VO Weekly Workflow – Proper Care and Handling of the Voice Actor

The home voiceover studio can be quite a complex system. While the gear itself may be pretty straight forward, it has to function in the real world. That means real-world issues such as loud neighbors, idling delivery trucks, and emergency home plumbing issues can all directly affect its operation. Simply managing our momentum in order to create viable auditions and provide finished work to clients can be a challenge. It typically falls to us to deal with those unanticipated distractions, then attempt to regain our focus behind the mic.

Another significant struggle for any voice actor is that we tend to be our own worst boss. It’s easy to become that demanding, flippant manager we escaped (or may still put up with in our day job). Stress can often accompany the freedom of running your own business. What we are trying to do is build a long term healthy relationship with ourselves.

Sure, there are times when we need to have words with ourselves for showing up late or taking a few too many coffee breaks. However, in the long run it helps to realize that it can be challenging to manage oneself, and we’re going to get better with that task the more we do it. Though we’ll likely never get it 100% “right” all the time, creating a clear framework can establish a healthier working environment.

Separate the tasks

When working on a project, there are really two sides to the challenge: the creative moment behind the microphone, and the analytical review to determine what to fix or whether the performance is up to snuff.

While this can be tricky when space is limited, it can be helpful to physically divide those tasks physically into different areas. I’m lucky enough to work in a dedicated room with a separate booth. Physically stepping into the booth helps put me into voice actor mode, and focus on performance. When it’s time to evaluate the take, stepping back out to the desk lets me put on the Director hat, hopefully providing enough separation to truly hear what I did.

Even if I’m working entirely in the booth, the computer screen with the recording software is positioned out of my field of view. That lets me concentrate on the script rather than the engineering side of the process.

Book Time for yourself

In the crush to deliver audio and auditions, many business-necessary tasks end up on the “get to it later” list. That list compounds exponentially as we get busier, leading to burnout or increased stress. Ever lengthening to-do lists can overwhelm our strategic goals as we respond to deadlines, or cause us to reinforce bad performance habits as we crank out more audio. It’s easy to begin simply doing “what worked last time” rather than challenging our skills.

One way to prevent this is scheduling a Monday “audition review” session – taking 30 minutes to listen back to auditions from a couple weeks before. That can provide enough distance from the auditions that we can hear things with fresh ears. Another session to book with ourselves is a “Working On the Business” hour. Instead of responding to emails and putting out immediate fires, this is when we check in with our long-term goals and plans. Regular check-ins with this focus help to keep us on track.

The important task here is actually putting time with ourself into the calendar, blocking out specific times to handle those needs.  Otherwise, tasks tend to get pushed back and rolled over to a future time that is undefined and never arrives.

Trust your gear

There’s always going to be a new mic model, cool studio widget, or a faster computer. This is one place where having worked as a retail buyer, I should have more resistance to the ever-tempting appearance of new stuff. But, heck…I’m just as easily distracted by updated models, new versions, and limited editions as anyone else. While I do try to have a structure to keep me from just laterally replacing stuff, it’s always worth asking if the gear is actually what’s holding you back.

Maybe your microphone arm is constantly slipping, or your computer is randomly shutting down. Those are clearly things that should be addressed. However, when it’s working and not giving you any guff when recording and editing, trust that it was chosen well and doing what needs to be handled.

Would You Say That To A Client?

Finally, think about the language we too often use on ourselves. It’s surprising how brutal we can be. Inner monologues matter. Remember that you’ve invested time, effort, and focus to develop these skills and they are much improved from when we began. We can lose sight of how far we have come and see only our shortcomings.

Be nice to that voice actor. They are doing the best they can. And they will continue to improve.

Posted 3/24/26

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