Equipment | Dave Courvoisier's Blog

Sweetwater

April 25, 2009 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Let me just pass along the name and contact info of the person I often talk to at Sweetwater.

Sweetwater is certainly one of the top online equipment suppliers for the kind of stuff a VO/VA would want.

They're based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, they have a great reputation, and their prices are as competitive as anyone's. Often, they have "can't-miss" incentive sales.

I'll get a call once in a while from my contact: Tom Maxwell. He's always friendly, helpful, and not pushy. The calls are usually of a very helpful variety…and they get the needs of voice actors.

The last couple of times he's called, I've denied him any sales, and he still keeps a smile.

Below, see his e-mail from today, which gives a little personal touch, and here's his contact info:

Tom Maxwell
Sales Engineer
Sweetwater Sound, Inc.
Phone: 800.222.4700 x1313
E-mail: [email protected]

Be sure to drop my name when you call him!

CourVO

Zoom’s New H4n

March 12, 2009 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Zoom is now marketing the next generation of its popular H4 studio-quality hand-held recorder.

I was an unabashed fan of the original H4. It was arguably the best of the first generation of hi-quality portable recorders.

Not long after, Tascam, Sony, Marantz and many others got into the game in the $200-$400 price range.

Zoom later came out with the H2, but it didn't quite match up to the H4.

The nex-gen H4, the H4n, seen at the left is a nice upgrade. Much bigger display (my biggest beef about the previous model), and a significantly larger removable media slot (32Gig SD card)…as well as retaining the excellent twin stereo microphone configuration, the onboard mic emulations, 4-track recording, and XLR inputs…and I'm just getting started!

Do yourself a favor (besides saving up for the $350 pricetag (Sweetwater)…go to the Zoom site, and take a look at their excellent explainer — complete with nicely-done graphics — and educate yourself on what is once again the best portable studio-quality hand-held recorder on the market.

Click HERE.

CourVO

DigiDesign’s Pro-Tools. Love It (or not)

March 3, 2009 By CourVO Leave a Comment

ProTools is the epitome of sound editing software…or has enjoyed that status for a long time.

Many is the convincing argument that it's overkill for most independent working voice-actor entrepreneurs, but for the professional sound or audio engineer it's still the tops.

I haven't moved to ProTools 8, and may not. Legendary are my battles with the software, and its proprietary nature as a one-two punch with ILok. I'm not sure which battle was my Waterloo. The one with ProTools, or the one with ISDN.

Regardless, I marvel at the technical advancements DigiDesign keeps pushing in this product.

Below is their latest newsletter… if you're a ProTools follower, you may find some interesting tips 'n' links.

Kindle 2 for Voice Actors

February 28, 2009 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Amazon's 2nd-generation Kindle is out, and all the geeks in the newsroom have come by to oooh and aaah. I like this model. It's pretty slick in a lot of ways, but falls short of the glory of it's potential of it's genre, and THIS article explains why… I'm not going to go into a lot more of that.

I'm here to explain one singular feature of the Kindle that voice actors may find helpful and another that is a chimera.

To wit, the Kindle-2 offers a text-to-speech feature that no one here has to worry will take away voiceover jobs. I guess this is helful for people who are making cookies while trying to read the latest TIME magazine article on the warnings of Gardisil, but the Txt-2-spch not that great.

The feature that IS great is the one that lets you send copy, scripts, text ANY file in a .doc, html, .txt, .pdf, .mobi, etc. to your Kindle-specific e-mail account address, and for 10-cents Amazon will "beam" it to your Kindle for you to read. (For no charge, they'll send it to your computer, and you can just sync it into the Kindle memory).

The same portability that makes the Kindle handy for reading books, magazines, newspapers, and blogs make it convenient for THIS feature too.

– have clients send their copy to your Amazon Kindle e-mail, and in less than a minute you can see it on your Kindle screen
– load the audition script you're going to read for your next client, read it on the way to the studio
– upload the copy you have to cut for your next job, read it on the bus
– peruse at the park the e-learning script you're going to record that night
– save paper in the process, take Kindle into your private studio, and read your work off the screen

Got an IPhone?…sure it'll do all that stuff, too, but the Kindle screen is bigger, better, and "looks" more like paper. Kindle uses the same 3G network your phone does to recieve info, so you don't need Wi-Fi.

At $359 that may not be the only reason you'd buy a Kindle, but I plan to use it that way, ON TOP OF all the other stuff it does.

And besides, I'm a geek, and I love new technology.

CourVO

Filed Under: Equipment Tagged With: announcer, announcing, artist, audio, Audiobooks, audiotx, Demos, documentaries, ISDN, Kindle-2, 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

Ahhhh…..(quiet)

January 31, 2009 By CourVO Leave a Comment

In a perfect world, every voice actor would be able to enter their whisper-quiet studio and cut noise-less audio with a sound floor that's in the basement.

In a perfect world.

I see some lovely home studios being built by many voiceover artists. I've blogged about it here 'n' there.
Dan Lenard
Michael Rhys

The Holy Grail of home voicover studios is absence, not expense. The absence of extraneous sound.

My cross to bear is the fact that I've got my DAW inside my studio. Computers are notoriously squeaky, whiny, whistly, hummy, and airy-sounding contraptions.

One answer is to get low-noise components: fans, hard-drives, and power supplies. Some places will even BUILD you such a thing. That's probably the lowest-cost workable solution. You can do it yourself. Call Doc Phillips. I seem to remember he's the ace at that option.

Then there are enclosures. My PodWorx friend, Scott Whitney just tweeted me about THIS solution. It's pretty slick. Not cheap…and I have no first-hand testimonials to rely on…but I may have to go with something like this in the end — or just find a way to move the darn box outside the door, like a REAL voiceacting pro.

CourVO

Magic Jack

January 16, 2009 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Kerry Hancock, the very capable CEO of "House of Hancock" — the very
same company that designed my logo (above) and my website, first told me about
MAGIC JACK several months ago.

Magic Jack, and it's website reminds me of the phrase "as seen on TV" or "…but wait…THERE'S MORE!!!…"

The website is dripping with testimonials, awards, and hype.

But you know….it's all pretty much true. The unit is easy to install, use, and lives up to the maker's promises.

You plug it into a USB port, and plug your phone into the other end. The software installation and account set-up begins automatically, and takes very little time.

It lets you choose a phone number from any area code. I chose Oregon, but for the life of me, I can't remember why.

Since we all are looking for ways to do a "phone patch" in voiceover work, Magic Jack may be yet another inexpensive and painless way to do that. I'm just not sure I understand how.

Click on THIS link to a discussion on the VO-BB, and you'll see more…including my question of George Whittam of how exactly to configure that.

BTW, George (and his company Eldorado Recording Services) is about the most knowledgeable, nicest, helpful guy you'd ever want to get to know in this business. As they say: "He's forgotten more about technology, than I'll ever know."

Let me know if you've had any luck with Magic Jack yourself.

CourVO

Filed Under: Equipment Tagged With: announcer, announcing, artist, audio, Audiobooks, audiotx, Demos, documentaries, ISDN, MagicJack, 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

MineWurx Studio Done

December 20, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Dedicated voice acting professionals usually love to tinker with their studios. Some more than others, but I think we all try to make them not only practical, but imminently usable day-in, day-out.

Michael Minetree is an artful and skilled audio booth tinkerer. He wrote me to say:

"This is the first part of a two part video detailing the final touches
on our long awaited voice over isolation booth. The booth is finally
done – and has already patched its first LA voice over session. I can’t
believe were finally done…"

Voice Over Isolation Booth Video – Part 5.1

"This is the second part of the two part series of the voice over
isolation booth videos. The booth is complete and already serving VO
patch sessions."

Voice Over Isolation Booth Video – Part 5.2

Click on the links above to see his videos of the booth.

Impressive, Michael! Thanks for sharing!

CourvO

X-Fi’s Fine

November 23, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

One thing leads to another. I remember promising myself many moons ago that buying more/better equipment wouldn't be worth the return. My "stuff" was good enough.

But the gearhead in me won out….bit by bit.

First, Joe Klein talked me into an incredible deal with the Aphex 230 Master Voice Channel. All was good. (BTW, I now have a dbx266XL 2-channel coompressor/gate for sale)

But my sturdy little Alessis MultiMix8 USB with which I was porting my sound into my DAW didn't really accept the digital inputs that would maximize the power of the Aphex 230. My resolve was weakening more.

I finally capitulated with a minimal investment in a great soundcard bought from EBay. It's a refurbished unit, in the box direct from the factory. I've got a 100% success rate with refurbished stuff, and so far the record is intact with this purchase too.

I got the Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum. That was after posting a query on the VO-BB to see what all my colleagues might suggest. "Get the Lynx" one said. "I love my Echo Mia" another chimed in. Emu cards were mentioned. I researched them all, but was taken with the configuration of the Sound Blaster X-Fi. The front-panel input bay is just such a huge plus.

My friend and mentor Frank Frederick tells me some audio purists turn their nose up at the venerable Sound Blaster product, 'cause it doesn't have an XLR input, therefore is not a true professional sound card.

Maybe so, but this baby has everything I need and then some. Now I route my Aphex 230 into the X-Fi with optical fiber or S/PDIF cables and yes, I notice a difference.

Heck this unit even has a remote control. I haven't figured out exactly what it does yet, but I HAVE noticed that one of the buttons causes the downstairs toilet to flush.

CourVO

Filed Under: Equipment Tagged With: Aphex 230, narration, narrationvoices, Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum, voice, voice artist, voice artists, voice over, voice overs, voice talent, voice work, voices

Great Price on Zoom

November 19, 2008 By CourVO Leave a Comment

The Zoom H4 is my favorite hand-held recorder.

Many's the time I've had to pull out the trusty portable to pull me out of a jam on the road.

Now, the Zoom is being offered at an obscenely low price. The flyer's below, and HERE is the website.

CourVO

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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