Voice Acting Resources Thread

[LotM]

I've noticed that voice acting in the modding community is very chaotic. With the arrival of Skyrim's Construction Kit, I'm hoping to see an influx of modders looking for voice actors. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to know who is looking for voice actors without simply going thread-by-thread. Oftentimes I get the impression that modders don't realize that there is a community of amatuer voice actors who would love to voice in their mods free of charge (myself included). Thus, I propose:

 

The Voice Acting Resources Thread

where modders can go to find voice actors, and voice actors can go to find mods to voice in. This should make it much easier for everyone involved.

If You're a Voice Actor:

Leave a post in this thread as an advertisement to modders that you are a capable voice actor looking for work.

 

Guidelines: If you are new to the world of voice acting, I strongly recommend you make sure you have considered the following:

 

-Not-for-Profit: Understand that this is amatuer work, and thus you shouldn't expect to be paid. If a modder specifically is offering compensation, that's well and good, but that is not the expectation.

-Microphones: You should have a microphone that is capable of recording with decent quality. "Decent" is a relative term in this case, but if you have high feedback or distorted sound, you should probably invest in a better microphone. This also includes proper microphone etiquette, such as not speaking to close the microphone and not creating pops and clicks with your speech.

-Understanding Audio Software: You'll need some sort of audio recording software, and you'll also need to know how to use it. Noise Removal is usually essential to produce professional-sounding recordings. If you're looking for freebies, I recommend Audacity. Take the time to look through the tutorials on things like the Noise Removal, Dynamic Range Compression, and Normalize functions.

-Nothing Extra: Edit out the bad takes and in-between space of your audition. Keep it quick and to the point. Adlibing might be alright if you feel it's appropriate, but dont' be excessive with it.

 

Take a look at this guide for more a detailed idea of the do's and don'ts.

 

What your post should consist of:

-Screenname: If you go by something other than your Nexus username.

-Examples of Your Work: People won't (and SHOULDN'T) simply take your word for it that you can voice act. You should include some examples of your work in your post, so modders have some idea of what they're working with. A Demo Reel is the ideal incarnation of this example.

-Conditions: Due credit is a given. Voice actors should always be credited for their work. There are other conditions, however, that you may want to list, such as whether or not you are willing to swear.

-Any Other Useful Information: Anything else that might be pertinent to someone looking for voices. Vocal range, accents, etc.

 

If You're a Modder:

 

Guidelines:

 

-Make Sure You're Going to Complete the Project: Nothing is more irksome than being cast in a project that never is released, or even worked on! Don't start looking for voice actors unless you're reasonably sure that you're willing and able to complete the mod. If something does go wrong and you have to cancel the project, it's not the end of the world, but at least make sure that you fully intend to carry through.

-Scouting vs. Auditions: If you simply want to browse the thread for voice actors and message them individually, that's perfectly fine. Otherwise, you should hold an audition.

 

Guidelines for Posting Auditions:

-Provide Adequate Information: Simply saying "Hey, if you want to voice in my mod, PM me!" isn't really enough to get prospective voice actors interested in your project. Remember that some voice actors don't have time to single you out, and so you'll lose out on potential voice talent if you don't give them enough information. Tell us about the mod your making or better yet link us to it. Also tell us what kind of voice you're looking for. If you've got a very specific idea of how you want the voice to sound, it may be a good idea to provide a reference and a link. For example, I might say that I want a voice that sounds like Gandalf, followed by a link to a youtube video of Gandalf speaking. Leaving it more vague can also be a good thing to if you're not sure exactly what you want. People may surprise you with the color of their own natural voices.

-Lines: Give auditioners some lines to read to you for the audition. Ideally, these should be lines of dialogue written for the mod itself. A lack of lines is discouraging to voice actors, and again, you may lose out on potential auditioners. It's much better if they don't have to guess what you want them to say.

-Deadline: I'd like to remind you that this is just my advice, but in my experience with both producing and auditioning for projects online, a deadline is always a good thing to have. Please do this! You'll be doing everyone a big favor. Tell us on what date you will stop looking for new auditions. If you take things on a first-come-first-serve basis, you are almost guaranteed to end up with a less-than-ideal voice. The first applicant is not necessarily the best one. Even if you've found someone you think is good, another even better voice actor may come along before the deadline ends. A deadline provides some stability in that voice actors don't have to worry that the role could be closing any minute, and thus allows them to take the time to produce a quality audition. About a week or longer is a good time-frame for auditions. You can always extend deadlines if you haven't found what you're looking for.

-Where to Send Them: Tell voice actors how to send you auditions! Email, Skype, Youtube, etc. I'd prefer if we didn't have people posting auditions publicly in the thread. One, because it will greatly reduce clutter, and two, because it doesn't leave any pathway for "why did he get the part, his audition wasn't as good as mine!".

 

As an additional note, there are websites such as this one dedicated to amateur voice acting. You can post an audition thread and you're sure to get some response.

 

Once you submit either an audition or voice actor information to this thread (providing it has enough relevant information), I will add your name and link your post to the post below.

Edited February 12, 2012 by LotM

[LotM]

Voice Actor Database:

 

LordoftheMorning

LogicCore

Jay

firecircle2002

Giramor

 

 

Ongoing Auditions:

 

Call of Hircine

kristakahashi

Edited March 6, 2012 by LotM

[LotM]

I'll start off the voice actor's information submission.

 

Hi, I'm known as LordoftheMorning in the amateur voice acting community. I've been voice acting for about three years now, and I'd love to get my voice into some Skyrim mods!

 

Here's my current demo reel:

Vocal Range: Mid-low to Mid-high

 

Accents:

British

Scottish

Brooklyn

Russian

Southern

Indian

Edited February 13, 2012 by LotM

[danatoth666]

I'll start off the voice actor's information submission.

 

Hi, I'm known as LordoftheMorning in the amateur voice acting community. I've been voice acting for about three years now, and I'd love to get my voice into some Skyrim mods!

 

Here's my current demo reel:

 

Vocal Range: Mid-low to Mid-high

 

Accents:

British

Scottish

Brooklyn

Russian

Southern

Indian

 

Great work man =)

[LogicCore]

Hello, I'm known as LogicCore. While I have no professional voice-acting credits to my name I have lent my voice to a few friend-made indie games in the past. I'd love to offer my voice to the Modding Community here and maybe get a little exposure for it. ^_^

 

Demo-reel: Currently under construction.

 

Vocal Range: Mid-Low to Mid-High

 

Accents:

American

- New Yorker

- New England

- Boston

- Midwest

- Minnesotan

- Southern

- Creole

- Native American / Inuit (Eskimo)

- Californian (Surfer)

- Hawaiian (Samoan)

Europian

- French

- Italian

- German

- Russian

- British

- Irish / Scottish

 

Character Voices

- Gollum (Lord of the Rings)

- SpongeBob Squarepants

- Shaggy (Scooby Doo)

- Scooby Doo

- Hank Hill (King of the Hill)

- Dale Gribble (King of the Hill)

- Batman (Batman the Animated Series / Arkham Asylum / Arkham City)

- Joker (Batman the Animated Series / Arkham Asylum / Arkham City)

- Nathan Explosion (Metalocalypse / Dethklok)

- William Murderface (Metalocalypse / Dethklok)

- Skwisgar Skwigelf (Metalocalypse / Dethklok)

- Toki Wartooth (Metalocalypse / Dethklok)

- Pickles (Metalocalypse / Dethklok)

- Kermit the Frog

- Ernie (Sesame Street)

- Bert (Sesame Street)

- Grover (Sesame Street)

- The Monarch (Venture Brothers)

- Number 22 (Venture Brothers)

- Number 24 (Venture Brothers)

- Hank Venture (Venture Brothers)

- Dean Venture (Venture Brothers)

- Dr. Girlfriend / Dr. Mrs. The Monarch (Venture Brothers)

- Dr. Orpheus (Venture Brothers)

- Peter Griffin (Family Guy)

- Glen Quagmire (Family Guy)

- Chris Griffin (Family Guy)

- Meatwad (Aquateen Hunger Force)

- Ignot (Aquateen Hunger Force)

- Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)

- Marge Simpson (The Simpsons)

- Montgomery Burns (The Simpsons)

- Professor Frink (The Simpson)

... many, many more.

 

 

I use and am proficient in the use of Audacity for recording / editing.

Edited February 13, 2012 by LogicCore

[alividlife]

Hey LotM... I think a good/possible joint collaboration with TES Alliance's Voice Actor Guild

 

Many of the donations there are dated to Oblivion days. But I thought it would be worth mentioning.

I hope I am not stepping on any toes as I do not represent that epic site or it's facilitators.

Edited February 13, 2012 by alividlife

[TheElderInfinity]

In the near future, Call of Hircine will be in need of a handful of voice actors of both sexes to voice generic (Untransformed) werewolves and werewolf Hunters!

 

Understand that we've received an enormous amount of voice acting offers since this project's inception, some of which were from people with studio quality mics, we'll most likely be PM most of them back. At most, this phase of the project will require fouir voice actors with a decent enough vocal range to convincingly voice members of several of the sentient races, and it could conceivably be done with just two or so VAs with very good vocal ranges, therefore spots may be limited.

 

We are prioritizing recording quality; Even an professional voice actor sounds underwhelming, and most importantly unprofessional in recordings that are not of exceptional quality. Note that I said recording quality, not mic quality, which is more of a cap on the quality of a recording than it is synonymous with it. Avoiding breathing, bowing, or otherwise unintentionally disturbing a mic is an important skill.

 

It may also be necessary for prospective voice actors to have or convuncingly imitate several of the accents or speech inflections found in Skyrim, though that's not extremely important, considering how many characters in Skyrim have American accents where they don't fit, really really fake Nordic accents in some places, ecetra.

 

Prospective VAs should PM me here on the Nexus forums, while a voice acting sample is unnecessary, it's certainly helpful., and we expect that VAs who haven't done so previously to provide a description of their voice.

 

 

Recordings will probably begin as soon as the voice actors are cast and the script for this phase is finalized.

 

Finally, while there are only a few opportunities for Voice acting in this phase of the project, there will be many more once this project enters its second phase, which will probably be some time in March or late Feburary.

 

 

 

In advance, I and my collegues look forward to working with you.

 

- TheElderInfinity on behalf of the Call of Hircine team.

Edited February 13, 2012 by TheElderInfinity

[LotM]

Thanks for your participation guys! I'll be updating info as soon as Nexus Forums decides to let me. :wallbash:

[Jay33721]

Hi! I've always been known as Jay33721. I haven't had much voice acting experience, but I have some informal training and I have done a couple of voices around the modding community.

 

Demo Reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhiNUO_dr0M

 

In the above video, I did Sadrin, Dar'Rakki, Orondil and Fjona's Familiar.

 

Also, I sing: http://soundcloud.com/jay-rossouw/jay-i-dont-want-to-set-the

http://soundcloud.com/jay-rossouw/jay-love-the-way-you-lie

http://soundcloud.com/jay-rossouw/jay-butterfly-fly-away

 

Voice Range: Mid-to-High

 

Accents:

American

British

Indian

Scottish

Russian

Khajiit

Italian

 

I use Audacity for all my recording and editing needs, and I am fairly good at it. For example, Fjona's Familiar's ghost voice effect was done by me.

Edited March 4, 2012 by Jay33721

[LotM]

Alright, we're cooking with gas now! Finally was able to update the OP. I'm going to keep scouring the nexus trying to collect voice actors. If you guys can help me grow this thread, we'll be doing a great service for the modding community!