Whether you’re recording in a studio or belting it out live, the ability to hit mellifluous melodies and dulcet declarations is key to enticing and engaging your audience. If you’re an aspiring voiceover artist or vocal performer, learn how to improve your voice here.
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Generally, having a good voice means that you have control over your vocalizations, a palatable timbre, good enunciation, solid vocal support, and a clear personality.
What counts as good when it comes to voices is incredibly diverse. Most people wouldn’t deem Gilbert Gottfried’s blustering screech—used to portray characters such as Aladdin’s parrot sidekick, Iago, and the Aflac duck mascot—traditionally good, yet it made him one of the most iconic voice actors of all time. Still, there are certain qualities that make voices from Gottfried’s to Mariah Carey’s more palatable than others. They include:
Control
Vocal control means that you’re able to control your voice, including its pitch and volume. Although it might seem at first listen as though Gottfried’s voice is out of control, he actually carefully crafted his voice by using both technical prowess and intuition. If you can master the basic foundations of vocalizations and apply that mastery to your speaking or singing, then you have enough vocal control for your voice to be good.
Timbre
The tone quality of a voice also dictates if it sounds good or bad. A good voice can either stick with one timbre or navigate between several, but will use the right timbre for the right notes. For example, an aggressive, even timbre might be a better fit for lower notes, while an airy, light one might be better for higher notes.
Clarity
For any kind of vocal work, having clear enunciation helps you deliver the linguistic message. Of course, the Sias and Bob Dylans of the world might have the artistic license to murmur their way through avoiding crisp enunciation; but until you’re at their level, aim for clarity in your speech and song.
Support
Having the proper vocal support means engaging your core and diaphragm so that air flows properly through your chest and onto the vocal folds. This allows you to enhance your voice’s intensity, duration, and volume.
Personality
This final element of a good voice is something the Gottfrieds, Fran Dreschers, Björks, Louis Armstrongs, Miley Cyruses, and James Earl Joneses have in spades. Having a good voice that sounds generic can only get you so far. You “need to narrow down what you present to its essence,” according to Lis Lewis, a voice coach who has worked with performers including Miguel, Rihanna, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, and Jack Black. “Instead of a little of this and a little of that, you must show the world one strong complete package that makes a clear statement-one style,” she writes. “While you are developing your audience and your fan base you need to have a clear, strong vision of who you are and what you represent.... The audience needs to know who you are and recognize you.” Spend some time considering what makes your voice unique, and then see if you can consistently represent that style.
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Making your voice sound better is a matter of studying it, singing or speaking clearly, supporting your breath and vocalizations, and lots of practice. Actionable steps you can take to achieve this include:
1. Record and listen
Record your voice and then listen to it several times. Take note of any flaws such as mumbling or your voice breaking, as well as your voice’s variation and speed. It might be difficult to discern your voice’s unique personality yourself, but you can play the recording for friends and ask for their input.
2. Determine your voice type
Voice type is determined by vocal weight, or how heavy or light a voice is; tessitura, or the range that allows for a voice’s best timbre; bridge location, or the space between vocal registers; and anatomy, or the ways that resonation and articulation take place physically in the body. To find your vocal range, start by playing and singing C4—the closest C to the exact middle of a traditional keyboard. Sing each note going down until you hit your lowest comfortable note, and then each note going up until you hit your highest comfortable note. These notes indicate the boundaries of your vocal range, which determines your voice type.
3. Consider weaknesses and strengths
Think about your current voice: How can it be improved by, for example, speaking more clearly, slowing down, or building vocal support? Are there any positive elements you can lean into? Remember that your strengths might be different than someone else’s, and that a strength for one person might be a weakness for another. For example, some vocal fry can be grating, while others can make a voice great—think of Britney Spears or Georgia Hardstark.
4. Hydrate
Keep your vocal cords hydrated by drinking two liters of water a day. You can also use a humidifier at 30% to 50%, or luxuriate with a personal steamer.
5. Avoid vocal fatigue
Avoiding vocal fatigue lets your voice sound clearer and smoother. The top causes of vocal fatigue, according to voice teacher Arden Kaywin, include:
- Belting or pushing your voice too high
- Smoking and drinking alcohol
- Talking too loudly
- Keeping a tense jaw
- Pushing breath down your larynx too hard
- Lacking support in your diaphragm
6. Practice breathing techniques
Try breathing techniques to improve your breath control.
- Keep your lips slightly open and breathe in and out gently to become aware of the way that your diaphragm and lungs move with each breath.
- Breathe in deeply for four seconds; hold for four seconds; release for four seconds; and then hold for another four seconds. Repeat this exercise until you’re calmed, centered, and fully focused on your breath.
- Stand in a natural position with a straight back and place your hands on your chest. Breathe in for a count of four, and then release for four seconds while making an “ssssss” sound (think of a snake). Once you hit four seconds, stop breathing out. Repeat while trying to increase the time spent exhaling.
7. Do vocal warmups
Prepare your voice by spending 15–20 minutes doing vocal warmups.
- Stretch each arm up and over the other side of your core to open up your diaphragm.
- Do vocal slides using increasing intervals and volume.
- Blow raspberries with your lips to reduce the resistance on your vocal cords.
- Fake a yawn while keeping your mouth closed.
8. Work on vocal control
To get better at vocal control, find your resonance—or the way that your mouth shape creates certain sounds.
- Sing scales and see where you’re forced to strain, and then repeat the scales while flexing your core and pectoral muscles until you can sing all notes without significant strain.
- Hum your highest note all the way down to your lowest note to warm up your vocal cords.
9. Optimize vocal support
“Optimal support comes from a consistent, expanded engagement of the abdominals, pelvic floor, and lower back muscles,” according to Kaywin. She recommends breathing deeply and gently engaging your core for full vocal support.
10. Practice
Fine-tune your vocal tone by trying out different tone types and then refining the one that fits best from there. Maybe you find that a more guttural timbre fits you better, or perhaps your type is more ethereal. Once you have a grasp on your timbre and type, you can work on leaning into it and bolstering it with your unique personality.
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Making your voice sound better when recording involves technical elements such as recording space and equipment, on top of doing thorough voice prep.
1. Record in a good space
The space you record in greatly impacts the way your voice sounds on recordings. “As a voiceover artist, the room in which you record is the most important factor to consider,” voiceover pro Jamie Muffett told Backstage. While recording studios should be properly soundproofed, if you’re recording at home, soundproof the space with acoustic foam, sound panels, or even blankets before recording to ensure that your voice sounds its best.
2. Use quality equipment
Once your space is established, your next step is to use the right equipment. For clear, crisp audio, you should have:
- Professional XLR condenser mic: External microphones such as Audio-Technica, Rode, and Neumann are great options for optimal sound quality.
- Audio interface: To convert analog into digital signals in a way that makes your voice sound its best, look for interfaces that have solid input and output configurations, such as Universal Audio, Audient, and PreSonus.
- Studio headphones: Editing your own recordings? If so, you’ll want studio headphones such as those made by Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, and Beyerdynamic, which use neutral tuning and can attenuate background noise.
3. Place the equipment properly
To sound better when recording, place the mic six to 10 inches in front of you—any closer than six inches and you also risk a muddied booming sound, and any further than 10 and your voice will sound echoey and distant. Since you want your voice to be poppin’ and not your plosives, place the microphone slightly (about 10 degrees) away from your mouth.
4. Time it out
It’s best to only record when you’re fully warmed up, rested, and have avoided activities that cause vocal strain. If you’re feeling off, consider postponing the recording session until you feel confident that your voice sounds its best.