VC Radio
Voice Coaches Radio Episode 726 ” You Don’t Have To Sound Like Anyone Else”
John: [00:00:00] All right, here we are. I'm John.
Tina: And I'm Tina.
John: And it's Voice Coaches Radio. Voice Coaches Radio. We almost did it. We almost. Oh,
Tina: it's just me. Almost
John: did it that time. Yeah, there we go. Uh, and what's the... Uh, w- the episode today is, uh, 'cause, uh... And by the way, this is one that we need because I hear this from people, but, um, you don't...
Here's the episode title: You Don't Need To Sound Like Anyone Else.
Tina: Absolutely not, no.
John: Stop comparing yourself to other people. Oh, I know. That's first off, right? Damn. But also- I think people get wrapped up in like, "Oh, Morgan Freeman has such a good voice."
Tina: Yeah. Yeah.
John: Yeah, he does have a good voice.
Tina: Oh, he does.
Yeah. Absolutely. But
John: you don't have to sound like Morgan Freeman.
Tina: No. No
John: way. Again, we've said this before in other episodes- Mm-hmm ... and we've said it many times, and we'll say it many times after this, y- sound like you. Yeah.
Tina: Yeah. You
John: don't have to sound ... We're looking for real people.
Tina: No, absolutely. They really, really are.
And I will go back to, um, listen to [00:01:00] commercials, right? Listen to your local radio station- Yeah ... and listen to all those different voices, uh, that, that no one is the same. Absolutely no one's the same. Everyone's unique. Yeah. And
John: just because you don't have a, a voice like Morgan Freeman- Yeah ... Donald Fontene from the past- Mm-hmm
"In a world," right?
Tina: Yeah. Yep ...
John: that doesn't mean you can't become the voice of something. Mm-mm. Because a lot of places, like y- your local grocery store- Mm-hmm ... could want a person that sounds like everybody else, and y- the reason why is they identify with you in that way.
Tina: Mm-hmm. Yes.
John: Right?
Tina: Yeah.
John: I actually think, in my opinion at least, and obviously the industry's opinion at this point- Mm-hmm
I think when you sound like a normal person-
Tina: Yeah ...
John: uh, you have more appeal than those other voices, because you can't relate... N- most people cannot relate to, "In a world."
Tina: Oh, absolutely not. There's, yeah. They, they're not relating
John: to that. No one's like, "Oh, that sounds like me."
Tina: Yeah.
John: Right?
Tina: There's not that
John: many.
There are people out there like that, but-
Tina: Yeah ...
John: very few.
Tina: Very few that have that very, very deep, you know, voice that-
John: And if you sound like that- Mm-hmm ... you should utilize that as well. I'm not saying [00:02:00] that. Mm-hmm. Absolutely utilize that and, and embrace that as well. Yeah. But, m- um, really we're looking for real people.
Yeah. Most of the voiceover work these days- Mm-hmm ... is, uh, conversational. Human connection. Yeah. It really is what it is, human connection. Yeah.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Right? People wanna feel like, "Oh, yeah, she's just like me."
Tina: Yeah, she just like ... That's exactly it. They, uh, because there are so many variety of voices. I even have, like, um, older people who have, um, younger voices.
They sound ... I mean, they could be in their 40s, but they have, like a, um, a little kid voice, right? Yeah. And, and they always, they question. They question constantly, "I don't know if I should be doing this. I know my voice different." Yes, your voice is different, 'cause everybody's voice is different. So there is work for you, whether you do sound younger or older- Yeah
or in between, where there's so many different types of voices out there.
John: Embrace your age, right? Yes. It's funny that you say that. You know, one of the things that happens during my intro webinars, I let, I have people, [00:03:00] um, afterwards who want to- Mm-hmm ... I have them read for me, right? And again, if you wanna do my intro webinar, go to our website, uh, use pod, P-O-D- Mm-hmm
get 50% off. But anyway, I, I, I tell people, "Hey, if you'd like to, you can read to me one on one- Yeah ... a- afterwards." And, um- I have people who think I'm guessing their age, and I try to say to them- Oh, yeah ... 'cause most, first thing I'll do is I always think of my age range first. And I say, "This isn't a carnival trick."
Tina: Yeah. "
John: I'm not guessing how old you are." It's not like where- Yeah ... the people goes, "Let me guess your weight," which is like the worst- Yeah. Oh ... thing ever, by the way. Like, thanks. I'm not doing that. But, um, th- they think I'm guessing their age. Mm-hmm. I'm like, "I'm not guessing your age." No. "I'm telling you the age range of your voice.
This is what I hear." And by the way, another producer- Mm-hmm ... could differ slightly, but I would guess it's gonna be similar to mine, but-
Tina: Yeah ...
John: it could differ slightly.
Tina: Mm-hmm.
John: Like, I could say like, "Hey, you sound 35 to 50," and someone could say, "You sound 35 to 55," right?
Tina: Yeah.
John: But I guarantee it's gonna be similar.
Like, if I, if ... And I've had people laugh. They go, "I'm 60." That's awesome. I
Tina: get that all the time, yeah. By the way, that's awesome. If you, if you sound 35 years old- Mm-hmm ... 35 to 50, and you're 60, that's awesome. It, it means you have a big age[00:04:00]
John: range in your voice-
Tina: Yes ...
John: and you've taken care of your voice most likely. Mm-hmm. So, um- Yeah, to, listen, age range of your voice is what we're looking at, what we're
Tina: listening for. Yeah, we're not, we're
John: not
Tina: looking at your age We're not, we're not trying to guess your age or anything like that, yeah. No, no, absolutely not.
We're just, we are just listening to your voice.
John: And yeah, and again, we're doing that based on the fact that we're, "Hey, we're, we're listening to you as a real person."
Tina: Mm-hmm. "
John: Hey, w- if, if I heard this voice, how old would I think this person is?"
Tina: Yeah.
John: That's what we're doing. And that can influence your age range.
It will influence, uh, what ages you- Mm-hmm ... you play, right? You know, it doesn't matter what your real age is. Like, people go, "Well, I'm 60." Cool.
Tina: Yeah.
John: That's great. Do you want to be just 60? Mm-hmm. I mean, wouldn't you rather be 35 to 50, 35 to 55? Yeah. When you have a 20-year age range. And by the way, if you're, if, if you can sound, if you sound 55, then you can probably sound 60.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Right? So now it's 35 to 60. You know, you could sound, but-
Tina: Yeah ...
John: but, uh, being able to play way younger is a real advantage- Mm-hmm ... um, having a big [00:05:00] age range. Now, saying that-
Tina: Mm-hmm ...
John: it doesn't mean that if, 'cause listen, I, I have met many voice actors who are 70 years old who sound every day of 70.
Tina: Yes.
John: And there's nothing wrong with that either- Yes, nothing wrong with it ... because there is plenty of work out there for people who are 70 years old.
Tina: There
John: is, yeah. So even if you don't have a huge age range, there's still gonna be work for you. But obviously, having a big age range makes more- Mm-hmm ... work available for you age-wise.
Tina: Yeah. But don't let it stop you. Even if, even if we said to you, "You only a 10-year age range," does not matter. That doesn't, we still ... You know, if we, we, we listen to your voice, and we, we set you in that right direction of saying, "Okay, I can hear your voice doing this," you know? And so we kind set you towards, you know, and say, "Hey, this, your voice fits, you know- Mm-hmm
reading this, this story, you know, reading this type of book, reading this, uh, um, biographical read," something like that, you know? So- And it, and- We listen to it.
John: That's it ... and that's what's great about working with a voice coach, like us- Mm-hmm ... but with a voice coach, is that they're not trying to turn you into anyone else.
No. Again, this is where we go back to you don't need to [00:06:00] sound like anybody else.
Tina: Nope.
John: When, when you work with a voice coach one-on-one, which is the way I prefer, right? Mm-hmm. When you work with a voice coach one-on-one, they're basing all their decisions or all their suggestions on your voice.
Tina: Just your voice.
Nobody else's voice. That's right.
John: Yeah. They're not going- Nope ... "Oh, well, if I can get this person to sound like Sigourney Reeve- Weaver-"
Tina: Yeah ...
John: uh, then they're ... No, we're not doing that. We're going, "Okay." No. "Here's a ..." In our minds, we're going, "Okay, here's what she sounds like."
Tina: Mm-hmm. "
John: And here's what I think she'd be great doing."
Tina: Yes. Yes. And- I do that a lot ...
John: that's one of the best- Yep ... and a- another reason, by the way- Mm-hmm ... to work with a voice coach. I mean- Yeah ... you know, again, you want someone who's hearing you for you. They're not, "I'm magic." 'Cause listen, y- this is why I tell people- It's hard to get into this just on your own, using your own judgment.
Mm-hmm. Because you, you have these perceptions of what voice actors are supposed to sound like. Yeah. You have a perception of what you think you should do or what- Mm-hmm ... you think you should sound like. When, when a voice coach doesn't do that, a good voice coach doesn't do that. Mm-hmm. A good voice coach is gonna hear you, and they're gonna base [00:07:00] all their suggestions, all their coaching- Mm-hmm
on your voice specifically.
Tina: Yes, absolutely. And, and that's what I tell students, especially in the, the first class when we're doing the evaluation and, and just going through and listening. I tell them that, "I'm really just listening to your voice. That's it. I'm listening to your voice. I wanna hear where..."
'Cause at the end I will say, "Okay, uh, I've listened to your voice. We do all those different exercises. This is, this is the direction right now what I'm hearing." Yeah. Right? This is right now. Now, in the next class, we'll listen, we'll do a different types of read, then that, that will help me more decide, okay, where else do I hear your voice, you know?
'Cause we are just listening to your voice, nobody else's.
John: Right.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Right. And, and that's why, um, you know- Your, your demo will sound different from anyone else's.
Tina: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Right? No two are the same. It, n- n-
John: no two- Yeah ... are the same. Yeah. And so, and even, even, like, if I have someone read a piece that maybe I've heard before or I've heard someone- Mm-hmm
[00:08:00] like read before, even that doesn't matter because I'm not even gonna put the same elements to it. No. Yeah. Like, you're gonna read it completely different, and your voice is completely different. So when I think of like, "Okay, what kind of production element should I put to this?" Mm-hmm. I'm not doing the same thing.
I'm going, "Okay-
Tina: No, I have to do something different ... this
John: person sounds like this." Yeah, yeah. This person, you know. So it's, it's, uh, embrace it.
Tina: Mm-hmm. Yes.
John: Don't ever start comparing yourself. And, and forget famous voice actors. Don't compare yourself to other people getting into voiceovers either. Mm-hmm. I think that's something that some people do too.
You're gonna be different. Don't ... You're gonna do- Oh, yes ... completely different things. Mm-hmm. But people go, "I heard that guy's voice, and boy, he sounded amazing." Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Like, when I do live, every once in a while I'll do, like, like a live- Mm-hmm ... voiceover workshop, and people get scared off by other people.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Everyone in here, I've, I've had someone actually say that, "Everyone in here has such a great voice. I don't think I fit in with this." Oh, yeah. It's like, what are you talking about? Why ... You're here because someone told you you had a good voice. Mm-hmm. Most likely something like that. Yeah. And you do have a good voice.
It's just not the same as that person. Oh, boy. And I said, "By the way, that person's thinking the same thing [00:09:00] about you."
Tina: Yeah,
John: absolutely. That person's hearing you read and go, "Oh, boy, I, that person has a great voice." I think we're, we're so in our, in, in ourselves with that. Mm-hmm. You know, we love to self-criticize, and, and we love to
When I say love, I don't think it's positive. Uh, I just think it's something we do. It's a, it's a bad habit- Yeah ... where we criticize ourselves. Mm-hmm. And we don't have enough confidence.
Tina: Yes.
John: Confidence is a big thing in this. And, and I know it's tough, but have confidence in your unique voice.
Tina: In what you can do.
Yeah. In
John: what you could- Mm-hmm ... yeah, and, and in what you're gonna learn to do with that, with that voice.
Tina: Yeah.
John: And have confidence in yourself. Don't, don't ever look outside and go, "I need to be like that, I need to be like that." Mm-hmm. And I think it's tough these days with social media and all that because-
Tina: Oh, it is.
It's, it- ... it's
John: in not every aspect- Mm-hmm ... not just voiceovers, but, you know, you see s- these- For
Tina: everything. Yeah ... you
John: see fitness people. You're like, "I need to look like that." Yeah. You're not gonna look like that.
Tina: No.
John: You're not gonna look like that.
Tina: Because you're not them. You're
John: not
Tina: them. You're gonna ... You can work out and look completely different- Right
because it's your body. Right. And it's you. Same with your voice. It's your voice. Same thing. Nobody's the same.
John: And I know it's hard these days. I get it. It's hard to get [00:10:00] r- it's hard not to get wrapped up in- Mm-hmm ... all the things around you, all the social media, all the, all the media in general. Mm-hmm.
Tina: Yeah.
John: But my advice is, um, just focus on yourself.
Tina: Yeah. Just be yourself. You are
John: gonna ... You're, you're gonna sound great. And your voice. Again, get that coaching. Listen to your coach. Your coach has your best interests- Mm-hmm ... at heart-
Tina: Yes ...
John: if you have the right coach, and that coach should, is, and, and they will.
That coach will, uh- Totally li- it's listening to your voice. Mm-hmm. Everything they say, everything they suggest, all the direction they give you is based on you.
Tina: And just listening. For us, listening to your voice. Yep.
John: And it's u- yes- Yeah ... unique to you. They're not telling you something they told someone else an hour ago- No,
Tina: absolutely not
John: or two days ago. No.
Tina: Yeah.
John: No. They're listening to your voice, and they're basing everything they say on you. Mm-hmm. Which is super cool.
Tina: Yeah. One
John: of the great things about this, right? Is
Tina: like- It is. It's absolutely ...
John: everyone's unique.
Tina: Yes.
John: Right?
Tina: Completely.
John: All right. So that is our episode, which is- Don't try to sound like someone else.
Yeah. Why something like that. That's Well, a- again, I, I make the... Why do I make these... I'm trying,
Tina: you
John: know. I don't know. I w- You don't need to sound like anyone else. There you go. I need
Tina: them to be [00:11:00] easy. You
John: don't need to sound like anyone else. That is the episode. All
Tina: right. That's it.
John: Yeah. I, okay, so I wanna thank everybody again.
Thank everyone for listening. I hope you're learning from our, our, our experience here- Mm-hmm ... and enjoying the podcast. And how,
Tina: yes.
John: Uh, but again, I'm John G at voicecoaches.com.
Tina: And I'm Tina at voicecoaches.com.
John: Any questions, any comments, please reach out to either one of us. Yes. And don't be shy. We, we get emails here and there, but not as many as I would like.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Not as many as I
Tina: would like. They will come in. They'll start coming in.
John: S- and, and we respond ourselves. Yes. We don't have a team of people responding.
Tina: No, I don't have anybody responding for me.
John: I don't know why do people think that. I, I had someone say that, that they thought we- Oh, yeah ... "Oh, you actually respond yourself?"
Yeah. Yes. Yes.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Email me, I will respond. Mm-hmm. Okay? And, um, all right, so thank you. Have a wonderful whenever you're listening to this.
Tina: Yeah. Day, night, morning.
John: Afternoon, evening, yeah.
Tina: Full 24 hours.
John: There you go. All right, we out.
Tina: And I'm Tina.
John: And it's Voice Coaches Radio. Voice Coaches Radio. We almost did it. We almost. Oh,
Tina: it's just me. Almost
John: did it that time. Yeah, there we go. Uh, and what's the... Uh, w- the episode today is, uh, 'cause, uh... And by the way, this is one that we need because I hear this from people, but, um, you don't...
Here's the episode title: You Don't Need To Sound Like Anyone Else.
Tina: Absolutely not, no.
John: Stop comparing yourself to other people. Oh, I know. That's first off, right? Damn. But also- I think people get wrapped up in like, "Oh, Morgan Freeman has such a good voice."
Tina: Yeah. Yeah.
John: Yeah, he does have a good voice.
Tina: Oh, he does.
Yeah. Absolutely. But
John: you don't have to sound like Morgan Freeman.
Tina: No. No
John: way. Again, we've said this before in other episodes- Mm-hmm ... and we've said it many times, and we'll say it many times after this, y- sound like you. Yeah.
Tina: Yeah. You
John: don't have to sound ... We're looking for real people.
Tina: No, absolutely. They really, really are.
And I will go back to, um, listen to [00:01:00] commercials, right? Listen to your local radio station- Yeah ... and listen to all those different voices, uh, that, that no one is the same. Absolutely no one's the same. Everyone's unique. Yeah. And
John: just because you don't have a, a voice like Morgan Freeman- Yeah ... Donald Fontene from the past- Mm-hmm
"In a world," right?
Tina: Yeah. Yep ...
John: that doesn't mean you can't become the voice of something. Mm-mm. Because a lot of places, like y- your local grocery store- Mm-hmm ... could want a person that sounds like everybody else, and y- the reason why is they identify with you in that way.
Tina: Mm-hmm. Yes.
John: Right?
Tina: Yeah.
John: I actually think, in my opinion at least, and obviously the industry's opinion at this point- Mm-hmm
I think when you sound like a normal person-
Tina: Yeah ...
John: uh, you have more appeal than those other voices, because you can't relate... N- most people cannot relate to, "In a world."
Tina: Oh, absolutely not. There's, yeah. They, they're not relating
John: to that. No one's like, "Oh, that sounds like me."
Tina: Yeah.
John: Right?
Tina: There's not that
John: many.
There are people out there like that, but-
Tina: Yeah ...
John: very few.
Tina: Very few that have that very, very deep, you know, voice that-
John: And if you sound like that- Mm-hmm ... you should utilize that as well. I'm not saying [00:02:00] that. Mm-hmm. Absolutely utilize that and, and embrace that as well. Yeah. But, m- um, really we're looking for real people.
Yeah. Most of the voiceover work these days- Mm-hmm ... is, uh, conversational. Human connection. Yeah. It really is what it is, human connection. Yeah.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Right? People wanna feel like, "Oh, yeah, she's just like me."
Tina: Yeah, she just like ... That's exactly it. They, uh, because there are so many variety of voices. I even have, like, um, older people who have, um, younger voices.
They sound ... I mean, they could be in their 40s, but they have, like a, um, a little kid voice, right? Yeah. And, and they always, they question. They question constantly, "I don't know if I should be doing this. I know my voice different." Yes, your voice is different, 'cause everybody's voice is different. So there is work for you, whether you do sound younger or older- Yeah
or in between, where there's so many different types of voices out there.
John: Embrace your age, right? Yes. It's funny that you say that. You know, one of the things that happens during my intro webinars, I let, I have people, [00:03:00] um, afterwards who want to- Mm-hmm ... I have them read for me, right? And again, if you wanna do my intro webinar, go to our website, uh, use pod, P-O-D- Mm-hmm
get 50% off. But anyway, I, I, I tell people, "Hey, if you'd like to, you can read to me one on one- Yeah ... a- afterwards." And, um- I have people who think I'm guessing their age, and I try to say to them- Oh, yeah ... 'cause most, first thing I'll do is I always think of my age range first. And I say, "This isn't a carnival trick."
Tina: Yeah. "
John: I'm not guessing how old you are." It's not like where- Yeah ... the people goes, "Let me guess your weight," which is like the worst- Yeah. Oh ... thing ever, by the way. Like, thanks. I'm not doing that. But, um, th- they think I'm guessing their age. Mm-hmm. I'm like, "I'm not guessing your age." No. "I'm telling you the age range of your voice.
This is what I hear." And by the way, another producer- Mm-hmm ... could differ slightly, but I would guess it's gonna be similar to mine, but-
Tina: Yeah ...
John: it could differ slightly.
Tina: Mm-hmm.
John: Like, I could say like, "Hey, you sound 35 to 50," and someone could say, "You sound 35 to 55," right?
Tina: Yeah.
John: But I guarantee it's gonna be similar.
Like, if I, if ... And I've had people laugh. They go, "I'm 60." That's awesome. I
Tina: get that all the time, yeah. By the way, that's awesome. If you, if you sound 35 years old- Mm-hmm ... 35 to 50, and you're 60, that's awesome. It, it means you have a big age[00:04:00]
John: range in your voice-
Tina: Yes ...
John: and you've taken care of your voice most likely. Mm-hmm. So, um- Yeah, to, listen, age range of your voice is what we're looking at, what we're
Tina: listening for. Yeah, we're not, we're
John: not
Tina: looking at your age We're not, we're not trying to guess your age or anything like that, yeah. No, no, absolutely not.
We're just, we are just listening to your voice.
John: And yeah, and again, we're doing that based on the fact that we're, "Hey, we're, we're listening to you as a real person."
Tina: Mm-hmm. "
John: Hey, w- if, if I heard this voice, how old would I think this person is?"
Tina: Yeah.
John: That's what we're doing. And that can influence your age range.
It will influence, uh, what ages you- Mm-hmm ... you play, right? You know, it doesn't matter what your real age is. Like, people go, "Well, I'm 60." Cool.
Tina: Yeah.
John: That's great. Do you want to be just 60? Mm-hmm. I mean, wouldn't you rather be 35 to 50, 35 to 55? Yeah. When you have a 20-year age range. And by the way, if you're, if, if you can sound, if you sound 55, then you can probably sound 60.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Right? So now it's 35 to 60. You know, you could sound, but-
Tina: Yeah ...
John: but, uh, being able to play way younger is a real advantage- Mm-hmm ... um, having a big [00:05:00] age range. Now, saying that-
Tina: Mm-hmm ...
John: it doesn't mean that if, 'cause listen, I, I have met many voice actors who are 70 years old who sound every day of 70.
Tina: Yes.
John: And there's nothing wrong with that either- Yes, nothing wrong with it ... because there is plenty of work out there for people who are 70 years old.
Tina: There
John: is, yeah. So even if you don't have a huge age range, there's still gonna be work for you. But obviously, having a big age range makes more- Mm-hmm ... work available for you age-wise.
Tina: Yeah. But don't let it stop you. Even if, even if we said to you, "You only a 10-year age range," does not matter. That doesn't, we still ... You know, if we, we, we listen to your voice, and we, we set you in that right direction of saying, "Okay, I can hear your voice doing this," you know? And so we kind set you towards, you know, and say, "Hey, this, your voice fits, you know- Mm-hmm
reading this, this story, you know, reading this type of book, reading this, uh, um, biographical read," something like that, you know? So- And it, and- We listen to it.
John: That's it ... and that's what's great about working with a voice coach, like us- Mm-hmm ... but with a voice coach, is that they're not trying to turn you into anyone else.
No. Again, this is where we go back to you don't need to [00:06:00] sound like anybody else.
Tina: Nope.
John: When, when you work with a voice coach one-on-one, which is the way I prefer, right? Mm-hmm. When you work with a voice coach one-on-one, they're basing all their decisions or all their suggestions on your voice.
Tina: Just your voice.
Nobody else's voice. That's right.
John: Yeah. They're not going- Nope ... "Oh, well, if I can get this person to sound like Sigourney Reeve- Weaver-"
Tina: Yeah ...
John: uh, then they're ... No, we're not doing that. We're going, "Okay." No. "Here's a ..." In our minds, we're going, "Okay, here's what she sounds like."
Tina: Mm-hmm. "
John: And here's what I think she'd be great doing."
Tina: Yes. Yes. And- I do that a lot ...
John: that's one of the best- Yep ... and a- another reason, by the way- Mm-hmm ... to work with a voice coach. I mean- Yeah ... you know, again, you want someone who's hearing you for you. They're not, "I'm magic." 'Cause listen, y- this is why I tell people- It's hard to get into this just on your own, using your own judgment.
Mm-hmm. Because you, you have these perceptions of what voice actors are supposed to sound like. Yeah. You have a perception of what you think you should do or what- Mm-hmm ... you think you should sound like. When, when a voice coach doesn't do that, a good voice coach doesn't do that. Mm-hmm. A good voice coach is gonna hear you, and they're gonna base [00:07:00] all their suggestions, all their coaching- Mm-hmm
on your voice specifically.
Tina: Yes, absolutely. And, and that's what I tell students, especially in the, the first class when we're doing the evaluation and, and just going through and listening. I tell them that, "I'm really just listening to your voice. That's it. I'm listening to your voice. I wanna hear where..."
'Cause at the end I will say, "Okay, uh, I've listened to your voice. We do all those different exercises. This is, this is the direction right now what I'm hearing." Yeah. Right? This is right now. Now, in the next class, we'll listen, we'll do a different types of read, then that, that will help me more decide, okay, where else do I hear your voice, you know?
'Cause we are just listening to your voice, nobody else's.
John: Right.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Right. And, and that's why, um, you know- Your, your demo will sound different from anyone else's.
Tina: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Right? No two are the same. It, n- n-
John: no two- Yeah ... are the same. Yeah. And so, and even, even, like, if I have someone read a piece that maybe I've heard before or I've heard someone- Mm-hmm
[00:08:00] like read before, even that doesn't matter because I'm not even gonna put the same elements to it. No. Yeah. Like, you're gonna read it completely different, and your voice is completely different. So when I think of like, "Okay, what kind of production element should I put to this?" Mm-hmm. I'm not doing the same thing.
I'm going, "Okay-
Tina: No, I have to do something different ... this
John: person sounds like this." Yeah, yeah. This person, you know. So it's, it's, uh, embrace it.
Tina: Mm-hmm. Yes.
John: Don't ever start comparing yourself. And, and forget famous voice actors. Don't compare yourself to other people getting into voiceovers either. Mm-hmm. I think that's something that some people do too.
You're gonna be different. Don't ... You're gonna do- Oh, yes ... completely different things. Mm-hmm. But people go, "I heard that guy's voice, and boy, he sounded amazing." Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Like, when I do live, every once in a while I'll do, like, like a live- Mm-hmm ... voiceover workshop, and people get scared off by other people.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Everyone in here, I've, I've had someone actually say that, "Everyone in here has such a great voice. I don't think I fit in with this." Oh, yeah. It's like, what are you talking about? Why ... You're here because someone told you you had a good voice. Mm-hmm. Most likely something like that. Yeah. And you do have a good voice.
It's just not the same as that person. Oh, boy. And I said, "By the way, that person's thinking the same thing [00:09:00] about you."
Tina: Yeah,
John: absolutely. That person's hearing you read and go, "Oh, boy, I, that person has a great voice." I think we're, we're so in our, in, in ourselves with that. Mm-hmm. You know, we love to self-criticize, and, and we love to
When I say love, I don't think it's positive. Uh, I just think it's something we do. It's a, it's a bad habit- Yeah ... where we criticize ourselves. Mm-hmm. And we don't have enough confidence.
Tina: Yes.
John: Confidence is a big thing in this. And, and I know it's tough, but have confidence in your unique voice.
Tina: In what you can do.
Yeah. In
John: what you could- Mm-hmm ... yeah, and, and in what you're gonna learn to do with that, with that voice.
Tina: Yeah.
John: And have confidence in yourself. Don't, don't ever look outside and go, "I need to be like that, I need to be like that." Mm-hmm. And I think it's tough these days with social media and all that because-
Tina: Oh, it is.
It's, it- ... it's
John: in not every aspect- Mm-hmm ... not just voiceovers, but, you know, you see s- these- For
Tina: everything. Yeah ... you
John: see fitness people. You're like, "I need to look like that." Yeah. You're not gonna look like that.
Tina: No.
John: You're not gonna look like that.
Tina: Because you're not them. You're
John: not
Tina: them. You're gonna ... You can work out and look completely different- Right
because it's your body. Right. And it's you. Same with your voice. It's your voice. Same thing. Nobody's the same.
John: And I know it's hard these days. I get it. It's hard to get [00:10:00] r- it's hard not to get wrapped up in- Mm-hmm ... all the things around you, all the social media, all the, all the media in general. Mm-hmm.
Tina: Yeah.
John: But my advice is, um, just focus on yourself.
Tina: Yeah. Just be yourself. You are
John: gonna ... You're, you're gonna sound great. And your voice. Again, get that coaching. Listen to your coach. Your coach has your best interests- Mm-hmm ... at heart-
Tina: Yes ...
John: if you have the right coach, and that coach should, is, and, and they will.
That coach will, uh- Totally li- it's listening to your voice. Mm-hmm. Everything they say, everything they suggest, all the direction they give you is based on you.
Tina: And just listening. For us, listening to your voice. Yep.
John: And it's u- yes- Yeah ... unique to you. They're not telling you something they told someone else an hour ago- No,
Tina: absolutely not
John: or two days ago. No.
Tina: Yeah.
John: No. They're listening to your voice, and they're basing everything they say on you. Mm-hmm. Which is super cool.
Tina: Yeah. One
John: of the great things about this, right? Is
Tina: like- It is. It's absolutely ...
John: everyone's unique.
Tina: Yes.
John: Right?
Tina: Completely.
John: All right. So that is our episode, which is- Don't try to sound like someone else.
Yeah. Why something like that. That's Well, a- again, I, I make the... Why do I make these... I'm trying,
Tina: you
John: know. I don't know. I w- You don't need to sound like anyone else. There you go. I need
Tina: them to be [00:11:00] easy. You
John: don't need to sound like anyone else. That is the episode. All
Tina: right. That's it.
John: Yeah. I, okay, so I wanna thank everybody again.
Thank everyone for listening. I hope you're learning from our, our, our experience here- Mm-hmm ... and enjoying the podcast. And how,
Tina: yes.
John: Uh, but again, I'm John G at voicecoaches.com.
Tina: And I'm Tina at voicecoaches.com.
John: Any questions, any comments, please reach out to either one of us. Yes. And don't be shy. We, we get emails here and there, but not as many as I would like.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Not as many as I
Tina: would like. They will come in. They'll start coming in.
John: S- and, and we respond ourselves. Yes. We don't have a team of people responding.
Tina: No, I don't have anybody responding for me.
John: I don't know why do people think that. I, I had someone say that, that they thought we- Oh, yeah ... "Oh, you actually respond yourself?"
Yeah. Yes. Yes.
Tina: Yeah.
John: Email me, I will respond. Mm-hmm. Okay? And, um, all right, so thank you. Have a wonderful whenever you're listening to this.
Tina: Yeah. Day, night, morning.
John: Afternoon, evening, yeah.
Tina: Full 24 hours.
John: There you go. All right, we out.
John and Tina talk about sounding like yourself.
