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How do you make a demo?

Find a place to record that's crisp and clear in it's quality. A voice
recording studio is best, by far, but I not everyone has access to a voiceover studio specifically. You can also record in a church if your sound system is current, or a music studio. Rates for the studio typically run $25 to 120 an hour, depending on the experience and equipment of the producer/owner. Look for a studio that's willing to prorate your time so you can spend as little as necessary.

What do you record?

This largely depends on where your strengths lie and what you're looking for in the way of voicework. Read small portions of non-fiction or fiction writing if you're aiming for audio book reading. If commercial work is what your aim, you can tear an ad out of a magazine and voice the written content, which typically turns out to
be :30 to :60 seconds of audio - the length of a typical radio or TV spot.
You can write your own mock script of a phone system touch tone service, a real estate tv show or anything else where voice talent is used.

The point is to show the diversity of your voice. Can you be authoritative?
Can you be friendly? Can you be aggressive and energetic for car commercials? Can you be compassionate and caring for the Feed the Children Fund? Can you read a script conversationally so that it doesn't sound as if you're reading? That last point is particularly paramount. There are many who have been in the voiceover and radio trades for years who still haven't mastered this very necessary talent. Put yourself in the consumer's shoes. Would you take the advice of an expert, a satisfied customer, or a guy who is clearly reading from a piece of paper? Your commercials and voiceovers in general have to connect with your listening audience or they become mindless background noise, which accomplishes little for the client paying you for voicework.

What comes next?

Once you record your demo, send it to voiceover agencies like Voices
Unlimited, On Time Talent, or Sunspots (which can be easily found online).
Send in your demo via CD or e-mail (.mp3 format) or by pointing an agent to your demos posted online at a site like MySpace.com. Be sure to send your demo
to agencies in the format they request. Some will no longer accept tapes,
and others aren't willing to receive them via e-mail. Also, be mindful to keep your demo to roughly 1 or 2 minutes. Regardless of format, most agents won't bother listening to more than a few minutes, and if you're emailing your demo

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