The Best Voice Over Tip? Forget the Mic!

Yes, I’m very serious! It may not make any sense to you right now (and it didn’t to me either), but bare with me, because my bookings almost doubled when I made this conscious decision!

It Doesn’t Seem Like a Problem at First!

You have a great voice and when you put on those headphones and step in front of the mic, you have a really great voice! You hear the richness of your voice and, if you have a deep voice, you hear that bass come out, which gives you that really cool radio sound! The problem is, hearing that incredible sound come out of you can affect the way you read copy. Why? You’re thinking about the mic! The mic literally has zero effect on your copy, but you do!

A Hard Solution, but Worth it!

Forget the mic is even there! Might seem impossible, but I’m going to give you something that might sound even more impossible. Get rid of the headphones. All they do is make you even more aware of the mic’s existence. If you’re focused on a mic, you’re not focused on a performance. 

Let’s talk LEGO for a minute…not the toy, the movie. The LEGO Movie that came out in February 2014 starred Will Ferrell who played the character, Lord Business. Without a doubt, Will Ferrell is a great actor, and just for a moment, I want you to put yourself in his shoes, standing in front of the microphone, voicing this great character. Do you think Will is thinking about the microphone, or about delivering his character’s lines the best they can be delivered? He is all about his character, which is probably why he is where he is.

A real voice actor is not thinking about the mic. All they’re thinking about are the lines they’re delivering. If it helps, try to get that microphone as much out of your line of sight as possible. The less you see of it, the less you’ll be thinking about it. And always remember what the late, great Don Lafontaine said. “The microphone doesn’t matter.” Forget the mic!

If you like, check out some of voice over demos.