Posts Comments

You are here: Home / 2010 / Archives for May 2010

SEO by Jodi

May 31, 2010 By 1 Comment

COUNTDOWN TO VOICE2010: TWO DAYS

Jodi Krangle scores a hit with a recent article posted on Taj’s Voice Emporium.

Tapping into her experience in a prior life of Internet Marketing, Jodi boils down smart SEO tips for VoiceOvers into a list of 5.

Brilliant!  Thanks, Jodi.  Click HERE to see the article.

Also, in case you haven’t ever run across this website, or their publication, ProAudioReview is worth a look.
You can sign up for their free digital publication, or just visit THEIR SITE.  Kinda like EQ, this site caters to audio and studio pros, and VO does not seem to be a main target.  Still there are lots of articles and resources here you will find useful, especially for microphones.

CourVO

Filed Under: Mics, Web/Tech Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Pedaling As Fast As I Can

May 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

COUNTDOWN TO VOICE2010: FIVE DAYS

.

All of the SaVoa promotional materials we plan to bring to VOICE2010 on behalf of SaVoa are now in da house!

Please stop by all the exhibitor booths at V2010… most everyone brings great offers, some giveaways, and certainly good conversation.

As a member of the SAB (SaVoa Advisory Board), you’ll find me at the booth from time to time…handing out information, and cool promotional stuff we’ve ordered for the occasion.  We’re trying to recruit new members as much as we can, of course…and we think there are compelling reasons for that case.  So if you’re not a member already, expect to hear the pitch!

I know this blog is getting uber-V2010 right now, but that’s all I’M working on these days, and it’s top of mind to many in the business.  It’ll continue right on through the event, too.  John Florian of VoiceOverXtra has asked me and Bobbin Beam (my co-host for the event), as well as master blogger Bob Souer to be contributing bloggers at V2010, and I do so with exuberance.  Plan to see people carrying cameras wherever you go.

Many are heading to the general SoCal area this weekend for visits to friends, an early arrival, or other reasons…so the migration is underway!

Oh, and I’ve rediscovered Twitter….and TweetDeck.  ’Only so many hours in the day!

CourVO

Filed Under: VOICE 2010 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

VOICE2010 Reminders

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

COUNTDOWN TO VOICE2010: SIX DAYS

Really, I’m not trying to beat a dead horse, I’m just excited, and there’s lots to be done.  Terry Daniel and I are still polishing up our presentation, and we’ve woven into the whole thing some fun and surprising elements!

I just got a new roomate…Bill Sleeper from Portland, OR, who was not going to be able to come if he couldn’t find someone to share a room.

Just think of Liz de Nesnera, who just broke her leg, and is coming in a wheelchair to make her presentation!

Sadly, Derek Chappell of Lawrence, KS is deciding NOT to come, but for all the right reasons…he needs to be there for his daughters’ dance recitals.  Derek, I hear ya!  That’s important stuff, and I’m kinda doing the same thing.  After my Friday presentation, I’m hopping a plane back to Las Vegas to be there for my daughter’s High School Graduation ceremony.

So, yes…lots going on.  Below are some reminders from the event coordinator, James Alburger of things you should do before even arriving.  You ARE coming, right?  Not to late to register if you haven’t already.

CourVO
[Read more...]

Filed Under: VOICE 2010 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The PR Machine

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

COUNTDOWN TO VOICE2010: SEVEN DAYS

Several voice actors have asked me recently whether I thought the Platinum membership at Voices.com was worth it.  I choose not to answer that publicly here, but promise an honest answer if you contact me personally.

What I CAN say is that the PR portion of the agreement works like a charm.

I wanted to pump-up visibility of my co-presentation with Terry Daniel at VOICE2010, and worked with Stephanie Ciccarelli on a few details.  She whipped up the content, asked for my approval, and since then, I’ve seen the article show up in a number of the online PR sites.

HERE’S ONE…and ANOTHER.

CourVO

Filed Under: VOICE 2010 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Mix Masters

May 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

COUNTDOWN TO VOICE2010: EIGHT DAYS

When you get the client who wants a “mix” of your voice with music, the challenge should be met with a smile.  After all, you can charge a bit more for the production, and it’s a breeze to do the mix…right?…right?

I like Adobe Audition 3.0 for the task.  You start with your original voice track, and just click to include it in a “multitrack” mode.

Sony SoundForge Audio Studio seems a little more complicated to me…you have to mix the two in an edit process, but you still have control over volume levels and such.

Here’s a couple more low-cost alternatives: two programs designed specifically for multi-track editing.

The first is: Multi-Track Studio…previously mentioned in an earlier blog post.  Although it seem specifically designed to lead you by the hand in a step-by-step process of multi-track editing, I did NOT find it particularly intuitive for a first-time user.

The second is: MixCraft5, by Acoustica.  I’m giving this two thumbs up for an intuitively easy interface.  I was up and editing both tracks in minutes, and never had to refer to a HELP file.   It has looping and sound effects, virtual instruments and effects, video scoring and editing, and you can record and create an unlimited number of audio and MIDI tracks.    The price tag is $74.95.  I can’t tell you that’s cheap or expensive, but I can tell you I thought it was well worth the price for me.

CourVO

Filed Under: Software Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

VoiceOverists Guide

May 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

COUNTDOWN TO VOICE2010: NINE DAYS

One of the most prolific voice over guys in the world is Mahmoud Taji of Cairo, Egypt.

His VoiceOver Emporium and VoiceOver Pavilion, and VO Oasis Forum are engaging, relevant, and contributory.

Now “Taj” has published an 80-page interactive online e-book at no cost.

According to Taj’s blog:   “The eBook is in PDF format and is a compilation of many of the articles I have written for The Voiceover Emporium of the period of the last 15 months. It takes voiceover artists (or voiceoverists) through a step by step system designed to help them setup a functional voiceover business.”

I’m not one to taint your first look with my own opinion, but I must tell you that like the rest of the materials Taj puts out, this is well-thought-out, well-written, and holds  many gems for voice actors, no matter your level of experience.  I’ve always found power in the story of one man’s walk to benefit us all.

Click HERE to go to Taj’s blog and get your own download.

CourVO

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Peak…

May 21, 2010 By 1 Comment

With VOICE2010 just two weeks away, some small hints of what’s ahead are starting to peak through.

There will be surprises, oh yes.  In the form of people, activities, events, gifts, and value.  That last one is important.  There’s been the usual cribbing here ‘n’ there about whether the V2010 pricetag is worth it, esp. figuring in the travel costs.  IT IS…worth it, and the surprises will bury the cost question.

People.  Not just the presenters and the pros…the attendees are the biggest resource of the event.  The list is growing.

You ARE coming, right?

Some of the content being presented is fresh off the vine…just minted…the very latest!  I’ve seen some of what John Florian of VoiceOverXtra is planning to present from his recent Online Survey, and it’s impressive…tailored specifically for the voice artist.

Booths and vendors are making a strong showing.  Expect specials and discounts.  You’ll make connections and relationships that will bring dividends for months and years to come.

Plan to play!  Everyone I’ve talked to wants to enjoy the rich spectrum of personalities and people.  I know of several top names who are planning to hang out at the hotel (even though they’re not officially attending) JUST to be able to rub shoulders with the rabble.  Yay!

Almost every presenter is bustin’ their butt to outdo the next.  More surprises here, and raffles prizes will be everywhere.

Finally, the panels feature the richest experience in the field today.  Attend only the panels, and you would realize a full return on your investment.

You ARE coming, right?

CourVO

Filed Under: VOICE 2010 Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Crunch Time

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

All year, it’s been mounting…the June 2nd deadline…the time when it ALL has to be done.

Am I over-booked?  Yeah.

Is it fun?  Heck yeah!

As a co-host and presenter at VOICE2010 this year, I’ve known for at least 8 months that I had much preparation to do.  Did I leverage that lead-time?  (ouch!)

Ya see…as a news person of lo, these many years, I’ve been perfectly trained to wait until THE DEADLINE to get stuff done.

So here it is, now, two weeks until the first full day of V2010, and I’ve still got gobs to do.  There’s my Social Media presentation with Terry Daniel…my co-hosting duties with Bobbin Beam (which includes composing introductions for half the speakers)…and then there’s  my commitment to SaVoa at this event: a booth, promotional materials, t-shirts to order, and troops to rally.

But wait, there’s more!  At noon on Friday, I’ll be leaving the conference to fly BACK to Vegas to be at my daughter’s High School graduation.  YEAH!  In the middle of everything, I have to get myself to the airport.  Don’t worry, I’ll be back again Saturday morning.  Quick turnaround!

Finally, I’m a contributory blogger for John Florian’s VoiceOverXtra site for the duration of the event.  Will I get sleep at all? Sleep? Who needs it?  I can’t wait to see everybody…and I’m so stoked about meeting Andy Boyns…flying all the way in from Istanbul, Turkey…not to mention my excitement at sharing a boffo presentation on the opportunities of Social Media for your Voice-Over business with Terry Daniel.

You’re coming, right?

CourVO

Filed Under: VOICE 2010 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

ION Studio

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Over the last coupla years, I’ve forged a pretty good relationship with the guys at Rain Recording. (ed. note: now Rain Computers)

While I’ve never been lucky enough to have purchased any of their custom-designed audio hardware packages, I’m just wowed by the fact that they designed, configured, installed, and consult on the audio system for one of the Cirque shows here in Vegas.

I have written some articles for them.  You can see those and other posts HERE.

RainRecording’s equipment  is always rock-solid, and they’ll hold your hand on any set-up or troubleshooting you might run across.

Check out their latest ION Studio offering.  It’s gotta be top-notch…it’s from RainRecording.

CourVO

Filed Under: Hardware, Home studio Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Determining R.O.I.

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

THE  most oft-asked question I get from others who are thinking about diving into Social Networking is:  ”Is it all worth the investment of time?’ (or the more colloquial version:  ”Do you ever sleep?”)

Coupla thoughts right off the bat:
1) That person is trying to talk themselves out of it before they start.
2) Is ANYTHING worth the investment of time?  (or the more colloquial version: “Does anybody really know what time it is?”)

The problem with investing time or money or love or work in America today is that you’re expected  to justify every minute or dollar or emotion or job.  Quantify.  Input vs. output.  Results.  Return On Investment.

That’s why a cottage…er…uh.. metropolitan industry has emerged to provide tools for analyzing, counting, justifying, and bar-graphing the very hairs on  your teeth, and whether they deserve to be there.

There’s no fighting it, but I think there needs to be some common sense in managing it.

I’m not sure about Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn, but there are more tools to measure your investment of time and talent on Twitter than there are burkhas in Riyahd.

Everybody knows the grandaddy top poobah of online metrics is Google Analytics.  The only problem I have with it is the inordinate INVESTMENT OF TIME it takes to figure it out.  Am I wrong?  Maybe I’m just intimidated by statistics, but I don’t think so…after all, I made an “A” in it when I was in graduate school.

Nope. It’s just that I think investing gobs of time to figure out how to analyze whether all-the-time-your-investing-in-social-media-is-worth-it… is ludicrous (or the more colloquial: “ludacris”)

I like WOOPRA.  It integrates right into my websites.

I tried HaveAMint…but it, too, was ludicrously complicated. Maybe they’ve fixed it, and I should try again.

Mostly, though, I don’t pay too much attention to it all.  Other VO professionals that I respect more than they know (eg. Peter O’Connell), and who are likely much better at marketing than I, use Google Analytics…and I’m envious.

Here’s my rationale.  Good content builds its own following. You don’t need numbers to tell you.  I doubt Seth Godin spends much time with Google Analytics.

Concentrate on the quality of the content, and the numbers will follow.

Spend as much time as you think you need to spend on Social Networking to do what you want to do, and you’ll likely know when it’s too much time.  Is that naíve?

I could be totally wrong.  Tell me so.  Tell me what you use for analytics.

Sorry, I gotta get some sleep now.

CourVO

Filed Under: Software, Technology
Next Page »