Ask The Voice Cat

Hi Voice Cat,

Shaunte M.

Y'know, Shaunte, I really don't know.

I would imagine that they're kinda like medication:

Works for some people, not for others. I think that when you're learning a skill, and training and practicing, you'd want and need feedback to tell you if you're on the right track. And a CD can't do that for you. In a voice-acting class, you'd have immediate feedback in the form of constructive criticism, one-on-one, from your instructor.

If a CD comes with a book you're interested in, well, consider it the icing on the cake. If it's solely a package of CDs, I'd ask around to hear if anyone felt that they got their money's worth. You might want to post this question on Voices.com to see if anyone else has had a good (or bad) experience with instructional CDs.

And let me know what the upshot is.

Good luck!

Sincerely,

Marc

MARC CASHMAN creates and produces copy and music advertising for radio and television. Winner of over 150 advertising awards, he also instructs voice acting of all levels through his classes, The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques in Los Angeles, CA.

Cashman Commercials © 2007

Hello Marc,

Marco

Wow Marco,

That's a question for a crystal ball, and I sure wish I had one. But I can tell you that there's no easy way to become a professional voice actor.

It takes training, practice, money, practice, dedication, practice, determination, practice and... did I mention practice?

Remember, voice acting, though it's an anonymous part of show business, is still show business. Therefore, it goes without saying, that the competition is fierce. You say your strong side is cartoon voices, but you have no voiceover experience. You need to know that the actors (and I do mean
actors) who are working in this field are consummate at improvisation.

They have scores of different characters in their voice bag of tricks. They're able to mix, match, meld and augment these voices instantly, upon a director's request. If this is the route you'd like to pursue, you should seek out a voice acting course that specializes in animation.

But since you don't have any real acting background, I suggest getting a solid foundation first in commercial voice acting, then branch out into a specialty field once you have confidence in your acting.

Sincerely,

Marc

MARC CASHMAN creates and produces copy and music advertising for radio and television. Winner of over 150 advertising awards, he also instructs voice acting of all levels through his classes, The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques in Los Angeles, CA.

Cashman Commercials © 2007