Mastering the art of the fast turnaround proves difficult for those of us new to recording and editing for clients.

I landed my first job during the holiday season. The client contacted me two hours before I had to go in to my day job. I auditioned for them on a pay-to-play site weeks before and was surprised to be hearing from them at all. They requested I deliver a file in an hour. An hour! I stood there in my bathrobe fresh out of the shower and felt the tension creep up my neck.

I couldn’t even be excited about the job because I felt immense pressure. Full disclosure, this was for a TV spot. I now know that the nature of TV gigs is usually fly-by-the-seat-of-your-VO-pants.

So, I cut my fast turnaround teeth on this first job. Boy was I sweating big-ass bullets while struggling through editing (I had JUST started using Adobe Audition and was still feeling my way around it).

Luckily, I slogged through it. When they revised the script the next day I re-recorded and took another stab at the editing process. They liked it and paid me.

Now, I edit like a champ – thanks in large part to Tim Tippets and his Audition Ready course on votechguru.com. Also, I built a better studio decked out with professional-grade materials. And because I properly sound-treated my recording space I cut my editing time in half and I now get the most out of my mic.

But going to someone and learning about my editing software helped me tremendously improve my speed and audio quality. Yes, I paid for that help. But, a lot of the help I received to get me through that first job I found on YouTube.

Fact: people are online giving away information every day. You just have to know enough to separate the good stuff from the garbage (and there’s A LOT of garbage info out there on audio editing).

Not only do I edit faster and deliver better quality for my clients, but I carry loads more confidence behind the mic because I know my recording space is awesome and how to use my DAWS effectively.

Confidence is key in voice-over. But more importantly, getting help is a bigger key that opens many more doors. And there is no industry like the VO industry in providing helpful peers who care. So just reach out and get some help. If you are more experienced, offer help to a fellow VO who may be struggling.

Remember, we’re all in this together and the journey is what we make of it!