I see you attended The Second City. I attended the first class there myself while they had a location in Cleveland, Ohio. I wished I could have continued with that. Improv is so much fun.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Oh you can absolutely hear a smile! If I ever get the 'can we make this read a bit more friendly' direction in a live session, I plaster a HUGE smile on my face while I'm reading. You went to Second City too! To be honest, at first, it scared the living daylights out of me, so I forced myself to do it, but it was so much fun. It's nice you got to experience it even if just for a bit. Hope you manage to pick up some voice work!

[@LightningSpiritVA]

Honestly this video actually pretty helpful, cause been voice acting for years on KZbin with room filled with soundpads and got a neauman tlm102, however had deficiulty understood on making demo, but felt this video helped actually so finger's crossed🤞

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Glad it helped! Good luck with your demos

[@Giles_Heaton]

Great advice with humour and warmth. I don't often comment on YT videos but your video was really compelling to watch.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

That really is high praise! I'm not much of a commenter myself. So I'm really glad you found it useful.

[@leahdegruchy2338]

This was wonderful! Thank you so much for making this video!!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're most welcome. Thank you for watching it. Hope it was useful!

[@nealhere]

Thanks for the video. Even more fun at 1.5 speed

[@kwbberring7790]

This is good information. When you have a demo professionally done, there is quite a difference which is very noticeable from professionals looking for voice talent. Save your money and get it done right. You will book much more work, and you will then position yourself to get paid according to GVAA rates.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

I definitely think there can be a difference if you're paying the big dogs $2500 per demo. That's personally where I noticed a difference. However to a lot of people that isn't affordable, especially when it doesn't guarantee you'll actually book work. That being said, my self produced demos have been more effective at booking me work. They have booked me multiple 6-figures worth of work, so I definitely think if you take the time to learn the skills, you can produce something just as effective to get you started.

[@Kris_glow]

about to get on my first demo making. Thank you so much for sharing so many amazing tips. Top video to get this started on a budget. Gonna go check out my soon to be studio wardrobe :D

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Love a good wardrobe studio! Good luck with putting your demos together

[@tonydialsr7190]

Outstanding. Thanks so much for your presentation. A lot of information, and to the point.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're most welcome. Glad you found it informative.

[@kit-katslitterbox841]

This helped a lot! I'm just getting into voice acting for characters in small projects, just got my first role today! But I never actually made a demo yet, which is something I've needed to do! I'm glad I finally know what to do for a demo XD

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

CONGRATS! No demo but you've already booked a role, that's awesome. I'm sure it'll only get better from here.

[@pearlcallender2780]

Great help. I'm just starting

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Good luck! Thanks for watching

[@lilyvincent-roche251]

Thank you! This video has been an amazing help and a confidence boost. I had cancelled getting a professional voice reel done because I felt I wasn't ready and thanks to your helpful videos I feel like I've made the right choice to do it DIY.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Glad I could help! Even though the learning curve can be steep when you first do your own demos, I think that it will help make you a better VO artist in the long run. Hope you've come up with some awesome clips (in the 2 months it's taken me to respond).

[@tayxtalks]

You're so cool thx so much for sharing i'm so excited to get started

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Good luck! I'm sure you'll be killing it in no time.

[@qwnpngwn672]

this video was such an encouragement especially after hearing from *some* people how you should never (ever ever ever ever) do your own demo. but yours sounded incredible. also your american accent is flawless! what an inspiration!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Thank you so much. The US accent has definitely come along in leaps and bounds now that I use it everyday. I think a lot of people say that because generally, beginners don't invest time in learning how to properly treat audio. Also by working on your own you don't have anyone to give you feedback on your reads which can be invaluable. Having someone who knows the industry and will give you honest feedback is a great help if you're doing your own demos. I'm a big fan of proving people wrong and saving money so if you put the work in, I don't see why you won't be able to come up with something fab! Good luck with it.

[@taim1696]

Thanks for the video. Very helpful. I can't wait to get started.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Good luck! It's a wild ride

[@coinneophyte8993]

Thank you so much. Great info and presentation. Love seeing talented aussies on YT

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Glad to know you found it helpful! :-)

[@iKingRPG]

9:12 that accent switch up was insane

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

A fun party trick haha

[@thejoshthat]

holy crap, you totally morphed in there! awesome!

[@bozarctic]

hey! Thank you so much for the video! learned a ton of helpful stuff and i think its absolutely criminal how underrated your channel is! Definitely deserve more views!! New sub!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Aww thanks. Glad it was useful. I'll be back on the KZbin train next year so hopefully more people will jump onboard too!

[@justWesInfo]

Thank you for this. I've had so many people tell me I should do it that I finally decided to start. I submitted an audition just the other day as a "yolo" move. Now I'm researching LOL

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Well, welcome aboard! There is nothing better than a YOLO audition. We all have to start somewhere.

[@musicallydesigned8161]

Your reel is so great!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Thanks! It's wonderful to know that it's being well received.

[@j4ta680]

Excellent, fully comprehensive video, thank you so much! Bark!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're most welcome! Bark!

[@jamesl.rubart8116]

So good. Thank you.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're very welcome :-)

[@piperplaysuke1597]

Been looking into making a few voice reels to start VA and this has definitely helped a bunch. Thank you so much!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Great to hear that it helped! Good luck with getting your reels together.

[@piperplaysuke1597]

@@NatashaAranciniActor thank you! 😁

[@AaronWork-b5l]

Thank you. I'm an aspiring voice over actor just starting out my journey and this sort of information is invaluable, especially something like starting with music, a task that would be so easily overlooked and yet could easily cause such delays. My difficulty is that i live in possibly the worst place in the world for this as my house is adjacent to both a trainline, with an industrial estate on the other side, a slip road for traffic bypassing main road lights and not far from here is a small light craft airport so noise pollution is an absolute nightmare. currently my set up is my corner desk with two heavy duty duvets over the top of my head and mic, needless to say the fact it is summer right now sucks.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Well, welcome to the world of voiceover! Oof, that's tough. External noise is always the hardest thing to control. When I first started I was in an apartment on a main roundabout with 3 sets of lights in the middle of London. There was a lot of 'hold for ambulance' and 'hold for noisey pub people' going on. I very much feel your pain. The good news RE duvets in summer is that saunas are supposed to be exceptionally good for you, so if you can keep that in mind while you're sweating it out, maybe it will be every so slightly less tedious :-)

[@AaronWork-b5l]

@@NatashaAranciniActor I wanted to ask, do you ever review other's VO reels to give feedback?

[@ira_iz_kaira]

You're a generous genius! Thank you so much! I'm kinda giving up there.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're so welcome! I really hope you don't give up on it! It's definitely a steep learning curve if you haven't dont this sort of editing/technical stuff before, but it's 100% worth it if you can manage to get your head around it. And I personally think knowing the technical stuff will have such a positive impact on your voiceover career these days.

[@ira_iz_kaira]

@@NatashaAranciniActor thank you so much! The funny part is that I HAVE been doing technical stuff to my VOs for quite a while now, it's the tips that you've shared OTHER than EQ, compression and stuff. I didn't know I could get royalty free music and sound effects to finally make a demo. I've been struggling with getting work with my samples and previous work examples only. Now I finally know how to make a professional demo❣️

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

​@@ira_iz_kaira OHHHHHH well in that case, here are some additional options or some links for easier access: KZbin Audio library has FREE music and effects. It is limited but it's completely free so that's always a win: kzbin.info I have a yearly subscription to Artlist.io. (because I use it a lot for other things too) but you could subscribe for a month or two just while you construct and publish your demos. There is a HUGE range of music and sound effects on there. Other sites offer a subscription model too: epidemicsound.com, soundstripe.com, etc. You just need to read their terms and conditions to see how it works. Usually they will only allow you to publish something using their music while you have an active subscription. So you'd have to publish the reels online for the first time before you cancel your subscription. The Artlist.io terms and conditions state "once you create Projects using downloaded Assets and publish them in any media during your subscription, you can keep using your Projects in the same media and monetize it forever and ever, even after your subscription has expired." But point being, you can pay for a month or two and get a bunch of songs to use for a whole heap of demos. There are also sites that have a pay per track model, so if there is a track you really want you can just buy that. It will end up being more expensive, but sometimes you just can't find what you need on Artlist. Things like pond5.com. I probably said a lot of that already, but in case I didnt, everyone loves a long comment hahaha.

[@ira_iz_kaira]

@@NatashaAranciniActor you're such a sweetie! Thank you 😊

[@thejoshthat]

that is so crazy going in n out of accent. amazing work here, thank you for the tips!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

hahah thanks. I only have a few I can do convincingly so I lead with those. Otherwise it really is a mess! Thanks for watching :-)

[@craigbailey7558]

Yeah, Thank you on this one, most helpfull in understanding howthis whole thing comes together

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

So glad you've found it useful!

[@TheKylie777]

Great video, thank you! Would love you to do some recording equipment and Adobe Audition editing videos. Just the basics. I enjoyed your style of demonstrating and advice. Thanks again! 😊

[@robh5695]

Such great advice. Thank you so much! 🙌💖

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're most welcome :-)

[@yanpingjoshua]

Very informative video! Love your voice reel btw~😊❄️

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Thanks :-) Glad you found it informative. There's just so much to talk about I could end up going on for hours.

[@fremekwame]

This deserves more views. THIS IS SO GOOD

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Aww thanks. It's funny, this video has been sitting up online for a while and it only just getting traction now. But I'm really glad it's helping people!

[@fallenoneoftomorrow]

thank you ☺

[@gloria12349]

Thanks for this video, learnt a lot from it. I'm starting out in VO and videos like yours are extremely helpful. Do you have anymore videos for beginner VO talent, I checked your page but couldn't find them. Thanks again!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Hey there. I don't just yet. I've spent the last two years working on a VO course and because of how long it was taking I took this year off social media to film all my course stuff (otherwise I would have been 90 before it was done hahaha). But it's almost finished, so as of next year I'll be back to churning out content like this. I've had a lot of requests for more voiceover tutorials, so I'll DEFINITELY be making more.

[@malpal8186]

thank you!!!!

[@andrewcrippsvo]

Oh, this was an AMAZING video too, btw. Really gave me some more confidence in my process. Thanks. Got a sub. 🙂

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

That's really wonderful to hear. Confidence makes all the difference in VO.

[@robertpiccinino5612]

This is video was so helpful :) thank you so much. Loved your demos.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're most welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@wisnog99]

Phenomenal advice!!!!! Thank you so much!!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're very welcome.

[@drakewilliams6323]

This is the exact video I’ve been looking for ! Thank you :D

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Glad it was useful! Can't wait to see what demos you come up with.

[@Wordamoufguy]

I can't tell if you're British or American from the adverts u did😂😂😂

[@EPlolz]

Thank you SO SO SO much for this.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're so welcome. Hope it helped.

[@domtom010]

Hey there! Thanks for posting this. Super helpful! I've been putting off working on my demo for some time, but watching this has given me a lot of info/ideas that I didn't have before and I'm excited to apply them. Definitely subbing to this channel! Do you have a video where you do a step-by-step breakdown of how to edit the audio @16:11 ?

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Hey. Glad it was useful! Once you get into the swing of working on demos things all start to come together. Sometimes the hardest bit is just getting started. I don't yet have a video about editing but I've had a few people ask so I'll try and get something together.

[@domtom010]

@@NatashaAranciniActor Cool! Looking forward to it!

[@susanthomas7585]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@jeanninesmith1284]

I wish you could show on the computer how you were doing this all

[@N1c2k3]

Good stuff, Tash. Thank you!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

No problemo. Hope it helped!

[@Shannon_Robbie]

Great info! How often do you redo your demo? I'm in the research phase and just bought a new laptop but I was wondering about this. If you get a job do you then add your new spot onto the demo or do you just keep the same demo and hope you keep getting new jobs?

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

It's hard to say. I redo them whenever I listen to them and think, 'oh dear, what was I doing.' It can range from every couple of months, to my current situation which is around a year. I don't necessarily redo all the spots but I'll redo certain reels or add different clips. I'll be redoing some of them soon because I know what I have isn't my best work and could more accurately reflect what is currently in demand. Now that I have very consistent work, I redo them less because what I have is clearly working to some extent, but when I first started I'd redo them more frequently because I was noticing improvements more consistently. I very rarely use actual jobs on my reels. Often you don't get the actual spots back after the client edits them. I find that by recording them myself I get more control over the scripts and the final edit, so I can make sure it's a very good fit for my voice and the current state of the market.

[@Shannon_Robbie]

@@NatashaAranciniActor Thanks for the info. I'm now stuck trying to find somewhere to record my audio that sounds decent. I only have 1 closet and it's small and has a lot of echo despite me leaving a lot of the clothes in there. Where do you record in your house or apartment?

[@xenothecatboi]

This is such useful information! Although I will admit my situation is pretty hard mode, considering I live in a trailer 😅. But never say never, right?

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Oof, a trailer. That may be dificult, but definitely not impossible. Depending on where you park it that is. I've seen people get pretty crafty with voiceover setups so I'm, sure you'll manage to come up with something genius.

[@reallygaze]

Thank you. This has been very helpful!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Glad it was useful! Hope you can put together an awesome demo.

[@BPchannel100]

Thank you!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're welcome :-)

[@zuhaatherainbowkitten]

Love this✨

[@lilpandanesegirl]

thank you I want to do anime and movie voice overs. :x

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

That sounds fabulous! I can't say I've done any anime, but I know of a few people who do. If it's something you love, go for it!

[@CaraHillVoiceoverArtist]

This was super helpful! Thank you so much! ❤

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Not a problem at all. Good to know it is helping people :-)

[@PaulMDiaz]

Excellent video!!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Thank you!

[@kyakka7748]

Tysm this helped me a lot

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're very welcome!

[@McMilesE]

Thanks!!!!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're very welcome

[@dustinshinn6830]

Great advice, and you’re gorgeous.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Thank you, and thank you

[@braedenblankenship7084]

hey what would video game voice act fall under the catagorys for when doing demo reals

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

A lot of people do a Video Game specific voice demo. So I'd just title mine something along the lines of 'Demo Reel - Video Games' or 'Demo Reel - Gaming.' Alternatively, because video games and animation can cross over, if you don't have a lot of character material yet, you could just do one Character or Gaming/Animation demo. Hope that helps!

[@andrewcrippsvo]

Where do i use DIY demos. Im uploading samples now to put together, but dont know where to use / send them. (Other than my own channel with 1 follower 😅)

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

There are so many places you can use them. If you're working on any pay to play sites, they will require demos (Voices.com, Voice123). You can give marketplaces a go (Fiverr, Upwork, etc). There are other sites that don't charge you to join that have a database of talet (Voquent, etc). If you find a voice agent (or multiple) they will ask for demos. There are a lot of companies that have their own roster of voice talent to show to their clients. I email people like this directly with some demos to try and get on their books. Over time, you'll find that people will seek you out as well from these online profiles and other work you've done.

[@PenanceisNigh]

Its so unfortunate that all the guides like this talk about starting in the closet, or blanket fort or whatever, and Im sitting here quite literally unable to even do the fort thing and I dont have a closet so Im just stuck in a loud box wishing I could isolate my voice.

[@dylanwalker7006]

Make a PVC frame, you can literally build the thing in a Home Depot or Lowe’s, etc. Then hang a moving blanket around the top with some shower rings!

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

I second the PVC frame comment. I had a similar situation when I started. My first apartment in the UK when I was starting had literally zero cupboards (except in the kitchen and I ovbiously couldn't use those). I made a cheap PVC frame and hung blankets on it. A blanket fort doesn't have to be in a wardrobe. I've even made them with an ironing board and a few chairs before.

[@jdrobinson3468]

How did you get rid of the Australian accent?

[@ourtvnews]

10:50 This video is awesome! Thanks. I also need the “Blanket Fort Box supplies list. That alone is the most valuable information I’ve seen in years. I’m trying to get back into the game, I’m a former broadcaster. Thanks Again. PEACE, ✌️😎 Frank J.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Glad it was helpful Frank! I'll see what I can do RE the blanket fort supplies list. Haven't done long form in a while but I guess it's time to give it another crack.

[@omegaalpha7709]

good luck sweetie

[@eyeofhorus99]

I’m going to try that green apple trick for the excess mucus.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Usually between that and making sure you're constantly sipping on water you should be good. Fingers crossed

[@cynamentl]

Wait, were you actually picked up by ChickFilA or is that just your reel?

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

I haven't watched this in a while. I think on my old reel I had a clip I'd written using them as the brand. Usually I don't use actual client work on my reels.

[@cynamentl]

@@NatashaAranciniActor ok cool, it sounded great! Thanks for all the tips, super helpful!

[@Mike0660]

You're an icon! Thanks for this video.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

An icon! Possibly the higest praise I've ever recieved. I'm really glad you found it useful.

[@splendidacademy201]

What's the cost for your voice over?

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

It depends on what is being recorded. Rates vary for everything. Even a 30 second commercial can be charged our differently depending on where it will be broadcast.

[@country_surf]

Those boths are around $3000 and up. I would rather make my own for about $600.

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

If you've got the capabilities, for sure make one. I only purchased this booth after I'd earned a lot of money in my blanket fort (which I built). It did occassionally fall down but it worked a treat. I think I got my blanket fort done for around $300 and most of that was the cost of the acoustic blankets.

[@eleanorensign5586]

Im trying to figure out how to move forward with no money or equiptment can u help me pl÷ase

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

Hey. Unfortunately, as with any new business, there is going to be an initial cost to get you started. The cost of getting into the voiceover world is training, equipment, and possibly memberships on some pay-to-play sites.

[@dragonfruitjaden]

Do you have advice for us Aussies to change our accent to eg American?

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

I think Aussies are a set ahead of most because we've grown up watching US shows on TV. I don't think I watched much Aussie TV at all, so we know what the US accent sounds like. You can find a lot of materials online to help (sites like www.dialectsarchive.com/united-states-of-america). I personally think an accent coach is a great investment and I always try to look for someone who is a native speaker of the accent you're trying to learn. But I usually get my accents to 90% by myself using online resources and audio, and then spend the money to pay for a coach. One of the books I like the most is: Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen by Paul Meier. It came with a lot of audio recordings and breaks a whole bunch of accents down into the basics so it's a good place to start.

[@dearreader9739]

I'm so sorry but I lost it at 8:04. I could care less what my partner looks like, but if they whispered this sweet nothing in my ear at night then you better believe we going to get some reeses and some kissing will be involved.

[@pinky2ne185]

Thank you so much 🩷🩷 it’s really helpful

[@NatashaAranciniActor]

You're most welcome :-) Glad it helped.