Dave Courvoisier's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘speaker’

Stu Gray. 

It’s all his fault.

He put me up to it.

The Nashville-area voice talent and prolific VO blogger approached me a couple of weeks ago with the idea of doing a Q & A about social networking.  He with the "Q".  Me with the "A".

Well it took me long enough, but I finally finished.  Good questions…wordy answers.

We agreed to sort of share the wealth…so if you want to get the full impact of my pithy musings about social networking, and its value to voice actors, you’ll have to visit BOTH sites. 

I recommend you start with Stu’s blog: The Creative Mouthpiece.  Click HERE.

Then see the link underneath my name, below, to read more.

Thanks, Stu, for coaxing me to really think about the value of social networking to my business.  I hope by sharing what little I know, someone may gain some momentum.

CourVO

‘Heard of the “Open Directory” project?

Their “about” page describes it as: “…the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web.  It is constructed and maintained by a vast, global community of volunteer editors. The Open Directory was founded in the spirit of the Open Source movement, and is the only major directory that is 100% free.  There is not, nor will there ever be, a cost to submit a site to the directory, and/or to use the directory’s data.  The Open Directory data is made available for free to anyone wo agrees to comply with our free use license.

Kinda sounds like Wikipedia, but remember, it’s a directory, not an encyclopedia.  (I just haven’t figured out where the acronym DMOZ comes from in their URL.)

With such an ambitious mission statement, you’d have to expect there might be mention of a good many resources for Voice Actors, and you’d be right.  Not only that, but apparently, I’m VERY late to the party.  TONS of links, references, resources, names, agents, coaches, production houses, talent…you name it.

On the site, you’re encouraged to submit your own website for approval, but they’re also big on you volunteering to help edit submissions.

Click HERE for the page that reveals results of a search for “Voiceover” resources.

….and….volunteer!

CourVO

George Whittam is a techie's techie.  He's also a great guy, a voice-actor (when he wants to be), and about as sharp as they come with the artistry of audio engineering.

His latest newsletter is a treasure trove of ideas, contacts, important dates and solutions.  Please read and make contact with him if you're so moved. 

I especially love the service ERS provides in checking to see if your travel location (hotel) will be able to handle your ISDN needs.  Great idea!… but of course, you need to be a subscriber.

Link to his blog and read it…you'll learn a bunch!

CourVO

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 Deb Munro writes with the latest updates and offers if you want to have great cruise AND learn a bunch about voiceovers from real pros.  VoiceLympics.

See her e-mail to me below…an amazing line-up, and some incredible offers!

CourVO

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Robert Allerton Park is in Central Illinois, and it's gorgeous.  It's on the registry of Historic Places, owned by the University of Illinois.  This is the place where my niece is getting married tomorrow.

The sculpted gardens here are worthy of the ones at the world-famous Versailles Palace in France.  That caliber.

Over 30 different varieties of Peony are on display here…

Incredible blooms…all colors…and no thorns.  'Hate that about roses.

Of course, my day didn't begin here, it began at my sister's house, cooking bacon.

This exercise in social tradition is as much family reunion as anything.

All the in-laws are here from Boston…uh…that's Bahstahn to you, buddy!

I figured I'd better post something tonite…I may not be in any shape to do that tomorrow night by this time.

CourVO

'Posting this link again.    This article was part of a previous blog featuring EQ's online magazine.  But the content is too good to be overlooked.

HERE, a rather exhaustive evaluation of some of the better audio-editing software packages out there (albeit the most expensive).  Mac & PC.

CourVO

For a while there, earlier this week, I felt like I was like an Alabama tick ready to pop from all the pressure.  I admit.  I got on my blog pity pot for a while.

I'm back now…mostly 'cause I was buoyed by faithful readers of my blog…many who reminded me they find my missives through RSS feed.  DUH! 'Forgot about that.  I'm sure there's a way to track that too, but I haven't figured it out yet. (anybody?)

Not only am I back, but I've set in motion some actions that will soon result in a vastly better blog in appearance, design, visual appeal, arrangement, and logistics.

Sorry.  Same crappy content.   ;-}

That's all I'm gonna say for now.  One of these days, you'll visit to find something at this address so engaging and compelling, you'll even tell your garbageman to check it out.

In the meantime.  The next few posts will seem uniquely un-VO-like.  I'm off to Champaign, IL for the marriage of my sister's oldest daughter (yes, I know….it's my niece).  It's alternately a family reunion as well.  I'll try to stay sober enough to deliver compelling pics on my iPhone and some pithy lines of narrative here 'n' there.

So, thanks to all those who commented and supported my efforts here.  Y'all are fantas-tick!

CourVO

Almost two years…651 posts…countless hours…

Blogging is fun.  I've discovered I have a talent for writing and sharing.  I enjoy connecting dots for people, and connecting people.

….but

….after all that time, and all those blogs, my average number of visitors per day is dropping steadily.

And it was never that high. 

I understood that when I started.  This was niche stuff, and there are lots of other places where people can find solid information about voice acting.

I've tried to follow the basic rules for building blog visitors:  give a piece of myself in each blog….engage the visitors to contribute or respond…be consistent in my blogging…frequent…helpful…sharing…all that.

The only thing I didn't do was go with the incredibly difficult WordPress…that may be my downfall.  I understand that Google bots are infinitely more gracious to WordPress blogs than Typepad.  I don't care.  If Typepad is good enough for Seth Godin…it's good enough for me.

So here I am, actually considering ending the blog.  The drop in visitations is very discouraging.  I spend a lot of time on this thing.

So before I throw in the towel…any suggestions for making it better?

I know my page loads slowly.  In your estimation, is that an issue for you?

Is there TOO MUCH "stuff" on my page?

Should I swallow my pride and go with WordPress?

Thanks for your input.

Dave C

With gratitude to voice coach par excellence Nancy Wolfson, I reprint the following she sent me yesterday by e-mail.

Let me just point out that VERLYN KLINKENBORG (the author) was born the same year as me, to a midwest farming community (like me).  That's about where the similarities end.  He's pretty tight with the NY Times and has written several books.

His observations below about the spoken word are very well contemplated.

…and you thought it was only voice-talking!

CourVO

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Please!  No more IPhone apps!  I've got too many already!

But….just one more…really!

As a voice actor, you will LOVE this one.  It blows me away, actually.

Poddio is a voice recorder, yes, but it's also an audio editor…'very powerful one at that.

What really got me…was the quality of the sound.

Listen to this soundfile:

That file was recorded on my IPhone, transferred via the Poddio Software to my laptop by way of my home Wi-Fi as a .wav file. I opened it with AA 3.0 to listen to it. I added absolutely NOTHING. I applied NO effects, volume, amplitude, normalizing, compressing, or equalizing. Heck, I didn't even edit out the breath sounds (although Poddio has the editor to do that). I then saved it as an .mp3 and uploaded it to TypePad.  That's what you're hearing.

I don't know whether to be impressed with Poddio, or the IPhone microphone…but I think that sounds pretty darn good!

Poddio comes as a free version, or pay $10 for all the bells and whistles.  My opinion:  $10 buys a lot here.  Visit the Poddio website to see their full schpiel.  They  had musicians and podcasters in mind when they designed this software, but it can do most things your Audacity editor could do.

Possible use for voice-actors?

1) 'Client calls while you're indisposed away from your studio and wants a quick read to see if you've got the chops for the spot.  You read his e-mail on your IPhone, scribble out a few lines, go to a closet, and deliver your audition into your IPhone…then e-mail it back to him in a flash.  Quality is better than Skype, I think.

2) Quick on-the-run interviews for a podcast.  Take 10 minutes to edit out the guest's curse words, and some fluff while you were interrupted on the convention floor, and you've got a passable podcast.

3) Collect real-life sound-effects for use later in a demo.

4) Record answer-phone messages for friends, and send them by e-mail.

5) A regular client wants to change a tag for a low-budget spot, but you're in Dyersburg, TN getting gas on your way to Stubenville, OH to see a date you found on FaceBook.  He's not particular about quality, but when he gets your Poddio file, he says, "Hey, I thought you said you didn't have your equipment with you?"

OK…last one may be a little far-fetched…but you get the drift.

CourVO