Your voiceover demo is your most vital tool in starting and continuing your voiceover performing career.  Your voiceover demo (s) will change over the years as you grow and improve and accomplish a larger body of work in our business.

Be sure every demo you do reflects all the best you have to offer. And remember this: "A demo is NOT forever." Oh no, a voiceover demo should be updated every year to eighteen months, adding new voiceover jobs you've done, deleting portions on the old demo and replacing those with new approaches or voices (you are growing...we hope!). If your demo is "better than you are now," you are in REAL trouble! I hope your demo is not nearly as good as you are now that you've gained more experience and training. Therefore, it's easy to see why I believe a voiceover demo (or any sort of demo, for that matter) should be updated on a regular basis.

Some people say that a "beginner" should not make a demo. Oh yes, I've actually argued with people over this statement! I believe this is patently false.How can a beginner "begin" a career in voiceovers without a CD demo? It simply won't happen! Therefore, although the beginner's demo will be 'just that,' a beginner's demo...hopefully, that person will seek direction for the creation of that first demo from a pro, a teacher, a coach. Never ever spend money on a class that promises "a demo included." That demo will be terrible! Don't fall for that old pitch! The cost of a demo is built in, obviously, to the cost of the training. Nothing is ever free! Please heed this advice! And if a teacher is reading this, please stop doing this ... telling students the demo is "free with instruction." I believe that's false advertising and the oldest sales pitch in the world. It's akin to "going out of business" sales when the person never closes the shop, or a "farewell concert tour" when the entertainer has no intention of quitting!It cheapens the teacher, hurts the reputation, and hurts the student too.

The demo, beginner to advanced, reflects where that person is in his or her development at that time...just as old photos of all of us reflect how we looked at that time and place. We may look nothing like that now...hopefully we look better...sometimes worse...but the photo taken of you today reflects who you ARE today, just as the demo you make this year should reflect your voiceover expertise and talents at this time. And be sure you can reproduce what's on that demo when you're hired!

What is the cost of a CD voiceover demo? That is an unanswerable question! Every demo is an individual product that differs markedly from everyone else's demo. There probably is a "rough ballpark quote" a producer or studio can provide to a potential student/client, but a firm price quote would not be possible UNLESS that producer or studio has a "one price fits all" dollar figure. I do not approve of this method when charging for demo creation and production. A "one fixed price" tells me that some people are being charged TOO MUCH in that fixed price amount. Some demos cost less, some more, than others. With me, a demo price depends on its length and complexity. How many hours does it require me to spend working on the demo post production? How long did it take the client/student to announce all of the material in my recording studio (with my producing them at the microphone)? These are all billable hours. Every demo, and every person, differs from every other.

A CD voiceover demo cost can range from $550 to $2500 in my studio. In my consultation with a client/student we always discuss price ranges but only after we've settled on a format for the new demo. Will it be one track on the CD or two tracks or three or more? Recently, a client/student requested a four-track demo: A)Commercials; B) Narrations; C) Cartoon, Anime, Characters; D) Audio Book Narration. He has reasons for needing these four types of demos. Sometimes, he puts all four on one CD. At other times, for other uses, he separates the demos onto separate CDs. It works well for him. He's booking jobs and he's very pleased!

Some people need only one demo: A demo that shows a variety of voiceover approaches. This is a way to save dollars if a person must do so. I recommend, however, a two-track demo: A) Commercials; B) Narrations

Hope this helps...if you're interested in the creation of a new voicever CD demo, contact me to set up your consultation so that we can plan the demo and start rehearsing the material! I won't record the demo until you sound GREAT. That takes practice and that's up to you!

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Contents of Your  Demo:

Your commercial demo should contain the types of commercials that suit your voice, your abilities, your attitudes and even your age.  A spot about an acne cream should be voiced (obviously) by a young sounding voice, while a commercial about retirement or saving for it would not be believable coming from a voice that sounded about age sixteen! Your commercial demo should be a montage of short excerpts from scripts of various types. Make sure you show the people capable of hiring you that when they hear your demo they are going to hear the types of commercials being recorded today. Be sure you don't sound too "radio DJ" or "newscaster." Sound like a top commercial voice, the kind of voice heard on national TV spots that pay the big bucks. That's how you can start making more money! The copy pieces should come from your coach or producer (as much as possible) when he or she works with you to prepare you for the demo. Some of the copy pieces you may be able to find on your own.

Your Narration Demo also should be widely varied. You seek variety in subject matter, in length, in voice attitude, in voice pacing, in delivery. This is your coach's or producer's most important duty...to advise you and make sure the demo has a wide variety of cuts on it that show many sides of you and your vocal abilities. If something sounds the same as something else, get rid of one of those cuts. We're not going to want to hear that same voice over again. Once is enough!

Don't worry about "showcasing the copy." Sometimes, one of my students/clients will say, "oh do we have to cut the end of that spot off? The copy is so funny." I remind the person that we're not producing a copywriter's demo. This is a voiceover demo.

Hope this helps...