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Dan Friedman

I Want Your GREAT Voiceover Demo!

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logo 4voMany of you may have seen or read that I will be speaking at the VOAtlanta2014 Conference in March. I’m very excited for the opportunity and my goal is to make the experience educational, fun and interactive for everyone who decides to join me. The topic I will discuss is voiceover demos. Over the last 14 years I’ve created many of them, heard thousands of submissions and have also written several blogs about the topic. I know what I like and why I like it. BUT… I want to hear from you!

What is it about your demo that you like? What is it about someone else’s demo that you like? Do you create demos for voice actors? If so, do you have a favorite? Do you have a philosophy for demo creation? To your ears… who has the best demo you’ve heard? Other than the traditional commercial, promo and narration demos, how important are niche’ demos?

I could easily talk about demos, and almost anything related to VO, for an hour (or more) straight. But this isn’t about me. While most of us know there are some basic rules to follow when it comes to demos… they are also an expression of creativity and individuality. Demos are personal. Demos open and close doors to people within seconds. They are far too important for only one person’s opinion and voice to be heard.

If you have a great demo, this will be an opportunity to share it. If you create great demos, this will be an opportunity to share your work and promote your services. Do you have great demos on your talent roster? This is an opportunity to get your talent heard and promote your agency or production house. You just never know who may be listening in the audience. 😉

The level of promotion or discretion is up to you. Just let me know which you would prefer.

Send your voiceover demos to [email protected]. Please put “DEMO” in the subject line and please limit your submissions to two (one male, one female, two categories, etc.). Tell me who produced it and/or what it is you love about it. If you produce demos, please also let me know if you have a philosophy or a strategy before you begin. Most importantly, let me know if you have any helpful tips for voice actors, that you wished every talent knew, before beginning the process of making a demo.

I look forward to hearing the demos and the information about them that you wish to share. Be advised that the demo and related information may or may not be shared at the conference and will be open to critique by myself or someone in the audience. But you won’t have anything to fear! Its a GREAT demo.

Voiceover – New Year, New Focus

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Happy 2014!

I have to say that, for me, 2013 was an incredible year. A year of dramatic ups and downs. A year that introduced new, and some completely unexpected, opportunities. As I look ahead to 2014, I know that change is in the air. Much of the groundwork for that change was laid this past year. The beginning of the new year is a time when most of us set goals and make resolutions. So, one of my goals for the new year is to focus on performance. Not just mine, but yours as well.

If you are working as, or wanting to become, a voice talent… this year could be a great year of change for you too.

Here is some good news, the technical side of voice work is getting easier. Manufacturers are introducing products that help take the recording environment out of the equation. From microphones that attempt to eliminate or adjust for room acoustics to better portable booths and other acoustic control devices, this area of recording technology continues to develop and improve.

ISDN… I think we all can see where and how that is going. Thankfully, voiceover talent finally have some alternatives entering the market that are both cost effective and easy to use. Best of all, they don’t require additional hardware to use them. (currently SoundStreak and ipDTL).

Accessibility and acoustics matter greatly and it is clear that our industry is helping to drive the demand for cheaper, easier, more effective and more reliable solutions in these areas. As they improve, the playing field will be leveled even further and vocal quality and performance will become even more singular differentiating factors among voice actors. All of that being said… you should still buy my book Sound Advice – Voiceover From An Audio Engineer’s Perspective. 😉

I encourage everyone with the passion and drive required towork in the voiceover industry to focus on your performance and deliveries first. If you are new to the industry, focus on getting proper training. If you’re already a working pro, invite a second set of ears to offer direction on your auditions. It certainly can not hurt.

As for my personal focus and goals for this year, I am expanding my teaching focus to include performance. I have been invited to teach voiceover at the Screen Artists Co-op in Asheville, NC. So, if you have an interest in voiceover and live in Asheville, Greenville or the surrounding areas, I hope you will come check out the Co-op. I have been focusing on performance by taking acting classes there since June (I begin my third block later this month) and can tell you it has been one of the best experiences of my adult life. Of course I will never abandon my love of production, mixing and recording technology or my willingness to share the knowledge I have gained in these areas with voice actors. If you think I am the right person to help you or a friend in any of these areas of the voiceover industry, please let me know.

I wish you all the best for the new year. I hope everyone has a happy, healthy and phenomenally successful 2014!

What’s Your Motivation? – Voiceover

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logo 4voThe voiceover industry… we all know that it is a place to make some fast and easy money with minimal investment. I already have a voice! I know how to read! Audacity is free! I can buy a USB microphone for less than $100! What more could I possibly need?

Ugh!!

Here are two things I’ve been hearing and seeing quite a bit lately. First, people in desperate situations hoping that becoming a voiceover talent will be the answer to all of their financial troubles. Second, people commenting (complaining?) about the amount of money they need to invest, in an effort to be or remain competitive.

At one time or another, nearly all of us have dealt with financial or other challenges. At the time I left college and went to recording school, I owned: a small pickup truck, a mattress, three milk crates (which held my clothes and some books) a small refrigerator and not much else. I lived in a crappy apartment with two (usually intoxicated) roommates. I rented P.A. equipment to set up live shows and saved every extra dollar of income (sometimes a dollar was all that was “extra”) to start buying microphones and cables. Slowly, I began to acquire some critical pieces of gear. I was passionate about what I was doing and wasn’t going to let my circumstances get in the way of achieving my goals.

That journey began in 1995. Needless to say, I was in a difficult financial situation. Since that time, my passion and my financial situation have changed. My needs and the technology have changed a little bit too. 😉 What hasn’t changed is my desire to succeed. This means I must invest in my business. To this day I continue to purchase new equipment and invest in training, marketing, legal, travel and many other things that this business requires so that I may remain competitive.

If you are thinking about becoming a voiceover talent, it is absolutely necessary to have some other source of income while you’re getting started. In fact, of the many people I know personally who are professional voiceover talent, there are only a handful who do voiceover work exclusively and have no additional source of income. Many are also musicians, actors, artists, photographers, teachers, coaches, consultants, graphic designers, copywriters, salesmen… the list goes on and on. Some even have “real jobs” in a real office.

While it is entirely possible to earn a good living, for most just starting out, it can take years before they see a return on their initial investment. Also, far too many beginners are by-passing training and decent equipment in exchange for the “opportunity” to jump right in and go after low-paying jobs. This may seem like a good idea, until you consider time, taxes, and the invariable need to eventually upgrade equipment and/or environment. The small amount of income and the certainty that daily rejection will become a part of your life (you didn’t think you were going to win every audition did you?) can make even voiceover seem no better and maybe even worse than many other jobs.

Furthermore, many VO jobs and leads come from peers and other industry professionals. If you are working as a bottom feeder in the business with little or no training and only fair or poor quality recordings, who will trust you enough to recommend you to agents or better paying clients?

Being in a place of financial or emotional desperation is not a good starting point for a career that requires emotional connection, often over-the-top positivity, and unwavering  dedication toward doing one thing everyday to help build your business. Also, if you are in that desperate place, I certainly wouldn’t suggest adding the daily rejection that accompanies a voiceover career to your life here. Nothing good can come from that. If you are looking at voiceover as a simple way to make a quick buck, then it is probably not the right path for you. It is neither simple or quick. I’m not looking to shatter anyone’s dream here. But it is important to have realistic expectations and a clear understanding that this business is not a fast track to wealth and financial security.

On the other hand, if a career in voiceover is truly your passion than no matter what your circumstances, you will find a way to make your dream become reality. Develop a realistic plan to help you get started. Read out loud everyday. Read about the industry everyday. When you are able, get training. Practice listening. Invest in your recording environment and in the best sounding gear you can afford in your current situation. Be patient and persevere. Make a full commitment to voiceover as a career by taking small but calculated steps. It will take some time, but with the a good foundation and passion (vs. desperation) as your motivation… you will succeed.

In Memory of Paul Armbruster

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When I think back on pivotal moments in my life, I can’t help but think about my teachers. I’ve been so fortunate to have great teachers and mentors throughout my life (a pattern that, thankfully, still continues today). Paul Armbruster was definitely one of those great teachers. He is responsible for building the foundation on which my career in voiceover rests. He made me the producer, director and voice talent that I am… and I am eternally grateful. He was a sweet, talented and humble man who touched many lives. More lives than he could ever know.

Paul Armbruster was my first voiceover teacher. When I took Paul’s workshop in 2000, I had very little idea of what voiceover was really all about. Rock radio hadn’t exactly been the best training ground to learn how to be a voiceover talent and back then, it didn’t even occur to me that voiceover was a career. I met Paul when I took a job working as a studio manager at GMVoices in Atlanta. Paul was one of our voice talent. I knew about recording engineering and about being on the radio, but not what it really meant to be “a communicator” or how to do it.

He taught me how to breakdown a script and how to identify the message behind the the words… to read between the lines. Like any good coach, he could be tough, but also offered plenty of encouragement. As his student, I really got the sense that he was on my side and wanted me to succeed. I appreciated his honesty… even on our last day of class when he told me I “wasn’t ready”. He was right. At the time I wasn’t ready to be a voice talent and it would be nearly five years after taking his class until I would do my first paying voiceover job. However, in my role as producer and director, the tools he gave me proved to be useful immediately.

Paul taught me the language of voiceover. Thanks to his lessons, I learned how to direct other voice talent with clarity and confidence. I learned about the different styles of copy and how to get the best read from a talent. His toolbox… became my toolbox.

The skills he taught me are the skills I teach and practice everyday. If I think about all of the voiceover sessions on which I have played a role as engineer, director or as the talent since taking Paul’s class (which is an enormous number), I can’t help but think how much better and easier so many of them were thanks to him and all that he taught me. Through those sessions, he touched more lives than he ever could have known. Even now, after passing on, he will continue to do so through my work and the work of many of his students.

A couple of years ago, at FaffCon 2 in Atlanta, I was able to thank Paul at FaffCon’s closing circle. In front of all attendees, I had the opportunity to tell him just how much he meant to me. That the education I received from him allowed me to have a place in this industry and that he was instrumental in helping me develop into who I am today. That opportunity was a gift and I will never forget it… and I will never forget Paul.

Thank you Paul Armbruster… I will miss you.

Here is a collection of just some of Paul’s voiceover work.

PaulArmbruster

FaffCon 6 – Voiceover Unconference San Antonio

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Sound4VO's Dan Friedman-097Anyone who follows Sound4VO knows that I’m a huge believer in FaffCon, the voiceover unconference that never fails to inspire, motivate and raise the bar for our industry. Here is my recap and some thoughts.

Thursday – Let the Faffing begin!

Although it hadn’t even officially begun, on Thursday night, “faffing” was already in full force. While I can’t say for sure, I would guess that at least a third of all attendees were in San Antonio and made it out to a bar across the street from the Omni Hotel. Many of us in the group are like family now and while we sometimes go months without talking or seeing each other, we effortlessly pick up as though we just hung out together yesterday. It is nothing less than beautiful.

While I love seeing familiar faces, I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to also see some new faces. In some instances these are people with whom I’ve worked, but have never met in person. This is always a thrill. Their passion is what brought them to FaffCon and I know they will leave overflowing with new ideas, tools, advice and support that will help them soar to new heights.

Beginning that very first night, I was the beneficiary of some of this advice. Specifically, about protecting my voice. I had been doing “full commitment” exercises in acting classes the prior week and I will admit it had been tough on my voice. My good friend, singer/actor/voice talent Liz Aiello gave me some herbal remedies to help get me back on track more quickly. She has also promised to give me some additional tips and tricks that will help me in the future.

Friday – Now its Official

By opening circle on Friday we were all fired up and ready to go. We began to lay out the agenda and set personal goals for what each of us hoped to get out of the event. After that, we had a festive new meet and greet opportunity with sponsors (and friends) in a trick-or-treat style game where attendees filled their event bags with swag and their heads with tricks and tips. Then it was off to dinner and back to the hotel lounge for… karaoke! Now normally, I’m not a big fan of karaoke. But in this crowd, we have some serious professionals. The singers were outstanding.

IMG_0520 San Antonio Saturday Night

Saturday we were underway with sessions on everything from SEO, performance, ISDN alternatives, marketing, union vs. non-union… truly just about everything that a working VO pro needs in an effort to remain up-to-date and to advance their career. Saturday night we had the opportunity to see the sights at the river walk in San Antonio. I had no idea it would be so spectacular. My hometown, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida has been called the “Venice of the Americas”, but I have to say that the river walk area of San Antonio resembles Venice, Italy much more closely. It was wonderful to cruise the waterway and explore. Of course you can’t go to San Antonio and not visit the Alamo… which we remembered to do. (SORRY!)

Sunday Send Off

Sunday, we were back in sessions. Home studio and recording session topics were where I spent the majority of my time. Improv sessions were also a hot ticket for the day. Business management, marketing and health and wellness were additional session topics. This is a peer lead conference where you get the information you need, simply by asking for it. The truth is, if you can’t find what you want at FaffCon… then you did not ask for it.

Closing circle always seems to arrive way too soon, but Faffers are always left with inspirational ideas and directives to work on over the next several days, weeks and months. While the event must come to a close, the true benefits take place when everyone arrives home and puts their plans into action.

My Summary

As always, the hotel lounge was packed each night until the early morning hours. Many of us did not want to waste a single minute of that time doing anything other than catching up, sharing, laughing with old friends and making new ones. Some of the strongest bonds are formed during these late hours and these are also some of the best networking opportunities.

Sometime in the last several months leading up to FaffCon, I read something that suggested (or perhaps stated… I honestly do not remember) that voiceover conferences were just a big waste of time and money. That what you have to do to succeed in the voiceover business is sit in your booth, practice and get better. Or, if you need information, just call up someone in the industry who knows what they’re talking about and get the answers you need. While this may be true for some conferences and that method may work for some people… FaffCon is not that conference and FaffCon attendees are more ambitious (and fun) people. Yes, you must practice. Yes, you should have a mentor or someone to call for advice. For me… the brain power, talents, and support of the 100 attendees at each FaffCon are the people I call. Two heads are better than one. One-hundred heads… are an unstoppable force.

I have gained so much as a result of my participation and attendance… new connections, agents and work. I’ve learned about the business and learned about myself. Best of all, I’ve made some of the best friends anyone could hope for. Thanks to all of you that I have met, worked and played with at FaffCon’s 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. You all ROCK! Be well and I’ll see you at FaffCon 7.
THE STARS AT NIGHT, ARE BIG AND BRIGHT…!

Voiceover – The Lost Art of Listening

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Sound4VO's Dan Friedman-097While out on a hiking trip this past weekend, I took the time to simply listen to nature. For several minutes, not a single device of modern technology could be heard. It was truly music to the ears. Listening… truly listening, seems to be a lost art. When was the last time you sat down and listened to an album? I don’t mean casually, with the music playing in the background as you perform other tasks. I mean sitting down in front of some speakers, or putting on headphones, and simply listening.

I’ve been around many younger people lately, high school and college age, and they just don’t listen. I’m not talking about, “hey, pick those clothes up off the floor and put them away”… and they don’t do it, kind of listening (although that is certainly an issue as well). I’m talking about truly using their ears and hearing the world around them.

This isn’t limited to young people. When teaching home studio> classes (mostly to adults), I’m often asked, “how do you know which (whatever piece of gear) sounds better?” The answer is, you have to listen and compare in order to know.

This isn’t entirely the fault of today’s typical listener. Tiny and inefficient earbud, computer and television speakers have become common place. These are all truly terrible devices for critical listening and are barely good enough for enjoyable listening. Then of course, there is the MP3 format. Listening to an MP3 of a song and then listening to that same song on a record or CD (on decent speakers and in a decent environment) is a truly ear-opening experience.

When it comes to voiceovers, I’ve often said that listening is more important than speaking. The best voiceover coach is your ears. But, in order for your ears to guide you properly, you must train them… by using them. Take the time here to open your ears when listening to commercials, audio books and any voiceover you hear. Ask yourself, “what do I hear?” Is the delivery speaking to you? Why? What words are emphasized and how? How does it sound? Harsh and edgy? Dull and muddy?

By the way, want to know what your studio sounds like? Record yourself and play the recording in your car. Mix engineers and musicians have been referencing their mixes in cars for years. It makes perfect sense; the car has traditionally been the place where we do most of our listening. Furthermore, modern cars are well-designed for sound.

Take the time to listen. Notice what you hear. Compare sounds and learn what sounds good to you. It can be like opening a door to a world you barely knew existed. You’ll be surprised to discover the difference between what you think you hear… compared to what you actually hear. You may even benefit from the experience in ways you never thought possible.

Remember: You have two ears and one mouth to remind you to use your ears twice as much.

Dan Friedman Voice Over Coach & Demo Producer Tiktok

[email protected]

828.551.0891

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