Should a Voiceover Artist have a Home Studio?

With so many voiceover artists working from home, it's little wonder that each studio set-up is as unique as their voice itself.

While the days of egg boxes stuck to walls for sound-proofing may well be over, improvising with a duvet hunched over a laptop is far from being frowned upon! 

It's not ideal, of course, but getting the right equipment and software is essential, but it doesn't have to cost the earth ... just make sure you get it right before getting started.

Mics are the stock-in-trade of a voiceover artist, of course, though be certain to get one which suits your voice - and it may not be that expensive.

If you live somewhere with low frequency noise, a good tip is to get a "High Pass Filter" on your recording system. This will massively reduce background noise and banish the rumble of underground trains and such like!

Flexibility, reliability and versatility are the three key attributes a voiceover artist must have to stand out from the crowd - and with a decent studio set up, too, you're guaranteed success!

Should a Voiceover Artist go to VOX?

"Take ownership of your voiceover job and don't put yourself down" was the wise advise of renowned US voice trainer Nancy Wolfson at last weekend's Vox near Derby.

This was just one of several nuggets of useful information during this event for professional voiceovers and the industry.

Sessions on social media, negotiating rates and character voices were well attended, as was James Cridland's entertaining lecture on The Future of Radio. 

Yes, it does have one ... he reassured us! Pop-Up radio stations is the current craze.

Langley Gerrard told voiceovers not to spend too much on equipment, make sure your home studio is properly sound-proofed and is properly set up.

Agree rates before starting a job was a further tip and many vos now have an availability/booking facility on their websites.

We glammed up for the evening meal and presentation for the Vox Awards. Check us out!

BigFish Media's Andrew and Ricky with Voiceover Talents Jill K and Clare at Vox 2015


The event saw us meet up with many of the agency's voice talent, so it was good to network and catch up on wider world of the humble voiceover artist.

What is a Voiceover Buyout?

Our voiceover team often hears the term "buyout". 

You may think you know what it means  - but does your understanding correspond with that of what your agent or client means? 

It can be confusing.

The most common reason we are presented with the term buyout is when a client doesn't know the TV Ratings (or TVRs) of a TV commercial. 

Instead of getting into TVRs and re-licencing the commercial if it is to be re-broadcast they want a buyout: a deal, a discount, a one-off payment for airing the TV commercial over a certain period.  

The other time we hear buyout is when a client wants the voiceover to be licenced for use on "all media worldwide." 

In perpetuity. Forever. Even for media that hasn't been invented yet. 

The most expensive aspect of "all media" is of course as a TV commercial. 

Do they really want to broadcast the, say, English voiceover in Japan or France? That's extremely unlikely and would lead to a substantial bill. 

It's worth clarification and discussion.