SOUND4VO.com

By Dan Friedman

On Saturday night while most Faffers were out to dinner, Amy Snively, Pam Tierney and I sat in the mezzanine of the Crowne Plaza Hotel Harrisburg and talked. Among many other discussions, we talked about our favorite parts of the event and past events. I mentioned at one point that I thought everyone’s first Faffcon would be their favorite.
Let’s face it, if you’ve been to Faffcon, you already know you will be coming to a second and probably more after that. The only Faffcon I’ve missed (and therefore hope I will ever miss) is the very first in Portland, OR. It is the one Faffcon that set the stage for all others and I’m sure it will never be duplicated. However, just 24 hours after my conversation with Pam and Amy, I had an amazing experience that I will never forget.

Pam actually had offered to “hire” me to help her with her studio. We were going to go through her entire signal chain from “soup to nuts” (Pam… FOCUS!) . But, as far as I was concerned, this was a great opportunity to continue faffing, so we invited others to join us in the mezzanine. About 20 of us spent over three and a half hours talking studio stuff. It was an incredible thrill for me to share my knowledge, and also learn from everyone who participated, in a truly unexpected Faffcon session. I was told later that this impromptu session captured the essence of the very first Faffcon exactly. How cool is that!

Like any “first,” everyone’s first Faffcon will probably always be their most memorable. However, and this is the true beauty of Faffcon, each session and event is filled with “firsts”, opening up the possibility to new opportunity, new connections and handfuls of “golden nuggets” each and every time. It is truly an inspirational event. I hope that everyone in voiceover gets the opportunity to experience these “firsts” for themselves.

And now some very special shout outs:

David Goldberg – I really appreciated the opportunity to work with you and to get to know you better this time around. I know we can make things happen and I’m excited about the possibilities.

Colleen Colin – Voicebank and Voice Registry provide such a vital service to our community, I’m thrilled to be a new member. Thank you for all you contribute to Faffcon and our industry.

Pam Tierney – Your adventurous spirit and sense of humor is infectious. Thank you for all that you do for Faffcon and for your friendship.

Paul Strikwerda – Your session on blogging was fantastic. I was inspired to write an entire blog based on just one thing you said (this will be forthcoming). I know that my blog will benefit greatly from your advice.

Peter O’Connell – Your improv sessions provided me with some of the best laughs I’ve had in years. They also got me out of my comfort zone and offered an experience that I will never forget.

Melissa Exelberth – Where would I be without you Melissa? Probably under a table at the Firehouse. Thank you for being such a good friend and pouring me into the rickshaw on Friday night and getting me where I needed to be. I’m not ashamed to admit how much fun that night was!

Corey Snow – It was a pleasure to meet you. I know we will be talking more and working  on some things in the future.

Philip Banks – Thank you for just being there. It is incredible that you traveled half a world away to share your knowledge and experience with us. While that alone would have been enough, your support for my efforts and words of encouragement were greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Cris Dukehart – I think you may have been instrumental in opening a new door for me. Thank you for that. I really look forward to getting to spend more time with you in the future.

Liz de Nesnera  – I am so thankful for your friendship, support, kind words and everything else… and yes… your demo deliveries ROCK!

Cindy Neill – It was a pleasure to meet you face to face. You are always a blast to work with and I’m happy to help you (directly or indirectly) any time you need it.

Tom Dheere, Trish Basanyi and Lauren McCullough – I loved hanging out with all of you on Friday and at various times throughout the weekend. You are all ROCK STARS!

Special thanks to my ProComm family:

Amy Snively
Amy Taylor
Cindy Neill
Mike Harrison
Rowell Gorman
Zak Miller
Bob Souer
Philip Banks
Melissa Exelberth

I love you all!

Bob Souer – Your generosity, expertise, and knowledge is simply unmatched. Thank you so much for all of your kind words, support, information and help with my personal journey as well as everything you do to help make this event happen.

and… our QUEEN BEE…

Amy Snively – Words really cannot express the level of appreciation we all have for what you do and for how you have enriched all of our lives by bringing us Faffcon. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the Faffcon crew. It is an honor and a pleasure. You literally work to the point of exhaustion and WE LOVE YOU and THANK YOU for everything!!

I would also like to thank everyone who has ever purchased a copy of:

SOUND ADVICE – Voiceover From An Audio Engineer’s Perspective

Thank you so much for your support and kind words. Let me know if I can ever be of help.

By Dan Friedman

Why am I writing this blog post? Because I want to remind you to take the time to stop and consciously ask yourself, “why?”.  “Why?” is a question that we often forget to ask ourselves as we go about our day or do our jobs. Typically, we either know the answer (or think we do) based on past experience or we simply do what we always do out of habit. We also have a tendency to do things because someone told us to, but without asking ourselves why doing what they said is the right thing to do. Taking the time to ask and answer this simple question can be very enlightening. It can also help you make better decisions about gear, deliveries, production and maybe even your life… but today, we’ll just focus on your career.

If your shopping for new gear ask yourself:

Why do I need new gear?
Why am I considering this microphone?
Why do I like this mic preamp?

If your in the booth reading a script ask yourself:

Why am I using this emphasis or these inflections?
Why is this the direction that has been given?
Why is this the right delivery?

If you are doing editing and production ask yourself:

Why am I using several compressors, 2 EQs and a limiter on this channel?
Why does this take sound better than that other one?
Why will this music bed work better than another one?

If you are directing, writing or preparing for a voiceover session ask yourself:

Why is this the right voice for my production?
Why don’t I try reading this out loud and use a stopwatch to see if it fits in time?
Why is this talent taking 42 takes to read my :05 tag?

Sometimes the answer is obvious and you can answer the question of “why?” easily. Sometimes it leads to more questions. Either way, taking the time to consciously ask often produces more definitive answers and ultimately greater awareness. While we rarely stop and take the time to ask ourselves this most basic question, doing so can often change the way we look at what we do and how we do it. It keeps us thinking, growing and improving. Why would anyone question that?

Recording Magazine sends out a newsletter to its subscribers every few weeks. The newsletter is (coincidentally) titled “Sound Advice” and this month it features the first in a series about room acoustics. As you will read, room acoustics is one of the biggest concerns for Recording Magazine readers. I know that this is also a big issue for those of you in the voiceover world. So, I asked permission to reprint this newsletter (and will ask to reprint the others in the series as well) so that those of you with home studios can also benefit from the information. I want to personally thank Brent Heintz, VP/Associate Publisher for granting permission, allowing me to share this great information with you.

Please visit Recording Magazine‘s website:

http://www.recordingmag.com

and their Facebook Page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/RecordingMag/174861759224348

Here is the newsletter:

Welcome to Sound Advice on Acoustics! In a recent survey of our readership, the number one answer to the question, “What do you feel most limits the quality of your home recordings?” was “Room acoustics.” There’s a lot to learn about the subject of acoustics, and the more you know, the more tricks you can master to get your room sounding its best.

New York-based producer/engineer Joe Albano brings us the first installment of a multipart primer on acoustics to get this newsletter started, and over the coming months we’ll bring you all kinds of useful information on acoustics! Here we go…

***

We’ll start our look at acoustics by briefly reviewing the basics of how sound works.

Sound is created by vibrating objects like guitar strings, drum heads, vocal cords, or loudspeakers; it travels through the air in waves. The waves are alternating areas of higher and lower air pressure; everything we do to control the sound of a room boils down to managing what happens to those waves as they move around the room.

When we talk about a sound wave or audio signal, it has some properties that we’ll need to understand.

1. There’s its amplitude (what we perceive as “loudness”). This is measured indecibels or dB. The decibel is a relative measure of loudness, and needs a reference point to have an absolute value (we talk about 0 dB Full Scale in digital audio all the time, for example). In acoustics, we’re usually talking about dB SPL or Sound Pressure Level, from the threshold of human hearing at 0 dB SPL all the way up to very loud sounds above 100 dB SPL.

2. There’s its frequency, or how many times per second the wave compresses air; it’s measured in wave cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz). We say that the A above middle C has a frequency of 440 Hz.

3. There’s its waveshape. All sound waves are made up of a combination of basic simple waves called sine waves. There’s the lowest frequency wave, thefundamental, and then a mix of higher-frequency information blended into it calledovertones. Every sound has a different blend of overtones over time; that’s what makes a flute playing a C sound different than a horn or guitar playing the same note.

Some overtones are multiples of the fundamental—if the fundamental is at 55 Hz, there may be overtones at 110, 220, 440, etc.. These overtones are called harmonics. Other overtones are inharmonic, without this clear relationship to the fundamental. We hear them as clangorous or noisy, like the attack of a ringing bell or the chiff of breath on a flute.

4. There’s its wavelength… how long a distance you can measure between the start of one wave and the start of the next. This is a really important property, because how a sound wave “fits” into a room has a direct bearing on how loud or controllable it is!

We can calculate the wavelength of any wave if we know its frequency and its speed; this applies to light waves, sound waves, any kind of wave. The formula is simple:

Speed = Frequency times Wavelength, so Wavelength is Speed divided by Frequency.

Now, we know the speed of sound in air at sea level; it’s 1130 feet per second (fps). So a sound wave’s wavelength in feet equals 1130 fps divided by the frequency in Hz.

Here’s a couple of examples: A low E on a guitar has a fundamental frequency of 82 Hz; its wavelength is 1130 / 82 = 13.8 feet. That’s a pretty long wave. Compare that with the highest C on a piano. Its fundamental frequency is 4000 Hz, so its wavelength is 1130 / 4000 = 0.28 feet, or a bit over 3 inches: a much shorter wave.

So, as you can imagine, when we play back music on loudspeakers or have a set of instruments playing in a room, there are all kinds of waves bouncing around at all kinds of wavelengths. When two of them happen to line up so that a high pressure area of one is at the same place as another high pressure area, the overall pressure will be still higher, i.e., the wave will be louder. And when two of them line up so that a high pressure area of one is at the same place as a low pressure area of another, they’ll partly cancel out and the wave will be softer.

In other words: in any given room where there’s sound, certain frequencies will be louder than you think they’d normally be, and certain frequencies will be softer. The room won’t be accurate in representing the actual sound being played, and if you track and mix in such a room then play your music back elsewhere, it won’t sound the way you think it should. Presto: you now know why acoustics and sound control in rooms is so important!

Next time, we’ll start to look at how these properties of sound combine to create real-world acoustic problems. See you then!

Since returning from Italy a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been dealing with a trademark issue regarding the name of my website. While I won’t express my thoughts about the need for this change or even get into the specifics, I will say that it is great to know that my book SOUND ADVICE – Voiceover From An Audio Engineer’s Perspective, my blog and my presence in the VO world are getting noticed. I greatly appreciate the kind and supportive messages I’ve received in response to the book and also my blog articles, both on my site and on the ProComm Voices website.

I want to take this opportunity to thank attorney and voice actor Rob Sciglimpaglia for his  help with the trademark issue. A couple of days before I left town, Rob “friended” me on Facebook. I didn’t know Rob, but I knew of him. I had read some of his postings on various voiceover related forums and websites. As fate will have it… Rob’s timing could not have been better. When I returned from my trip, waiting for me, was a letter informing me of the trademark issue. I immediately contacted Rob. He was very helpful, friendly and responsive throughout the whole process. It is nice to know that there is an attorney who not only understands the legal issues related to our business, but also actively participates in it as a voice talent.

Change is a certainty in life. Although we don’t always get to choose when a change happens or becomes necessary, it still often leads to bigger and better things. With this in mind, I’m announcing that SoundAdviceVO.com is changing its name to Sound4VO.com and my facebook page, SoundAdvice – Voiceover, will also change to Sound4VO. Please make a note of these changes.

My mission (which remains the same) is to help voice talent everywhere sound their best and to effectively communicate the messages of my clients for whom I provide my voice. I look forward to helping voice actors with their equipment, studios, demos, and deliveries and also to sharing the knowledge I’ve gained from years of experience on both sides of the microphone with our industry. I love my job!

Hi everyone!

I’ve been away for a couple of weeks (one of those in Italy), but I’ve returned and am looking forward to getting back to blogging and helping VO talent sound their best.

Tonight I’ll be drawing the name of the winner of a copy of SOUND ADVICE – Voiceover From an Audio Engineer’s Perspective. Today is your last chance to post a photo of your home studio setup to facebook and tag me in the photo. Thanks to everyone who entered. There are some great looking studios out there!

I’d also like to mention that there will likely be some changes coming to both my website and facebook page for the book. I’ll keep you posted.

Have a great day!

Dan

Gilbert Gottfried has tweeted himself out of a VO gig. Tasteless comments he posted on Twitter about the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan led Aflac to fire him as the voice of the Aflac Duck.

Once again this proves that in our brave new world of social networking, you must carefully consider everything you say and/or post. An online presence is essential for all businesses and that presence must be perceived as positive in order to succeed. There is no doubt that contemplating everything you say or write can be exhausting, but failing to do so can be disastrous. Also it is not just what you say, but when you say it. It is a universal truth that, in comedy, timing is everything. Clearly Gottfried’s statements were tasteless, but their timing even more so.

Gottfried is (arguably) a comedian. Comedians are expected to push the boundaries and we would probably not find many of them funny if they didn’t. However, he is also a celebrity voice talent who is closely associated with the Aflac brand. Anyone in a position such as this should feel some sense of responsibility and concern for their client. They should take into consideration how their client may be perceived when expressing a thought, opinion, or even making a “joke.”

“When it comes to social media, praise publicly… insult privately.” This is a phrase I was recently introduced to by my good friend Mercedes Rose. However, didn’t our Mom’s also say it best when they told us, “If you can’t say anything nice…don’t say anything at all”?

ALSO Posted on The PROCOMM VOICES Blog

For a long time, I’d say the last couple of years at least, it seemed that the vast majority of scripts I was recording, mixing, or voicing were simple voice and music spots. Lately though, I’ve noticed more dialogs as well as scripts with interesting scenarios and an abundance of clever lines. To all of the writers and ad agencies out there who are responsible for this… let me express my gratitude. What a welcome change!

Every single aspect of this great business gets even better when creativity is injected into the process. Recording sessions are more fun as talent get to interact and react in response to one another or their lines. Mixing is more fun with greater opportunities for sound design. Most importantly, the spots are more interesting and attention-getting when on the airwaves. Naturally, the concept must be well executed, but that is for another article. I don’t think I’m out of line by suggesting that nearly everyone prefers to listen to a compelling or clever story rather than be told what to do, or worse, shouted at (just ask my kids).

During the last several weeks I mixed a spot for a bank that placed a character in a silo to demonstrate that people can truly do their banking from anywhere. I voiced a spot that included clever and relatable lines in response to a kid who couldn’t stop asking, “why?” I’ve worked on a hospital spot where a husband took the lead in helping his wife prepare for surgery. These are just a few examples out of many. While I haven’t done any scientific studies (although there probably are some), I’m convinced that people are more likely to turn up or tune in to a commercial if it offers more than just price points and deals. The VW commercial that premiered during this year’s Super Bowl is a perfect example. It is cute, it is compelling and it tells a story (okay, so it does not include voice over… nothing is perfect).

Today’s technology makes sound design easier and faster than ever. Therefore, creativity doesn’t have to cost a lot more. As a VO engineer and producer I love creating a scene with sound. As a voice over talent, I love to communicate the unspoken messages of a script just as much as the spoken ones. I don’t know of any producers or voice talent who would not prefer to fully utilize the skills they’ve developed in their craft. My guess is that, if you are a writer, being creative and clever to effectively communicate a message is equally rewarding. So, to those writers out there who are bringing creativity back… thank you! I encourage you to keep it up and I look forward to helping you and your clients sound great.

Today my 8yr old son had a VO gig. He’s been doing this since he was 5. In those early days, before he could read, I would sit in the booth with him, read the line and he would “parrot” the lines back to me the way I read them. These days… he’s almost entirely on his own.

Today was harder than most, probably because I was still involved. I think he tends to overdo it a little when I’m around. I sat behind the scenes on another session he did a couple of weeks ago, with another engineer, and he was nearly flawless. His interpretation was spot on from the very first take. I guess we really know how good are kids are, or maybe how good we’re doing as parents, by how they behave when they think we’re not looking.

Today’s job was a full 30 second spot where he had to say things like “free frozen” and “fifteenth”. He also had to say “particularly”. These words are a mouthful for some adult voiceover talent and especially for his (still) chubby cheeks. After only a few takes he began saying everything so well that the client and I decided to use some earlier takes simply because the stumbles were cuter.

What is probably most exciting though is hearing the progress he’s made over one year. He worked on this campaign last year as well. Today we updated one of the three spots he did last year (all full 30 second spots with him carrying the entire spot). Two of the three are being used again. After warming up a little, his interpretations came together quickly. He didn’t need nearly as many takes as last year and the editing took no more than a few minutes. He did a great job and the spot came out very nicely. Needless to say, I’m proud.

Although both of my son’s have been doing VO work, I’m pretty sure they won’t pursue it as a career and I’m not sure I would want them to. But I do want both of my sons to do what their daddy does… so I tell them, “do what you love and figure out a way to make a living at it.”

Speaking of my other son, my 6 year old wanted to know why he didn’t have a VO job today. He clearly understands this business pretty well already… don’t you think?

Dan

By Dan Friedman

You’re about to direct a voice over session. You may be producing a TV or radio commercial. Maybe you’re producing a corporate presentation or program narration. Whatever the project is, your goal will be to get your chosen voice talent to communicate your message(s) to your audience.  Your message could be many things, but one thing is almost certain… it is probably more than just the words written on the page. Being able to direct your voice talent to communicate both the written and unwritten messages within your script takes skill and flexibility. You must also be certain as to what your message is meant to communicate. Furthermore, it helps to have the ability to communicate effectively yourself and a willingness to allow your talent and your engineer/producer to help you achieve your goal.

Who Will Deliver and How?

The most important thing to know and understand before beginning is… your message. What do you want your message to be? What emotions are you trying to evoke in your audience? The answer to these questions will determine how you want that message delivered and who will be best at delivering it. Your choice of talent is critical. Often a voice talent with a bold announcer’s voice will be chosen to do a role that would be better suited to someone with a regular-guy/gal voice, and vice-versa. These contradictions make it difficult to hear the message beyond the voice. Simply hearing a nice voice speak your written words is not enough. The emotion comes from how those words are delivered. As the director, you need to determine what voice is right for a role, as well as the type of delivery that will communicate your message and elicit the desired response from your audience.

Professional voice talent should be able to look over your script and know reasonably quickly what type of delivery is required. Most often the words will dictate what the message should be. However, as the talent reads the script aloud, the director should be listening for the nuances in the delivery. There is more than one way to effectively communicate a message and the director should be sure to listen carefully to those nuances and determine which communicates the message best.

Keep it Simple and Clear

When offering direction to voice talent, keep it simple and succinct. The more direction you offer at one time, the less likely you will be to get everything you need or want.

Lots of directions… often lead to contradictions. These contradictions lead to confusion. This invariably means that it will take more time to get your message where it needs to go (which possibly means spending more money as well). Directing a voice talent is analogous to being a passenger in a car and telling the driver where he or she needs to go. If the passenger tells the driver to go both right and left at the same time and at the last possible second, the driver is likely to crash.  Even when the direction is clear, offering too much direction or too much explanation, can also present a problem. Going back to the passenger and driver analogy; if the passenger tells the driver he’ll have to turn right but then continues to explain the right turn or begins to discuss what will happen after that (or really just about anything that takes the drivers attention away from the road), the driver could miss the turn entirely.

Using descriptive and unambiguous terminology is another key factor in hastening your success. Telling the talent to make it “flat”, for example, could mean many things. Does it mean to read without emotion, without inflection, or to simply read the script conversationally and not sound like an announcer? Terms such as: “dramatic”, “forceful”, “proud”, “nonchalant”, “conversational”, with “more/less energy”, or “more/less smile” are much easier to understand. Books about voice over (the same books that voice talent read) can be very helpful when directing. Many offer a more comprehensive list of terms and also explain delivery styles.

Trust Your Engineer

Some voice talents respond very well to concepts. They may want to know who the audience is or what the setting will be. Others need details, such as simple directives about inflections or emphasis on a line or word. Usually a combination of these things will be most effective. If you do not have experience directing or are unfamiliar with a particular voice talent, the engineer or producer can be a tremendous asset. Allow them to help you. One of the great things about working with an engineer or producer who is experienced in voiceover is that they often work with many of the same people on many different projects. They get to know the talent well and know how each responds to different ways of directing. If you are having trouble explaining what it is you want to hear, the engineer or producer may be able to interpret your needs and convey them to the talent in a way that the talent responds best.

Line Reading… The Last Resort

Still not able to get what you want from your voice talent? As a last resort… offer a line read. It is rarely a good idea to start a recording session by offering a line read. Line reading is usually unnecessary and can be misleading. After all, the talent was hired for more than just their voice. They were also hired for their interpretation skills. William Shatner famously coerced a director to line read for him after the director gave Mr. Shatner several unnecessary directions about his delivery. Needless to say, the director couldn’t begin to deliver the message like William Shatner, and Mr. Shatner was quick to let him know it.  That session is legendary in the voiceover community and the audio is available here.

This director surely learned that line reading can lead to big problems. Thankfully, most voice artists will not be as brazen as Mr. Shatner was with this particular director on that particular day. Many voice artists will kindly ask for a line read after they’ve made several attempts and still aren’t delivering a line the way you hear it in your head. Most voice talents are very appreciative to have been chosen to deliver your messages. They are more than willing to do what is necessary to give you the read you want. That being said, it is still a good idea to save line reading for small parts, pronunciations and when all other methods of communicating your needs have failed.

Directing a voiceover session can be the easiest and best part of your workday. If you understand your messages and communicate them to the talent and the engineers/producers as simply and clearly as possible; you’ll be able to sit back, relax and allow the talents of your chosen voice artist, and engineer, communicate your message to the world.

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By Dan Friedman

Am I ready to make a voiceover demo? This may be the biggest question any aspiring voice talent will ask. With all of the attention the voice over industry has received lately, it is no surprise that many people are asking this question right now.  If you are new to the industry, there are several questions you should ask yourself (and ask others) before making your first demo. By answering honestly, you will have a much greater understanding of where you are in your career and whether or not you are truly ready to make a voiceover demo.

More Than Just a “Nice Voice”

Simply having a nice voice is not enough to achieve success in this business. There are several basic things you should be able to do before taking your desire to work as a voice talent to the next level. If you are unable to effectively communicate the message of a script or have trouble following and implementing given directions, then you are not ready to make a demo. If your reads almost always require editing and compiling of multiple takes of the same copy to get the correct inflections, energy or delivery into one cohesive piece of audio, then you are not ready to make a demo. Ideally, you should be able to read a well-written script from top to bottom, and communicate the messages of that script, without stumbling or requiring extensive editing. Prior to digital recording and editing… this was the standard.

What is a demo?

You probably know, or think you know, what a demo is. It is a representation of how your voice sounds and your ability to perform, right? Yes, but it is more than just that. Your demo is your business card, your resume’ and the number one way to be considered for a job or representation. Your demo should be interesting, perhaps even exciting and make someone want to hear more of you. It should not overstate or misrepresent who you are or your ability. It should accurately reflect your sound, style(s) and ability to deliver copy.

Where to Start

What do you need to get started on your demo? You will need some material, or scripts, to create your demo. This material should come largely from actual work that you have done. If you don’t have any then you should use material from voiceover workshops that you have taken and scripts from practice sessions. You have taken a workshop and had almost daily practice sessions… haven’t you? If the answer is “no” then you are not ready to make a demo. The most important thing to know before making your first demo is that, before even considering it, you should have been doing voiceover on your own for quite some time. In other words, you should have been practicing. How long do you need to practice? Only your ears and the ears of others can tell you when you are ready.

Get Help

Do you know an engineer, producer or director (or someone with voiceover experience who can perform these rolls) who will be completely honest with you about your deliveries? Does this person know how a voiceover demo should sound and how to produce a demo specific to your skills or what style you wish to present? Making a demo is not something you should do on your own. Even the most experienced voiceover talents know that a second set of experienced ears is critical to making a great demo. You will need someone to help direct you, make choices on what should be included and what should be left out. More importantly, you can only learn about the industry, from someone who works in the industry. Read books. Network. Attend workshops, classes and seminars. Make connections and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Environment and Equipment

Ideally you should record your demo in a professional recording environment where you can focus on your deliveries and let someone else focus on the equipment.  However, not all recording studios work with voiceover talent and simply having the equipment to record audio or even recording experience, does not mean that the studio engineer knows what is needed for voiceover. Furthermore, they may not have the music and sound effects libraries required to fully produce a professional sounding demo. Find a studio that does. Invest the time and money to have your demo done right.

Getting the Job Done

Speaking of equipment, do you have the necessary equipment to actually do a job? More importantly, do you know how to use it? These days being a voiceover talent usually requires more than a great voice and the ability to use it. At a minimum, you have to know how to record and edit. You also need to invest in the proper equipment to do so. This requires a good quality microphone, preamp, interface, computer, recording software, headphones, cables and ideally a sound-proof/acoustically treated room. This equipment needs to have the capability to reproduce your voice accurately without any electronic noise, distortion or coloration.

What Do You Do Best

What is your specialty? What do you do best? The answer to these questions will determine what kind of demo you should make. There are many different types of voiceover work and your first demo should communicate what you do best. Commercials, phone systems, audio books, promos, imaging, characters and narrations (just to name a few) are all very different styles and formats. While there can be some overlap among them on your demo, you should be certain the emphasis is on what you do best or on the type of work you seek.

Final Steps

How should your demo sound when complete? It should be fully produced. It should have music and/or sound effects where necessary. It should have several vignettes that reflect your style and versatility. It should be interesting and hold the listener’s attention as it flows effortlessly from one spot to the next. It shouldn’t be more than a minute and a half long  (although a minute to just over a minute is preferable). Most importantly, it should have your name and contact information on the physical medium itself. If you are sending it electronically be sure that the file contains your full name and the email contains several clear ways to contact you.

Making a demo is a critical step to taking your career to a professional level. I often receive submissions that are intended to be demos, but simply aren’t. Snippets of home recordings, answering machine messages and recorded ramblings of voices that you “like to do”, do not qualify as a demo and are a clear indication that you need training, experience and professional help.  Perhaps in more ways than one for some people… if you could hear these you would know what I mean! I also frequently receive great sounding demos from “talent” who fall short of expectations when put to a live-session test read. Unfortunately, these people almost never get a second chance.

Your demo is vital to your success. Do not try to “go it alone”. Have it made with the help of industry professionals. Do not send out material that really isn’t a “demo”. Most importantly, be sure you are truly ready to take this important step by having a great sounding demo and being able to deliver on what your demo promises.

To listen to my latest demos visit:

DanFriedman-Voiceovers

For some examples of other great sounding demo’s visit the ProComm Voices website at:

www.procommvoices.com

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