Telephone Answering Service UK

So as to get any voice over work you, it is important that make a demo or showreel.  Voice over agents will judge you on what you sound like and appraise whether they can take you on or not.  It is in a number of ways your audio resume, or C.V.  
 
 But what are the voiceover agencies looking ( or listening ) for?  In essence, they need to hear what you sound like so they can classify your voice and see whether you've got the potential to make them, and you, money.  The technical quality must be good.  It should be brief and not go on for hours.  A good length for a voice reel would be around 3 or four minutes, but maybe even shorter.  Let's look at the sort of material you must record.  
 
 For voice-overs you have to ask yourself where voiceover artists are getting the work.  Radio and TV commercials spring to mind, as do trailers, but you have to also think about narration and the commercial or company sector.  Then there's IVR, or interactive voice recording, which is a second name for on-hold telephone messages.  All of these offer a rich seam of jobs for the voice actor.  But where do you find the scripts in the first place?  
 
 One inexpensive way is to scribble them yourself.  Sit yourself down in front of the television or radio and hear the massive range of tones and styles on offer : hard, medium and soft sell advertisements plus trails promoting programs and, in the United Kingdom and Europe, the ever present continuity press releases.  Map out several varied styles and products.  Then try writing your own.  Make it simple and avoid using real company names as these can date very quickly.  The agent listening might also think you have really recorded a commercial for that company, so it's best to make up your own names.  Consider writing a 30 second story excerpt and some words that would promote an enterprise or organisation.  
 
 do not forget to keep the scripts short ; 30 to fifty seconds each is ideal
 
 Now it is time to record.  You will need your personal computer, some software and a microphone.  USB mics can be particularly good, but always try and buy the absolute best you can afford, regardless of if that suggests 2nd hand.  There is lots of free software around, so hunt around the net for something that looks straightforward to download and use.  
 
 Place duvets or pillows round the microphone and this will deaden the ambient room noise, providing a far more professional recording environment.  
 
 When you record your words, always play the piece back.  Listen for technical quality and your performance ; are you too fast, too slow, lacking energy or over dramatising the read?  Learn how to trust your own ears.  Do not forget to include some variety ; an agent doesn't want to hear you doing the same style over again.  
 
 Check that you have a good range : commercials, narration and corporate material and once you are pleased with each of your tracks, burn them to a CD.  Make a straightforward covering letter and headline with your voice description,eg'young, fresh sounding female voice ; real British accent'.  
 
 Now you are prepared to send the material out to voice over agencies.  Do not be surprised if you get refusals as this goes with the territory, but perhaps if your demo is of a good enough quality and they like your voice you might be considered.