The voice acting industry is what brings the stories to life that anime viewers love. From one-liners to protagonists, every voice actor that participates in the creation of an anime impacts the story being told. In the past, most voice actors would venture out to studios to record for their roles. However, traveling was stopped at the start of the pandemic and employees had to find a way to work from home.

The beginning of the pandemic changed the world’s workforce as a whole. Employees who could work from home were able to, and those who couldn’t had extreme restrictions put on their chance to work. Many fields of work discovered positives and negatives to working from home and implemented much of what they learned into the current state of how they go about their work. Likewise, the voice acting industry was able to adapt to the changes caused by COVID-19, but it went through many ups and downs in the process.

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What Changed For Voice Actors?

Tanjiro looking at his sword in Demon Slayer.

Most employees worldwide that could work from home only needed a laptop to get back on the grind. What's different for voice actors is the need to record with proper equipment. Voice actors need a laptop or some sort of device that can hold the right software, as well as microphones, stands and a great recording space. All of these things together can cost a pretty penny, especially for voice actors who have only previously recorded in a studio. Many established voice actors who turned to working from home had the opportunity to receive some equipment needed from production houses. Others, like those who were just getting started, needed to spend the money to get what they needed. While there are many ways to cheaply go about things, such as using blankets and sleeping bags as makeshift acoustic foam, there are also many items that voice actors can’t work their way around to save money.

For example, a decent microphone is a necessity to get studio-quality recordings suitable for professional productions. Most microphones that can record well are worth, at the very least, around $100 -- and that’s just the microphone. To keep the microphone stable, stands must be purchased. Along with this, pop filters are needed to prevent unwanted noises from being picked up. If the voice actor’s microphone doesn’t have a USB connection, an audio interface, which will help the overall quality of the recording, is needed in order to save audio onto a compatible device with installed audio engineering software. The microphone setup alone can cost hundreds of dollars, but there is still more that's needed for the at-home voice actor.

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Getting Started Can Cost A Lot

Takemichi in Tokyo Revengers.

The at-home voice actor is in charge of many things that a studio-attending voice actor isn’t. For example, the voice actor at home is working completely alone while recording. They start the recording process and aren’t able to reach out for immediate tips or answers. At the studio, any adjustments that need to be made to the recordings are done by someone else while the voice actor is in the booth. At-home voice actors must go through trial and error to make sure that the audio is being picked up correctly and will have to make any necessary changes by themselves. This is where the help of audio editing software comes in. What's great about this is that there is some wonderful software that voice actors can use that's completely free of charge.

While the price of creating a home studio is intimidating, it's also a quality investment for the serious voice actor. What’s been a positive outcome of the pandemic’s impact on the industry is the chance being given to people all over the globe to audition and record without having to leave the comfort of their homes. Pre-pandemic, the closer one was to a busy media-based city, the easier it would be to pick up auditions and gigs. Now, anyone interested is given the chance to find their way into the industry no matter where they're from. Voice actors are recording hit anime series and films all from one spot in their homes, such as Tokyo Revengers, My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer. What's especially amazing is the fact that many anime voice actors are becoming more popular names within the industry because of the chances given to them by working from home.

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There Are Upsides to Home-Based Voice Acting

Izuku Midoriya/Deku in My Hero Academia extending a helping hand.

Another wonderful opportunity being given to voice actors who work from home is the chance to get more familiar with different aspects of anime creation. Not only do voice actors learn new things just by recording alone, but they also become comfortable with audio editing software, directing and more. By becoming aware of how other elements work in the anime industry, voice actors are given the chance to branch out and try new things.

For example, a voice actor may find enjoyment while working with their audio or desire to direct others after self-directing. Reaching out for tips and tricks from professionals or even joining an anime production team isn’t as difficult for those who have already dipped their toes into the professional voice-acting industry. Even though many voice actors in the past have worked in other areas of anime development, the pandemic has helped growth by adding voice actors’ names under different credits in productions, providing them the chance to learn more about their interests through self–recording.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused vast amounts of stress, changes and challenges for the worldwide workforce. The work-from-home restrictions that were implemented in plenty of countries have caused many ups and downs for the anime voice-acting industry. Like many companies and industries, voice actors and their producers have discovered just how much work can be done from home while still creating top-of-the-line productions. Many voice actors had to familiarize themselves with working alone without direct communication; lots of money has been funneled into creating at-home studios, and a lot more time is taken while recording at home. However, that doesn’t stop the fact that the immense growth in voice actor numbers and voice actors finding their strengths and branching out to other anime production roles has been a boon for the anime industry.