How do you adapt your voice to fit different genres?

There are so many good answers from VO artists here — especially knowing the W questions. But I also have a musically trained ear and am a good mimic so if I am having trouble, I will do a search and find videos and audio tracks that fit the brief and try to mimic tone, cadence, etc. This is also a fun exercise to do just to stretch the creative muscles and develop voices you might not have known you had!

I am one who tends to get hired for a wide range of work: movie trailers, documentaries, character voices, deep voice delivery and, most of all, I still get hired for my standard basic gig. I don't get much work for conversational reads, nor for elearning (which is pretty funny, considering that elearning kept me alive for about 20 years, until the companies I worked for were sold, merged or absorbed).

The adjustments I use involve overall volume approach (especially on some types of movie trailers), the various styles of documentary reads (which can be a rather flat read with little emphasis or a read with a concerned tone), character voices (which often require stretches of range, accents, intentional verbal tics, crazed and/or unstable shifts of energy, whininess, grouchiness, added levels of grit).

Adapting has three parts - The first is understanding what uniqueness a specific voice over artist provides and what it doesn't. Some voices are a bit high, squeaky, or raspy, and another low, rumbling, or gritty, and plenty in between.  Voice acting can many times have limits, but there is a place for every voice - it just depends on the project or target audience.  The second is understanding how the unique voice fits into the project.  That involves understanding the larger scope of the project (commercial, audiobook, video game) and who the audience is for (age, gender, lifestyle type) and zeroing in on who the client needs the voice actor to be and aim to attract.  The Third, is understanding the trends.  Performance on each type of genre shifts over the years and understanding that commercials are not just for TV breaks any more - they come in many shapes and sizes.  Being hired to sound like an influencer means sounding like a NON-professional and trying to sound like an untrained regular person.  Villians in video games now have more backstory and are not all evil, but many times complicated.  Adapting genres on a professional level means paying attention! I love to listen to commercials, the flow of an influencer's sentence structure, and spotting differences between voice acting in older cartoons versus newer ones.  It's a fluid game that's a lot of fun!    

I wouldn't say I adapt my voice to different genres, but rather to different projects, based on client expectations and requirements. No matter the genre, you have to imagine yourself as a character. Are you young, old, or middle age? Who are you talking to? A friend, a client, a hospital patient, a busy mom rushing through the supermarket line? Does the project require a certain tone like sarcasm, disbelief, dry humor, etc.? It all depends on the project and what they client is looking for. Take your direction from them. 

I rely on the wonderful 'W' questions of Who, What, When, Why and Where and the H questions of How!

WHO am I speaking to?

WHAT do I want the  person I am speaking to or with to say, do or feel while and after I speak?

WHEN did I decide to speak and WHY?

WHY am I saying what I am saying and WHY am I saying what I saying now vs. tomorrow or next month?

HOW am I to convince of/convey the message?

Adapting my voice to fit different genres involves several strategies:

1. Understanding Genre Requirements: I start by studying the specific requirements and conventions of each genre to grasp the desired tone, style, and pacing.
2. Voice Modulation: I adjust my pitch, tone, and speed to align with the genre. For instance, a commercial might require a bright, energetic tone, while an audiobook needs a calm and engaging delivery.
3. Characterization: I develop different vocal characters or personas that suit the genre, such as adding a dramatic flair for animation or a professional tone for corporate narration.
4. Practice and Research: I practice different styles and listen to examples within the genre to better understand and mimic the nuances required.
5. Feedback and Adjustment: I take feedback from clients and peers to refine my approach and ensure it meets the genre’s expectations.

Too many voice actors think voice acting is doing every genre.  Most of us with full time successful careers have dialed in a few styles and genres we know we can reproduce quickly and scale.   You need to discover what you get paid for and less focus on what you enjoy.  I've seen many voice actors strive to be in video games / interactive, but then they quickly realize the pay is low and the competition is fierce.  That discourages them and they quit.  I teach to find what get's the dopamine hit of a paycheck first, then once you have established a baseline of success, then get coaching in whatever genre you want to explore.  BUT you need to be ready for a true professional to tell you that you just are not good a a certain genre and to focus on a different read style or genre.  To circle back to the original question of "how do you adapt your voice to fit different genres?" the answer is you do that by first finding out what you are good at, then building from there until you can switch on the fly from one genre to the next.