VO

Change Is Good

April 13, 2011 by Dan Friedman

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!

TONIGHT is the drawing

April 4, 2011 by Dan Friedman

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

Growing Talent – My Child Voiceover Artist

March 3, 2011 by Dan Friedman

My 8yr old son is a child voiceover artist, and today he 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 our 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

I’m Hearing You… and Thank You.

March 2, 2011 by Dan Friedman

As I opened my Facebook page today I saw some great comments from a few of my new Faffcon friends.

Randye Kaye – “Dan Friedman your whole blog rocks! great advice for Vo directors, talents and engineers as well. will share the link.”

Mercedes Rose – “Immediately came home and adjusted all the settings in my studio. I sound even more brilliant. Didn’t even know that was possible. Thanks to you, ya golden nugget you.”

Loren Kling– “Dan, nice meeting you and great book so far. Was reading it on the plane and may have scored a future VO opportunity.”

THIS IS AMAZING STUFF! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I’ve got to be honest… I don’t normally hear these things. As voiceover artists, audio engineers and studio people in general we are all very isolated at times. We live in bubbles (that are kept cold, dark and are filled with pretty lights and fun knobs and faders to play with). Sure we sometimes get praised for the work that we do, usually when we are doing it… and that is great, but rarely does it continue beyond that moment.

I’ve been at ProComm Voices for nearly 10 years. Doing a great job is what is expected of me and what I expect from myself as well as my co-workers. Because we all routinely deliver on this promise, we rarely take the time to praise one another… it would almost seem silly to do so.

Praise sure does feel good though. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the things I had to say at Faffcon, or that my book, would be so graciously accepted. Subsequently, I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would feel so good hearing what great results people are having because of something I said or wrote. Thank you so much for the positive feedback and please… do not hesitate to also let me know if you disagree with something or would like more information or clarification on anything in the book. I want to continue to provide the best and most useful information I can for our VO community.

Thanks again to everyone who I spoke to at Faffcon… but especially to my friends and co-workers at ProComm Voices. You all do a great job!

-Dan

Get some ‘Sound Advice’

February 12, 2011 by Dan Friedman

Today’s guest blogger is George Washington III

Dan Friedman, audio engineer and voice talent, is a name that should be known to all of us in the industry. After publication of his book Sound Advice: Voiceover from an Audio Engineer’s Perspective, this point is only reinforced.

There are any number of books out there for the budding voice artist, and all of them have something to give, from business advice to practice technique. Sound Advice comes at us from the perspective of the often overlooked but especially vital audio engineer. Because of the facts and logistics of our business, we work with engineers all the time, and by necessity must be low level engineers ourselves. Dan’s book passes on the basic and intermediate information anyone wanting to get a better understanding of the audio recording process needs.

Dan also makes sure we know some of the etiquette of the business around mics, levels, and working with other voice talent in session. Since he’s been behind the board for years, he clearly has seen it all. And I’ve been lucky enough to have session with Dan, and can attest to his skill and knowledge in action.

Even better, Dan will be at Faffcon 2 to share some of his expertise with those of us who weren’t born with a 24 channel mixer in our cribs. Plus, Sound Advice: Voiceover from an Audio Engineer’s Perspective, is among the many great door prizes being given away at FaffCon 2. So if you haven’t purchased it, you might end up with it in your hands anyway! Even if you don’t win, I highly recommend you pick up a copy (which you can do right here) and get the story from the other side of the glass.

George Washington III is a voiceover artist, IT professional, and singer based out of Charlotte, NC. He has been providing radio, TV, narration, messaging on hold and e-learning voice services since 2003, and has performed with Opera Carolina since 1998. Website: http://www.voevolution.com

Click here for more on Faffcon!

A True Story and Advice On Voiceover Demos

January 10, 2011 by Dan Friedman

Last week I received a call from a young lady who wanted to make a voiceover demo. I asked her if she had ever done voice over’s before. She replied, “no”. I told her that I could make a demo for her that would make her sound great, however I would not do so without (at least) knowing what her current abilities were. I offered her a training and evaluation session where I would have her read some scripts, determine her abilities and offer direction and advice to help her get started in the business. If it turned out that she was ready, then we could talk about making a demo.

She was not interested.

I explained that it would be a “bad idea” to immediately make a demo since she had no experience. To do so would simply set her up for failure. The demo would misrepresent her, making it appear as though she were an accomplished voice talent, and if and when she got a job from this demo she would likely struggle and possibly fail miserably in a real recording session. “That situation could end your career before it even got started,” I told her.

The young lady explained that with her “experience” (she was fresh out of college from what I could ascertain) and “background” (as a singer) she would be fine. “This won’t happen to me”, she said. She also told me that since she has ProTools at home she would just make her own demo. I wished this young lady “good luck”.

I told this story to my wife and she said, “If the girl wants a demo, you should just make her a demo.” I know where my wife was coming from, if someone wants something and is willing and able to pay for it why not give it to them? I told my wife that by doing so, I would be misrepresenting this girl and setting her up for failure, I would also be compromising my own integrity as well as the integrity of an industry already suffering from an influx of amateurs, who have no experience, but have been told they “have a nice voice”.

I take the voiceover business seriously and I believe I have a responsibility to set the talent bar high. If you want to work as a voice over talent… go for it! But WORK at it. Invest some time and at least some money by taking a workshop, reading some books about the industry, listening and practicing. By the time you are ready to make your first demo, 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. You should be able to convey the messages of a script (both written and unwritten) effectively, with NO EDITING REQUIRED

Making a demo is a critical part of your career. It is your business card and your resume’. When you submit a demo, you are applying for a job. In most industries, if you lie on your resume’ and the lie is discovered, you would be fired. Similarly, if your demo misrepresents you and your abilities, you are putting yourself at risk of being fired from a job. Furthermore, you are putting your reputation at risk, which could prevent you from getting future jobs (even if you’ve decided to put in the necessary practice time). Misrepresenting your abilities can be a serious burden on your desire and even your ability to have a career in voiceover. Unfortunately I receive great sounding demos frequently from “talent” who fall short of expectations when put to a live-session test read. These people almost never get a second chance.

The bottom line: If you want to break into the voiceover industry, be patient and practice. Record yourself and listen. Have others listen as well. Train your ears and your voice. Spend time with working voice over industry professionals. Do not set yourself up for failure and frustration. Do not make a demo until you are ready.

One additional message for engineers, producers and directors: help yourself, help the industry and help the talent (both new and experienced). Do not make demos for people who are not ready. This may save you and many others, time, frustration and money down the road. Furthermore, and more importantly, it raises the talent bar for the industry as a whole, helping to ensure that only truly talented professionals are working beside you.

Change Is Good

TONIGHT is the drawing

Growing Talent – My Child Voiceover Artist

I’m Hearing You… and Thank You.

Get some ‘Sound Advice’

A True Story and Advice On Voiceover Demos

Search Blog

Categories

Want to see how well we work together first? LET’S DO IT!!

Follow Sound4VO

Tip Jar

RLM CERTIFIED MASTER COACH Since 2021