Dan Friedman

Voiceover – What Do You Believe?

January 31, 2012 by Dan Friedman

I believe that as an audio engineer, voiceover talent and author, I have a responsibility to you and to the voiceover industry to provide the best and most accurate information whenever I write a blog or am asked to share my expertise. I believe that I have a responsibility to my clients and to those who recommend me, to be the best voiceover talent that I can be. I believe in helping newcomers who have a true passion for voiceover and are willing to work hard to be among the best, as well as those who have earned my respect by demonstrating that they believe, as I do, in raising the bar for this industry. I believe in helping my friends. I believe that being a voice talent and audio engineer is not just about earning a paycheck, its also about the love I have for doing it, the pride I take in doing it to the best of my ability and the joy I get from being a part of this great industry. I believe in earning credibility through accomplishment. I believe in speed, accuracy and efficiency. I believe in being positive and I believe in honesty.

But this post isn’t about me, I promise.

So… why am I telling you what I believe? Because I also believe that many of you could be an unknowing victim of those who are self-proclaimed experts, gurus, coaches, trainers and whatever else they claim to be, when in reality they are either:

– At best, unknowing purveyors of bad information.
– At worst, knowingly trying to capitalize on people’s inexperience, emotions or desires.
– Somewhere in between

Whether you are a pro or just starting out, the possibility exists for you to lose a job or miss opportunities because you were misinformed or misguided by the ignorance of others. Worse than that would be to lose the money you already have to people who are deceptive or trying to take advantage of you.

This past weekend several pros sent emails to me that contained links to things that were either completely inexplicable or simply despicable. While we shared some laughs about what we were witnessing, the prevailing feelings were those of disbelief and frustration. For me, it is disheartening to see, read and hear things that are contradictory to ideas and concepts that I post about regularly in my blog. But what is more concerning is when bad information is being shared that, if mistakenly taken as fact, could hurt someone’s career. I don’t expect everyone to believe in the same principles that I believe in, but some of what I was reading and hearing was outrageous. In at least one instance the information being shared contradicted the laws of acoustics. 🙁

I know what you are thinking, WHO? SEND ME THE LINK! I WANNA SEE! I WANNA KNOW WHAT AND WHO YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!

As much as I would like to share these things, I believe that it is important to let my “keep it positive” and “praise publicly, criticize privately” mantras prevail. But because it is important that everyone understand just how unbelievable some of this stuff is, without naming any names, I will share one thing to illustrate my point.

If you are one of those folks who is currently seeking voiceover coaching by searching the internet, you might just feel as though you are walking through a minefield. Whether you are new to the industry or a working voice talent wanting to further your training, the choices for coaching are vast. Type “voiceover coaching” into google and you’ll see what I mean. I see over 2 million possibilities. Even if 1% of those are relevant, that is a big number of sites to deal with.

One of these coaching sites had a post that stated it was okay to make mistakes and perform pickups whenever necessary. In the audio presentation, the speaker encouraged it. It was suggested that this could help your delivery. The “coach” actually said, “If God hadn’t wanted you to make mistakes… he wouldn’t have invented editors, editing software…(etc.)” WOW?! Now, even if this was said in jest (and I didn’t get the impression that it was), is this the kind of idea that makes any practical sense at all? If you want to share your paycheck with the editor… it might be.

A proper coach teaches how to deliver a script with all of the feeling, emotion and communicative skills required, without needing pickups to do it. Obviously we all need to pickup from time to time, but that isn’t the point. Imagine what the engineer (or editor) is thinking if your attitude as a voice artist is, “My coach told me that I can screw up as often as I need to, because the engineer will put it together.” Believe me, knowing that there is job security in working with you, will not make the engineer want to work with you even more. Not to mention that more editing requires additional studio time and that will cost your client more money. This is the antithesis of what it means to provide good customer service. Do you think this will put you at the top of the booking list?

Is this the sort of thing that a voiceover coach should be teaching? Do acting coaches teach that it is okay to forget a line or miss a mark because someone else will fix it?

What I’ve just shared with you is absolutely true. But sadly, it is also only one example of bad information out of several I could share. Furthermore, this and the other examples are things that could effect anyone at any level of their career… there is plenty of bad information to go around.

There is not much any of us can do to stop this activity and it certainly is not limited to the voiceover industry. We all know that the internet is full of both good and bad information. Complicating things even more is that the people sharing this information probably don’t know or believe they are wrong, or were just lazy and didn’t do the necessary research before making their presentation. In the example I presented above, its a matter of perspective. The “coach” is only thinking about what seems to be good for the talent (in the short term), not for the engineer/editor and definitely not for the client, which will only end up hurting the talent in the long term.

So what can we do? First, don’t be fooled by slick marketing, websites and web videos. These don’t reveal the whole story. They only reveal what the creator wants you to see and believe. Second, do some research (a seemingly lost art in this country). Usually, a little bit of additional research at undeniably reliable and factual websites will reveal whether someone knows what they are talking about or what they stand for. Use your ears. The best thing about being in voiceover is that there is usually some audio available that can help to confirm whether someone is who they say they are, that they know what they are talking about or whether they can deliver on what they promise.

Generally speaking, I don’t believe that back and forth battles in chat rooms, social media groups and forums are all that productive. Too much context can get lost and intentions can be easily misinterpreted, which has the potential to create even more and greater problems. So finally and most importantly, talk to people with first-hand knowledge of (and experience with) the people you are interested in working with, or from whom you are getting your information. Many people share the mantra “praise publicly, criticize privately” and valuable information will be revealed in private conversations. Communicate with people you trust and don’t forget to trust your own instincts as well.

In the end, it doesn’t matter what I believe or what anyone else believes. It only matters what you believe.

Voiceover Rockstar… or Band Camp?

January 26, 2012 by Dan Friedman

There is nothing like the energy and excitement a person feels when they are starting something new… especially when that “something” is a career in voiceover. Once a person has made that decision they often can not wait to make their demo, set up their website and announce to the world, “Hey listen to me… I’m a voice talent now!” One thing is certain, this is EXACTLY what some people are doing. This is a terrible mistake for many wannabe voice talent. But before I get to the voiceover part, I thought I’d present an analogy.

I’ve worked with several young musicians at various points in my career. Some of them have been very talented and certainly could have had careers in music. One of the greatest things about working with young musicians is their hunger, their passion and their enthusiasm. Its a running theme (to the point of being a joke) among sound engineers to hear something like this from the young bands we work with, “Dude, when we make it big, we’re soooo going to take you with us.”

Sure, awesome… can’t wait. 😉

Needless to say, that “opportunity” rarely materializes. But, you do have to love their enthusiasm. It truly is infectious. It is amazing what professional recording, extensive editing and a solid mix can do. These young musicians never heard themselves sound so good. At that moment, they really do think that they will “make it big”. But in reality, they are usually not ready and as any real rockstar can tell you, there really is no such thing as overnight success. It takes years of practice, planning, determination and timing. The same holds true for voiceover.

Timing is everything in music and it is also important in voice work. But I’m not referring to technique. I’m referring to when to make and unleash your demo on the world. Far too often people are calling themselves voice talent and releasing demos before they (the demo or the person) are ready. These demos get sent to agents and quickly get discarded. What is worse than being simply discarded, is being remembered for being not ready or (to put it gently) no good. This often happens to those who have good marketing materials and a good marketing strategy… but can’t deliver the goods. Think… Milli Vanilli.

Just as musicians try not to release a single until it is ready, a voice artist shouldn’t release a demo until it (and they) are ready. Believe me, the audience you are trying to attract can hear whether you are, or aren’t. Most professional voiceover artists will have several trusted colleagues, as well as several people outside of the industry, listen and critique a demo before they release it to agents. Pros definitely do not unleash a demo in social media until it is ready… if they choose to release it there at all.

The bottom line is this; if you are interested in getting into voice work, don’t kill your career before it even gets started. Get training, practice, be patient, use your ears, practice more and build credibility and trust before unleashing yourself on the world. You can not be a rockstar… until you’ve spent some time in band camp.

By the way, as I was putting the finishing touches on this blog, an article was posted in Voiceover Universe by Debora Duckett of dbtalent. The theme is similar and it contains many questions that everyone who wants to be “the next big thing” in voiceover should be asking themselves. You can view that article HERE.

Good luck and when you are ready… ROCK ON!

Voiceover Auditions…Details, Decisions, Delivery and NO DOUBTS

January 12, 2012 by Dan Friedman

Happy 2012! What better way could there possibly be to start a new year than with new opportunities, auditions and more voiceover work? Auditions are like a job interview, and it is important to get them right. Everyone approaches their auditions differently, but I’m guessing that if you are going to take the time to audition for something… you are hoping to get the job. Obviously you want to do anything you can to increase that possibility, but more importantly… do nothing to decrease or eliminate that possibility entirely. Here are some tips to help ensure that you are providing exactly what you need and nothing you don’t.

Provide one or two takes (under some circumstances 3 takes) of your best interpretations of the script. Some people submit auditions with numerous takes, sometimes as many as six or more, often without any significant variation in the delivery. This is not a good strategy. Casting directors, engineers and clients do not have time to sort through those takes with the hope of finding what it is they are looking for (not even if they like your voice or delivery). Very few decision makers are willing to listen to more than a few seconds of an audition, much less take after take of either wildly unlikely deliveries or worse, the same delivery over and over again with just a few changes in inflection.

Making a decision on a delivery is an important part of being a voiceover pro. It shows that you can follow the road map the script provides. Offering an alternate delivery shows that you can travel a different direction, but still reach your destination. Submitting lots of different reads or submitting lots of reads in the same style… indicates that you are probably lost.

Next is the issue of sound quality. Why should any prospective client trust that you are going to be able to provide great sounding audio, if you didn’t do so in the audition? Its been my experience that the requested turnaround time for getting an audition out to an agency is usually around 24 hours (at least). This amount of time should allow every VO pro to take a few minutes to record an audition properly. I don’t believe that you should sacrifice quality in an effort to get an audition delivered quickly. Quick delivery of a poor sounding audition does nothing more than allow decision makers to pass on your submission faster. Unless you are instructed to do otherwise, send voiceover auditions in mono. You are a single source of sound, therefore mono is preferred. Stereo is simply unnecessary, as is the larger file size.

Follow all of the instructions carefully. Preferences about slating and naming conventions vary a little from place to place, but these instructions are always provided and should be followed exactly. Also, be sure that your contact information is included if it is not already well known to the person or agency sending the audition. How can you do the work if people are unable to contact you?

Finally and most importantly, believe in yourself. My friend Terry Daniel mentioned this in a recent facebook post:

“When auditioning, if you think you’re not going to get the gig, you probably won’t. One of my agents told me that when she receives submissions, about one out of every four talents reply back saying, “I’m sure I won’t get it but here it is!” Buck up and believe that you are going to get the job, every time!” 🙂

You do not have to audition for everything that comes your way. There are many reasons why you may not be the right voice for a particular job; if the specs don’t suit you, you lack confidence in your ability to deliver a certain message or style, or perhaps you just aren’t connecting with the script. Whatever your reasons, if you have doubts they will usually be reflected in your audition. While you don’t necessarily have to believe in every product, person or position that the message of a script is communicating, you do have to believe in yourself and believe that you are the right person to be delivering that message.

Good luck and best wishes for a successful 2012!

Executing a Vision in Voiceover

October 25, 2011 by Dan Friedman

Last Friday I found out that I won Edge Studios Weekly Script Recording Contest. How awesome is that? While I’m really excited about winning and I certainly had no expectation that I would, I’m also not surprised that my entry was successful. I had a clear “vision” of what my production was going to sound like when it was finished… before I even began to work on it. I believe that having that vision is what led to the success of my contest entry. That vision and the steps I took to turn it into a reality, is what this blog is all about.

Creative people often have a very good idea of what something will look or sound like before they even get started. That “vision” (for lack of a better word when it pertains to audio) is what guides you as you begin to put the elements together and execute your plan. But first, just as an artist needs a canvas, the director’s notes provide the framework and foundation for everything that follows.

Here are the notes from the Edge Studio website:

Director’s Notes:
“We’re looking for a talent who can provide fully produced spots with a new sound for some of our sport promos. The delivery should be energetic, hip, and confident — not gimmicky or conventional. We will want fully produced mp3s with music and sound effects (when appropriate). This audition should be 5 seconds and should be fully produced. Please slate your full name and “CBS Sports Telecast 1 audition”. Thank you.”

Being able to work within the guidelines provided is absolutely essential to success in this case. Just as a painter is (usually) limited to the space provided by canvas, TV and radio are limited by time. In this instance, the most strict guideline given was that the audition must be 5 seconds. There are some rules that can be broken… a time limitation on a broadcast production is not one of them.

A key element to not only having vision, but also knowing you can turn it in to reality, is having the right tools available to execute it. Having good quality tools allows a carpenter to build a house, a deck or install hardwood floors faster and easier then if they simply had a hammer and a saw. Good tools also help to ensure better results. The tools required for this audio production are: my voice, studio equipped with good quality gear, music, sound effects and powerful computer with multitrack DAW.

For voiceover and voiceover production, your vision for the final product must originate from the script. The script determines the voice delivery as well as the production elements that will be used to maximize the effectiveness of the full production.

Here is the script from Edge Studio’s website:

“This CBS Sports telecast is brought to you by Wells Fargo…. together we’ll go far.”

This script, as short as it is, provides a great deal of information. Of course “CBS sports” and “Wells Fargo” are important because they are the client’s names, but they’re also key to creating a vision for the overall production. Since this is a fast “sports” promo, strong and powerful music would seem appropriate. I chose two cuts that I believed would be a good fit. Because Wells Fargo is known for their horse and carriage theme, galloping horses make a great sound effect and help draw attention to the sponsoring client. As you will later read, Edge suggests using crowd noise or a sports team sound effect. While this would also be appropriate (and I had thought about it), my vision included the horses and I believed crowd noise could clutter the final mix. Using the horses also gave me the opportunity to illustrate the final line in the spot, “together we’ll go far” by panning the horses, with them entering the soundscape on the left and leaving it on the right.

My last step before getting into the booth to do the voiceover was to import a couple of “swish” sound effects and a “low drone” into my DAW. I would add these to give the spot more movement and create additional drama. They are only slightly audible in the final mix and are there to provide a sensation more than a noticeable sound.

After getting into the booth and recording the line ten times, I chose my second take. However, all of the takes were longer than five seconds, so time compression was an absolute must. Once that was done and I verified that the voiceover was still sounding good, it was time to mix.

First, I laid my voice track over the two music cuts I had chosen and decided which cut was working best. I then edited the music track to fit the 5 second time frame. Next I added the galloping horse sound effect, put it in position, edited that to fit the space I wanted to fill and panned it from left to right. Next, I added the low drone and swish sound effects. I mixed in the voice track and used dynamic compression, EQ and a little reverb to give the voice some additional separation and brilliance. Lastly, I mixed all the tracks down through a master limiter and exported it to a stereo MP3 file. Throughout this process I was adjusting levels and carefully listening to every element and every tweak. In the end, I had produced a spot that matched my “vision” almost exactly.

Here were the comments on my entry from Edge Studios:

Great job! His slate is clear and delivered in the same style as his audition. His mix is very solid. And he’s one of the very few to come in at the requested 5 seconds. Adding sound effects of a crowd cheering and/or a sports team playing would have made this audition even better (although doing so was not necessary). Nice work danfriedman!

Clear visions of the final production don’t always come easily, but it is certainly helpful when they do. In voiceover production, vision will usually begin with the script and the delivery, but truly come into focus as all of the elements are brought together. But what is even more important than your vision as the voice talent or the production engineer, is the clients vision for the final production. If your vision for the voiceover or the production doesn’t match that of your clients, it is critical that you have the ability to change your point of view. After all, beauty is in the eye… ahem… ear… of the beholder.

CBS Sports1 Audition

Voiceover Processors – Hardware vs Software Revisited

October 11, 2011 by Dan Friedman

There is a lot of talk about mic modelers in social media today. A while back, I was asked the question in regards to voiceovers, which processors (i.e.- compressors, EQ, etc.) are better: hardware or software? Well my answer to that question, also applies to mic modelers. The tools available in both formats have advantages and disadvantages. While nothing can truly substitute for the real thing, this doesn’t mean that a simulation can’t be useful, effective or even very good. Whether we are talking about microphones or other audio processors, there are hardware models that sound great and perform exceptionally well, and then there are some that do not. The same is true for software versions.

Consistency is critical in voiceover work, so a clean unprocessed signal during recording is usually ideal. As a voice talent you generally will not, or should not, be using processors when recording, and if you are it should be very minimal and the same every time. Therefore, you really don’t need a great deal of choices.

If you are a voice over talent working from your home studio, chances are that software versions will be your best or maybe your only option. Besides not really needing many choices, it just doesn’t make financial sense for someone who only does voiceover work to own a vast array of microphones, hardware or rack gear. When considering processors, hardware boxes will take up valuable space in what are often small spaces to begin with. Another downside is that they give off a great deal of heat (especially tube gear) making tight spaces more uncomfortable.

Does hardware sound better than software? Not necessarily. As an engineer, I would love to have full racks of hardware options at my disposal. Each helps to create different sounds, characteristics and textures within a mix. But would having racks of gear stop me from using software versions? Not likely.

Software versions of processors perform the same functions as their hardware counterparts, and like their hardware counterparts, they also have different sounds, characteristics and textures of their own. These characteristics vary from processor to processor in software versions just as they do in different brands and types of hardware. Software versions meant to emulate specific models of rack gear can come very close to capturing that hardware sound. But they will still have their own sound and character that make them different, not necessarily better or worse, than the hardware they emulate.

If it is great sound as well as a variety of sounds you are going for, then having both hardware and software is the way to go. However, if your space and budget are limited, then having a variety of software versions will probably be just fine for your needs. The bottom line is this, whether your processing options come from hardware or software, the tools are only as good and as effective as the person using them. Get the best sounding tools you can afford, learn how to use them and most importantly… use your ears.

The Most Difficult Part To Being in Voiceover

October 10, 2011 by Dan Friedman

So what is the most difficult part to being in voiceover? No, it is not dealing with clients. (I love my clients, even the more challenging ones). The technical stuff can be difficult for some, but for others it can be a breeze. I believe that the the most difficult part of being a voice talent, for nearly everyone in this business, is the same thing that is difficult for my children…patience. I don’t mean to imply that voice talent are like children, but let’s face it, we can be a sensitive and impatient bunch.

My friend Bill DeWees recently held an audio book seminar where he said this; “a voiceover career is a marathon, not a sprint”. At Faffcon 3, my friend Paul Strikwerda dropped this “golden nugget” which he’s allowed me to share with you; “We live in a microwave culture, but voiceover… is a crock pot career.” I love these quotes. They are simple and effective analogies, reminding us that patience is key to success and survival in this business.

Waiting can be difficult because it often coincides with fear of the unknown. It gives people a lot of time to get in their own heads and fool themselves into thinking something bad is happening, or nothing is happening at all. Furthermore, our “microwave culture” has become so accustomed to having it our way and getting it now, that we often forget the old adage… good things come to those who wait. Progress often occurs so slowly that it seems as though nothing is happening, but it is important to remember that as long as you are (back to Paul’s crock pot analogy) adding ingredients to your career and allowing everything time to cook properly; you will over time, get tasty results.

Nearly every skill involved in a voiceover career takes time to develop and cultivate. Learning to use your ears and apply the knowledge gained from listening… takes years of listening. Learning to understand and communicate various emotions that a script calls for, requires years of experiencing emotions and perhaps more importantly, recognizing how others express emotions.

Having patience is a requirement to learning the craft and is also necessary when promoting and selling yourself. Making a great demo will take time and can take several attempts. A marketing plan and developing the materials necessary to implement it, takes creativity as well as patience to ensure that it will be effective. You also must have the understanding that after you’ve sent your demo and marketing materials to prospective clients, an immediate response is highly unlikely and a lack of response does not always equal rejection.

So what is a voiceover talent to do while things are on a slow simmer?

My suggestion… keep a positive attitude and take one step each day to keep your career moving forward. A step can be as big or as small as you like. Just keep moving forward. Also, don’t overlook the signs indicating that things are moving in the right direction. Not all of the signs will be as obvious as, “We love your voice and would like to hire you.” A sign can be as small as a positive response to an email, tweet or post. Do not underestimate the power of these smaller signs. While they may not seem like very much at the moment, these signs are often a very important ingredient to having the delicious crock pot career you’re working on (kind of like the spice cumin… a little goes a long way). Also remember that these signs are not just about you. Undoubtedly, the small steps you take are helping someone else create a tasty career as well. Like you, they just may not know it yet.

Voiceover – What Do You Believe?

Voiceover Rockstar… or Band Camp?

Voiceover Auditions…Details, Decisions, Delivery and NO DOUBTS

Executing a Vision in Voiceover

Voiceover Processors – Hardware vs Software Revisited

The Most Difficult Part To Being in Voiceover

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