2008 October | Dave Courvoisier's Blog

The First CourVO.com Newsletter

October 31, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

My first CourVO.com newsletter was forever in getting finished.

The mental blocks were the worst thing. No no…I take that back…putting together the e-mail list was the hardest. Ya know…really, that's not true either, deciding what to put in, and what not to put in was easily the most difficult. Nah…really now… the hardest thing was deciding how long it should be.

See? ALL these decisions. I finally decided to punt after two months, and just publish it. And boy Howdy did I ever!…at 3 in the morning of Halloween Day!

There were some mistakes to be sure, but overall the immediate feedback was encouraging. However the oversights were egregious enough that I felt I had to follow-up with another newsletter within the day. You'll see that in this blogsite too.

I'm not sure the links translated over to the blog when I copied and pasted, so if you want to know where those links lead, just e-mail me, and I'll forward you a copy. Constant Contact lets you archive all your newsletters to a website location. It's an extra $5/month, though, and I'm still mulling that over.

If any of what you see below is interesting, and you'd like to be included on my mailing list, please let me know, and I'll make sure you get the next one.

Too Much, Too Good

October 30, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

How am I ever going to publish my own original blogs if I keep having to use this space to point to TOP-FLIGHT articles that my colleagues in voice acting are writing?!!!

Of course it would be Peter O'Connell. Again!

Nothin' much slips past this guy. Problem is…he's always right! Jeez, doncha just hate someone who's always right?!!!

I kid. I kid. Peter's observations on our business are spot on. Just read his latest blog, and you'll see what I mean.

CourVO

Filed Under: Op/Ed Tagged With: announcer, announcing, artist, audio, Audiobooks, audioconnell, audiotx, Demos, documentaries, ISDN, male voice, male voice artist, male voiceover, narrating, narrations, Podcasts, source connect, speaker, speaking, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice actors, voice over, voice overs, voice talent, voice work, voiceover, voices, voicing

“…getting paid to just talk…”

October 30, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

David Houston shows up on my radar a lot. Mostly 'cause he's great about his online presence: Blogging, Twitter, VO-BB, and such, but also because I know he's a really good, seasoned voice actor, and in a sense (not being patronizing here) I look for crumbs from his table.

David posted about this published article on Twitter this morning, and he's right… it's a great article except for the quote in the title of this blog.

CourVO

Filed Under: Op/Ed Tagged With: announcer, announcing, artist, audio, Audiobooks, audiotx, Demos, documentaries, ISDN, male voice, male voice artist, male voiceover, narrating, narrations, Podcasts, source connect, speaker, speaking, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice actors, voice over, voice overs, voice talent, voice work, voiceover, voices, voicing

Voices.com To Give Away 1-Year Premium Membership

October 29, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

That Stephanie Ciccarelli is no slouch. Follow her on Twitter, and you'll understand how busy she is.

Stephanie and her savvy CEO hubby David, are building something really great for voice-actors on the web. VOICES.COM is one of the true bargains in any VO marketing plan.

Now they're offering a chance at a free premium membership, and you don't have to do a whole lot to be considered.

Click HERE to see the offer.

CourVO

Filed Under: Subscription Services Tagged With: narration, voice, voice artist, voice artists, voice over, voice overs, voice talent, voice work, voices, voices.com

NOT a political survey!

October 29, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Isn't that refreshing?

No, this is a quick survey on how the economy might be affecting the voice-acting business today.

It's a good question, and one which I've blogged about before (Here & Here).

But I wrote from a singular perspective, and here's your chance to add your experience to others in the industry.

John Florian is sponsoring a survey on the issue through his VOICEOVERXTRA site. It doesn't take long to complete the survey, and it's anonymous.

Check it out: SURVEY

CourVO

Aphex Affects Me!

October 29, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Joe Klein is a nut…and I mean that in the finest sense of the word.

He's everywhere in the blogging and new media world.

He's also one of the fastest talkers I know…a darn-good voice actor, producer, and one of the most knowledgeable guys in the Northern Hemisphere for technical stuff.

That's why, when he told me I absolutely HAD to have an "Aphex 230 Master Voice Channel" in my audio chain, I listened carefully.

Joe not only sold me on its capabilities, but then he sold the Pres/CEO of Aphex on the idea of making sure I get a unit. Wow! (BTW, it wasn't a gift, but it was worth every penny!)

That CEO — Marvin Caesar — couldn't have been more helpful, personal and personable in seeing that I was satisfied. Both Joe and Marvin INSISTED I get the Aphex HeadPod 454 with the 230, and then both of them also made sure I had a conversation on the phone with them to ensure that I had both units set-up, configured, and tweaked to optimal.

I was unsure of why I needed the Headpod, but the unit has this caution right on the face of it: CAUTION: TURN DOWN VOLUME BEFORE PLUGGING IN. I'd never seen anything quite like that before. And (like I should've doubted) they were absolutely spot-on in their recommendation. The HeadPod IS amazing.

I don't pretend to be an audio engineer of any import, but this unit makes me sound like one. I've never had so much fun learning how to make the best use of this compressor/pre-amp/de-esser/exciter.

I know equipment can't make you a better voice-actor if you aren't already doing due diligence on your talent and technique…but it's also reassuring to know your best work can be optimized by such a fine helpmate.

CourVO

Filed Under: Equipment Tagged With: Aphex, narration, voice, voice artist, voice artists, voice over, voice overs, voice talent, voice work, voices

You Didn’t Go?

October 28, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

August was a busy month, and many voice actors found they couldn’t afford the time or the expense of VOICE 2008.

S’alright, here’s your chance to see and hear most everything that happened at the big event.

Follow the links below to order your DVD of this landmark event in Los Angeles in August of 2008.

CourVO

Age-Old Agent Question

October 28, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Seasoned and solid time-tested advice is hard to come in the field of acting. Everyone who wants to be discovered is always looking for short-cuts, instead of doing the hard work.

(Well, not everyone…just those living in dream-land)

To find that sort of sage advice, look no further than veteran acting coach Bob Fraser. From time to time, I repurpose his helpful e-mails verbatim (with his permission, of course).

The column he writes below is all about finding an agent.
OK, it's basically an offer. But I find Bob's stuff to be ironclad, or I wouldn't include it on my blog.

CourVO

8 is Great!

October 27, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

…or so DigiDesign would have you think.

Yes, Pro-Tools is an industry standard in audio production.

Yes, countless hours have gone into its development, and it's the fullest-featured software editing package on the market (to my knowledge) bar-none.

But…most voice actors would tell you it's like jumping in an F-16 to cross the street.

Let me put it this way: If the totally free Audacity program can answer the needs of most professional voice actors, then why would you want to spend HUNDREDS for the likes of Pro-tools?

Now, don't get me wrong. I use Pro-Tools, and it is awesome in it's capability. I am not here to bash Pro-tools, although I know many a voice actor who loathe it.

Pro-Tools absolutely has it's place in the world of music and audio production. It is still the de facto industry standard, although Ableton and Steinberg CuBase and others are edging into their market. But Pro-Tools has never really designed, sought, or marketed to voice-actors, and there's good reason.

Yet, if you DO use Pro-Tools…if you've meticulously studied, learned, and practiced its many features (like my VOICE 2008 roommate Youssef Mishriki has), Pro-Tools is a wonder.

For THOSE people, the upcoming Pro-Tools 8 may be the best Pro-Tools yet. The advance marketing seems to make a special point of lauding the new easy-to-look-at-and-use GUI.

Click HERE for a visit to DigiDesign's website page explaining more about Pro-Tools.

CourVO

Filed Under: Equipment Tagged With: announcer, announcing, artist, audio, Audiobooks, audiotx, Demos, Digidesign, documentaries, ISDN, male voice, male voice artist, male voiceover, narrating, narrations, Podcasts, Pro Tools, source connect, speaker, speaking, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice actors, voice over, voice overs, voice talent, voice work, voiceover, voices, voicing

Of New Beginnings…of Old Friends

October 27, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Sunday wrapped up the raison-d'etre for my being in Salt Lake City: the wedding of a voice over friend — Diane Maggipinto — to her sweetheart.

This was a beautiful ceremony on a stunning day, with all their friends and family attending. Yep, on this occasion all the planets were aligned.

For many reasons, which I won't elucidate here, this marriage marks the most tender of beginnings and continuities…of something new, and something ongoing…of a start, and a process.

Alongside me all day, a childhood friend since 3rd grade: Gerry Smith.

After college, and for many years of mid-life, I lost track of Gerry. But never too far. Our small Midwestern town upbringing would never allow that.

Where such strong histories of formative years are built, the heart tends to linger.

Gerry now lives in Salt Lake City, and I took the occasion of Diane's wedding to renew old ties.

Gerry picked me up at the airport, carted me around, put me up in a spare bedroom overnight and made himself comfortable while I spent time with VO-BB acquaintances at the wedding. He was, and is, the friend I always remembered.

On the moments we had together, we — of course — talked about our growing up in Greenville, IL. Some of the things he said, I hadn't heard before, but what comes through is that Gerry is as much a part of my life as I am of his. In a sense, our friendship was renewed, but continuous… a beginning, but ongoing…a start, yet part of a lifetime process.

When's the last time you looked up an old friend? Hmmm?

CourVO