Acting with your voice can be a lucrative career, a fun pastime or even your new source of side income. Regardless of your reasons for starting, an online course could be what you need to begin your voice acting journey with ease.
I’ve spent the past few weeks finding the best online courses, including classes taught by the original voice actor for Bart Simpson!
This article features a range of courses including the best all rounder courses, classes focused specifically on starting a career in the industry as well as more technically focused courses.
Whether it’s performance tips, vocal techniques or the production side of voice acting, this article covers an array of courses so you’re bound to find something that suits you.
What is the best Voice Acting Course?
- Nancy Cartwright Teaches Voice Acting (MasterClass)
- Voice-Over Training: Record and Edit Voice Overs Like a Pro (Udemy)
- Voice-Over Marketing: Get More Voice Over Jobs in Less Time! (Udemy)
- Voice-Over for Video and Animation (Linkedin Learning)
- The Foundations of Voiceover – Voice Acting Essentials (Skillshare)
- Complete Voice Acting Megacourse: Beginner to Expert (Udemy)
- Voice over MasterClass – The Official DIY Guide to Voice Acting (Skillshare)
- The Complete Voice Acting & Voice Overs Course (Udemy)
- Be a Voice Actor: Making a Living with Your Voice (Udemy)
- VOICE OVER ACTING – Instruction in Commercials, Animation & more (Udemy)
By far, the best voice acting course on this list is the MasterClass by Nancy Carthwright. As a seasoned veteran within the industry, her portfolio includes characters on the Rugrats, Kim Possible, Pinky on the Brain and everyone’s favourite prime time TV character Bart Simpson. In her course, she provides a true insider perspective into the voice acting industry, covering career advice, vocal techniques, information on industry practices as well as recounting her own personal experience. It’s truly the best all rounder course to get an insight into voice acting as a whole.
For those who already know the basics of voice acting and wish to find tips for beginning a career, Peter Baker’s Udemy course is one to consider. Not only does he teach you how to market yourself as a voiceover artist in a competitive industry, he also covers wider topics such as networking and invoicing within the business.
Whilst Udemy courses can be purchased individually, other platforms such as Skillshare, Linkedin Learning and MasterClass are all subscription based – this means you can access even more courses to further develop your skills!
Best Voice Acting reviews
1. Nancy Cartwright Teaches Voice Acting (MasterClass)
Platform: Masterclass | Teacher(s): Nancy Cartwright | Length: 14 video lessons totalling 2 hours 43 minutes
If you’re looking for quality advice on voice acting, Nancy Cartwright’s MasterClass is the course for you.
Having voiced popular characters such as Bart Simpson and multiple characters on Rugrats and Kim Possible, the Emmy award winner takes you through all the must know basics of voice acting. Not only is this course taught by an industry professional who really knows her stuff, the content of the course is also super comprehensive – covering information from vocal technique to career advice.
You will learn:
- About the voice acting industry – Nancy touches on her own personal experiences and the impact of her teacher, Daws Butler, on her voice acting journey
- Vocal Techniques and how to find your own vocal identity
- Career advice such as how to start in the industry, how voice acting works in practice and how to network
- Character Development tips (ie. creating a character, finding their voice, distinguishing between different characters etc)
- Industry Techniques (developing a character, breaking down scripts, recording, working with directors and choosing roles)
- Performance tips – how to access a range of emotions and keep your characters voice consistent
- How to harness your voice (ie. using your voice for change, the impact of voice actors in the arts, summary of key takeaways from the course)
Pros:
- An energetic approach to teaching – Nancy delivers lesson content with passion and enthusiasm which helps keep students engaged
- Fun and creative lesson format – lessons are taught by the animated version of Nancy which makes learning more interesting and showcases how characters are brought to life in practice
- Expertise of the teacher – with years of industry experience, Nancy is very well placed to give advice on how voice acting actually works in practice.
- Resources provided – Nancy’s course has a 20 page instructors guide and 3 demo scripts to complement your studies and help your put your newfound skills into practice
Cons:
- Resembles a talk rather than a technical based course – rather than delving into depth about techniques and script analysis, Nancy imparts wisdom more generally by sharing her experiences and touching on technical knowledge briefly. This might not be ideal for students looking to gain really in depth technical knowledge.
Who it’s for: Perfect for beginners looking to learn basic techniques and intermediates who wish to find out more about the industry and get career advice.
Overall: A very well crafted course which teaches extremely useful tips and tricks about voice acting techniques and industry advice.
2. Voice-Over Training: Record and Edit Voice Overs Like a Pro (Udemy)
Platform: Udemy | Teachers: Voiceover MasterClass & Peter Baker | Length: 59 video lessons totalling 6 hours 21 minutes
As a former BBC news announcer and ITV Granada Presenter, Peter Baker delivers this course with a lot of charisma and enthusiasm. Concepts are well explained and content delivery is extremely engaging.
Join him as he takes you through voiceover acting from start to finish (ie. vocal techniques, career advice and recording/ editing tips).
You will learn:
- How to setup equipment to record at home
- Vocal techniques (ie. warm ups, tension, speaking naturally and with variety, how to voice questions, tension within the voice etc)
- Reading and interpreting scripts
- How to utilise different voice styles
- Basics of audio editing
- How to market yourself as a voiceover artist
Pros:
- Information is clearly explained and delivered in an engaging manner
- Includes useful industry related information (ie. how voiceover jobs work in practice)
- Covers a wide range of topics from vocal techniques to recording/ editing (everything you’d need to know about voice acting from start to finish)
Cons:
- Requires access to a microphone and editing software which might not be readily accessible to everyone
- Last updated in 2020 so may not be the most up to date
- No emphasis on acting – this course is mostly focused on voice overs so acting techniques are not covered (ie. exploring different emotions etc).
Who it’s for: Perfect for beginners looking to cover the basics of recording voice overs but does not cover acting tips.
Overall: A great course for students to learn the basics of recording voice overs (from vocal techniques to recording tips).
3. Voice-Over Marketing: Get More Voice Over Jobs in Less Time! (Udemy)
Platform: Udemy | Teacher: Voiceover Masterclass; Peter Baker | Length: 16 video lessons totalling 2 hours 24 minutes
Want to find work in the voice acting industry but have no idea where to start? Join Peter Baker as he explains the must know knowledge for all aspiring voice actors looking to market their skills and find work.
You will learn:
- The differences between working independently and finding an agent
- How to market your skills (ie. cold contacting potential clients, keeping in touch with new networks)
- The best way to find new clients
- How to perfect your personal brand (ie. your website, how much to charge per client)
- The technical stuff (ie. invoicing clients)
Pros:
- Approaches voice acting from a career oriented perspective – perfect for students who already have a knowledge of technique and need more practical advice on a career within the industry
- Charismatic and engaging tutor – explains concepts clearly and in a way that is easy to understand
- Covers ‘must know’ information for working within the industry (ie. what you’re not allowed to do if you have an ‘exclusive’ deal with an agent etc)
Cons:
- Does not cover any voice over techniques – students who have no knowledge of voice acting may prefer to start with a more technical course to learn the basic skills of the trade first
- Not the most visually interesting course – mostly consists of the tutor speaking and slides of text
Who it’s for: Ideal for students who already have the technical knowledge and are looking for advice on how to practically establish a career within the voiceover industry
Overall: A great course if you’re looking for tips and tricks on starting a voiceover career.
4. Voice-Over for Video and Animation (Linkedin Learning)
Platform: Linkedin Learning | Teacher: Mark Simon | Length: 30 video lessons totalling approx. 1 hour and 30 minutes
If you’re looking to understand more about the industry practices and production sides of voiceover acting then Mark Simon’s course is definitely for you. These lessons include a comprehensive breakdown of important industry practices as well as exercise files to aid your studies.
You will learn:
- The production side of voiceovers
- How to markup scripts
- Tip and tricks to help your voice
- Industry standards
- How to record your own voiceover recordings
Pros:
- Includes exercise files to aid you with your studies
- Easy to follow – tutor explains terminology and concepts in a comprehensive and clear way
- Uses visual diagrams to fully illustrate concepts
- References other helpful resources and websites
- Lively delivery
Cons:
- Focuses more on the production side of voiceover acting – this means there is less emphasis on technical skills needed as a voiceover artist
- Doesn’t give much career advice on getting started within the industry
Who it’s for: Students with an interest in the behind the scenes workings of the voiceover industry (ie. production, recording, industry standard practices etc).
Overall: A comprehensive course which clearly explains and teaches common practices within the production and industry of voiceover acting.
5. The Foundations of Voiceover – Voice Acting Essentials (Skillshare)
Platform: Skillshare | Teacher: Christopher Tester | Length: 15 video lessons totalling 1 hour 58 minutes
With experience in the commercial, corporate and video game voice acting sectors, Christopher Tester’s course will help you build a solid foundation of knowledge about voice acting.
You will learn:
- The physical and emotional preparation needed before the voice acting process
- Mic technique
- How to analyse texts
- Tips to support the recording process
Pros:
- Tutor has a very good understanding of the student perspective – as such, this course is well structured in aiding students build a solid foundation of voice acting
- Course content is extremely well structured – it is clear from day one what this course will include and what it isn’t
- Explanations are well paced and easy to understand
- Includes a class project to put knowledge to practical use
Cons:
- Doesn’t cover more advanced material – only beginners/ intermediate learners are likely to gain new knowledge. For more advanced students, this course may merely act as a good refresher course
- Doesn’t focus on career advice for those wanting on advice on how to enter the industry
Who it’s for: Perfect for aspiring voice actors looking to gain knowledge and support in the early/ intermediate stages of their career
Overall: With an abundance of students saying this course has exceeded their expectations, Christopher Tester’s course is perfect for any student looking to build a solid foundation of knowledge.
6. Complete Voice Acting Megacourse: Beginner to Expert (Udemy)
Platform: Udemy | Teacher(s): Creativity Unleashed | Length: 31 video lessons totalling 6 hours 18 minutes
One of the bestseller courses on Udemy, this online course includes well explained concepts and practical exercises to help you master the basic techniques of voice acting.
You will learn:
- The basics of voice acting (ie. the correct way to speak into the microphone)
- Vocal techniques (ie. Warm ups, projection, diction etc)
- The capabilities of your voice (ie. explore your voice and it’s limits, tone of voice, emotion etc)
- Interpreting scripts and storytelling
- The Do’s and Don’ts of voice acting
Pros:
- The tutor speaks in an expressive way which makes it easy to concentrate on the knowledge being explained
- Engaging lesson format – videos involve multiple angles and setups making it easier to remain concentrated for longer periods
- Information is explained in depth so students are able to fully understand exercises and concepts
- Includes practical exercises to develop skills
Cons:
- Doesn’t cover information such as career and recording advice
- Video lessons only – doesn’t include written PDF’s which some students may find useful to complement lesson content
- Can be found for free on Alison
Who it’s for: Complete beginners who wish to get into voice acting and anyone who may benefit from voice acting techniques (ie. public speakers, teachers, storytellers etc)
Overall: A great course covering the basic techniques used within voice acting
7. Voice over MasterClass – The Official DIY Guide to Voice Acting (Skillshare)
Platform: Skillshare | Teacher: Donald Fittsgill Jr & Meditate Word | Length: 20 video lessons totalling 45 minutes
With over 10,000 students, this course by Donald Fittsgill Jr is a great course for beginners to get started and learn the basics to building a side hustle as a voiceover artist.
You will learn how to:
- Perfect a voiceover reading (ie. sounding conversation, sounding upbeat, longform narration etc)
- Effectively record your voice overs (ie. setting up the room, hardware and software essentials, editing etc)
- Market yourself as a voiceover artist
Pros:
- Teaches students the ‘non-traditional’ way to begin a career as a voice actor – good for those who may want to pursue this alongside their full time career
- Covers a wide range of topics that you’ll need to know on your voiceover journey (the basics of the craft, recording through to marketing)
- Course structure is well organised (includes a mixture of examples, exercises and summaries to really hone in on the information taught)
- Engaging teacher
Cons:
- Doesn’t go into much detail – only covers the basics so may not be suitable for students who wish to go from beginner to advanced within one course
- Lacks coverage into industry secrets – may not be suitable for students looking to understand more about what a career in the voiceover industry is like in practice
Who it’s for: Anyone who wants to start a business as a voice over artist alongside their daily 9-5 job.
Overall: A good course for beginners to start building their knowledge on work as a voiceover artist.
8. The Complete Voice Acting & Voice Overs Course (Udemy)
Platform: Udemy | Teacher: Richard Andersone BCA | Length: 18 video lessons totalling 44 minutes
As an award winning instructor, Richard Andersone’s course will take you through the basics of voiceover acting
You will learn how to:
- Find your own unique voice
- Create your own adverts and podcasts
- Make a living from your voice
- Understand the basics of recording and editing
- Find the right equipment
Pros:
- Includes a certificate of completion
- Tutors speaking is well paced and clear
- Includes quizzes to test your knowledge
Cons:
- Presentations include a lot of text – this makes it difficult to concentrate on both the written and spoken information at the same time
- Very basic – might not be suitable for students with some prior knowledge already or those looking to reach a more intermediate/ advanced level
Who it’s for: Beginner voice actors looking to break into the industry.
Overall: A clearly explained course which covers the basics of voice acting.
9. Be a Voice Actor: Making a Living with Your Voice (Udemy)
Platform: Udemy | Teacher: Laci Morgan | Length: 63 video lessons totalling 2 hours 55 minutes
Adopting an enthusiastic and captivating approach, Laci Morgan explains concepts in a fun and engaging way – join her to learn the very basics of voice acting.
You will learn:
- The must have equipment for voice acting
- Basic audio editing skills and which programmes to use
- How to use a microphone for voice acting
- How to write scripts and create demos
- How to find a vocal coach
- Breathing techniques
- How to create characters and make voice acting seem ‘real’
- Brand creation and how to market yourself as a voice actor
Pros:
- Passionate and enthusiastic teacher – the teachers delivery of content is very captivating and great for keeping students engaged
- Interactive – includes quizzes to test your knowledge
- Concise and clear information – doesn’t explain information in a long winded way
Cons:
- Outdated – this course is from 2014 so the formatting of videos seems quite outdated. This can seem less engaging compared to newer courses in terms of transitions, camera quality and the design of teaching slides
- Only includes basic knowledge – recommends students to find further vocal coaching which can be costly
- Doesn’t cover topics in depth – great for establishing basic knowledge but only covers the very basics of information which could potentially be found online for free
Who it’s for: Ideal for beginners who wish to learn the very basics of voiceover acting
Overall: A good course which covers the basics of voice acting in an engaging and captivating way
10. VOICE OVER ACTING – Instruction in Commercials, Animation & more (Udemy)
Platform: Udemy | Teacher(s): Michael Christopher | Length: 64 video lessons totalling 5 hours 54 minutes
With a 4.7 star rating on Udemy, Michael Christoper is a voice actor who has featured in video games and animated netflix series.
He has helped clients book jobs in Disney, Dreamworks Animation and even GoDaddy. Join him on this course as he shares knowledge he wished he had known when first starting out.
You will learn:
- How to break down voiceover scripts and copy
- How to record auditions on your smartphone
- Vocal techniques (ie. breathing techniques, vocal warm ups, removing vocal clicks and pops when speaking)
- Performance techniques (ie. energy and emotion, bringing out different personas, how to sound conversational)
- Career advice
- How to speak with confidence
Pros:
- Includes a range of resources from articles, ebooks and checklists to help aid your studies
- Covers a wide range of topics from career advice to vocal and performance techniques
- Repeats key information to help students remember the most important parts
Cons:
- Slow paced – concepts can be explained in quite long winded ways
- Use of transitions in the middle of explaining lesson content can be distracting and seem out of place/ unnatural.
- Not very engaging – students may find it hard to concentrate and remain engaged for long periods of time as the format of the lessons appear quite outdated and less interactive
Who it’s for: Perfect for beginners who wish to learn the basics of voice over acting such as breaking down scripts.
Overall: A decent course to learn basics such as breaking down scripts and speaking with confidence.
What are the advantages of taking a voice acting course?
There are many reasons why you may wish to learn voice acting, some potential reasons may be…
- Develop your confidence – Voice Acting in itself can be a form of public speaking. This can be a great way for you to develop your confidence and public speaking skills, especially when learning about diction and projection etc
- Offers an alternative income stream – Those that reach a good level in voice acting may be able to pursue it as a creative side hustle alongside their day job
- Develop a career – alternatively, some students may wish to pursue this as a full time career and taking a course might just be the first step to get you started
- Express your creativity – as a form of acting, voice acting can be a great way for you to explore creatively, develop your own characters and relieve some stress
- It’s Fun – Voice acting gives you the creative freedom to try out new and exciting voices – this can be an extremely fun and rewarding hobby
Buyers guide: what to look out for
There’s so much to choose from, so what do you pick? Here’s our top tips for what to consider when choosing the best course for you…
- Course Content – are you looking to learn the basics of voice acting or how to start a career in the industry? The courses in this article range from technical skills to recording, production and industry insights – the right course for you will depend on your learning goals.
- Time – How much time will you have to complete the course? If you’re short on time or only wish to learn about a specific topic area, a more niche course may be more suitable.
- Knowledge level – the majority of courses on this list are tailored towards beginners however, some may include more advanced level knowledge whilst others only just skim the basics.
- Teaching style – Some teachers are more lively than others whilst some may explain things in more detail. Make sure to pick a teaching style that suits you as this will impact upon your understanding and engagement with the course material.
- Price – budget is an important factor to consider but also take into account value for money. A course may cost more but be more worth it in the long run if it covers more topic areas or provides more detail.
How much does it cost?
The Udemy courses in this list generally range from $20 – $73, although you can often get them for much cheaper during the platform's online sales.
Alternatively, you may wish to consider a subscription based platform which will allow you to access multiple different courses for a set fee.
MasterClass is a top choice for its incredible value – a subscription is only $120 per year which works out to $10 per month. As well as Nancy’s class, you could learn acting from Helen Mirren or Natalie Portman, cooking from Gordon Ramsay and Filmmaking with James Cameron. There are 180 classes taught by global icons in their field so it’s definitely a bargain for the knowledge you get.
Platforms such as Linkedin Learning only cost $24.99 a month (annual plan) or $39.99 a month (monthly plan). This includes access to Linkedin Premium benefits for your personal Linkedin Profile as well as certificates of completion for certain courses. They currently offer a one month free trial so you can try the platform out before deciding whether to commit to it.
Alternatively, Skillshare costs $13.99 per month (annual plan) or $32 a month (monthly plan).
How long does it take to learn voice acting?
Voice Acting is a skill that takes practice so the time it takes to master this craft can differ from person to person. Many of the courses in this list are self paced but in general, it can take between 44 minutes and 6.5 hours to complete a course.
Bear in mind that this doesn’t include practice time which would need to be factored in as well.
Conclusion
Overall, the best course listed above is Nancy Carthwright’s MasterClass – not only is it taught by an experienced professional, the course itself also covers many different topics such as performance tips and industry insights. Plus you can take over 180+ other MasterClasses from global icons in their fields for only $10 per month. You can read our full review of Nancy’s Masterclass here.
For those who already know the basics and only want to find out about beginning a career, Peter Baker’s Udemy class will be one to check out!
Voice acting courses frequently asked questions
Nancy Carthwright’s MasterClass is the best as it is taught by an experienced professional and covers a range of useful topics from technical skills to career advice.
Online voice acting courses are often much cheaper than in person lessons, and can cost around $20 – $73. Subscription based platforms will allow access to multiple courses for around $13.99 – $39.99.
Voice acting courses can take between 44 minutes and 6.5 hours to complete (excluding practice time).
Jessica graduated from the University of Manchester with a First Class Degree in LLB Law. In her spare time, she enjoys learning new languages, singing, and performing.