Conturile de voice pe care le-am deschis online:

Voices.com : Your username: awoods

Odesk.com: Username :Kristall

Freelancer.com : Your username: goldfish79 ( prin facebook)

Cont de voce pe care il pot deschide doar daca le trimit o inregistrare profesionala:

Voice realm.com

Librarie online de scripts pt voice demo:

http://www.edgestudio.com/script-library

Getting started in voice overs

Not sure how to get experience or build a portfolio of voice over work?

There are many practical and rewarding ways to go about gaining experience and prospective clients.

Discover some here at Voices.com!

Ever wondered how you could go about building up your voice over portfolio in a safe and noble manner?

Consider volunteering!

When I had a few moments, I got thinking about ways that you could create a respectable voice over portfolio without undercutting for work, or worse, giving your voice overs away for free to people who could pay for the service you provided but had chosen to take advantage of you instead.

Many beginner voice talent find themselves in a bit of a quandary. They can't get an agent because they haven't received any work, and they need an agent (or so some may think) in order to get the work in the first place!

It's the age old question: What came first? The Chicken or the Egg?

I've always subscribed to the philosophy that the chicken came first. If not, how would the egg have survived?

There are many dangers out there for aspiring talent just waiting to take advantage of them. When you think in terms of being the chicken as opposed to the egg, you are given a variety of choices and the

ability to pick the best solution for you to carry you through the longterm when building a voice over career.

We often say and reiterate frequently that voice over is not an easy business or a cakewalk. It's a business first of all and one that demands vocal talent as well as technical skills in order to succeed as a work from home or independent studio operation.

One of the best ways to gain experience in both the voice over and recording process (that is of no cost to you) is to volunteer and learn from others who can mentor you.

Here are some ideas to gain experience in specific voice over niches:

1. Narration and Audio Books

If you'd like to try your hand at recording for audio books or narration pieces, consider starting with some public domain material available at Project Gutenberg. This database contains tens of thousands of works that are in the public domain that you can practice with or record that are royalty-free and no cost to you to download.

Another resource available to you in this field is to join the community at LibriVox.org. I happen to have met the founder, Hugh McGuire, at PodCamp in Toronto.

Essentially, this is a community of people who are dedicated to producing audio books that are in the public domain. These audio books are accessible for people to download. The service acts as a creative outlet for many, community, and a means for amateur voice talent to record audio books and receive reviews from others on the website.

2. Children's Books and Voice Acting

Volunteer at local libraries, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and so on. Oftentimes, these organizations are more than thrilled to accept your offer to volunteer and you have the opportunity to make a direct impact on individual people or a group of people.

This is also an excellent way to get comfortable with reading aloud and developing characters. Your audience will let you know how you are doing and you may find yourself feeding off of them, becoming a better storyteller and voice actor for it.

3. Character Voices and Animation Voice Overs

Join a small voice acting or theatre group that performs radio and or audio drama. There are several groups that you can be a part of online if you are looking for international communities and others that are locally based.

Elie Hirschman is a member of Darker Projects, a community of voice talent from around the world who produce audio dramas. Elie has mentioned this group before in his Biz segments on the VOX Talk podcast.

Dave Johnson runs a voice acting group in San Diego called the Amateur Voice Acting Group.

You can build a credit list through roles that you have performed and count it as voice acting experience.

4. PSAs and Commercials

To try your hand at this kind of work, you could volunteer at non profit organizations or charities. You could look at this volunteering as a form of community service or as a donation or gift.

A great example of some serious VO donating was shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck. Voice talents including Peter O'Connell lent their voices in PSAs created for the American Red Cross to help spread the message and encourage financial donations to help facilitate rescue and rebuilding efforts.

5. Technical Skills

If you need to hone your technical recording and editing skills, see if you can arrange to be mentored for a brief time by a professional audio engineer or voice over professional who is a proficient audio engineer.

A few hours in their presence, watching, learning and applying what you've discovered, coupled with study in online forums or books will greatly help you to develop your audio editing skills. Internships or volunteering on a regular basis at actual recording facilities is also a good idea if you have the time and opportunity to do so.

Volunteering your time and talent, although still providing a service without charge, is quite different from giving your voice away for free.

When you volunteer, you do it on your own terms and for the good of others, receiving more than you gave in return. Referrals (or treasures) will be more likely to spring for you professionally from the seeds that you had sown when volunteering your time and talent.

Best,

Stephanie

Technorati Tags: Volunteers, Voice Overs, Audio Engineering, Project Gutenberg, LibriVox.org, Hugh McGuire, Darker Projects, Elie Hirschman, Amateur Voice Acting Group, Dave Johnson, American Red Cross, Hurricane Katrina, Peter O'Connell, Charities, Donations, Voices.com, and Getting Started in Voice Overs.

Comments

Great points Stephanie: When I first started I volunteered my services to voice community outreaches, promos for one of America's largest churches, for friends projects etc. This was a tremendous help to them and me...win-win.

There are great causes like recording for the blind. One might even be able to find a volunteer opportunity doing spots for women's shelters, college radio stations etc.

Posted by: o Brian in Charlotte o May 3, 2007 7:46 AM o

Another great one Steph!

I myself volunteer at Insight for the Blind, recording talking books and periodicals for the Library of Congress.

It's a great environment to be around, I record and monitor others recording. The weekly trip is worth it because I get to meet mostly elderly and very elderly people who have done this their whole lives! What stories and tips and tricks they offer!

There's a bible verse in Philemon 1:6... essentially it says that in the sharing of ourselves, we are renewed. I have found that to be true over and over again.

Have a great day!

Cookie

Posted by: Cookie Colletti May 3, 2007 9:44 AM

Great thoughts Stephanie!

Elie is a great example of putting yourself out there in this respect and that's great to hear being that Elie is a past client of ours here at Voice Coaches.

Another thought for voice actors that compliments your idea is networking from within.

Just a notch or two below major agency driven VO work lies the vast range of work that most voice actors will begin their careers with and the work that many will continue to do throughout their careers.In many cases, the individuals doing the casting or hiring in this range of work, tend to repeatedly use the same talent.

In addition to training, I regularly hire voice actors for a broad range of projects, and I can tell you, I often tend to make the "easy" decision. In other words, instead of listening to demos, I go to someone who I have a pre-existing work relationship with.

Voice Actors should not view this as a negative, but instead as an enormous potential advantage. If you understand going into this, that people like us tend to re-use the same talent, then your goal should be to become one of those people. Instead of focusing singularly on getting the "job", put equal focus into cultivating long-term work relationships.

In business (and voice acting is a business) you will find it is much easier to pursue continued work opportunities with existing clients compared to developing an initial work relationship.

This is where Steph's comments grabbed my attention. Every time you volunteer to do something or anytime you do a VO professionally for that matter, you have an opportunity to develop relationships, not only with the individual who offered you the job, but with anyone involved with the project. Use these opportunities not only as experience, but as a chance to market from within. The ability to build and nurture a network is one of the key differences between the talent who becomes truly successful compared to the once in a blue moon dabbler.

Best Regards!

David at Voice Coaches

P.S. We have an audio interview with Elie Hirschman on our site under the "Hear" button. The interview is in the Voice Coaches Radio section. Enjoy!

Posted by: David Bourgeois May 3, 2007 11:29 AM

Hi Brian, Cookie, and David:

Thank you for sharing your comments and thoughts!

I'm sure that others are finding your stories very encouraging and inspiring.

Keep the comments rolling, this is a fun post :)

Take care,

Stephanie

P.S. If you have any opportunities to offer or would like to be a mentor, leave a comment so that we know you're available to do so.

Posted by: Stephanie Ciccarelli May 3, 2007 11:41 AM

Thanks for the comments, David!

I hope I can help others get themselves out there as well. In my opinion, building confidence in yourself is the first major step needed, and practice (in whatever form) is a major confidence builder.

Great post as always, Steph.

-Elie

Posted by: Elie Hirschman May 3, 2007 1:31 PM

Without many words - It is simply great, thank you!

Posted by: Jacob June 20, 2007 12:12 AM

I am excited about this site and all the free information, but free is free and you still need to do the work. I am an author and speaker, God given talent and I lived the story I tell in my book and when I speak so that part is easy. However when I took voice lessons many years ago and found work for some reason I just droppped it and went on to other things. Then one day I found this site and the excitement welled up in me once again. It was suggested I do an ad for MP-3 on my book, then one thing led to another and my other tallen V/O came back. I am presently readng and getting organized to get started, know the work is out there because it was before if I pursued it. I have a Mac with GarageBand and downloaded Audacity, just learning the rudiments, will figure out, with the help of this site and tutorials how to accpmplish my first task, the MP-3 recording then move on. Ant suggestions and/or assistance would be greately appreciated.

Meet The Industry

Free career resources and advice is available, job opportunities are bountiful, and the costs associated with getting started and building a home recording studio are at the lowest they have ever been thanks to online marketplaces and the global village.

• Broadcasters from the old school of presenting are using their highly developed instincts and production skills to land jobs from other radio and television stations around the world.

• Singers and stage actors from the theatre are exercising their vocal versatility, performing as voice actors in animation, film, and documentary narration as well as producing music beds and jingles for commercials.

• Salespeople, former telephone marketers, and educators with great voices are flexing their persuasive musculature in commercials, telephony, and educational voice overs with the gusto and ambition of jockeys at the gate, waiting to unleash their voices on the world.

These are just some of the people who make up the voice industry. This guide will help you to make the leap into voice overs develop your career.

What is a Voice Over?

A voice-over is the voice of an unseen narrator, in a movie or a television broadcast. It is a recording performed by a voice talent that gives life to characters, tells a story, guides you on a tour, or directs your telephone calls.

Usually, professional voice talents are enthusiastic, funny, charming, are flexible, and interact well with other people. They have the ability to take direction or criticism from others and can interpret copy to sell a product, concept, or a message.

Who is a Voice Talent?

A voice talent is a voice-over professional who interprets a script to meet a specific commercial, leisure, or educational goal. Voice talents provide the voices that you hear during a commercial on television, imaging on the radio, podcasts, narrators for film, voices for movie trailers, telephone systems, educational resources, and a wide assortment of web and kiosk applica- tions.

Another name for a voice talent is a voice actor. A voice actor (or voice artist) is a person who provides voices for computer and video games, puppet shows, amusement rides, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, and animation works (including cartoons, animated feature films, animated shorts), and radio and television commercials.

The Online Voice-Over Industry

"Client" is a generic term that includes producers, casting directors, advertising agencies, marketing executives, and independent businesses or organizations - basically anyone that desires to purchase a product or service is a client. You will find that most clients have similar needs. Their voice over projects are well defined, including an idea of the voice type they are looking for, a sample of the script to be read, their budget range, and their deadline. Most clients understand that you are a professional and will treat you with respect when it comes to communications and payment.

How Clients and Talents Interact

Gartner Research has shown that 80% of online business transactions start with a search. These clients either click through natural/organic search listings or paid advertisements that are relevant to their particular search query. Clients search the Internet looking for voice over talent and are led to either a voice over marketplace or to an individual voice talent website. Once a client has all of the information they need to make an informed decision, they will hire a voice talent for their project.

Voice-Over Marketplace

A voice-over marketplace is a site that facilitates interaction and transactions between buyers and sellers of voice-over services, also known as clients and voice-over talents. Marketplaces offer a wide range of voice-over talent for clients to choose from, often allowing them to post a job for talent to audition for. Clients are drawn to marketplaces because they can gather a significant amount of data quickly while accessing a generous database catered to meet their voiceover needs. Explore each marketplace and the opportunities available to you to make an informed decision before joining. Voices.com is a great example of a voice-over marketplace.

Key Points to Remember

The key objectives of this chapter were to introduce you to voice-overs, the voice-over marketplace, and how to conduct business online. There are many reasons to become a voice-over talent, including the opportunity to work from home and realize a dream.

 

Next: Learn from Instructors

Learn from the Masters

If producing your own voice-over work seems like a daunting task, there are professionals who work from their own recording studios who are eager to help you succeed.

Before you drive a car you need to learn how to drive. While that may be obvious, starting out as a voice actor presents its own stipulations such as learning how to use the instrument (your voice) and the talents you were born with. Just because you have been talking all your life doesn't mean that voice over will come naturally to you!

It's all Acting

Voice acting is an art, and very truly, it is acting. Although most voice work is recorded in the privacy of your own studio away from the glare of the cameras, a voice over will serve as a performance for the hundreds if not thousands of people who will receive the message you are giving voice to.

Study with a Coach

Studying with a voice over coach who will help you to assess your talent and develop your skills is the best preparation and nourishment that you can invest in to build a solid foundation for your voice over career.

Before the home recording studio, or calling agents for representation, it is more than advisable to consult a teacher of voice over who will instruct, mentor, and prepare you for a lifetime of using your voice to make a living.

When you are ready, your instructor will encourage you to record a professional voice over demo. A voice over demo is a brief sampling of your capabilities that demonstrates your personal style, brand and highlights your natural talents.

Finding Help on the Internet

Voices.com provides service and support to both clients and voice talent with online help sections, a Frequently Asked Question database, and answers questions by both telephone and email. Voices.com is a reputable, transparent organization with clear, focused goals and open business practices. Explore the site and the opportunities available to you to make an informed decision and read testimonials from both voice talent and clients that have used their site.

Coaches & Teachers

It's not only helpful but quite wise to enlist the services of a voice coach or vocal instructor before jumping in the deep end of the voice-over pool. There are cases where the roles of voice teachers and coaches vary, however, their principal objectives are to see that their clients improve their technique, style, and overall vocal health. Some talents will bring their voice-over work to their coach to ask for advice. This is not uncommon, however, an even more common reason for approaching a voice coach is to prepare for recording a voice-over demo, especially if the demo is a first effort by the student.

Classes, Tele-classes, Seminars

Voice coaches can teach you how to warm up your voice, how to breathe properly, assume a proper posture for voicing, and help you to develop unwavering intonation, phrasing, fluctuation, elasticity, versatility, and allow you to explore the potential of your voice in a friendly and secure environment. Classes can either be private or public depending on the arrangement selected with the instructor. Many talent prefer individual coaching sessions to group lessons.

Since many of the coaches are in large centers such as New York City or Los Angeles, tele-classes are offered via the telephone enabling talents that do not live in the same city or state as their coach to still participate and learn from their mentor. Coaches may teach tele-classes on a weekly basis with a curriculum that they would like to teach for a matter of weeks. These classes can be short or can run for over an hour. Again, these could be private coaching sessions or, as is increasingly becoming the norm, group lessons taught in an ongoing educational course format.

Seminars are almost exclusively on location. The very word "seminar" means a conference or meeting for discussion or training, a term often used to describe lectures given at universities and colleges. A seminar gives participants the opportunity to interact directly with the instructor and their peers in a public place. The organizer of the seminar, most likely the teacher themselves, lectures on a given topic and has a question and answer segment. Lecturers may also take questions throughout their presentation and even be accompanied by guest speakers.

 

Next: Plan Your Voice Over Demo

Planning Your Demo Content

The first thing that you'll need is a marketable voice-over demo. Your demo will present your voice to clients. They can listen to it and evaluate your services first hand. Creating a variety of voiceover demos rounds out your portfolio showcasing the styles of voice-over that you can perform.

Since nearly everyone has heard a radio program, you should expect that your listeners have grown accustomed to hearing material produced in a certain way. Here is a suggested framework for mapping out your production.

5 Voice Over Roles - Which one are you?

Over the centuries, the art of communicating with other people about a given purpose and the transmission of the spoken word, the most powerful, persuasive, and distinctly human tool in any marketers arsenal, has evolved to the degree that you don't have to be in the same room to get a message across, even the same country for that matter.

With all of the advantages this new world and new media bestows, it is very important that a message received is a message that is understood, believed and acted upon. Much of this depends on the copy writing and voice over skills of the messengers, which brings us to five different character roles you can

perform as a voice talent to get the message of your client across in a direct and effective way. Let's explore these types of character roles in detail.

• 1. InstructorWhen teaching someone on what to do, for example, a corporate training video or children's game, the voice over best suited for this kind of project is a straightforward, didactic and educated voice. The role of this particular voice talent is to instruct or provide information to fulfill a specific goal or purpose.

• 2. Real PersonProjects requiring a more casual approach often benefit from relatable, genuine voice overs. These voice overs are referred to as "Real Person" voice overs, commonly known as the "regular guy" or the "girl next door". The character is homegrown, sensible, and friendly with a touch of familiarity and provides a more intimate interpretation that instills trust.

• 2. SpokespersonA Spokesperson can be on camera or off camera depending on the medium you are using. The role of a spokesperson is generally played by a confident, charismatic person able to promote a cause, product, or service with ease and authority. A voice over of this nature needs to be driven, optimistic and assured.

• 4. NarratorStorytelling is where the Narrator is most at home. Omniscient, courteous and honest, a Narrator's job is to provide an audio landscape for a listener, briefing them on background information, posing questions, and providing solutions as they guide their audience through a program or documentary. Narrators can be male or female, and the most important factors are that they can communicate clearly and engagingly.

• 5. AnnouncerThe Announcer, often heard live at events, on commercials, promos or introducing segments for podcasts, is a product of the broadcast age, most celebrated at its height in the Golden Age of Radio and early television broadcasts. Announcers can introduce an idea and assertively make a call for action at the conclusion of a commercial advertisement or short video. One common misconception is that an announcer has to sound like an announcer from decades ago, however modern announcers act more like Narrators, and in many cases, adopt the Real Person approach.

Sample Demo Recipe

Here's a blueprint for your voice-over demo.

Shoot for a demo length of 60 - 90 seconds. Keep voice-overs moving, and limit topic coverage to 5 or 6 segments. Try to use different vocal tones or ranges to break up the content, pace, and tone of your demos. Use musical backgrounds (known as jingles or music beds) or other non-music interludes (referred to as stagers, sweeps and ID's) to transition between topics. These topic breaks are typically described as bumpers or sweepneed to digest the content you just presented.

Ideal Duration of a Voice-Over Demo

The voice-over demo can range between 30 seconds to 2 minutes and 30 seconds. For distribution on the Internet, it is best to keep your demo to 1 MB in size or approximately 1 minute in duration. A 1MB file delivers optimum download speeds while maintaining the highest quality of digital audio.

Demo Outline

Here's an example of a demo outline:

• Demo intro monologue (who you are and the subject of your voice-over demo): 5 seconds

• Segment 1: 15 seconds

• Segment 2: 15 seconds

• Segment 3: 10 seconds

• Segment 4: 10 seconds

• Segment 5: 5 seconds

• Closing remarks (contact information / website plug): 5 seconds

• Closing music jingle (optional): 5-8 seconds

How to Write Your Script

Your writing style should be conversational with friendly language, selecting a variety of topics in order to accommodate your listeners. If you are compiling a theme demo, for example, commercials, you'll want to make sure that there is a variety of commercials targeted to a diverse audience.

If you prefer to record from royalty-free scripts instead of writing your own copy, there are a few samples in the bonuses from The Voice Over Scripts for you to incorporate into your demo. Each of these samples has a description of the character, artistic direction for your voice acting, suggested background music, and sound effects.

Applications of Voice-Over

• Television Commercials

• Television Imaging and Station Identification

• Radio Announcers

• Radio Commercials

• Radio Imaging and Station Identification

• Business Demonstrations

• Business Presentations and Corporate Videos

• Voicemail, On-Hold Messaging, IVR (Interactive Voice Response)

• Entertainment and Celebrity Impersonations

• Character Voices and Cartoon Voice Actors

• Video Game Voices, Computer Game Voices

• Audiobooks, Books on Tape

• Educational Videos, CD-rom, e-Learning

• Podcasting

• Government Public Service Announcements

• Medical Narration

• Foreign Language Voice Overs

• Translation Services

• Jingles

• Music Composition, Music Production

Key points about planning your content

In this section, we talked about the importance of planning your voice-over demo and gave you some ideas about how to organize your demo including a sample recipe. Now that you know what is required in the pre-production phase of developing your demo, we can move ahead to the actual recording of your demo. In the next chapter, we'll discuss recording equipment, software, basic recording techniques, and how to add music, sound effects, and most importantly, your voice-over.

 

Next: Record Your Voice Over Demos

Recording your voice is easy when you build a solid studio and use the right tools

Local Recording Studios

In this section, we will be looking at how to build a relationship with a local recording studio.

If you do not have the means of investing in your own recording equipment at this time it is best to develop a business relationship with a local recording studio. You can find recording studios by looking them up in your phone book or yellow pages or by Googling your city name + recording studio.

Questions to Ask a Recording Studio

Here are some tips on what to ask a recording studio before attending your first session.

Call at least three studios and be sure to ask all the questions you need to, in order to feel confident with your new partners.

• What is your hourly studio rates?

• What kind of vocal microphone do you have?

• Do you have a royalty-free music library?

• Do you have a sound effects library?

• Do you have script to make a voice over demo?

• Can you deliver finished work for me?

• Do you have an ISDN connection?

• How do you require payment?

• Do you accept cash and credit card?

• How much notice do you need to book my session?

• Are you open on evenings and weekends?

• What is your cancellation policy?

Attending Your First Session

Before you book for your first session be sure to rehearse your scripts in advance. Being prepared will save you time in the studio and money while affirming your professionalism.

When you arrive at the studio for the first time, be sure to properly introduce yourself. Building a good business relationship starts as soon as you make your first contact. Building a relationship with a local studio is a must if you don't have your own home studio. Ask for a 10% discount on all studio sessions,

agreeing that you will work exclusively with them for the next year. Be prepared to put something in writing if you opt for this exclusive arrangement.

Building Your Own Home Recording Studio

If you have the will and technical skills, building a home recording studio is preferred. This way, you can work from home and record at your convenience. You can set your own hours and also have the flexibility to record custom auditions for clients. Although purchasing a home studio is a considerable financial investment, it is better in the long-term and will save you time, resources, and money, particularly when you have to record revisions for a client.

Personal Computer Based Recording

One of the biggest trends in recent audio production involves merging digital recording with computer technology. The recording of audio onto a computers' hard drive allows you to edit and manipulate your sound files. This data can be stored as a sound file such as .wav or .aiff. There are multiple advantages to recording and editing your voice-overs using your personal computer.

• The ability to record long and uninterrupted narration.

• Digital editing. Quickly and easily remove unwanted background noise or embellish the audio track with music and sound effects.

• Digital Processing. Add effects to your voice, such as reverb, or echo, and master your entire demo for sonic clarity.

Minimum Requirements for Window-based Audio Recording

According to Gartner Research, Windows-based PC's account for 90% of all computers world-wide. If you have purchased your personal computer in the last three years and you're running Windows XP, your system should be more than adequate to record an audio file with a microphone, and then save the recording as an MP3 file.

• Personal Computer

• Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent Processor

• Windows 2000 / Windows XP / Vista

• iTunes for PC

• 1 GB of available disk space

• 512 MB of RAM

• Audio Line In and Audio Line Out

Minimum Requirements for Mac-based Audio Recording

Recently with the launch of Apple's iTunes, it shows that Apple is committed to the digital revolution. Since most iPod owners are also Mac owners there is also a lot of great software available for the Mac platform.

The misconception that the Mac is simply too expensive or that they are only for students and artists is quickly being proven wrong. Apple also sells the Mac Mini, a scaled down version of the Mac that allows previous PC owners to make the switch but still keep their monitor, keyboard and mouse - all for just $499.

• Mac G3 or better

• Mac OS X

• iTunes for Mac

• 1 GB of available disk space

• 512 MB of RAM

• Audio Line In and Audio Line Out

Microphones

MICROPHONE

You’ll want something lightweight and directional. If you’re in a hotel room you want

that microphone only picking up your voice and nothing else.

We highly recommend the Sennheiser MKH416. 1000USD ( 3300 RON)

This microphone is used in professional studios around the world. It is super light,

something we love.

The sound is crystal clear, and of course it’s manufactured by an established and

respected brand – Sennheiser.

 

XLR TO USB ADAPTER

Rather than a big clunky power adapter, we recommend the SHURE X2u. The X2u

provides phantom power so you can use your Sennheiser 416 microphone for direct

USB recording

It comes with a cord and all the drivers for quick installation on a MAC or PC. But

you’ll probably find that your operating system will recognize it and install it

automatically.

Simple and lightweight – The SHURE X2u.

 

DESKTOP MICROPHONE STAND

Let’s say you’re in a hotel room somewhere on vacation. You’ve got your laptop on

the desk, mic plugged in, now you need a stand. We want something lightweight,

nothing fancy, just needs to hold the microphone in place.

Solution – The Ultimate Support Mini Tripod Stand

 

ADOBE AUDITION

This program is easy to use, acknowledged by many industry professionals as

robust and packed with features. Perfect for voice talent beginning and complex

enough for professionals who want to use multi-track.

The latest version CS6 includes fast and precise editing, real-time clip stretching,

automatic speech alignment, EUCON and Mackie control surface support,

parameter automation, more powerful pitch correction, HD video playback, new

effects; and more features.

Adobe Audition for MAC

Adobe Audition for WINDOWS

 

WELL WORTH THE INVESTMENT

Break down the cost of all these items over 10 years along with the extra voice over

work it will bring in, and see how affordable they really are. You’ll have the freedom

to record from any quiet location with an internet connection. Everything we’ve

mentioned can easily fit into a small over the shoulder bag and even taken onto an

aircraft. So now even on vacation you can keep on earning money and keeping

clients satisfied.

 

A FEW TIPS AND TRICKS TO DEADENING THE SOUND OF A HOTEL ROOM

Put pillows on the desk you’re recording at up against the wall.

Use a towel over your head for the ultimate deadening of a room.

Turn off the air conditioner and close all windows.

Request a high floor.

Record early in the evening when the cleaners are done in the hallways for

the day.

Make sure the hotel has high speed internet before you book!

 

Whether you are using a Mac or PC, you will need a microphone to record your voice into your computer. One option is to purchase a microphone ( or you may already have one ) witinch jack. This is the size of the jack or audio line in port on your personal computer.

Dynamic Microphone

Marshall Electronics( 200 USD) 600 RON

The MXL2001-P is a great microphone that is capable of handling numerous recording tasks competently. The MXL2001-P is a straight-ahead, plug-and-play type of instrument without any controls whatsoever, yet it records with a nice, open sound that will cut through just about any mix. Such characteristics make this microphone a good choice for the smaller studio that focuses most of its efforts on the recording of popular music. In terms of workmanship, these products have a look and feel that is the mark of well-made equipment.

PCRECORDING.COM - Marshall MXL2001-P Review:

MXL 2001-P, 1" Large Diaphragm, Condenser MicrophonePrice: MSRP $199.00 (US)

I have to admit, I had never heard of Marshall Microphones. My first thought when I came across a reference to them was "when did Marshall start making mikes?" Intrigued, I checked their website at Marshall Electronics (not affiliated with Marshall Amps) and discovered they offer a wide range of microphones. I am reviewing the MXL2001-P, 1" large diaphragm microphone here.

I received the 2001-P direct from Marshall. The first thing I noticed was its weight. At 470 grams, this microphone feels substantial and capable. Its machined brass body gives it a solid, durable feel. It is also very attractive as you can see from the image below and to the right. (Seen with the MXL56 shock mount).

The MXL2001-P employs a large capsule, gold-sputtered diaphragm that is coupled through an electromagnetic screen to a FET preamp and provides balanced transformer output. According to Marshall, the balanced transformer coupling allows for long cable runs without significant signal loss. Marshall claims that the microphone will provide high sensitivity that results in more detailed recordings. This claim turned out to be true.

The 2001-P features the specifications below:

Technical Specifications:

Type: Condenser pressure gradient mic with large 25mm diaphragm capsule

Frequency Response: 30Hz-20KHz Polar Pattern: Cardioid Sensitivity: 15mV/Pa Impedance: 200 ohms S/N Ratio: Ref. 1 Pa (A weighted) 80dB Equivalent Noise Level IEC 268-4 (A weighted): 20dB-A

Max SPL for 0.5% THD: 130 dB Power Requirements: Phantom power 48V ± 4V Current Consumption: 3.0mA Size: 50mm × 190mm Weight: 470 g Metal Finish: Black

The microphone frequency response is depicted below in the graph. The microphone has a mostly flat response from its front side, employing a cardiod pattern. You might notice that the microphone has a peak response for frequencies between 3000 - 7500 kHz from the backside of the microphone.

Sound Quality:

I used the microphone throughout a series of reviews of soundcards and software for this site. Throughout, the 2001 worked very well and sounded very good. I discovered, as claimed, that it was very sensitive. For instance, my studio sits in a converted portion of my garage. If I was not careful, I would pick up a wide variety of "non-studio" sounds - - my children, the cat, the washer and dryer and the furnace to name a few. This aside, I subjected the microphone to a variety of sound tests.

Discrete sounds:I was curious about recording discrete sounds. So, I recorded my hands rubbing together six inches from the microphone. I could hear the rustle of my skin on skin, including the change in tone when my fingers would cross my palm and then my palm would cross my other palm. Kind of a "swee-ooshh" sound, for lack of a better term. I recorded my keys jangling in my pocket, placing my ever-present coffee cup on the table and opening and closing my studio door. All of these sounded accurate, clear and present.

Musical Instruments:On a musical note, I recorded a variety of instruments. These included harmonica, guitar, flute (bamboo, Native American), drums, and electric guitar. The 2001-P performed to my expectations.

Most notably, I recorded both my Native American flute and my bamboo flutes. This was a bit of a challenge because of the aperture noise that can dominate when recording flute. I found that after careful placement I was able to record each instrument quite easily. I was able to distinguish between the sound of the aperture and notes on each flute. More importantly, I was able to pick up the particular timbre of the cherry flute versus the bamboo flute. Very nice.

Making Music:My main instrument is a steel string acoustic guitar. I recorded it in a variety of ways, flat-picking, finger-picking, alternate tuning drone picking and with a slide. The microphone picked up the full range of the guitar including the overtones of the high strings. The response was quite flat with a crisp though subtle peak on the high tones. As a test, I plucked at harmonics while keeping a drone D-tuned bass string going. I was able to clearly distinguish between these tones.

Vocals:I am a singer-songwriter so I recorded my vocals. Again, (for better or worse) the microphone accurately depicted my voice. I varied the volume of my voice and closeness of my placement to the mike throughout the test. The microphone proved capable of handling a wide dynamic range from very quiet vocals to suddenly very loud vocals. (This is not surprising with an SPL specification of 130dB). However, as compared to my voice, I thought the microphone faired better on the instruments. When I got real close to the microphone, my vocals had a touch of an overdriven compressed sound to them. I partially eliminated this with careful placement in my small studio but whenever I ventured close to the mike it would return to a degree. The microphone is very sensitive, even off-axis. It could have been picking up signals bouncing around the room resulting in phase cancellation of something. Nonetheless, a vocalist will want to be aware of the sensitivity of the microphone and its interplay with the recording environment. I imagine this microphone would work beautifully with a large choir where it could be placed a bit further away from the walls and the sounds could develop longer. Unfortunately, I did not have a large choir at my disposal to work with. I am working on that though.

Conclusions: At $199.00, the MXL2001-P is a knockout microphone that competes well with other more expensive microphones. It is smooth and very responsive to instruments and easily handles a full dynamic range. The microphone is clear, with crisp highs and robust lows. At this price it is an outstanding bargain.

Condenser Microphone

Neumann 4300 RON( 1000 euro)

The TLM 103 is the ideal large diaphragm microphone for all professional and semi-professional applications requiring the utmost in sound quality on a limited budget. By utilizing the tried and true transformer-less circuit found in numerous Neumann microphones, the TLM 103 features yet unattained low self-noise and the highest sound pressure level transmission. The capsule, derived from that used in

the U 87, has a cardioid pattern, is acoustically well-balanced and provides extraordinary attenuation of signals from the rear.

Recording and Editing Software

Audacity

Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/ Linux, and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to Record live audio, convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs, edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files, cut, copy, splice, and mix sounds together, change the speed or pitch of a recording, and more.

Download for free: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

Audacity tutorial: http://www.transom.org/tools/editing_mixing/200404.audacity.html

Recording Software for the Mac

GarageBand

GarageBand lets you easily perform, record and create your own music. Whether you're an experienced or aspiring musician. Or just want to feel - and sound - like a rock star. With the new version of GarageBand, you can even record multiple tracks at the same time.

Website:http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

Recording Studio Set-up & Process

Finally, we'll help you understand the complete recording process.

To gain insight into the recording studio and how audio is recorded, you should have a basic understanding of what recording engineers call the "signal flow". Basically the signal flow is the path by which sound travels from source to destination. In creating a voice-over demo, the source will be the human voice and the destination will be an MP3 file.

Here's a step-by-step outline of a typical voice-over signal flow.

1. A person speaks to create a vocal sound from their mouth.

2. The vocal sound is detected by a microphone.

3. The microphone passes the signal along the microphone cable.

4. The end of the cable is plugged into a mixing board or digital interface.

5. The mixing board or digital interface is plugged into a computer.

6. The computer records the signal using recording software.

 

Next: Build Your Business and Your Personal Brand

Realizing the Dream

You've made the decision that you would like to become a voice-over talent. Now what? In order to be successful in this endeavor, you'll need to develop a plan that you will commit to.

To run an efficient online voice over business, you need to have the tools of the trade. Here is a shortlist of the essentials that you will need to operate your voice-over business online.

Essential Home-based Business Technology

• High-speed Internet connection

• Personal computer, printer

• Business software MS Word, Excel

• Accounting software such as Quicken, QuickBooks, MS Money is recommended

• Telephone w/ voicemail

• Fax

Brand Your Voice

Your personal branding is very important, and if successfully mastered, it will set you and your offerings apart. Many professionals choose to keep their real names, however, selecting a stage name is also an option. This gives you the freedom to create a unique voice-over persona and will help separate your work from your home life. You can select a memorable name, a unique name, basically any name that you feel suits you and is in line with the services you provide.

Be sure to select a name that is easy to remember, easy to say and spell, and is non-offensive to others. Check to see if the name you would like to use is available, and if no one else has it, look into your own personal website. If the domain name you desire is available, you have an opportunity to purchase it and secure your brand name on the Internet.

Branding your voice-over business is one of the most important objectives that you will achieve before you market and promote your voice. Effectively branding your business will send consistent messages to your audience, establishing your brand image and purpose.

By taking the time to plan and brand well in advance of the release of your first voice-over demo, your efforts will go a long way and quickly differentiate your demo from similar offerings. Selecting a name for your company, securing a domain name for both your voice-over website and blogger, picking colors, creating a logo, language, music, sound effects, slogans, and voice-over imaging are all important aspects of branding your voice-over career.

Drafting Your Vocal Description

A crucial aspect of your personal branding includes the way that you describe your voice and your services. A client should be able to learn about you in as few words as possible. Summarize your offerings, about 15 words or less to keep client interest, particularly when you are promoting yourself in advertisements or at a voice-over marketplace. When you have your vocal description completed, start thinking about a phrase that best reflects your voice-over services. A slogan is a powerful and memorable device that will serve you well if properly crafted and placed.

Writing your vocal description is a necessary step in the branding process. When you are drafting the description of your voice, make sure that it features your strengths, specialties, and unique characteristics. This description should be no more than two to three sentences long.

Selecting a Name

When selecting a name, be sure that the name of your business reflects you as a professional voice-over talent. For example, your name could be Jane Doe Voice-overs, Jane's Voices, or Johnny Voiceover. Make sure that the name you choose is also available as a domain name online. Try to make your name unique but easily understood and recognizable.

Picking Colors

When choosing colors to represent your voice-over services, it is important to select complimentary colors, that is, colors that go well together. Once you have picked the colors that you will brand your services with and use on your website, create a logo incorporating those selections to further brand your voice visually.

Colors often have certain emotions or connotations associated with them, for instance, the color yellow is often associated with the sun, cheerfulness, and innovation, whereas blue may be associated with the sea, tranquility, and freedom.

Creating a Logo

A logo is the most readily available representative of your voice. Your logo can accompany press releases, be used as a link to your site, for advertising purposes, and give potential audiences a glimpse at what you and your voice are all about even before listening to your demo.

Logos are very important. When designing your logo, remember that it is often the first impression of your voice. Bearing this in mind, your logo should be friendly to all age groups and sized appropriately,

making sure that it does not take up more than the normal allotted dimensions for logos. Incorporate the colors that you chose for your voice to further enhance and unify your visual branding.

If need be, you can outsource logo design to a freelance graphic designer or firm. If you are able to design your own logo, tools such as Macromedia Fireworks and Adobe PhotoShop are good programs to achieve your branding goals. If you already have a logo, you could further brand your image by incorporating your business logo or design a variation of your corporate logo to strengthen and reinforce your brand.

Slogans and Tags

Take a good half hour or so to brainstorm slogans and tag lines for your voice-over services. These short snippets can be used to instill, validate, and affirm your brand. Perhaps you will use your slogan on your website, business cards, and in your demos. A good example of slogan branding is the tag line that Bob Barker on The Price Is Right says at the end of each episode, "Get your pets spayed or neutered". A bit quirky, yet memorable and forever synonymous with the show.

Key Points About Branding

In this chapter, we talked about how important it is to make your voice stand out by branding all aspects of your voice-over business. Refer back to this branding guide to as you progress in your planning. When inspiration strikes, have a good brainstorm and jot down as many ideas about your vision as possible and use the results to brand your voice-over business.

Next: Creating an Online Presence

How to be Visible on the Web

Visibility is the most significant dynamic for any business, particularly in a field where professionals compete directly with each other. You can achieve visibility by investing in your own website or by subscribing to a online marketplace that gives you your own web page, where you can include your voice over information.

Building Your Own Website

We covered this area quite extensively in the previous chapter, but here's a brief recap. If you are considering building your own site, you will first need to register a domain name. You can check to see if the domain name is available by visiting http://www.networksolutions.com or http://www.register.com. If your preferred domain name and extension is available, for example, www.yourname.com you can purchase the domain name and move ahead with selecting a hosting company to host your site.

Technology can be imposing, so if you would like someone else to build and manage your website, you will find no shortage of people who can provide these services for you. Be aware that webmasters will

have their own set of fees in addition to the fees that you will be responsible for including hosting, domain name renewals, enhancements to your hosting package, and any technical support that you may require.

Participating at an Online Marketplace

As mentioned earlier, there are some great job websites that will help you find voice-over work. These sites are referred to as an "online marketplace" - where clients and voice talents can connect to complete a project.

What to Look For in a Marketplace

• Active marketing campaigns on your behalf.

• A professionals website where you will feel proud to be featured.

• The website is easy to navigate.

• A good number of projects that you can audition for every week.

• A consistent track record of voice-over jobs.

• Easy to use auditioning system.

• Opportunities for voice talent to be found in multiple ways.

• Great customer service and support, both online and offline.

• Acknowledgment in the press.

• A wide variety of testimonials from both voice talents and clients

• Accountability.

• Integrity.

• Membership fee can range between $199 and $299 per year.

Importance of Creating a Stunning Web Page

Building a Profile will give clients a better of idea of who you are and the kinds of services that you can provide. An online presence is very important. If you don't have your own website, you will need to invest in a membership to a site such as an online marketplace that will provide one for you. If you want to try one of these sites without making a financial commitment first, Voices.com offers a Guest membership that gives you visibility, hosting, and a place to run your voice-over business online.

Include Your Vocal Description

As mentioned in the personal branding section, your vocal description will be your first impression for the majority of clients that encounter your site or web page.

Showcase Your Logo or Visual Image

An alternative to the traditional headshot is a graphical representation of you or your services. The most common image selected by voice-over talent is a microphone, simple and to the point. To stand out from the crowd, you may want to consider a more unique offering. Consider hiring a graphic designer or experiment with font types using your name, colors, and slogan.

Mention Your Credits

Be sure to recognize the major companies and organizations that you have completed work for. You can include a "partial client list" or include all that apply. Keep this list up to date to show that your services are sought-after and that you continue to be active within the industry.

Creeaza o lista de clienti pentru care am facut VOLUNTEER WORK.La volunteer sa fac pentru organizatii foarte mari si recunoscute in toata lumea.Ii rog sa-mi dea un testimonial dup ace lucram impreuna si-l pun la profilul meu.

Highlight Your Languages and Accents

The global marketplace has brought together people from all walks of life and broken down physical boundaries in addition to language barriers. Voice talents that are able to speak fluently in multiple languages have a distinct advantage over their peers and can charge a premium for translation and performance services.

Suggest The Styles and Ages that You Can Perform

Often times, clients will seek a specific age of voice talent to connect with their audience. You may be capable of performing voice ages younger or older than your actual age, all of which should be documented and recorded as samples for clients to review. Clients also search by accents, for example, the British accent or Southern Belle, USA. Including the timbre of your voice (your vocal range), i.e. bass, baritone, alto, soprano is also helpful for clients looking for specific voice types.

Describe Your Recording Studio

Every client wants to hear that you can get the job done, but they also want to know how you will do it. Although most clients will never ask for technical information, it's good to have it handy. Including a description of your high-quality studio equipment, which is also a costly investment, may help justify your fee structure.

Here are the main studio details that you should include:

• Microphone

• Recording software

• Mixing board

• Other special equipment (compressors, reverbs, delays, etc.)

• Methods of delivery (MP3, CD, FTP access, phone patch, ISDN, etc.)

• Royalty-free music and sound effects library

• Turnaround time (i.e. 24 hours).

Provide Your Rates

Voice-over is a competitive marketplace, and you will need to decide how you will be quoting for your services. Will it be by word, per spot, per hour, per package, per project, per market, or per page? These are all items that you should consider before you put together your rate card. For more information regarding rates for quoting, see "Online Auditions". Once you have compiled your rate card, you will need to decide whether you will disclose your rate card openly to clients or if you would rather leave the arena open for negotiation on a per project basis.

Offer Your Methods of Delivery

Know ahead of time what methods of delivery you can provide. Include FedEX, UPS overnight shipping of a CD, MP3 via email or FTP file upload.

Consider a Headshot

Many voice talents opt not to reveal their visual identity, however talent with an acting background or on-camera experience are more comfortable with marketing their personal image as a representation of their corporate voice over image.

Summary

In this chapter, we looked at how to further brand yourself as a voice-over talent, your online presence, how to create a Profile for clients to view, the kinds of information that clients seek when hiring a voice talent, and services that you could add to your voice-over business offerings.

Next: Promoting Your Voice

Reasons To Spread The Word

Promoting your demo is the fulfillment of your overall mission as a voice talent. If you don't promote your voice, at least initially, who else will do it for you? Remember that you invested time, energy, and love into your craft and that it should be shared with your intended audience. How better to start gaining clientele than to actively promote your voice?

The Internet is Truly A Global Audience

According to recent surveys by Middleberg/Ross and the Pew Internet Project:

• 68 million Americans go online daily

• 30% use a search engine to find information

• 27% go online to get news

• 98% of journalists go online daily

• 92% do it for article research

• 76% to find new sources and experts

• 73% to find press releases

Online Marketing

Online marketing consists of two main elements. Search engine marketing and email marketing. An effective online marketing campaign will deliver equal attention to both areas, as they are inter- related and support one another. Creating a strategy that consistently represents who you are and what you have to offer will build trust, and generate a degree of brand recognition. Let's explore the world of search engine marketing.

Search Engine Optimization

"169,400,000 people in the US access the internet. 92% of these people query search engines" - Nielsen Netratings2 Being found in the major search engines is vital to anyone who conducts business on the Internet. There are only three steps you need to take if you want to quickly increase your site's visibility in the search engines. The three steps are: positioning, optimization, and link building. In this short tutorial, you'll learn how to make both your personal website or your Voices.com website more visible in the search engines.

The Major Search Engines - Google, Yahoo and MSN

When clients have needs, they search for specific phrases or keywords on a search engine and only have a few seconds to scan each of the web page descriptions that the search engines display. Be sure that you show up for the search terms that best reflect your voice over services.

Social Networking

These days it's not just about who you know, it's about how many people you "know" that matters.Are you part of the global online network yet?

In a literal sense, being a friend usually entails knowing someone and engaging in activities or community on a regular basis, whether through an organization or personal relationships formed over years of being acquainted. Usually there are common interests, bonds and even shared relatives or mutual friends.

In recent times, acquiring virtual friendships has entered into our society within the open doors of the Internet by means of social networking sites, sites whose users beg the question, "will you be my friend?"

How many millions of people have experienced the phenomenon of MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other websites created solely for the purpose of facilitating relationships between people with similar interests and business goals?

How Do You Network Socially?

1. Go to any social networking site

2. Sign-up for a free account

3. Create your profile

4. Start adding "friends" with similar interests

5. Approve people who add you as their "friend"

6. Start communicating!

Connect With Voices.com

• Voices.com on Twitter

• Voices.com on Facebook

• Voices.com on LinkedIn

Go For It

Now you have tools and knowledge - put them to use!

Ready to take the next step? Start your experience today by joining Voices.com, the #1 voice over marketplace. Enjoy access to business and voice over resources, friendly customer care representatives,

and create your very own voice talent website for free to showcase your voice and highlight your abilities.