Vox Daily

How To Find The Sweet Spot on a Microphone

2009-11-20T23:52:50Z

Do you know what the sweet spot is?

How can you find it?

Every voice over talent should know where their voice sounds best on a microphone. This skill is particularly useful when you go into a studio and are unfamiliar with the studio mic they have in the booth.

Hear from some pros who know how to work the microphone... and if you're happy to share your tips on how to find the sweet spot, add your own thoughts to the conversation!

So, Just What is the "Sweet Spot" and Where is it?

Following the article published yesterday where audio recording engineers shared their preferences and pet peeves when working with voice over talent, I received a number of questions about the sweet spot and how one might find this somewhat ethereal place.

When I was at a workshop with Mike Kirby's Voiceworx, instructor Libby Lennie related that sweet sound comes from the spot on the mic where you sound absolutely heavenly!

I put a call out for answers and here's what I've got for you:

Sweet Spotting

"The 'sweet spot' is the particular point/area of the mic, where you know your voice is at its absolute best. After so many years announcing it becomes 'instinctive' you can just sense the 'spot' on the mic where your voice sounds the fullest. Every mic is different and has its own characteristic. But, once you learn to play with your voice, you get to know what sounds best and where to speak into the mic.

In relation to your discussion with the audio engineers yesterday: I agree with the engineer who mentioned 'trusting' them to know where the mic is placed and how it's placed for the individual talent for a session. It's their job. I always trust the engineers for mic placement... and then, when you do find your 'sweet spot'... it's even... dare I say? 'sweeter!'"

-- Kristi Stewart

"I agree with Kristi about the 'instinctive' part. When I was in broadcasting years ago, I was partial to certain brands, and the funny thing was, some of my co-workers had exactly opposite taste. I liked certain higher-end Shure mikes and disliked Neumann models - I felt they were too 'bright' for me. Yet, others loved them. Once I had the overall feel right, finding the sweet spot wasn't that difficult for me. You know it when you hear it."

-- Tom Hosmanek

"I'm also a fan of the Shure mics. For my voice, they seem to be flat and natural sounding. The best thing is to get in there and play around with the mic for a while. You'll know when you hear something you like!"

-- Jeannie Stith

"I am 'right' mic-ed. I like the mic to come at me from the right side. I like those wide ranging mics that allow the textures of my voice to come through. I like to work close.
None of us can know all mics -- I worked with a tube mic they said I had to practically swallow. Engineer told me that and I followed his instructions. Otherwise, it's like a batter learning the pitchers and their tendencies. The longer you do this, the more you learn. I also agree with previous comments about the 'instinctive' aspect."

-- Michael J. Schoen

"If your mic is not a condenser and/or you don't have a pop screen, try talking slightly off to the side of the mic to avoid puffs, plosives and sibilance from words that start with the letter P, T or S."

-- River Dain Kanoff

I think what River means to say is that even if you have found your sweet spot, you can make it even sweeter by ensuring you don't have any speech issues such as popping ps.

Other Tricks For Avoiding Plosives Are:

๏ Smile through your words
๏ Put a pencil in front of your mouth
๏ Cut the air in half by speaking with your face turned down a bit

If you're interested in learning more about microphone technique, take a listen to this podcast recording by voice over coach Melody Jones about microphone techniques for voice over artists.

What's Your Strategy For Hitting the Sweet Spot Every Time?

If you are experienced in this effort, I'd love to hear about how you found the sweet spot and tricks you use to consistently find it, even if you have to use a microphone you have never encountered before.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Ruth Black

3 Recording Engineers Spill The Beans on Top Pet Peeves

2009-11-19T18:54:28Z

Not being able to take direction. Touching the microphone! Not having "microphone awareness."

These are just some of the many things that can irk producers and recording engineers... and make them question your professionalism as a voice over artist.

But wait, there's hope!

You can put your best foot forward and make a good impression when visiting a recording studio, all you need to do is learn more about what is expected of you and heed these words on today's VOX Daily!

What Shouldn't You Do in the Booth?

I had a discussion with some audio engineers via Facebook who agreed to share their wisdom and insight with you. Just as a casting director wants to get the absolute best performance out of a talent when auditioning, the recording engineer wants to see you succeed and be comfortable in the booth.

Here's What 3 Friends in Audio Production Had to Say!

"That's easy...: not being able to take direction!"

-- Jacob Ekstrøm
ProVOA.com

"Mic awareness is knowing the spot on the mic where your voice is the cleanest, clearest, and has the most natural treble content. It's called being on axis. When the voice is in that spot, it's the best it's gonna be for that particular talent. A lot of this magic is with-in the talents own voice and nothing is really going to change that no matter what they do. I just finished recording a variety of Non-Pro's for the musical I did for a local church here, and I was amazed at the different ways the mic captured the different people as they spoke. Also to know how to work the mic - OR NOT - can frustrate the heck out of the engineer, because you may get a great take that sounds terrible OR a terrible take that sound great audio wise. For me, it can be the most fun as an engineer to record a performance or the worst time too, depending on who you're recording. And also, like Jacob said, once you realized that the talent is not going to follow your direction, or worse, can't follow it, it's gonna be a long session indeed. Hope this helps!!"

-- Bob Marini
Summer Productions

"I agree with Bob. That's what I was talking about the other day. HUGE pet peeve of mine. Knowing your mic technique for a V/O Artist is like a musician knowing their own instrument. If you intend to make money as a V/O and support yourself, then you are as a professional musician, not a garage band. You rise to a certain level of technical proficiency with your instrument and it can be like watching someone who just picked up the guitar trying to play an E chord and not properly doing so. That's why for me the whole 'moving and touching the mic' issue is a reflection of the individuals technical skill. Now, if they ask you to move the mic because they are short or taller than where it was placed, and need to find the sweet spot, that's different, but if you as an engineer have placed it properly for them, they shouldn't have to touch it."

-- Adam Fox
Defiant Digital Productions

Takeaways

๏ Be open to taking direction and ask questions if you need clarification
๏ Know how to use a microphone and where the "sweet spot" is for your voice
๏ Leave microphones and other technologies in the capable hands of the engineer

Do You Have Anything to Add?

Looking forward to your suggestions and ideas!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/berekin

How Familiar Are You With The Audio Signal Chain?

2009-11-19T03:14:58Z

When you first get into voice over, you'll quickly learn that something expected of you (to work independently) is an audio home recording studio.

Voices.com CEO David Ciccarelli is an honours graduate of the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART). On his blog, The Biz, he took time to outline the basics of the audio signal chain, comprising of three elements that every voice over professional should be aware of and understand.

We'll briefly discuss these elements today on VOX Daily!

The Audio Signal Chain

You may have heard of the signal chain and how integral it is to the audio recording process.

Components of the signal chain are:

Sound sources
Microphones
Preamps

Sound Sources

Why are sound sources listed first?

It makes sense that you'd need a sound source in order to record, right? Without a sound source, you wouldn't be able to record much of anything other than the room tone.

There are 3 types of sound sources:

Acoustic
Electric
Digital

An acoustic sound source may be an instrument such as a piano, violin, trumpet, or even the human voice. Our voices are organic and therefore acoustic in nature.

An electric sound source may be instruments with audio outputs that can be plugged into a preamplifier or a recording device such as an electric bass amplifier, electric keyboard, drum machine and so on.

Digital sound sources include computer based sounds such as software used to produce sounds or sound effects that are pre-recorded.

Microphones

Once you have a sound source, you'll need a way to capture that sound source. This is where microphones come in. All microphones are built to perform the same basic task... to capture the varying pressure waves in the air and convert them into varying electrical signals.

Technologies commonly used to accomplish this conversion include:

Carbon Microphones
Dynamic Microphones
Condenser Microphones
Ribbon Microphones
Crystal Microphones

* USB microphones (microphones that you can connect to your computer via a USB port) come in many different styles and varieties with varying features.

You can learn more about each of these microphone types if you'd like on The Biz.

Preamps

Following the microphone, which captures the sound and converts it, you have preamps. Engineers tend to agree that the preamp is just as important as the microphone when it comes to producing quality audio.

A microphone preamp is a device used to amplify the voltage taken from a microphone to a higher, more usable level. Most microphones must be used in conjunction with a microphone preamp to function properly.

Preamps are available as hardware and as software. Many mixing boards or desks have microphone preamps built in. There are also a plethora of external preamps from which to choose, which is great for adding the exact tone and feature set you need for your setup.

USB Microphones have made recording even easier!

The USB mics do this without an external preamp.

Many USB microphones come bundled with preamplifier software that provider additional control and gain adjustment to the signal being recorded. Software preamps are purely digital and therefore do not amplify the voltage of the microphone. The software simulates an increase to the audio signal and therefore doesn't offer nearly the quality or characteristics of a traditional analog microphone preamplifier.

USB microphones will work without the software using the standard drivers included in your computer's operating system.

Whew! That's a lot of info!

I know that some of you really enjoy tech talk and hope that this article helps those who are new to the industry. Should you be hungry for more, I did an interview with OIART's Bob Breen that you may find useful and also get a kick out of.

Comments?

If you have any favorite combos that you'd like to share for what goes into your signal chain, be my guest!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/fotoIE

Dairy Products and the Voice Over Artist: Friend or Foe?

2009-11-17T20:52:40Z

Are you avoiding dairy products right now to keep your pipes operating at peak performance?

Perhaps you save ice cream, cheese, yogurt, or chocolate milk until your work day is done to reward yourself and indulge...

Is dairy a friend or foe to the voice over artist?

If this behavior sounds familiar to you (and your voice over business), I want to hear about it!

Voice Artists Weigh In

Earlier this afternoon, I asked voice over talent what their feelings were about dairy products, in particular, how they interact with dairy close to the time they are to perform. The following responses were shared via Twitter and Facebook!

Be sure to comment with your own thoughts about how dairy may or may not affect your voice.

DavidHoustonVO @VoicesDotCom I'm valiantly ignoring the butter pecan ice cream in my freezer. Mmmm, butter pecan... -- David Houston

jorglieberstesh @VoicesDotCom I'm looking up warmups and practice techniques with my jug o' water to leer over at my fridge full of chocolate milk.

"When I did morning radio, I stayed away from dairy completely. It was brutal for throat-clearing-uh-umming and hitting the mic mute. I still avoid dairy on voice-work days. However, if I forget and suffer the side effects of that cottage cheese I had at breakfast, a slice of granny smith apple does the trick!
-- Glad Faith Klassen

"Not a friend to me, just room temperature water thanks :) Then there's the singers trick. Regular potato chips helps the voice they say. Several singers I know swear by it."
-- Bryan O'Neal

"Yessir... not even soy, that's thick. I drink rice milk and minimal soda."
-- Johnny Crescitelli

According to Therisa Bennett, dairy actually helps her! If you suffer from dry mouth, dairy's properties could bolster the vocal folds and give them additional moisture... if you can relate to this, be sure to let me know!

What About You?

Is dairy a welcome part of your day or do you avoid it like the plague when you have to record?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Bob Randall

7 Ways To Please Clients and Get the Gig

2009-11-16T19:23:18Z

Don't you just love feedback from people hiring voice over talent?

I spoke with a long-time client of ours on Thursday who had shared some of their thoughts about what voice talent could be doing to positively catch the eyes and ears of a customer in an audition situation.

Ready to take a few leaves out of our book?

The recommendations are good for any situation, regardless of project type, lead source, or client.

7 Easy Ways To Get the Gig!

As I mentioned, the tips below came directly from a client who uses Voices.com regularly. These tips are being shared to help you :) I find that these recommendations are common across the board.

Without further ado, here they are:

1. DO follow instructions
2. DO be sensitive to the client's project requirements
3. DON'T waste time (yours or anyone else's)
4. DO be true to yourself and only audition for work you can actually perform
5. DO record a brief custom demo if a script is provided
6. DON'T sell yourself short
7. DON'T send the exact same answer more than once if you are applying to the same company

One of our teleseminars "Mastering the Audition," will go into these points (and more!) in greater detail.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Michael Fernahl

Voices.com Launches Teleseminar Series!

2009-11-13T19:24:03Z

Starting December 2009, we'll be offering a free four-week teleseminar series to our Premium and Platinum members!

Want to learn more?

Keep reading!

Voices.com's New 4-week Teleseminar Series

In response to numerous requests over the years that Voices.com offer some form of live training for talent, we've decided to give teleseminars a go! The goal is to make your experience at Voices.com the best that it can possibly be through a series of teleseminars zeroing in on various aspects of the online voice over marketplace.

Since this is our first effort doing teleseminars, we're going to play it by ear to see what you think before committing to another series.

Here's what we've got on tap starting this December!

Week 1: Power Profiles

December 1st: How to fully optimize your Voices.com profile

Are you getting the most out of your Voices.com profile? Could you be ranking higher, being found in more places, or booking gigs regularly?

Week 2: Mastering the Audition

December 8th: What to include in your audition

We'll cover expectations that clients have of you and why they cast based upon more than just your voice.

Week 3: Branding Online

December 15th: Defining your marketing strategy as a freelance service provider

What makes you special? Why should someone hire you instead of someone else? Develop your unique selling proposition and how to present your brand.

Week 4: Marketing on Social Networks

December 22nd: Using social media properly to attract more clients

It may seem that everywhere you look, people are all abuzz about social media, but do you really need to get in on the trend? Find out why social media should be part of your marketing strategy and also how you can leverage it to build relationships, establish authority, and get work.

If you can't be present on the call, the calls will be recorded so that you can listen to them at your convenience.

Do You Want To Be Part of This New Opportunity?

To secure your spot, all you need to do is subscribe to our annual Premium membership or be a Platinum member of Voices.com.

For those who are already receiving service at the Premium or Platinum level, you will receive an email with the particulars closer to the date!

If you're currently receiving another level of service at Voices.com but still wish to participate, all you need to do is upgrade the service being received to our annual Premium membership before November 30th, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

To your success!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Todd Arena

Does This Microphone Make My Bottom Sound Big?

2009-11-12T16:41:31Z

Honey, does this microphone make my bottom sound big?

If you are looking for a way to make your bottom bigger and your top end a little less bright, the new Cloud Microphones JRS-34 may be just what you are looking for.

It's going to surprise you.

Review of the Cloud JRS-34 Ribbon Microphone

By Greg Phelps

I have always wanted to try out a ribbon microphone. Noting the JRS-34 came out as a brand new creation from Stephan Sank and company, I jumped on the opportunity.

Look out smooth and fat... here I come.

Ribbons are typically quite dark and that's one of the reasons you really don't see that many in the voice over world. Some of them actually just sound really great... as is the case with Cloud's new JRS-34.

A Little History Direct From Cloud's Website:

We make 'em like they used to.

The story begins in the 1930's at RCA* with Harry Olson developing the 44 and 77 series ribbon microphones. Mr. Olson was followed in his post by engineer Jon R. Sank, for whom the JRS-34 is named. He was charged by RCA with improving on Harry's best mics. He did just that with the BK-11, a direct descendant of the 44 series. It's been an inside audio secret for many years among top engineers that the BK-11 is the most advanced ribbon microphone in the world. Jon Sank passed away in 1998, but before he died he passed more than 50 years of skill and technology to his son, Stephen Sank. Trained by his father beginning at age 10, Stephen's studies continued to build upon lessons learned from the original RCA Laboratory Studies. Today, Stephen and his wife Cynthia continue the family tradition of developing quality hand crafted ribbon microphones in collaboration with Cloud Microphones. With modern appointments such as Cinemag transformers, neodymium magnets and an optional phantom powered JFET circuit, the Cloud JRS-34 takes the next evolutionary step in the immortal BK-11 / 44 series microphone design line. All Cloud products are completely built in the USA.

The JRS-34 Experience!

The JRS-34 is a true beauty. It is all chrome and surprisingly light weight for its size. It comes in both an active, requiring phantom power of 48volts, and a passive version.
The active version is very nice for us folks who don't have a preamp that goes to 11. (yes it's a Spinal Tap reference) Typically a ribbon requires quite a bit of gain but the active circuitry makes the Cloud ribbon usable on most any preamp.

The sound of this mic is like putting on a nice warm blanket and cuddling up to a fire on a cold day. In my opinion, too many of today's microphones are cold and bright. Cloud has succeeded in building a microphone that is not too bright and not too dark. It's also very smooth. The JRS-34 is also a very quiet microphone. All in all a very nice package.

I put the JRS-34 through about every kind of read you can think of. It's not perfect for everything. You can clip it and it's not one I would suggest for those screamer ads but it works great for long form and for commercial work but only if you want your work to sound fabulous.

The thing I found most interesting about this microphone is that adjusting it's sound can be done by moving it closer or farther away. Once you dial it in....you get a very rich and creamy sound while still being able to hear the upper ranges very easily. This ribbon mic will give you everything you can ask for in a mic except that overly bright sound we have all heard and have begun to loathe. If you want proximity effect, the JRS-34 will give you all you could ever want. Pull it back some, and it will give you a nice big bottom and still offer you some wonderful clarity through the mid and upper bands. The JRS-34 is one for the mic locker without a doubt. I highly recommend trying one out... be warned however, you will want one.

Take a listen for yourself. Here is a little sample of what the JRS-34 sounds like with both a male (Greg Phelps) and a female, (Diane Maggipinto).

Diane's Voice using the JRS-34
Greg's Voice using the JRS-34

More Information About These Files

Here is the signal chain:

EMU 1212, Mackie 1402 VLZ3, Summit Audio Everest.

Settings on the Everest were the same for both male and female voices. Input at 5.6 Drive bus at 4 and output at 6. The JRS-34 active version was used in making these files. The male voice was recorded with the JRS-34 12 inches away and the female at 8 inches away. No processing was added.

Any Comments?

If you have any thoughts about the JRS-34 mic or comments for Greg Phelps, be sure to add them and continue the conversation!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Need a Voice Over Agent? Roger King's Tips Will Help!

2009-11-12T02:27:22Z

Canadian voice over agent Roger King recently joined the Voice Over Experts faculty.

Roger is the President of PN Agency which provides voice-over talent to the radio, television, film, multi-media and animation industries. In 2004, he launched a sister agency, Ethnic Voice Talent (EVT), and now represents over 100 voice over talents and translators in more than 15 different languages.

His debut podcast, "Secrets of an Agent Man: Tips on Getting Representation" was published this week and I thought it would be great to share it with you here on VOX Daily.

Be sure to comment with your thoughts!

Tips on Getting Representation

In this podcast, Roger King shares a number of practical tips that will keep you in a voice over talent agent's good books. Roger gives some quick bullet points from a talent agent's perspective on what they expect of you, the qualities they look for, and how they want to be approached.

Download Podcast Episode 105 »

Do You Have Any Comments for Roger?

I'm sure Roger would love to hear from you!

To learn more about Roger King and follow the Canadian voice over scene, check out his blog VoiceoverCanada.ca.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Location, Location, Location? Does Location Really Matter in VO?

2009-11-10T16:50:29Z

Do you have to live in New York or Los Angeles to be a voice over professional?

I received a question from a Chicago-area high school student who had heard that in order become a voice actor, you needed to live in NYC, LA or Houston.

A reply was sent which I believe will be of great comfort! Since this is a wide reaching topic, I've elaborated on my answer here on VOX Daily.

When you're done reading, comment with where you are living as a voice actor!

Chicago's No Slouch!

You can live anywhere in the world (so long as there is a good Internet connection) and be a successful voice over artist.

Just as any industry has its hubs of activity, (the main centers for voice over being NYC and LA), that doesn't mean that you have to live there in order to be a voice actor. I know of many people who live outside of large centers and they make their living working as voice talent.

For the record Chicago is 1 of the top 3 markets in the US. NYC, LA, and Chicago are the most lucrative markets for commercial voice over in the US but you don't have to live there to get jobs that air in those markets.

Technology has changed the playing field, and because work comes from all over the world, you're not limited to a geographic region or areas such as NYC or LA.

When Did This First Take Shape?

According to Beau Weaver, the killer technology in the 80s was Federal Express. How else could you get your demo in front of someone within 24 hours who lived out of state? When ISDN was becoming more widely used in the 90s, Beau and several of his peers wanted to use the new technology and work from home studios.

They asked Don LaFontaine to use his influence and help make the transition from having to be physically present in a recording studio to auditioning and working most of the time from home.

If Don told the industry that he wanted to have an ISDN hookup in his home to work, then everyone else would be able to follow suit... and look where we are today!

As we've witnessed, sessions via ISDN has saved clients and talents time, money, mileage, and has dramatically changed the lifestyles of the working voice over professional.

Naturally, when it became the norm for everyone to have personal computers with high speed Internet access, in combination with the drop in prices for equipment, the home studio boom was triggered and the market expanded.

There has also been a shift in how business is done with regard to the people hiring and casting talent.

More and more companies choose to post their own voice over jobs instead of exclusively working through agencies or relying on a advertising firm to find their voice.

A large (and growing) number of voice over talent agencies in NYC and LA (among other places) now depend on the online voice over marketplace as an iron in their fire to bring them leads that they do not have access to otherwise.

Some agents also now represent talent from outside of their geographic locations which is a definite shift from working solely with those in town.

Technology, combined with changes in how business is conducted, has done much to benefit voice over artists, wouldn't you agree?

Where Are You Working From?

If technology has opened up your world of opportunity as a professional voice actor, I want to hear about it!

Comment with the city and country you are based out of so that we can prove once and for all that this truly is a global economy.

Cheers,

Stephanie

P.S. Note of interest: Talent can come from anywhere! The late, great Don LaFontaine was born in Duluth, Minnesota.

©iStockphoto.com/Keith Binns

Dana Detrick Gives Advice on Achieving Success at Voices.com

2009-11-09T18:01:00Z

Are you trying to get more jobs in the online voice over marketplace?

In need of some ideas to help you succeed at Voices.com?

Dana Detrick, a Voices.com member, recently discussed some of the activities that she does on a regular basis to leverage the tools and resources available to talent at Voices.com when chatting with a fellow voice talent on Facebook and has permitted me to share them here on VOX Daily with you.

Read Dana's tips now!

Advice From Dana via Facebook

I've been a member since 2006, and I've had ups and downs, but here's some tips to make it better (they've helped me, anyway!):

1) Look at the auditions as an opportunity to hone your skills and gain more experience, and don't be afraid of giving potential clients a few different reads of a line or two from their scripts, to show your range;

2) Keep an eye on the weekly, monthly, and all-time rankings on the front page of the site, and track where you fall. This can be awesome feedback, even when you're not hearing directly from prospects. And don't be afraid to ask them to "Favorite" you.

3) Soak in all they (Voices.com) offer with the blogs, podcasts, and white papers. There's a ton of great info there that can help you mix up your delivery and communications.

I hope it helps!

To your success!!

Dana Detrick

Digital Interactive Gaming Developers DIG Voices.com

2009-11-07T19:22:22Z

London, Ontario is known officially as The Forest City, but in recent years, its reputation has expanded to include digital interactive media and gaming!

This year marked the second Digital Interactive Gaming Conference in our city and I had the opportunity to attend a few events on Tuesday that were absolutely fabulous and telling. Hanging out some of the crème de la crème on the Canadian video game development scene from all across the country.

Find out more about the Canadian gaming industry and how the voice over community is reaching out to game developers.

London's Digital Interactive Gaming Conference

Over 700 people made their way through the doors of the Digital Interactive Gaming Conference in London, ON Canada earlier this week, consisting of students, industry professionals, media personalities, and video game royalty.

During the evening portion of Tuesday's schedule, a lovely dinner was enjoyed along with a brief speech from London mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best and a keynote address from Victor Lucas, co-host of The Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run.

If you follow me on Twitter I was twittering throughout dinner as you may have observed. For those of you interested in hearing what others had to say about DIG on Twitter, check out all of the tweets with the hash tag #dig09.

Game Developers Love a Good Time

Following the dinner there was a special VIP party where more networking occurred. This party gave me an opportunity to meet with game developers in a position to hire voice over talent and to learn more about what they were looking for when casting, hiring, and working with video game voice talent.

Voices.com, for many game developers, is the answer to their voice casting dreams! They love how easy it is to post their requirements and quickly get customized responses from voice over talent who are both interested and capable.

I spoke with companies that included startups, developers for online games on social networks such as Facebook, and larger game development houses who have contracts with big time video game publishers.

Everyone agreed that there is amazing potential for voice over in games and also saw room for more engagement and collaboration between our two communities.

Perhaps next year, we'll be able to be part of the fun! It would be an absolute honour to be the first to bring audio and voice acting into the limelight at DIG London... there is so much to talk about and to share!

For your interest, I've included an informational paragraph below about the Digital Interactive Gaming Conference. Enjoy :)

About DIG London

DIG London is an annual conference and is the information hub for the digital interactive gaming industry in Ontario.

This annual conference connects London Ontario's digital gaming cluster with industry and talent across North America. London is home to world-renowned game development studios, outsourcing studios, and educational institutions. DIG London promotes and supports the continued growth of this dynamic industry.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Voiceworx in Toronto Creates Great Performances With Heart

2009-11-05T17:04:23Z

Founded in 1996, Mike Kirby's Voiceworx has served students of voice over for 13 years, and has introduced Canadian talent to the wonderful world of voice over, including Shakespearean actors who have performed at The Stratford Festival, broadcast professionals, and aspiring voice artists.

Based in Toronto, Canada, Voiceworx focuses on helping people to find the part of themselves that will blossom in the booth. It didn't take long for me to see that the very core of Voiceworx is HEART.

Jessica, Erica, and I had the opportunity to sit in on a couple of Voiceworx sessions at their Weekend Warrior Workshop in October and had an amazing time!

Learn more about this fabulous training company for voice over artists in our own backyard.

What is Voice Over Work?

Mike Kirby relates that it's all about the message and how the voice artist personally feels about the message being said. Voice over work is all about acting.

In addition, the voice must also create the pictures and images using only words... a challenge and a half for most!

Understanding that voice work is very intimate, voice artists face the unique challenge of speaking to an audience of one even though it may be promoted to an audience of millions.

The message will mean something different depending on who your audience is. Once you know who you are speaking to, the interpretation will become clear.

Some of Voiceworx's philosophies are:

1. Each voice artist has a personal vocal signature that is unique to the artist.
2. Voice artists further develop the art of communication to become great storytellers.
3. Your voice is a reflection of who you are, and that voice needs to come from your heart, not your head.

Libby (Elizabeth) Lennie, whose session we were able to stay for in its entirety, was absolutely amazing. Libby shared a number of tips and strategies for voice artists to employ. We stayed for lunch with Mike and Libby and were also able to stay for a portion of animation voice actor Julie Lemieux's workshop on character voices.

The Voiceworx Experience

Something I noticed right away is that students were sent into the booth early into the first workshop session. While spending time on verbal instruction and discussion is significant during a workshop, time in the booth is crucially important when you are training with an instructor

Exercises were both didactic and practical. Some of the reads the students were asked to perform as warm ups before reading the copy were tidbits of educational, testimonial, and anecdotal gems relevant to the voice over industry that taught you a lesson and enriched the workshop experience.

Riding on emotion was also emphasized when rehearsing copy. The simple gesture of placing your hand on your heart to feel its energy grounds you and can positively affect your performance.

By living in the heart of the message, and not working toward a result, your interpretation will be freer and sound less contrived.

Another recurring theme was making the message meaningful to you, the voice artist. You have to be able to make it part of you, to visualize it, and to be fully supportive of what you are saying. If something doesn't mean anything to you personally, how can you compel people to receive your message, trust you, and then act on your recommendations?

Central to voice acting, and the Voiceworx company, is the relationship between the voice artist and their audience, whether the audience is the intended audience or the audience that you as a voice talent feel most comfortable communicating to when delivering your message.

Voiceworx brought out the best in all of the students who participated and you could see potential blooming in the booth. It was both a privilege and a pleasure to be present during the workshops.

About Voiceworx

Mike Kirby's Voiceworx is a training and production facility for performers who wish to pursue a career in commercial voice-over work. With 30 years of acting and commercial voice-over experience, and 12 CLIO Awards for advertising excellence to his credit, Mike Kirby has developed a unique method of work which he and his associates are happy to share with you.

Participants can expect top quality in-studio instruction in radio and television commercial voice-over, documentary and corporate video narration, cartoon voice, character multi-voice, and studio protocol, in a state-of-the-art recording studio environment. Class size is kept to a minimum and Performers receive valuable in studio personal instruction behind the microphone. All materials are supplied and personal voice work is recorded to CD for home review, complete with instructor's comments.

All Voiceworx instructors are professional performers, directors and producers who make their living in the performing arts.

Training Opportunities for Voice Talent

If you're looking for voice over training in Toronto, Voiceworx is superb and offers a number of opportunities for coaching, including a book and CD companion for those who want to start their voice over training from the comfort of their own home.

You can learn more about Voiceworx here:

http://www.voiceworx.com

A big thank you to Mike and his team for inviting us and for their hospitality!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Want to be a Spanish Voice Over Artist? Genaro Liriano Tells You How!

2009-11-04T13:45:51Z

There are many professions in our society that require you to be licensed, including teaching in the school system, practicing law, medicine, and even a license to drive a motor vehicle.

But what about a license to do voice overs?

Unheard of, right?

Get this: In many Latin American and South American countries, you have to be licensed to speak on the radio, to do live announcing, and voice over!

Voice over artist Genaro Liriano, formerly of the Dominican Republic, now resides in Canada and is a member of Voices.com. Genaro shared some very interesting information with me that will amaze and perhaps surprise you about the process one goes through to become a licensed voice for hire in Central and South America.

Becoming a Spanish Voice Over Talent in Central and South America

Last weekend at our Voices.com mixer in Toronto I connected with Genaro Liriano and got to hear his story. I'm excited that Genaro is also translating this article into Spanish for our Spanish speaking readers because it is a tale that needs to be heard in both languages.

Genaro Liriano has a license to speak!

Everyone who has their voice aired publicly, whether via broadcast, public address, live announcing, or voice over needs to be an approved speaker of neutral Spanish. What's even more interesting is that each country has their own requirements for licensing to keep the Latin Spanish being heard by the populous distinctly neutral in accent with a standard dialect.

The journey to become a licensed VO in the Dominican Republic is as follows:

1. An individual must complete a 3-year degree in broadcasting. For your reference, there are usually about 2,200 people in a graduating class.

2. These people must then complete a written exam of which 80-90% of them will fail.

3. Those who pass the exam are then given an oral exam with a panel of well known broadcasters, each with different areas of expertise, testing the candidate's ability to read in various styles live. Imagine having Barbara Walters, Larry King, and the late Peter Jennings all in one room testing you, holding your destiny in their hands!

4. If you pass the oral exam, you receive your certificate and a license to work on-air and off-air. This license is granted by the Radio and telecommunication commission of the Dominican Republic.

Suffice to say, becoming a licensed speaker is not easy, and those who do have a license are fortunate to say the least.

Interesting Fact:

If you were to produce an ad campaign that were to air in multiple countries that required the recording to be voiced by a licensed individual, you may need to hire more than one talent for the job. For instance, if you had someone from the Dominican Republic voicing for an ad in the DR, but you were going to air your advertisement in another country, or several countries that also required a licensed speaker, you may need to hire one licensed speaker per country you are airing your commercial in! That could get expensive quickly depending on the reach of the campaign, however, this is how business is done to preserve the language and how it is being heard by the public.

What If People Needed to be Licensed To Do Voice Over in Other Places?

Imagine if you had to be licensed in the US to do voice over, or in Canada, or in other European countries? Perhaps that is already the case in some nations but we just haven't heard about it.

How do you feel about the concept of licensing with regard to announcing on-air and off?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Photo courtesy Genaro Liriano

Quieres ser un artista de doblaje de voz o Locutor? Genaro Liriano le dice como!

2009-11-04T13:43:44Z

En Nuestra sociedad existen varias profesiones que le requieren al profesional que tenga su apropiada licencia para ejercer su oficio, incluyendo enseñando en el sistema educativo, ejerciendo las leyes, medicina, y hasta licencia para poder conducir un vehiculo.

Pero, se imaginan una licencia para hacer doblaje de voz?

Nunca lo habías escuchado, verdad?

Miren esto: En varios países Latino Americanos y Sudamericanos, usted necesita tener una licencia para hablar por la radio, para hace eventos en vivo y para hacer doblaje de voz!

El artista de voz Genaro Liriano, oriundo de la Republica Dominicana, quien ahora reside en Canadá y es miembro de Voices.com. Genaro compartió con migo informaciones acerca del proceso que alguien tiene que seguir para poder tener una licencia y poder ejercer el trabajo de locutor y doblaje de voz en America central y Sudamérica, se encontraran estos detalles muy interesante que talvez les van a sorprender y fascinar.

Convertirse en un talento de Voz Hispano en America Central y en Sudamérica

El pasado fin de semanas en nuestro Voices.com mixer en Toronto, yo me conecte con Genaro Liriano y tuve la oportunidad de escuchar su historia. Estoy contenta porque Genaro también traducirá este artículo al español para nuestra audiencia de habla Hispana porque es una historia que necesita ser escuchada en los dos idiomas.

Genaro Liriano tiene una licencia para Hablar!

Cada quien que tenga su voz al aire publico, ya sea através de una transmisión, discurso en publico, anunciar en vivo o doblaje de voz, necesita estar aprobado de hablar un Español neutro. Lo que es aun más interesante es que cada País tiene sus propios requerimientos de licencia para mantener el Español Latino neutral y sea escuchado por las masas populares libre de acentos.

La trayectoria a seguir para obtener una licencia de locutor es la siguiente:

1. Una persona debe terminar un diplomado de 3 años en Locución. Para su referencia hay aproximadamente 2,200 personas en una graduación.

2. Estas personas tienen que tomar un examen escrito preparado por la comisión nacional de radio y telecomunicación de los cuales un 80 a un 90% no lo pasan.

3. Aquellos quienes pasan el examen escrito son invitados a un panel de Locutores y famosos del País, cada cual representando su área de experiencia, estas personas examinan a los candidatos pidiéndoosle que lean que diferente estilo. Imagínense tener a Bárbara Walters, Larry King y a Peter Jennings, todos en el mismo lugar impartiendo el examen y llevando tu destino en sus manos.

4. Si pasas el examen oral, recibiese un certificado y un Carnet que te acredita como locutor y puedes trabajar on-air y off-air.

Suficiente para decir que para tener una licencia para hablar no es tan fácil y esos que tienen la licencia son afortunados para decir lo mínimo.

Puntos Interesantes:

Si usted fuera a producir una campaña de anuncios que tendrían que ser transmitidos en varios países y la voz tendría que hacerse con una persona con licencia, usted tendría que emplear a más de un talento para hacer este trabajo. Por ejemplo, si usted tiene ha alguien de la Republica Dominicana haciendo la voz para el anuncio en la R.D., pero ha usted le gustaría promocionar su anuncio en otro país o países que también requieren que los locutores tengan sus licencias usted tendría que emplear un locutor por país! Eso podría ser muy costoso dependiendo en tipo de campaña, pero, esto se hace para preservar la lengua y como sea escuchado por el publico.

Que si personas de otros países necesiten tener licencia para hacer doblaje de voz en otros lugares?

Imagínense si usted tendría que tener una licencia para poder hacer doblaje de voz en Estados Unidos, o en Canadá, o en países Europeos? Talvez, ya ese sea el caso en algunas naciones pero nosotros nunca habíamos escuchado acerca de esto.

Como usted se siente acerca del concepto de licencias para poder anuncia on-air y off-air?

Espero escuchar de ustedes.

Saludos,

Stephanie

No More Work Agreements! It's Just Become Even Easier to Book Jobs at Voices.com

2009-11-04T04:58:31Z

Whenever we make changes to the site, we discuss them here on VOX Daily as well as via regular newsletters to our members.

This change in particular simplifies the process for closing the deal on a voice over job!

What's new?

You will no longer have to upload a Work Agreement when negotiating with clients at Voices.com.

At first glance you might wonder how removing one step could have such a significant impact, but believe you me, this slight change will make a world of difference.

Read this post to learn more and to see how seamless the process has become!

1. Audition Submitted

What you see above is the page you land on when you have submitted your audition to a client at Voices.com. This confirms that the client received your audition and that it is in their account for review. At this point, you are poised to receive an offer from a client at Voices.com.

2. Finalizing Business Terms

Just like it sounds, you're finalizing the terms of your business agreement! Make sure that you input your fee and are satisfied with the amount. You'll see your fee, the SurePay fee, and the fee as the client sees it. Clients are fully aware that the total presented to them includes both your professional fee and also the SurePay escrow fee. As mentioned in a recent interview and in various surveys and case studies, clients prefer to complete their projects via Voices.com by taking advantage of our SurePay service which protects both you and your client.

3. Thank You for Finalizing Terms

This page is shown to you when you have completed the step to finalize terms.

4. Payment Terms Accepted

When your client accepts your payment terms, the next step is for the client to make their deposit via Voices.com. Once they have made their deposit you'll be prompted to upload the files.

5. Upload Files

When you upload your files the client is notified by email and directed to listen to them. Once they have listened and are happy with what they hear, the next step is to approve the files.

6. Files Approved

When the files are approved, Voices.com is granted permission to release the funds to the you, the voice talent. Payments are made bi-monthly on the 1st and 15th of each month (should the 1st or 15th fall on a weekend or holiday, your payment will be sent on the following business day). Within your Voices.com account, be sure to specify how you would like to be paid. Voices.com pays you on behalf of your client via PayPal or Check.

Has This Made Things Easier For You?

Whenever we make changes such as this, it is with your best interest at heart. I hope you find this to be an improvement that makes using Voices.com even easier than before :)

Best wishes,

Stephanie