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The Search for ISDN’s Successor

February 13, 2013 By 3 Comments

connectionopen-aBroadband.

ISDN’s legacy technology will go away…eventually.

Lord knows how much longer the big TelCos will continue to support it.

Smart producers, voice actors, audio engineers, and others associated with the business of voice overs are searching RIGHT NOW for the next best thing.  It’s pretty well universally accepted that ANY succeeding technology for hi-quality remote recording will be internet-based.

I’ve been hammering this message lately…introducing and continuing to support ideas that seem promising.  It’s unknown if Skype will go that way, but it could.  SoundStreak holds promise.  SourceConnect seems to have the biggest jump on the competition, but I don’t see a lot of excitement over the product, now many years old.

The dark horse in the race, and a surprising contender is ConnectionOpen.  Like the other possible solutions, ConnectionOpen offers a means to record remotely over broadband.  Uniquely, ConnectionOpen holds and aggressively defends an innovative patent that underpins the service.

Better than me trying to explain it myself, I took the opportunity the other day to interview Lawrence Morrison, the developer and founder of ConnectionOpen.  Lawrence openly answers questions about his software, explains why his patent makes a difference, and details the possible application of ConnectionOpen for voice actors…all in this 12-minute interview.

I think you’ll find it worth the time.  Below, a brief mention of Morrison’s pricing structure.

ConnectionOpen from Dave Courvoisier on Vimeo.

Morrison adds the following points about pricing:

1.) Upfront cost is $0.
2.) Subscriptions will start at $25 per month. This will be a promotional price. It will go to $50 a month with a steep discount for a yearly subscription. We are still trying to figure out what that will be.
3.) At this point it is an all for one price deal. We do however plan to add more features, video, customizable interface, extremely secure remote storage and a personal newsletter service for self promotion.

Thanks, Larry!

CourVO

Filed Under: ISDN, Software, Technology Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dave’s Fave ToDo-List Solution

January 6, 2013 By 5 Comments

fountain penMany of you know that I’m a huge apostle of digital solutions to anything and everything. I strive for paperless in all I do.

What you may not know, is that long ago…and still today, I’m was/am a HUGE pen ‘n’ paper freak.  Maybe it’s from the legacy my grandfather left me.  He was a Swiss poster artist of some repute in the early 1900′s in Geneva (Google Jules Courvoisier).  As long as I can remember I’ve collected paper and writing instruments.  Especially fountain pens.

This creates a huge schism in my day-to-day routine.  While I live in the digital world now, I am constantly still jotting down notes and lists on paper.  Ya gotta admit, the paper and pencil was one of the best inventions of mankind, and still today is one of the easiest and quickest ways to retain information.

WHY THE TIME IS RIGHT

But….finally….FINALLY this year, I’m making the concerted effort to eschew paper altogether.  Oh, I’ll still carry a pen forever…and I’m surrounded by paper…but two things now make the digital alternative worth “the leap”.
1) smartphones
2) the cloud

The standard is:  can I put something down digitally as fast as I can write it a piece of paper that’s handy?   The smartphone ALMOST makes that possible, but whatever time I lose in jotting down a digital note, compared to a handwritten note…I save time by having it duplicated and available to me in the cloud ANYWHERE.

The benefit to your voice acting business (or any personal or commercial endeavour) is obvious:  To set your goals and keep them.  To remind yourself of duties/tasks/responsibilities and be able to prioritize them, and schedule them.  To more effectively manage your time and your vision for your business.

 BENEFIT FROM MY TRIAL AND ERROR

Over the last couple of years, I’ve tried scads of different goal-prioritizing and to-list-organizational software offerings.  OMG, there are 10′s of thousands of them, I swear!

Here’s my ideal software solution in this genré:
must be web-accessible
must be smartphone-accessible
must be customizable to deadlines, categories, priorities, and perhaps other parameters
must “talk” to other popular programs (outlook, evernote, etc.)
must be affordable
must shoot me daily reminders by email
must “talk” to social media
must import/export to other calendar and task programs
must allow for embeddable widgets in other programs I use (Gmail, for instance)

MY DECISIONtoodledo

There are many worthy candidates…but I finally winnowed it down to one.  TOODLEDO (notice my criteria did NOT mandate a cool name)

ToodleDo has iPhone, iPad, and Android apps.  You can access it from any web browser.  It is so feature-rich and customizable that I haven’t even explored HALF of what it can do.  It interfaces/shares with most other popular programs like Outlook and Evernote.  There is a broad offering of 3rd-party software that helps you relate your ToodleDo tasks to other programs.  You can use ToodleDo in extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons to virtually all browsers.  You can use a free version, but the next step-up with all the bells and whistles is $14.95/year!

I can post tasks updates to ToodleDo from Twitter or email!  It talks to FaceBook if I want it to.  I can export and import to many many other programs in .csv, .txt and other popular formats.  I can embed ToodleDo widgets into Gmail, Google Calendar, and my blog if I want to.  I can add tasks to ToodleDo from my Gmail interface.

I keep a ToodleDo window open wherever I’m at so I can jot down (by typing) any task I want at any time.  I think I can finally say goodbye to various ragged bits of paper with hastily-drawn memos tucked away where they can be lost or misplaced.

If you’re going to consider ToodleDo, please think about also gettint gSyncIt which lets you translate your ToodleDo tasks to almost any other program on the planet.  This is only my experience, and ToodleDo may not be right for you, but I think it’s about as good as you’re gonna find for ToDo-List Software.

Let me know if you’ve found something else that works well for you.

CourVO

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

Skate Past “8″?

November 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Windows 8 is in release.  Will the new offering from Redmond:
a) convince current Windows users to upgrade?
b) convince current MAC users to switch?
c) be a better OS for my VO business?

Windows 7 was perhaps Microsoft’s most robust and stable OS ever. Those who never upgraded from XP or Vista missed plenty.

With Windows 8, Ballmer and the boys at Microsoft headquarters looked to the future.  They wanted an OS that would operate much the same on laptops, desktops, phones, and tablets…even go so far as to develop and manufacture for the first time their own tablet to run Win8.  It abandons the “start” button, and just…looks different on the screen.

There is much to like about Windows8, but what about my computing needs as a voice actor?

Will Win8:
1) handle audio better?
2) boot-up faster?
3) be more stable?
4) require a steep learning curve?
5) handle my legacy software?
6) be worth the cost to upgrade?

Disclaimer: I”m an unabashed Microsoft fan from my head to my toes, and yes, I’ll buy Win8 as soon as I can…probably encased in a brand new desktop, but only ’cause it’s time for me.  My old box is about 7 years old…and showing signs.

There are pros and cons to the new OS, and from what I hear, it’s different enough from any other Windows OS.  So yes, it will require some learning and re-orientation.  But what new software doesn’t?  Early users say you can resurrect the old interface if you want.

Boot-up times was a HUGE issue for Win8 developers.  Their standard quote is:  “Win8 will boot up in 8 seconds.”  WooHoo!

As for handling of audio, this may be the best news yet:  A quote from one Win 8 evaluation I read:  “…Windows 8 promises to be better than Windows 7 at audio performance metrics across the board…”

I’ve done a lot of research on Win 8, and rather than repackaging it for you, I’ve compiled the following list of expert reviews from most of the top sites.  They paint a mostly positive picture with some important caveats, and ask a lot of the right questions.

Happy reading!

 Engadget Windos 8 Review

Windows 8, The Office Review – PC World

Windows 8 Changes are More Than Skin Deep

Windows 8: Do the Pros Outweigh the Cons?

Installing Windows 8: the Pain, the Poetry, the Pleasure

PC Advisor – Win8 Review

 Windows 8 Review – Maximum PC

CourVO

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

Reaper

October 30, 2012 By 1 Comment

Ya think after you’ve been around a while, you kinda know what’s out there…the equipment, the coaches, the agents, the producers, the software, the hardware.

Sometimes a mic or pre-amp comes across my radar that I missed before. but for the most part when people talk about dis ‘n’ dat pertaining to voice-acting, I’ve at least heard of it.

Big mistake.  There’s always something new.

In past years and months, I’ve linked to prodigious lists of DAW’s (digital audio workstations).

25 FREE DIGITAL AUDIO EDITORS YOU SHOULD KNOW

THE GREAT BIG DAW ROUNDUP

But the other day, hanging around an AudioBook narators’ forum, I heard of a new one…one that met approval from the narrators, ’cause it had special features that made punch ‘n’ roll a cinch.

REAPER

For freelancers like us, Reaper offers a personal single-use license for $60.  Not bad for a software package with this many features.

From their website:

  • Record audio from multiple inputs simultaneously
  • Layer recorded tracks and takes over previous recordings
  • Edit recordings in almost any imaginable way
  • Hundreds of audio processing effects included, or choose from thousands of third-party effects
  • All editing and effects are completely non-destructive
  • REAPER works with almost any hardware and can be used in combination with a vast universe of other software and plug-ins.
  • Drag and drop to import, arrange, and render
  • Freely mix audio, MIDI, video, still image media on any track
  • Easily move, split, glue, resize, trim, loop, time stretch, pitch shift, fade, crossfade, slip, snap to grid, without switching tools
  • Intuitive zoom, scroll, scrub, jog, tab to audio transient, MIDI navigation
  • Simple and powerful nested folder system allows group editing, routing, bussing, all in one step
  • Full automation recording, playback, and editing support for track controls and plug-ins
  • Easily manage tempo, time signature, and varispeed changes
  • Separate audio or MIDI into freely arrangeable takes and lanes for easy comping
  • Easily copy or move regions, to quickly try out alternate arrangements

This DAW is not new on the scene, apparently (grrr).  The screen is customizable, and the software comes with full documentation and help files, resource guides, and manual.  The current version was just released in August 2012.

I’ve only just downloaded and installed it.  The only glitch:  the automated installation process failed to return an email to me with my license number.  I’ve already emailed support.  :)

If you’ve used Reaper before, can you give us a quick word about it’s pros and cons?

CourVO

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

Sony Comes to Mac

October 26, 2012 By 3 Comments

Most voice actors are pretty loyal to their audio editing software.

It’s nearly impossible to pry the fingers of  Pro-Tools advocates from their keyboards.

Others like the various iterations of Adobe’s Audition software (Cs6.0 is the latest version).  There’s also Steinberg’s CuBase, Ableton, Twisted Wave, and Garage Band. You’ll also find many fans of the free offering called Audacity.  (this is by no means an exhaustive list)

In the mix is certainly Sony’s suite of products.  “Sony Vegas” is professional audio-and-video editor, and Sony Sound Forge is the top o’ the line audio editor that heretofore was available only on the Win/PC systems.  The quite reasonably priced Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio is also a favorite for it’s simple design, but fairly rich feature set.

Now, Sony’s flagship audio editing software is available, too, for the Mac OS.  It’s called Sound  Forge Pro Mac.  I’m not a Mac kinda guy, so I can’t really provide any sort of product evaluation here, but Sony usually does its homework, and I’d be surprised to find any glitches beyond the usual gremlins that seem to show up on almost any first offering.

A new license for Sony Sound Forge Pro Mac starts at $269.

CourVO

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

Revisiting the Tablet in Your Studio

September 26, 2012 By 4 Comments

Yesterday, Stephanie Cicarelli of VOICES.com asked a question on her FaceBook group “THE VOICE ACTING HUB” about reading copy in the studio.  “Do you read voice-over scripts on screens or do you prefer printing them?” she asked.

Honestly I was floored to find that many still print, read, and mark their scripts on paper.  My astonishment is snobbish, I realize…and there’s certainly nothing wrong with paper, but I do believe it’s on its way out, and I have my reasons.

In fact, last Fall, I wrote a couple of articles praising the use of digital devices in your recording studio.

One was Top 10 Reasons to go Paperless, and the other was Top 10 Tablet VO Apps (which is reprinted below).

Almost a year later, both articles are still pertinent and timely.  I encourage you to revisit them (of course Smartphones work in the studio too, but the small screen makes it less advantageous to read copy from them).

Also, I get a lot of questions about recording on Android tablets, probably because the iPad does it so excellently.  Does the Android OS have anything that compares?  Not really, that I’ve found.  Nonetheless, here’s an article that lists the top recording apps for the Android OS.

Best Android Apps for Voice Recording

_____________________

(Reprinted from Fall, 2011)

Tablet computers are showing up in voice over studios everywhere.

I’ve blogged extensively about the use of an iPad or Android-powered tablet as a mobile recording device, but perhaps it’s most useful role is that of a reader…replacing sheets of paper or a book.

Paper is a an ongoing tradition of centuries, so not everyone will be an overnight fan, but a tablet can be held in just about any position that a piece of paper can, and you can do away with the printer in your office.

Other Advantages:
-Silence:  no shuffling of papers
-Green: no trees sacrificed
-Immediately adjustable font-size with the flip of two fingers
-Downloads and displays docs and pdfs from “the cloud” effortlessly
-Allows annotations, marke-ups, underscores, arrows, etc to hilite the copy
-Replenishable.  Use over and over
-It has a certain “cool” factor (not that that matters, right?)

If you’re just jumping onboard the tablet wagon, or haven’t had the time to research the best apps for using the device in your studio…look no further…I’ve been sussing it out and humbly offer you my

TOP TEN TABLET VO APPS
(for the iPad/iPhone)

1) GoodReader — opens just about any kind of doc or pdf, downloaded from almost all the popular cloud services, allows annotation, and is intuitive to use.

2) QuickOffice — much like GoodReader…the pro version is a little pricier, but this one handles .docs better, also letting you generate new .docs, presentations, and spreadsheets; and connects to about every conceivablel cloud service

3) ReaddleDocs –  slick interface, opens .docs and .pdfs.  Connects to all the usual suspect cloud services, and email accounts.  Has a quick search function.  Annotation functions are easy but rudimentary compared to some of the others.

4) iAnnotatePDF — ‘Seems to be the fave of AudioBook narrators.  Rich annotation feature-set, search functions, and other key tools. Highly configurable.  I find the interface to be confusing, but after a while you get used to it.  Only plays in PDF-land, not .docs.  Downloads from cloud services.

5) PDF ReaderPro — An iAnnotate clone with it’s own style (more intuitive interface, I think).  Allows annotation, cloud downloads, bookmarking, printing, and a host of other handy features, like sharing, that make it tops on my list.  Again, only PDF.

6) PDF Expert –  Still another top-notch PDF reader. Allows annotation, downloading from the cloud, free-hand mark-ups, hiliting with different colors, printing, saving…the works.  The PDF Expert and iAnnotate as well as PDF ReaderPro are amazing in the array of things it can do.  You’ll wonder why you use a desktop or laptop computer.

7) Honorable Mention –  File Sharing:  iFiles, Box (Box.net), DropBox, Air Sharing, and Filer

 (for the Android)

8) qPDFNotes — Does everything the big boys above can do, and just as sweetly.  ‘Has rich annotation, and mark-up features, and connects to all the cloud services you could ask for.

9) ezPDFReader — Ditto.  Allows for magnification, split layouts, lots of annotation tools, plus has a nifty function for quickly scanning through the pages of a book.  Plenty to like here.

10) Quick Office — Appears under this OS as another strong contender with all the features of its Apple cousin…plays well with docs AND pdfs, and allows for annotation, as well as generation of new docs from scratch.  Cloud connections.

Honorable Mention: Documents to Go.  Allows for plenty of manipulatiion of existing docs, plus lets you generate .docs, .ppt (Power Point), and MX Excel files, as well as PDFs… pretty nifty and more features than you’ll ever use.

It’s hard to stop here, actually.  There are so many handy apps for file handling and reading — and more being issued every day — that you can find just the right one for you with a little searching through the AppStore or Marketplace (now :Play Store).

What’s YOUR favorite?  What have I missed?

CourVO

Filed Under: Apps, Hardware, Home studio, iPad, Software, Technology Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Be A Cubby Fan (no baseball required)

May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Like the weather, there is a never-ending supply of clouds in the online universe.

These are things that I catch on my radar, ’cause they help me access the files, docs, pics, and demos I need from wherever I am, regardless the location of the computer where the native file resides.

You’re on the road visiting your wife’s Aunt Gladys for the weekend, and you get a request from a client to re-send that file you just finished before you hit the road.  With cloud file access, this is a cinch.

I’ve blogged about this several times.  Her’s one:  BE PART OF THE CLOUD CROWD.  This topic continues to generate interest from people who’ve found other useful solutions, too.

DropBox has got to be one of the most prolific players in this realm.  It’s brainless.  Easy to install and set-up, inexpensive, and seamless in sharing.

Now, though, Cubby arrives on the scene with a beta product much like DropBox but with one important distinction:  Like many other online cloud syncing services,  you still get the 5GB storage with the free account, but you can sync an unlimited amount of data between your computers.

Here’s a great article about Cubby’s functionality.  As you can see by the logo I’ve included, though, Cubby is in Beta, and you have to ask for an invite by providing your email address and then confirming when you get the notice.

Cubby is from the same developers who make the remote desktop service LogMeIn…also a great solution for not only accessing your remote files, but virtually manipulating your remote computer’s desktop.

Have you recently found another cloud-file-access or remote-control desktop solution?  Please add it in the comments below.

CourVO

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

Free Software!!

May 11, 2012 By 1 Comment

No, really!

There’s a ton of it out on the internet, and some of it is very good, stable, feature-rich, and virus-free (think Audacity).

But OhEmGeee there are SO many scams out there associated with software downloads.

Still, two top sites consistently shine in offering indexed, categorized, and updated software downloads guaranteed to be virus-free (well, as much as they CAN guarantee…I’d say 99%).

ZDNet and Cnet are the two.

OK, pipe down you IT pros!  Maybe you DO know everything there is to know about software downloads, but don’t spoil it for the rest of us.  You’ll have a chance to make your suggestions below in a second.

Here’s the link to the ZDNet download page:  http://downloads.zdnet.com/?tag=header;header-pri

And here’s the link to the CNet download page: http://download.cnet.com/windows/?tag=hdr;brandnav

Both offer “most popular”, “newest”, and “most downloaded” “Editor’s Choice”, etc. lists…plus their software vault is searchable by terms.  Seriously, these lists and software banks have some great stuff, and are worth a look for simple solutions to some of your voice-over tech issues.

Now, what’d I miss?  Do you have a favorite software download site that outshines or equals these two?

Please!  Let’s hear!  I look forward to your suggestions!

CourVO

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

Forget Cs5.5, Cs6.0 is in!

May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Scant months ago, Adobe touted the release of it’s newest iteration of Audition since 3.0 (which stood for years).  I’ve barely cracked open my Cs5.5 packaging and now 6.0 is available.

Adobe recently adapted the software to OSX devices. Mac users tired of the over-kill of ProTools migrated to AA in number.

Despite a lingering perception on the part of some seasoned professionals that Adobe Audition is a clear tip-off that you’re an ex-radio jock…the Adobe DAW software has gained a significant niche in the marketplace, and user-groups (even FaceBook groups) and forums abound to help with tech support.

According to Adobe, “…Adobe® Audition® CS6 software offers high-performance, intuitive tools for audio editing, mixing, restoration, and effects. Powerful new features such as real-time clip stretching, automatic speech alignment, and control surface support help you deliver projects faster than ever…”

Adobe Auditon Cs6.0 is available for a free evaluation download.

Upgrade pricing from 3.0 on up is available.  See Adobe’s site for more specs, offers, and links.

CourVO

 

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

It’s the Bomb!

April 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Video is in.

Big woop CourVO!…uh, I think we knew that.

No, I mean, really…even if you don’t want to be on camera…you should learn to work with images, take videos, edit montages, graphics, and even think about posting your demos with a video cover (talk to Peter O’Connell…he’s tops on this!).

Just look at the crazy, wildly ubiquitous, more-than-a-trend, hands-down incredible and continuing success of  YouTube.  ‘Second-ranked search service in the world next to Google (which owns YouTube, BTW).  See VO Pro Bill DeWees’ 100th instructional YouTube video.  He gets it!

Me?  I’ve been in video since the late 70′s, and I’m so jaded to the advantages of being on cam, that I’ve taken it for granted.  No more.

Recently, I’ve discovered and subscribed to a video email service, and I plan to start using it as a marketing tool, for follow-up, and everyday contact.

BombBomb.com

Yeah, maybe a funny name, but this is an innovative, agile, and hard-working company that keeps adding value to my investment.  I can choose from scores of pre-designed templates to insert my video into — making it basically a video newsletter –complete with logo, contact information, links, and more.  You can set up distribution lists and even “drip” your messages out on a schedule and get metrics back.  It’s very much a CRM tool.  Create embeddable forms and for your website or blog…I could go on…there are a lot of features.

Record your videos separately (it imports all the popular formats), or record your video from within the program itself, insert in a template, and send in seconds.  They give you a free trial period of two weeks, I think…and have reasonable rates.

Here’s a look at a little template I cooked up in a few minutes (click to enlarge):

 

The folks at BombBomb are very customer-service oriented, helpful, responsive, and willing to listen to your ideas to make their product better.  On sign-up, they’ll even custom-make you a couple of templates for starters.

If you decide to contact ‘em…tell ‘em you saw it here, and we’re both better off!

CourVO

Filed Under: Marketing, Software, Web Resources, Web/Tech Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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