navigating your first in-studio session
Recording at a professional studio is an exciting milestone as a voice actor, but it can also be nerve-wracking if you’ve never been to one before and aren’t sure what to expect. Don’t worry—follow these tips and studio sessions will become second nature to you in no time!
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Note: This article is written from the perspective of the United States market. Other countries may have their own cultural norms and procedures. When in doubt, ask your peers or mentors who work in your region for advice!
preparing for your session
Double check the date, time, and location of your booking.
Session times are sometimes shifted around at the last minute, and some studios have multiple locations in the same metropolitan area. It can be stressful, not to mention embarrassing, if you show up at the wrong place or at the wrong time! Be sure to check over your booking email the day before your session to make sure you’re showing up when and where you need to be.
Plan out your route ahead of time.
Especially if you live somewhere like Los Angeles, it’s important to allow plenty of time for traffic and any other unexpected happenings (such as an accident on the freeway, a road closure, or accidentally missing your exit.) You can check your maps app to get a general idea of the estimated time it may take (don’t forget to select the time you are planning to leave, as traffic can easily double or triple your commute time.)
If you’re driving, make sure you at least have a general idea of where you’re supposed to park. Booking emails will often include details about parking (and perhaps even a map). This may be as simple as a parking lot in front of the building, but sometimes it can be more complicated, like an adjacent garage which requires parking in specific marked spaces and getting a ticket validated afterwards.
If you will be taking public transit, check ahead of time to find the most efficient route and get an estimate of how long it will take. You should still allow extra time in case there is a delay or you miss a stop.
Plan to arrive about 15 minutes before your scheduled start time when working at a new studio.
This will give you time to get acquainted with the facility, sign in at the front desk, get yourself water/tea/snacks if you wish, and complete any paperwork that may be necessary before you go into the booth.
In some cultures it may be expected to show up even earlier than this, but 10-15 minutes is a good buffer time for sessions in the US.
Wear comfortable shoes, and clothes/accessories that don’t make noise.
Chances are you will be standing for multiple hours at a time, so comfortable footwear is a must. Additionally, anything that makes noise can be heard on the mic, so avoid things like “swishy” workout pants or bangle bracelets. Bringing layers is also a good idea, as it may be extra cold or extra hot in the booth.
Drink water before your session, and do vocal warm-ups if you need them.
While you can and should drink water during your session as well, proper hydration ideally starts before you even arrive. Showing up hydrated (and fed) will help keep you performing at your best.
Not every actor does vocal warm-ups, but they can be helpful particularly if you have an early morning session and can even be done in the car during your commute. These can be as simple as singing scales, but you can find plenty of good examples of guided vocal warmups on YouTube.
Let the studio know if you need any specific accommodations.
If you have any accessibility-related needs or concerns—such as needing a reserved parking spot or asking about wheelchair access—don’t be afraid to give the studio a heads-up before you go. You can also ask for accommodations in the booth, such as increasing the font size of the script or sitting down while recording.
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when you arrive
Check in at the front desk.
Introduce yourself and explain that you’re there for a session. The front-desk person may ask you to sign in and/or fill out some paperwork (either physically or digitally). After that, or if paperwork is not needed, they’ll likely just tell you to have a seat and wait until they’re ready for you.
Don’t forget to put your cell phone on silent (not vibrate).
Having a text, call, or app notification come in while you’re recording will ruin a take, so be sure to completely silence and put away your phone before you go into the booth.
Use the restroom if you need to.
While chances are you’ll get a break during the session anyway, and you can always ask to go if you need to, using the restroom when you first arrive at the studio can help avoid having to interrupt the flow of your session.
If you arrive more than 20 minutes early, do something else in the meantime.
You may have heard the saying that “showing up early is on time”, and indeed you should give yourself a good amount of extra time—but (at least in American studio culture) there is such a thing as showing up TOO early, and you don’t want to be awkwardly sitting around the lobby for half an hour unless you’ve been invited to do so or unless it’s the norm in your region. 15-20 minutes is fine, but if you’re earlier than that, consider doing something else nearby, walking around the area, or even just waiting in your car.
Wait to be called into the booth.
After you check in with the front desk, you may be asked to wait a bit until they’re ready for you. It’s not uncommon for sessions to be booked back-to-back, so they might still be finishing up with the previous actor. Feel free to chill out, grab some water, check your email, read a book, etc. while you wait.
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during your session
The studio engineer will set up everything for you.
This will include the microphone of course, but also any screens needed to display scripts and/or video references. Paper scripts are somewhat rare these days; the script will likely be displayed on a TV screen or tablet. You’ll be given a pair of headphones to use for monitoring your recording and listening to any feedback from the director. If you need anything adjusted, such as script font size or headphone volume, feel free to ask! (It’s fairly common to be given a knob to control your own headphone volume in the booth, but better to ask unless you’re told/certain this is the case.)
Don’t be alarmed if clients are sitting in.
Sometimes it will just be you, the director, and the engineer. Other times, representatives from the client team you’re working with may be there to supervise the session as well (either in-person or on a Zoom call). Be on your best behavior in front of clients, but try not to feel too intimidated by this. Remember, everyone’s goal is to make a great project, and they want to see you succeed too!
Be willing to adapt to feedback without stressing about it.
Retakes and multiple takes are par for the course in most sessions, especially if you have clients listening in. It’s not uncommon that they may have you take the character in a different direction than what you originally did in your audition, or the director’s style or studio workflow might be different from others you are used to working with. Knowing how to adapt in real-time is an important skillset for a professional actor.
Try not to “get in your head” when you are asked to do a line over. It may take some tries to get the read the director and/or client is looking for, OR they may even just want to experiment with a few different options. Sometimes you have a great read but they need a retake because of a noise or other technical issue. Do your best to work efficiently, but don’t beat yourself up for “not getting everything on the first take”; even the most seasoned actors will be asked to retake a line!
If you mess up in the middle of a line, just start over.
You don’t need to apologize or make a big deal over it; it happens to literally everyone. Just take a brief pause so they can make a clean edit, and start again from the top of the cue.
It’s okay to ask for a break if you need it.
Normally, you will be given a short break around the top of each hour (or possibly after two hours, for longer sessions). However, sometimes directors may get caught up in the workflow and forget to give a break, so if an hour passes and you really need to use the restroom, or if you just did a bunch of vocally stressful battle efforts and need a moment to rest your voice, it’s totally acceptable to ask to “take a five”. Reasonable breaks should be factored in to the session time when making the schedules, so don’t feel bad about needing one.
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general studio/session etiquette
Never touch the microphone.
Yes, “don’t touch the mic” is probably one of the very first things you learned in VO class, but if you’re used to working from home on your own setup, it never hurts to have a little reminder that when you’re in someone else’s studio, the last thing you want is to be responsible for damaging their equipment worth thousands of dollars!
Never show up at a studio uninvited.
You should only go to a studio if you are there on some sort of official business. There are horror stories of people who try to show up unannounced to drop off their demo, or think that because they had recorded there once in the past they’re entitled to just “drop in” unexpectedly in hopes of chatting with a director or crashing the session of an actor they look up to. There was even a story about an actor who would camp out in the parking lot of a prominent studio in hopes of meeting other voice actors coming out of their sessions, which is a huge no-no! When it comes to studios, think of yourself as a vampire—you have to be invited in.
Take direction without making it an issue.
For the most part, when a director gives you feedback, you will simply try the line again incorporating the note they asked for. There’s no need to try to justify the read you originally gave, apologize for not giving them what they wanted the first time, or – worst of all – argue with them! Again, remember that everyone’s goal is to make a great product. There are times you may work with a director who is difficult to please or who makes you feel like you are a bad actor, but do your best to keep calm and not take it personally.
Respect confidentiality.
While at the studio, you may become privy to information that is not yet public, such as various other titles being worked on, other actors who are in the cast, upcoming new seasons of a show or sequels to a game, etc. This information must be treated as confidential and not shared or posted on social media unless you have been given explicit permission to talk about what you’re there working on. Additionally, ask before taking photos or video in the booth and be sure no sensitive information such as script content is visible. See our article about non-disclosure agreements for more information.
Be kind to everyone at the studio, regardless of their perceived status.
There are stories of actors who tried very hard to impress the director and clients, but acted dismissive or even talked down to the front desk person or the recording engineer. Word got around the studio, and they were less likely to be invited back. Treating everyone like human beings is simply the right thing to do…but if that’s not enough, consider that the person checking you in or bringing you tea today might move up to being a casting director or executive producer later!
Be respectful of others’ time and privacy.
Perhaps an actor you’ve always wanted to meet comes out of the booth before you or is waiting next to you in the lobby. It’s fine to say hello and introduce yourself, and even mention that you appreciate their work. But remember that they are there to do a job just like you are, so avoid treating it like a convention or fan meet. (And this should go without saying, but the studio is not an appropriate place to ask someone for an autograph.)
Additionally, if you see a director you’ve always wanted to work with, you may briefly introduce yourself if they are not busy, but it is generally seen as tacky to go up and try to “network” when they’re there working on something else. Similarly, directly handing the end clients your business card or other contact information may be frowned upon as they are expected to go through the proper channels of hiring you through the studio you are at if they wish to bring you back for additional recordings.
If you’re sick, see if you can reschedule or work remotely.
If you feel too ill to work or it’s affecting your voice, email or call your agent or the studio and ask to reschedule the session. If you feel well enough to work but suspect you are contagious to others, you may wish to ask if they are open to letting you record your session remotely instead, assuming you have a proper home studio that meets all the requirements. If you are absolutely unable to reschedule, consider masking up and distancing as a courtesy to other actors and studio personnel.
If an emergency happens, communicate as soon as possible.
Sometimes life happens and you can’t make a session or have to come in late. If so, call your agent or the studio ASAP and let them know the situation. Missing a session at the last minute should be avoided as much as possible as it results in lost time and money for the studio. However, you are highly unlikely to be “blacklisted” over a one-off honest mistake or life circumstance; just let them know as soon as you can and try to work something out.
But finally…don’t forget to have fun!
Recording in-studio is overall a great experience. You don’t have to worry about riding your gain, pausing for outside noise, or recording the files on your end. You get the benefit of collaborating with others in-person and recording in a professionally built, controlled environment with high-end equipment that will make you sound great when everything goes to mix. So trust the team, and trust yourself!
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This article is written by Kira Buckland. While all guides and resources on this site are provided on a volunteer basis, you may optionally support with a coffee if you found them helpful!