Your First Voice Over Demo Reel

A voice over demo is an important part of a voice actors portfolio. Get a free profile to host your demos on Voices - sign up now: go.voices.com/getstarted.
In most cases, it's the first impression on a client who's looking for someone with your skills. This is your 'calling card' or 'resume', so it's important that it represents your best and strongest work.
Categorizing your voice over demos properly and optimizing them for search engines is instrumental in ensuring that your demo reel will be heard by the right clients at the right time.
In this video, Evan walks through the key differences between demo reels and auditions, and he gives his best tips for creating your own successful portfolio of demo reels.
For the full article, visit - www.voices.com/help/beginners...
Table of Contents:
0:00 - Intro
0:29 - What Is A Voice Over Demo?
0:45 - Purpose of a Voice Over Demo
1:33 - How Long Should a Demo Be?
1:50 - What Should My Demo Include?
2:12 - Shorter Demos
2:59 - Broad Focus or Specific Focus?
3:23 - Wrap Up
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Voices is the world's #1 voice marketplace with over 2 million members. Since 2005, the biggest and most beloved brands have trusted Voices to help them find professionals to bring their projects to life.
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#voiceover #demo #demoreel

[@taine9968]

Okay. but my biggest question is... what do I record for my first demo? If I'm starting with zero content?

[@voices]

Glad you asked! We talked about this in our most recent video, check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYO1mI14Zt9smqM

[@TheNeoCubest]

KZbin is my job, so that means that talking is already my job; however I have always loved the thought of voice over work. I wonder how much my channel is a demo in and of itself. I started behind a mic (granted this was a headset mic from a cheap gaming headset) when I was 13 and am 22 now - I never stopped. I get told all the time how my voice is so easy to listen to and how people find my videos calming and relaxing (I assume from my voice). Thanks for the video!

[@voices]

That's awesome to hear! Glad you're counting your time on the mic as experience, that's so important. Best of luck -Randy

[@jackedkerouac4414]

You do have a good voice. It would def suit the 'casual' reads a lot of clients want these days

[@FluteVA]

This is really informative. I'm recording my first ever demo reel right now. Thank you for the advice.

[@voices]

Fantastic, that's awesome to hear. Best of luck with the recording! - Randy

[@AudioQuants]

Hey Flute, If you're looking for voice over castings for remote recording, subscribe to us for updates :)

[@FluteVA]

@@AudioQuants Sure, thank you so much^^

[@pphantomthievz]

Thank you so much for this!! I’m a young actor who’s hoping to get a career in voiceover in games/animation and you made this so easy to understand!

[@voices]

So glad that it was helpful!

[@aamir.voice-overs]

Best wishes for you😇

[@de4fg0at]

How's it going bro??

[@Dawjinc]

Very Very Helpful!! Thanks! I have been interested in Voice Acting for a while and this will help me get started.

[@talkingstraightwithnate]

This definitely gave me some insightful tips that make sense and will probably make things much easier for me. Thank you

[@voices]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MystralThunder]

Thank you for an actually helpful video! I've been trying to figure out how I make my first one, I saw stuff like "You need a headshot, a business card" and I didn't remotely understand how that was important for a single audio clip I was going to make. When you explained it the way you did though, I understood much better that it needs to be a sort of combination for all of them, which helped clear things up immensely. Not only that, you give advice in a clear and constructive way, and it was generally easy to process what you spoke, so thank you!

[@voices]

This is such great feedback. It's always nice hearing how these videos help people in different stages. You're totally right though, headshots and business cards have their place, but auditions on online platforms are how people are booking work these days. Good luck with the demos. Feel free to check out our blog for some more useful tips :) -Randy

[@FredMinville]

Thanks for the info , I recorded 13 auditions today on voices , looking forward to getting feedback. I’m up to 57 in three days ….hopefully I get one call back…

[@voices]

Wow! You're hustlin'. Great job and keep 'em coming.

[@creative_expressionproductions]

Hi Evan! I'm glad I found this channel! thanks for your input so far..

[@voices]

Thanks for watching!

[@stevietturnervoiceoverserv5381]

Thanks Evan, very useful and motivating video, cheers 👍

[@voices]

Thanks for watching!

[@PuffleFuzz]

I always act out scenes I make up in my head on the spot. I make up various characters, hear their lines in my head, then act out/say mine.

[@CodyCeniti]

Thank you

[@DrRekhasEduGrit]

Thanks for sharing this video. I am a KZbinr with content on education. Many of my subscribers tells me that i have a good voice. So i am going to try my first demo in voice over. ☺️

[@yungbio]

Thanks for this!

[@voices]

Our pleasure! - Randy

[@StarWarsRealTalk]

Super helpful, ty

[@voices]

Glad you found this helpful!

[@sayseriously]

Great speaker. Good video!

[@voices]

Glad you enjoyed it -Randy

[@xpansionteam1537]

Great video really appreciate it

[@voices]

Our pleasure!

[@Smitty-op4ld]

I remember the engineer at Ron Rose ruined my career 20 years ago, he talked able me to everyone and arranged my best work in the back of the CD. At that age I didn't know it, but now listening to it, it was golden, but only edited and arranged poorly. I was a voice over professional not a studio engineer. I ended up doing corporate voice over work later

[@freddyl777]

Thanks so much for this. My manager requested me to do a voice over demo, three that are minute long each.

[@voices]

You're very welcome! Best of luck with the recording.

[@stevelondoner985]

Hi all, very good videos and info, etc,..but.. i cant subscribe, as the link is missing on every video?! 😮 cheers, Steve. London. UK.

[@jamestoikka2580]

What kind of content can you use for a demo? Can it be any kind of voice over from any kind of media?

[@stevelondoner985]

Also, re the sound booth, and it being heavy with padding - moving blankets, rugs, mats, etc, ..how do we get 'air' in there, without noise sneaking in, to stop it turning into a sweatbox / sauna, please? Steve. UK

[@That_Ozian]

Question! If you're pulling selections from animation or audio drama, is it better to keep the ambiance from the finished product in or use the file with only your voice?

[@mainpage725]

Ideally only your voice.

[@hafzakhan9294]

Hi from Chicago here, I wld like to give audition fr background voice fr documentary films in English. Any centre available where I can directly go fr a trial?

[@gelaspiration1008]

Oh my, nice to see you, Evan. I've only been getting mails from you. Thanks for this.

[@Sean-ok6dy]

Question: when you start your career as a voice actor online, is it unprofessional to go by an alias or not? I see many people go by various names to stand out, and it makes me think should have one that makes me stand out as well? Or is it better to just go by your name in the long run? I apologize for the long question.

[@voices]

Great question! It's my understanding that you may use a pseudonym or alias for your profile, but for security reasons, your billing information (only visible to you) must be your legal name. That said, our statistics show that there is really no added benefit in having a flashy alias. If you check out our top 100 (www.voices.com/top100), the vast majority of them are using their own names. Hope this helps -Randy

[@Sean-ok6dy]

@@voices Thank you it does.

[@RustyRed17]

I’ve always been told by people that I should do voice over work. I’m a deep-voiced man that’s now considering a change of career from trades, to voice over work. I don’t have a studio at home, but I can record a demo at a nearby studio. My question is, can demo’s be advertising real products, or should I write my own? Also, are voice over artists expected to have a wide vocal range?

[@voices]

Hey Evan, great to hear from you. Having a professionally produced demo is a great idea, but it's important to consider that the vast majority of jobs booked online are booked through the auditioning process. Because of this, you'll need a way to record high quality audio from home so it's quick and scalable. You can accomplish this for $200-300 of equipment and a quiet space. I would recommend checking out our sample scripts to use for your demo. They are free of any copyright protections. As for styles, we find it's different for every actor. Some stay in their lane and then branch out later, some branch out to start and then find their niche. www.voices.com/blog/voice-over-sample-scripts/

[@zeldaandTwink]

can you go more into detail about what an actual demo sshould sound like? As in are there scripts i could read, should i add in sound effects, or filter my audio. how long should it be, and should i show one voice, or a range of voices? a monologue or a conversation?

[@voices]

Check out the demos on our website to hear different types of demos. As for the other details, Evan covered most of your question. You can also use our sample scripts if you need scripts for demos. www.voices.com/blog/voice-over-sample-scripts/ Hope this helps!

[@alexgalal4939]

for a voice-over demo, do you have to make your own script and audio completely off the top or do you take a recording that has already been made and practice on making a recording on that?

[@voices]

We recommend using royalty-free scripts to avoid any copyright infringement. You can find some sample scripts to use at www.voices.com/blog/voice-over-sample-scripts/ -Randy

[@MZeternally]

How are you supposed to know your strengths or find your strong parts in general when new?

[@voices]

We usually suggest a wider net to start until you find out what works really well for you. Most talent will start with Internet Video, Business, and Radio because they are quite prominent. Hope this helps -Randy

[@missmessy2]

To start, what recording Equipment should I have / use, Thankyou

[@voices]

Check out our video kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXrEfqiardN2kLcsi=8G5kophTDEATf_3J

[@Eresseariel]

I don’t get it what are we supposed to read and say ? A play, a random script ? Please help me guys I didn’t get it

[@voices]

Using Sample scripts is one way to do it! You can find some on our website here: www.voices.com/blog/category/writing/sample-scripts/

[@flaxyus996]

I am going to make my first homemade reel, and I still miss many things, so... Where should I take scripts? Like, despite copyright stuff, I can must take any script and voice it and put it in reel? Same about VA examples. Where do I find material if I didn't have a real VO job yet?

[@voices]

You can find scripts on our website www.voices.com/blog/voice-over-sample-scripts/

[@flaxyus996]

@@voices thank you!💖

[@lindokuhlesibongakonkerade7615]

Im a young student who wants their voice to be heard but I can afford the membership as my countries currency is very weak. So I kindly ask for any possible assistance 🙏

[@panda5596]

Yeah i upload my demo to voices. But no response. Please help 🙏🙏🙏

[@voices]

As a guest, a client may reach out if they like your demo. If you'd like to actively audition to jobs on the platform, you can upgrade to a Premium membership.

[@oblivious108]

I have a stupid question: Do the first two spots have to be EXACTLY 15 seconds or can there be a bit of leeway for about 2 seconds?

[@voices]

It doesn't have to be exact! But remember, you want to make an impression right away so we usually suggest using shorter spots.

[@oblivious108]

@@voices Thank you.

[@oliviastephenson5561]

Hi. I plan to do my first Voice Over Demo Reel, and have no issue doing both Female and Male voices. How would I incorporate this into my Reel?

[@voices]

Hey Olivia, we'd recommend doing them in separate reels. Because clients tend to search for one voice gender at a time, separating them would make sure you're getting the right reel in front of the client based on their search results. Hope this helps! -Randy

[@oliviastephenson5561]

@@voices Thank-you. I appreciate the response. And yea, that makes sense. I'll be sure to take that in mind.

[@brianfarr2292]

unbutton that top button, Evan

[@silverblue73]

Most KZbin content is some form of infomercial

[@shawonahammedfarhan2355]

Sir i am md mozahid rahoman i am a student i joined your voice website but i am having trouble to fill up profile can you help me pls pls