Voice-Acting in Vegas
The deal with Microsoft’s purchase of SKYPE hasn’t cleared all the hurdles yet, but some SKYPE users have been complaining loudly about some unknown silent install add-ons to the Windows Skype system that is problematic.
Since a lot of voice over talent use Skype for phone patch, or even in some instances, a sort of “poor-man’s Source Connect”, this may be of interest.
See the ZDNet article: Skype starts installing crapware on Windows systems without consent.
CourVO
‘Must be something in the water.
Nah. Our time has come, and we want everyone to know it.
On the heels of our appeal to seek a real Emmy statue for Mary McKitrick, there’s an honest-to-goodness parallel appeal going on to seek legitimacy for Voice Acting in the realm of the Oscars.
Andy Boyns brought this to my attention. See his blog:The Oscars Petition Gets A Voice for the backgrounder…or just move right on over the the Voices.com-sponsored site and enter your petition info online: Voiceover Performance Category for Oscars.
I just signed the petition as #695, and they are hoping for a total of 2,000.
‘Doesn’t take but a minute, and I hope you’ll agree it’s time!
CourVO
Nothing is more important to an independent freelance artist than the referrals they get from satisfied clients, trusted friends and colleagues.
Sometimes you really just have to ASK for those referrals. Most of the time, your client, friend or colleagues is only to happy to do that for you, much as you would for them. Can I write one for you?
Some VO’s swear by the quoted testimonials they glean from clients. I must confess I have not tried this, but I see it a lot voice acting websites.
I do a lot of referring on this blog. Most of the time, it’s to great articles I find on the topics of voice over, social media, technological advances, and equipment (among others). In fact, I ever have a category called “referrals”, and the articles are an encyclopedia of great links I’ve found over the years.
CURATING
At the risk of beating the drum too much, I want to once again mention the VO aggregator site I’m “curating” with VO Fran McClellan called “Scoop.it”. That word “curating” is one that’s much bandied about in the world of journalism and social media in recent months. Here’s a great article on what that means when it comes to being in charge of content as it washes over us in internet waves.
The Scoop.it site I’m curating is turning up stuff I’d never seen before, and believe me I go searching for VO stuff all day every day for my blog. In that sense, the Scoop.it algorithm for seeking information about voice over (according to the keywords I’ve chosen) is very thorough. My job as the “curator” of all that stuff is to weed through it and make sure to choose those entries that truly deserve to be content on the site.
Here are a few of the headlines I’ve found recently:
Top Voice Over Agency: Voice Over LA- How ToGet Into The Voice Over
Children & Kid Voice Talent – 7 Directing Tipsto Get the Most Out …
How to Build a Character For Voice Actors – oora.info
Voice Over Coaching Courses – Do They Help Discovering Work and …
Voiceover techniques for professional results
Carrying out Voice Overs is Effortless Cash Wrong! | 3dsmod.net
Voice Acting Advice » Acting Advice Online – Free acting advice and acting tips
Voice Over Jobs – How to Start a Voice Over Career: Work Jobs at Home | Work At Home Jobs – Easy Work At Home Video Tutorials
Voice Actors Needed! ~UPDATED~
Do You Have An Alpha Voice?
Finding The Appropriate Voiceover Talent For Your Script | Watch …
I’m not saying I’ve read all these articles…but a lot of them. And I’m not claiming all of them are appropriate for all levels of the profession. Admittedly, I’m casting a wide net…but it’s incredible the amount of information out there, meaning more and more services like this will find a valuable place on the net for people hoping to quickly review the available trends in their field.
Check it out when you have a chance, and be sure to subscribe while you’re there. I guarantee you’ll find something to click on that you’ll find interesting. The page is issued in a traditional “front page” style that’s easy to scroll through.
SCOOP.IT/VOICEOVER is the site.
Thanks for visiting.
CourVO
You know how I love following the march of technology.
This stuff is amazing. It just keeps getting better and better. Now, two track-layerable, non-linear audio editors that just blow me away.
Twisted wave would be hard to beat, but wait till you check out Monle and Hindenberg. 
Kudos to Chuck Burke in Hawaii for tipping us off to this one. His original post on my Voice-Over Friends Group on FaceBook points to a very well-written article on both products, which are similar in design (to a point). See: “iPhone Audio Editing: Monle and Hindenburg Mobile”
Both apps are created ostensibly for use in Radio or Broadcast journalism. Again, voice-overs are never mentioned in the prospectus for any of these programs…they’re always for someone else, and we have to grab and go…adapt them to our burgeoning business (usually with very little tweaking needed).
Of course, none of this addresses how to get audition-quality audio INTO the iPhone, but what encourages me about this newest round of audio-processing software is the ease with which one can share and send this stuff.
From the above-referenced article, the Monle has:
Also from the above referenced article, the Hindenberg has:
That’d be great if I was actually smart enough to write a blog with that title…but the truth is someone already has, and I don’t want to be guilty of plagiarism.
I’ve mentioned FreelanceFolder before, right?
Good, ’cause that’s where you need to go to read this excellent article.
Sure, you could read books and books about branding…but that’s for tomorrow. For now, just start with this excellent blog.
CourVO
The other day, I blogged about Scoop.it pages, where you could see an aggregation of current articles on all sorts of topics. Well, now I’m helping to “curate” one of those pages.
VO pro Fran McClellan was willing to let me come aboard her Scoop.it page titled VOICEOVER, and help curate. Yep, that’s what they call it: “curate” the articles. Please stop on by and take a look. I “curate” at least once a day, and some amazing resources show up in the search engine. Thanks Fran! The Voiceover Scoop.it page.
I’ve also started my own Scoop.it page dedicated to the topic of Audiobooks. Stop on by sometime and see how it grows. The AudioBook Scoop.it page: Everything AudioBooks.
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My VO friend Paul Strikwerda worked hard at constructing a new soundbooth on a budget. He posted his progress along the way, documenting his challenges and discoveries. Now that it’s done, he’s compiled his chronicle of Building a Vocal Booth on a Budget into book form, and made it available for a pittance on Scribd.com. Nice going, Paul! BTW, you really should check out scribd.com if you have not yet done so. VERY cool site…lots to see.
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BTW, if you have a second, trot on over to Paul’s Blog and read his latest (as always, erudite) article on YOUR BIGGEST BLIND SPOT. It’s spot-on.
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This year’s APAC just finished in NYC. (APAC=Audio Publisher’s Association Conference). It’s an affair geared to the AudioBook publishing industry. Publishers, agents, producers, narrators, listeners…they all congregate for the conference and the Audie Awards event. My friend John Pruden attended, and is making available a .pdf of the home studio overview he participated in at the conference. Click to download —-> HOME STUDIO OVERVIEW.
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VO talent, coach, author, and actress/speaker Randye Kaye has posted a nifty article for those considering getting into the business of voice overs. You have such a nice voice!”: the 5 layers needed for voice-over. It’s from her blog: Life on the Voiceover List, Tips and thoughts on Voice Acting. This might be a great resource to direct people to who have approached you with questions about being a VO talent. Here’s another link to a blog I wrote about this: ADVICE FOR NEWBIES.
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The Rode NT1a Condenser Microphone gets a lot of good reviews from many voice actors. But some don’t take it seriously because it’s not that expensive. The guy evaluating the Rode NT1a from Recording Review wasn’t convinced either, but after taking it through its paces, he changed his story. Read Brand Drury’s Review of the Rode NT1a.
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Finally, tons of people use FreeConferencing.com to make conference calls. It really IS free, and quite a professional service with all the bells and whistles. Well, now the service is adding a feature providing each host with the ability to share their computer screen during their live conference calls. This can come in mighty handy, and you’d have to pay for screen sharing on other competitive products. Check out FREE SCREEN SHARING at freeconferencing.com.
CourVO
Mary McKitrick is a rock. (just check her website). Which is to say she’s rock solid as a voice talent. She’s a seasoned VO professional, a talented and humble person, and I SHOULD be able to say she’s an Emmy-Award-Winner…and technically she is (Congratulations, Mary!)…but she doesn’t really have the statue to prove it.
(you have a chance to help fix this, please read to the bottom)
Sure, the picture above shows her holding a statue, but she didn’t get to bring it home. The other audio professionals on the documentary team that won an Emmy got to take a statue home…but not the voice talent. Apparently there isn’t a category for that. Yet, the directory, the engineer, the producer, and the editor on the documentary got THEIR statue.
For a good many of us, that seems unfair.
Peter O’Connell was the first to write about this. See Voice Over Talent Mary McKitrick Wind an Emmy. Erik Sheppard, her agent, was also onto the seeming disparity. Enough so that he called me and others with the idea of going viral with an appeal. ..a call for Mary to get a statue.
Here’s Peter’s explanation:
Mary McKitrick, an experienced and talented voice over artist, was recently engaged to serve as narrator in the beautifully produced wild life series “Wild View” (www.wildviewseries.org).
With Mary as one part of a truly talented team of media pros on this series, “Wild View” has received many deserving honors, including the regional Emmy Award for “Best Audio”.
Unfortunately, the Emmy Awards do not recognize the narrator (in this case, Mary) as part of the audio team in spite of a narrator’s significant contribution to project’s like “Wild View” and many series and documentary programs like it.
So the attention getting goals of (our appeal), completely created without Mary McKitrick’s participation, is twofold:
Actors get EMMY’s. Voice Actors (narrators) evidently get bupkis. That just seems wrong.
If you agree that these two goals are worth supporting:
OK…here’s THE page. A FaceBook entitled A STATUE FOR MARY. or here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Statue-for-Mary/116980121720583?sk=wall
Please “like” the page, spread the word, Tweet it, FaceBook it, tell your friends, and help Mary get her statue.
CourVO
Google Analytics is the Ford F-150 of internet metrics. It’s a workhorse. Everybody uses it for feedback on how their blog or website is doing. And it’s not just the basics. GA does more than a yeoman’s job of measurement.
But the whole program CAN be a little daunting to approach.
AND, Google keeps changing the tool…hence the title written the way it is…but change is a good thing. GA only seems to get better, and you really can’t afford NOT to apply it to your website, if your website is an intrinsic part of your marketing or promotions strategy.
Follow the link to this article from Mashable. You DO read Mashable, right? Essential Social Media reading everyday!
URL: https://www.google.com/reader/view/?tab=my
CourVO
Musician’s Friend is one of those online audio equipment sites that would like to sell you something.
That’s not meant in a mean-spirited way. These guys (like B&H, Sweetwater, BSW, and Full Compass) put it all in one place, make it searchable, and knock each other out trying to find the lowest price. (See SWEET!, my blog from the other day.)
Since they can all pretty much get the same stuff for the same price from the manufacturer…they distinguish their companies from each other with specials, shipping, service, customer service, return policies, and info.
Which brings me to one of the best explanations I’ve ever seen of the considerations you should take into account when you are thinking about buying a preamp.
Musician’s Friend’s PreAmp Buying Guide is comprehensive.
A preamp can be an expensive purchase, and like buying a microphone, the unit needs to be matched to your needs and your voice (not to mention your budget).
Stop by and take a read, even if you’re NOT buying a preamp…you’ll walk away with a much better understanding of preamps than you thought possible.
CourVO
Ever heard of ‘em? I hadn’t either, till the other day when I got their email flier.
They’re an audio equipment supplier…kinda like BSW, SweetWater, B&H…you know…they’ve got it all: microphones, mixers, pre-amps, mic stands, cables, cords, plugs…yada yada yada.
Oh, and one other thing, when you visit the site…it helps to read Mandarin, ’cause this company is based out of CHINA, specifically: Kingstar Audio Equipment Technology Co., Ltd, is located in Shenzhen City, the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong Province, near Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao, more convenient for the traffic.
OH! OK, then…I feel much better.
Name brands, here: Sennheiser, Yamah, Beehringer. I couldn’t find a price anywhere on the KingStar site.
Would you feel comfortable ordering from these guys?
I just keep wondering about the unsafe levels of lead.
CourVO
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