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• Joan Baker Shares How Your Voice Can Make a Difference

  Have you ever thought of volunteering to make a difference in the lives of others? Getting involved with a cause or helping with something dear to your heart can give you an amazing feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment. Now, imagine... Have you ever thought of volunteering to make a difference in the lives of others? Getting involved with a cause or helping with something dear to your heart can give you an amazing feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment. Now, imagine would could happen if you married your talent as a voice over artist with an impassioned voice to champion a cause. How powerful and life-changing could that be? Hear Joan Baker's story about how she is doing just that here in a very special article on VOX Daily. A Voice Over Minute Submitted by Joan Baker You never know where your voice might take you and I'm not just talking about your speaking voice but the ideals you stand for. I work with the Little Baby Face Foundation (www.littlebabyface.org) as a volunteer on the annual gala planning committee. The Little Baby Face Foundation is a group of dedicated surgeons from various backgrounds who combine their specialties to provide free medical services for children born with facial deformities. They figured out that sending a team of doctors to an underdeveloped country was working because the on-site equipment was lacking and there was no opportunity for meaningful follow-up care. Instead, they fly children from all over the world to New York City where they can get the finest care and then be around for what are often multiple surgeries over time and extensive follow up care. The gala planning committee is made up of some very, very special high-energy women. We all volunteer our time as well as well as whatever resources we can procure from our various professional fields. As the co-owner of an ad agency, for example, my partner and I were able to write and produce short documentary highlighting the miraculous journey of Tyrell Davis, one of the children who was fortunate enough to receive full medical services from the Little Baby Face Foundation. Tyrell Davis not only had receive corrective facial surgery that would allow him to feel good about his general appearance, but he was given an ear where he had only a tag of skin and his hearing was restored. It quickly becomes clear how devastating would be the future of these children without these extraordinary services. It's equally clear how much good these same kids can now do on the heels of having their own lives transformed in such extraordinary ways. And people take notice when they see what really goes on with these doctors. The documentary (Causing the Miraculous - scroll down the awards links to view the documentary) even won a Telly Award, one of which we procured and presented to the 14-year-old Tyrell. The New York City Comptroller presented the award at the Little Baby Face Gala. Acting as a producer was a fulfilling experience but as a performer and voiceover actor I also got to lend my talent as the narrator for the film. This year we did another film for the organization, plus I was asked to step up as the live auctioneer to help inspire dollars to help this incredible organization thrive. As is so often the case with acting and voiceover, I was handed a 10 page description of the auction items and asked to be ready in 12 hours. Mind you, I have a day job doing voiceovers and auditions, running an agency and managing a voiceover coaching practice. Sorting through 10 unexpected pages for a LIVE performance at a swanky New York City fundraiser was just a tad bit daunting. Thank goodness my husband is a superb writer and quickly edited the ten pages down to manageable script. From a performer's point of view it turned out to be big fun. What I learned is that auctioneering for a charity event is not the same as doing it for Christie's or Sotheby's where you have a captive audience with the single purpose of bidding. At a charity, you have to bring a lot of personality to get the sale. The same spirited spontaneity and high stakes self-expression you bring to voiceover work is required and then some. I'm the first to admit that I'm not from the land of the shy. So I grabbed the spotlight and did what I could for the cause. I'm happy to say that I raised $12,000 in just under 20 minutes. The really great thing is that some of the kids were there to witness exactly how charity looks -- to see the spirit of giving in action. It's not surprising to me that many of the kids who undergo these various medical procedures, have it in their hearts to make giving part of the lives they wish to live. For all of us, one of the great opportunities of helping others in need is the immediate knowledge that we are living a life of consequence. My book, Secrets of Voice-over Success (Expanded & Revised), which I humbly point out has been called "the most celebrated book in the voiceover industry," owes much of its success to the fact that the author royalties go to another great charity called the Alzheimer's Association. 21 highly talents and high profile voiceover actors contributed their stories in the spirit of giving. Is Your Voice Giving Back? If you have a story you'd like to share, please comment and let us celebrate your work with you! Best wishes, Joan Baker and Stephanie Ciccarelli

• What Does it Take to Be a Voiceover Professional?

  Being a voiceover professional takes a great deal more than you might think. Is this a career for the faint of heart? How can you become a career voice over artist? Vicki Amorose shares her insight and unique take on... Being a voiceover professional takes a great deal more than you might think. Is this a career for the faint of heart? How can you become a career voice over artist? Vicki Amorose shares her insight and unique take on how you can achieve your dream of being a pro voice artist. So You Want to be a Voiceover Professional? Be Armed! By Vicki Amorose Many times, I've been contacted by people who find my voiceover profile and ask me how they can get started in voiceover. I'm not sure why this happens, since I'm not one of the online sources for free "Get Started" information, or a VO coach. I guess my brand is friendly! Maybe this happens to you too, so I came up with an easy acronym to help answer the question. Want To Be a Voiceover Professional? Be ARMED. A: Acting/Auditioning R: Recording M: Marketing/ Management E: Education D: Dedication A: You must have some acting or improvisation skills. Period. You will need to find sources for auditions, and audition well. R: You must record yourself, because how else are you going to audition? The better your recording set-up, the more value you offer to clients. M: How will clients find you? You must market yourself, because you have lots of competition. Your demo is your primary marketing tool. Managing your business includes client relations, image or branding, billing, and record keeping. E: Take workshops, read books, study acting. Spend 3 months on the Internet reading everything you can find on voiceover. Listen to 50 demos. D: It takes years to build a client base and to build your skills. Although voiceover is a business, it is also an artistic pursuit. Success in voiceover requires sustained ambition: you are driven by something internal, not simply by external reward. Rearrange the letters of ARMED, and it also spells DREAM. So that's my quick and concise advice for those wanting to enter the field of voiceover: Have the DREAM? Be ARMED. I hope this helps you to answer the question when it comes your way! Vicki Amorose ©iStockphoto.com/mrPliskin

• How To Find The Sweet Spot on a Microphone

  Do you know what the sweet spot is? How can you find it? Every voice over talent should know where their voice sounds best on a microphone. This skill is particularly useful when you go into a studio and are... Do you know what the sweet spot is? How can you find it? Every voice over talent should know where their voice sounds best on a microphone. This skill is particularly useful when you go into a studio and are unfamiliar with the studio mic they have in the booth. Hear from some pros who know how to work the microphone... and if you're happy to share your tips on how to find the sweet spot, add your own thoughts to the conversation! So, Just What is the "Sweet Spot" and Where is it? Following the article published yesterday where audio recording engineers shared their preferences and pet peeves when working with voice over talent, I received a number of questions about the sweet spot and how one might find this somewhat ethereal place. When I was at a workshop with Mike Kirby's Voiceworx, instructor Libby Lennie related that sweet sound comes from the spot on the mic where you sound absolutely heavenly! I put a call out for answers and here's what I've got for you: Sweet Spotting "The 'sweet spot' is the particular point/area of the mic, where you know your voice is at its absolute best. After so many years announcing it becomes 'instinctive' you can just sense the 'spot' on the mic where your voice sounds the fullest. Every mic is different and has its own characteristic. But, once you learn to play with your voice, you get to know what sounds best and where to speak into the mic. In relation to your discussion with the audio engineers yesterday: I agree with the engineer who mentioned 'trusting' them to know where the mic is placed and how it's placed for the individual talent for a session. It's their job. I always trust the engineers for mic placement... and then, when you do find your 'sweet spot'... it's even... dare I say? 'sweeter!'" -- Kristi Stewart "I agree with Kristi about the 'instinctive' part. When I was in broadcasting years ago, I was partial to certain brands, and the funny thing was, some of my co-workers had exactly opposite taste. I liked certain higher-end Shure mikes and disliked Neumann models - I felt they were too 'bright' for me. Yet, others loved them. Once I had the overall feel right, finding the sweet spot wasn't that difficult for me. You know it when you hear it." -- Tom Hosmanek "I'm also a fan of the Shure mics. For my voice, they seem to be flat and natural sounding. The best thing is to get in there and play around with the mic for a while. You'll know when you hear something you like!" -- Jeannie Stith "I am 'right' mic-ed. I like the mic to come at me from the right side. I like those wide ranging mics that allow the textures of my voice to come through. I like to work close. None of us can know all mics -- I worked with a tube mic they said I had to practically swallow. Engineer told me that and I followed his instructions. Otherwise, it's like a batter learning the pitchers and their tendencies. The longer you do this, the more you learn. I also agree with previous comments about the 'instinctive' aspect." -- Michael J. Schoen "If your mic is not a condenser and/or you don't have a pop screen, try talking slightly off to the side of the mic to avoid puffs, plosives and sibilance from words that start with the letter P, T or S." -- River Dain Kanoff I think what River means to say is that even if you have found your sweet spot, you can make it even sweeter by ensuring you don't have any speech issues such as popping ps. Other Tricks For Avoiding Plosives Are: ๏ Smile through your words ๏ Put a pencil in front of your mouth ๏ Cut the air in half by speaking with your face turned down a bit If you're interested in learning more about microphone technique, take a listen to this podcast recording by voice over coach Melody Jones about microphone techniques for voice over artists. What's Your Strategy For Hitting the Sweet Spot Every Time? If you are experienced in this effort, I'd love to hear about how you found the sweet spot and tricks you use to consistently find it, even if you have to use a microphone you have never encountered before. Looking forward to hearing from you! Best wishes, Stephanie ©iStockphoto.com/Ruth Black

• 3 Recording Engineers Spill The Beans on Top Pet Peeves

  Not being able to take direction. Touching the microphone! Not having "microphone awareness." These are just some of the many things that can irk producers and recording engineers... and make them question your professionalism as a voice over artist. But... Not being able to take direction. Touching the microphone! Not having "microphone awareness." These are just some of the many things that can irk producers and recording engineers... and make them question your professionalism as a voice over artist. But wait, there's hope! You can put your best foot forward and make a good impression when visiting a recording studio, all you need to do is learn more about what is expected of you and heed these words on today's VOX Daily! What Shouldn't You Do in the Booth? I had a discussion with some audio engineers via Facebook who agreed to share their wisdom and insight with you. Just as a casting director wants to get the absolute best performance out of a talent when auditioning, the recording engineer wants to see you succeed and be comfortable in the booth. Here's What 3 Friends in Audio Production Had to Say! "That's easy...: not being able to take direction!" -- Jacob Ekstrøm ProVOA.com "Mic awareness is knowing the spot on the mic where your voice is the cleanest, clearest, and has the most natural treble content. It's called being on axis. When the voice is in that spot, it's the best it's gonna be for that particular talent. A lot of this magic is with-in the talents own voice and nothing is really going to change that no matter what they do. I just finished recording a variety of Non-Pro's for the musical I did for a local church here, and I was amazed at the different ways the mic captured the different people as they spoke. Also to know how to work the mic - OR NOT - can frustrate the heck out of the engineer, because you may get a great take that sounds terrible OR a terrible take that sound great audio wise. For me, it can be the most fun as an engineer to record a performance or the worst time too, depending on who you're recording. And also, like Jacob said, once you realized that the talent is not going to follow your direction, or worse, can't follow it, it's gonna be a long session indeed. Hope this helps!!" -- Bob Marini Summer Productions "I agree with Bob. That's what I was talking about the other day. HUGE pet peeve of mine. Knowing your mic technique for a V/O Artist is like a musician knowing their own instrument. If you intend to make money as a V/O and support yourself, then you are as a professional musician, not a garage band. You rise to a certain level of technical proficiency with your instrument and it can be like watching someone who just picked up the guitar trying to play an E chord and not properly doing so. That's why for me the whole 'moving and touching the mic' issue is a reflection of the individuals technical skill. Now, if they ask you to move the mic because they are short or taller than where it was placed, and need to find the sweet spot, that's different, but if you as an engineer have placed it properly for them, they shouldn't have to touch it." -- Adam Fox Defiant Digital Productions Takeaways ๏ Be open to taking direction and ask questions if you need clarification ๏ Know how to use a microphone and where the "sweet spot" is for your voice ๏ Leave microphones and other technologies in the capable hands of the engineer Do You Have Anything to Add? Looking forward to your suggestions and ideas! Best wishes, Stephanie ©iStockphoto.com/berekin

• How Familiar Are You With The Audio Signal Chain?

  When you first get into voice over, you'll quickly learn that something expected of you (to work independently) is an audio home recording studio. Voices.com CEO David Ciccarelli is an honours graduate of the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology... When you first get into voice over, you'll quickly learn that something expected of you (to work independently) is an audio home recording studio. Voices.com CEO David Ciccarelli is an honours graduate of the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART). On his blog, The Biz, he took time to outline the basics of the audio signal chain, comprising of three elements that every voice over professional should be aware of and understand. We'll briefly discuss these elements today on VOX Daily! The Audio Signal Chain You may have heard of the signal chain and how integral it is to the audio recording process. Components of the signal chain are: Sound sources Microphones Preamps Sound Sources Why are sound sources listed first? It makes sense that you'd need a sound source in order to record, right? Without a sound source, you wouldn't be able to record much of anything other than the room tone. There are 3 types of sound sources: Acoustic Electric Digital An acoustic sound source may be an instrument such as a piano, violin, trumpet, or even the human voice. Our voices are organic and therefore acoustic in nature. An electric sound source may be instruments with audio outputs that can be plugged into a preamplifier or a recording device such as an electric bass amplifier, electric keyboard, drum machine and so on. Digital sound sources include computer based sounds such as software used to produce sounds or sound effects that are pre-recorded. Microphones Once you have a sound source, you'll need a way to capture that sound source. This is where microphones come in. All microphones are built to perform the same basic task... to capture the varying pressure waves in the air and convert them into varying electrical signals. Technologies commonly used to accomplish this conversion include: Carbon Microphones Dynamic Microphones Condenser Microphones Ribbon Microphones Crystal Microphones * USB microphones (microphones that you can connect to your computer via a USB port) come in many different styles and varieties with varying features. You can learn more about each of these microphone types if you'd like on The Biz. Preamps Following the microphone, which captures the sound and converts it, you have preamps. Engineers tend to agree that the preamp is just as important as the microphone when it comes to producing quality audio. A microphone preamp is a device used to amplify the voltage taken from a microphone to a higher, more usable level. Most microphones must be used in conjunction with a microphone preamp to function properly. Preamps are available as hardware and as software. Many mixing boards or desks have microphone preamps built in. There are also a plethora of external preamps from which to choose, which is great for adding the exact tone and feature set you need for your setup. USB Microphones have made recording even easier! The USB mics do this without an external preamp. Many USB microphones come bundled with preamplifier software that provider additional control and gain adjustment to the signal being recorded. Software preamps are purely digital and therefore do not amplify the voltage of the microphone. The software simulates an increase to the audio signal and therefore doesn't offer nearly the quality or characteristics of a traditional analog microphone preamplifier. USB microphones will work without the software using the standard drivers included in your computer's operating system. Whew! That's a lot of info! I know that some of you really enjoy tech talk and hope that this article helps those who are new to the industry. Should you be hungry for more, I did an interview with OIART's Bob Breen that you may find useful and also get a kick out of. Comments? If you have any favorite combos that you'd like to share for what goes into your signal chain, be my guest! Looking forward to hearing from you, Stephanie ©iStockphoto.com/fotoIE