VoiceOverture · The Technology, Fun and Games of Voice Acting

Freebie: The Voice Over Entrance Exam e-Book

Russ Renshaw — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:06:20 +0000

A very cool and rare thing occurred on the internet today. Peter O'Connell of audio'connell and Voice Over Workshops went online and released a free and dense e-book on getting started in the voiceover industry today. Oh, and it's free!

How Voice Actors Can Be Green

Russ Renshaw — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:05:32 +0000

Earth Day is upon once again and it's time for a reflection on our habits and how they affect the world around us. As voice actors we run a lot of equipment in our studio's and drive back and forth from recording locations, and there are little things we can do to not just help the planet but help ourselves.

VO Video Sunday: Merle Dandridge’s Commentary from Half-Life 2

Russ Renshaw — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:00:24 +0000

In response to what is wrong with voiceover in video games, I thought it might be best to listen to what is good about voiceover in video games. For those not familiar with it, when Valve released their game Half-Life 2 bundled in the Orange Box pack they did something that you see in most movies today but rarely in video games - they included a commentary track.

The State of Voice Acting in Video Games

Russ Renshaw — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:26:44 +0000

Voice acting in games is abysmal. It's amateur hour. It's embarrassing. It's the blind leading the blind. And nobody seems to care. With notable exceptions like Uncharted, Mass Effect and Fable II (and these are uneven at best), what goes for "acting" in video games rarely surpasses the level of competence one finds in a high school musical.

Wow, those are harsh words. But in this frustration The Brainy Gamer’s Michael Abboott hopes to capture your attention to help him answer a simple question. Why does voice acting in video games seemed to not be progressing in the industry on the same pace as graphics or sound effects?

Acoustic Treatment: A Quick Guide

Russ Renshaw — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:34:39 +0000

I've been researching acoustic treatments for my own home studio for a little while now. I have a basic understanding of sound reflection and speaker placement and I know I should know a lot more, but...

Fable 2 Has A Day And A Half Worth Of Voice Acting!

Russ Renshaw — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:48:48 +0000

One of the first things I noticed while playing Fable 2 was how incredible and fun the voice acting was. Granted the voice acting in the original Fable wasn't too shabby, but they definitely stepped it up in the sequel. How much time and attention did Lionhead put into their award winning game? A lot. And click after the jump for the low-down.

VO Video Sunday: Getting Good Sound for Voiceover: Mic Shootout

Russ Renshaw — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:00:49 +0000

HowAudio.com put together a nice round-up on four top-quality microphones that may be familiar to the voiceover community. The Neumann U87, Sennheiser ME66 Shotgun, Sennheiser 421, Rode Podcaster and the MXL UBS .009. It's a not so quick tutorial demonstrating how to get a "good" sound out of the mic for your final project. If you do have a free 20 minutes it's well worth your time to plunk down with your coffee and take a gander at this video.

VoiceOverture Has A New Coat Of Paint!

Russ Renshaw — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:00:09 +0000

It's been a little while in the making, but VoiceOverture.net has been given a brand new look! We've gone for a more simple style to offer a cleaner look. A look that we believe will help to focus more on the content. This will be a brief post, but we would love to hear any feedback that anyone has on the new look. Also if anyone notices anything funky happening on the site then please drop a line here. Thanks! ~ Russ

Rockstar Says “Hell No,” to Niko Voice Actor, Michael Hollick, in GTA IV DLC

Russ Renshaw — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 14:57:42 +0000

In Grand Theft Auto IV’s upcoming downloadable content expansion, GTA: The Lost and the Damned the game proper’s protagonist, Niko Bellic, will most likely be making an appearance in a cross-over mission, but without any new lines of dialogue.

3rd Annual Voicey Awards Are Live

Russ Renshaw — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:40:12 +0000

Every year around this time you are always sure to hear people grumbling that there are too many awards ceremonies going on. Well, those people probably just never had an award catered to their craft, and I'm doubly sure that they've never been nominated for an award. So, during this award season time it's time to make your nominations and votes for Voices.com's VOICEY AWARDS. Click the jump to read their press release.