Demos | Dave Courvoisier's Blog

Visiting With VoiceZam’s Bob Merkel

February 28, 2013 By CourVO 6 Comments

Woe is me for missing FaffCon5! I’ve regretted my misfortune ever since, but have been working to make up for the loss. First of all, I got myself into a stand-up group, and of late, I’ve been familiarizing myself with VoiceZam.

The founding force behind this innovative tool for voice actors — Bob Merkel — became a Faffer in Charlotte last October, and introduced VoiceZam to many people there. He also spoke very highly of all the friends he made at the unconference. He’s an extremely affable, ex-advertising guy who is happily married, and living just outside of Milwaukee.

But VoiceZam predates FaffCon. Bob’s been developing the idea back into the early years of the new century. Then, when the technology made it possible, he refined the software, and marketed the concept to a VO audience finally maturing in its acceptance of his core argument: that the linear way VO demos are designed and heard is antiquated!

VoiceZam answers that deficiency. And more. Merkel takes a lot of pride in the product. When you need troubleshooting help, it’s Bob on the phone or answering emails. And he’s branched off the original landmark idea to offer a handsome presentation, metrics, and sharing power.

You’ll see VoiceZam’s player on the front page of this blog now (in the right-hand sidebar), and I have plans to add more of my demos, and the Zamtistics next. I’ve also added a VoiceZam link to all my email correspondences in the signature. Most all voice actors I know who use it, swear by it!

The whole package with Bob Merkel as the designer, administrator, troubleshooter, cheerleader, and apostle for Voicezam — along with it’s revolutionary demo player — makes it so worthy of your consideration.

Below, an interview I did just two days ago with Bob, where he discusses some of the finer points behind his product. Take a listen, and I bet you’ll be convinced.

Thanks, Bob!

VoiceZam from Dave Courvoisier on Vimeo.

CourVO

Filed Under: Demos, Technology, Web/Tech Tagged With: bob merkel, demo, Demos, VO, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice actors, voice artist, voice artists, voice over, voice overs, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover talent, Voiceovers, voices, VoiceZam, voicezam.com, Zamtistics

5 Reasons Why You Should Not Produce Your Own VO Demo

January 29, 2013 By CourVO 2 Comments

Do I have to write this blog?

Apparently so. I’ve talked to several people lately who are producing their own demos.

I understand. Cash flow ain’t flowin’ and hiring a producer costs plenty. You’ve got this hard drive full of all these great auditions you’ve done, and you’re pretty good a mixing elements together…with music! How hard can this be?

Let me be clear…there are a select few experienced and professional audio engineer/voice-talent types who can produce their own demo. Maybe Dan Friedman, Dave DeAndrea, Cliff Zellman, or Roy Yokelson…but not many others. Come to think of it…any one of those guys would be excellent candidates to do your demo!

Maybe you ARE good at conceptualizing, writing, delivering, editing, mastering, mixing AND producing. But do you really want to take the chance on a voice-actor’s most essential calling card? Are you THAT sure it’s got all the elements? Even the best are dubious about doing their own. Here’s why:

YOU’RE TOO CLOSE TO IT

No one can be 100% objective. Your ears are your ears, and you need someone else’s ears. Yes, you could produce your own demo, and then have respected friends listen to it, but that calls in a lot of favors, and you’ll get five different opinions from five different people. If you’re a perfectionist like most of us voice-actors, then you’re gonna be locked in an endless loop of compulsion to tweak it One…more…time. Over and over.

SELF-DIRECTION DOESN’T COMPARE

Today’s voice-actor is pretty good at self-direction…we do it all the time. But who wouldn’t rather have someone right there, as we’re auditioning to give us feedback? That used to be the way it was, and the business is lacking because it’s largely gone away. Again, another pair of ears, listening in DURING the session, cajoling, drawing it out of you, and pointing out new or different perceptions is worth a million bucks. A professional demo gives you that.

COPY & CONTENT

You can’t always steal the scripts you’ve been sent for audition. You can’t use the stuff on Voices.com and Edge Studio. You gotta be careful of brand names, and the listener recognizing that you’re NOT Jeff Bridges reading for Hyundai. Here’s where a great demo producer is worth his/her salt. Great copy. A good demo director knows what’s hot, what the trends are. They sit in a different seat than you do. They know what’s hitting…they know the market…AND they know you and your best sound. Let THEM put all those factors together to fit the copy to your talent.

PACING, SELECTION, MIXING

Your demo is a living, breathing, personification of your best abilities…or it should be. If you don’t put your best foot forward in the first 10 seconds…forget it. You’ve already lost ‘em. Are you absolutely sure you know what segment that is? And will THAT segment segue to the next one SO CONVINCINGLY that you keep ‘em for the rest of the demo? These decisions — again — are left to professionals who do this for a living. The have the ears and the experience to order the demo for maximum exposure. You’ll just end up second-guessing yourself to death. Let them choose the best music, massage the best mix, and keep it flowing.

PRODUCTION

The 21st-century voice-actor prides him/herself on knowing the ins and outs of good audio production. That’s fine as far as it goes…but a demo needs to go farther. It has to sparkle and shine. Do you really understand compression, normalization, de-essing, and dynamic processing that well? I don’t. I mean, I could take a stab at it, but in the final production, wouldn’t you rather have someone producing your demo who understands how to make it pop? I would.

Honorable mention: DELEGATE.

This basic concept works in other areas of your voice over business. Chances are you’ve hired someone to do your website, your bookkeeping, your graphics, your editing or maybe your marketing. Why would you shortchange yourself on THIS?! It’s more important!

Having said all of the above. Please do your homework. Ask around. Get referrals from trusted friends. Call prospects and ask them pointed questions. Make sure you ask about their pricing. Where will they get copy? Who will do the direction? Will they do remote demos, or do you have to travel to their studio?

Remember, there is NO perfect demo…but guaranteed it’ll be father down the IMperfection scale if you do it rather than a professional demo producer.

CourVO

Filed Under: Demos Tagged With: commercial demos, Demos, VO, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice artist, voice over, voice talent, voiceover, Voiceovers, voices

AudioFreelances, take 2

November 30, 2010 By CourVO Leave a Comment

Thanks for friends and blog readers who responded to yesterday’s blog: AudioFreelances?

‘Turns out this is a potential client who is finding work for me and others, and rather than repeatedly asking us for demos, or emailing them to producers, he created a website for those producers to visit. I just didn’t know it was him.

I got an conciliatory email from the web author yesterday, and all is right with the world. I will be sending him a new demo, but I wished he would’ve told me he was doing this, ’cause I would just as soon have had those producers visit MY website, not his. But…no harm, no foul, I suppose, maybe he can put a link to my site on his site.

CourVO

Filed Under: Demos

AudioFreelances?

November 29, 2010 By CourVO 4 Comments

A voice over friend wrote to ask me my opinion of AudioFreelances.com. After all, my name and demo was listed under male talent on the site. Hmm.

I’ll be the first to admit that for a couple of years, there, I was capriciously signing up for just about any VO-related website that had a microphone on its home page. Along the way, I lost track of all the ones to which I sent a demo.

So, I fired up the browser, and checked ‘em out. You can too, by clicking their logo above.

Another “Hmmm”.

Nope…I’d remember that logo fur sure. But, sure enough, an old demo of mine is listed. I see no names of responsible parties under “contact” or “about”, and to be honest, I’ve not yet filled out their contact form to reach out to them.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. I’d like to say there’s no real foul, there, ‘cept an old demo. But then again, I shouldn’t have loose ends in my marketing plan and my brand dangling out there, un-managed. I KNOW I haven’t gotten any work from this outfit.

I thought before I approach with an email, I’d throw this one open to my blog readers. Anyone heard of this outfit?

CourVO