Voiceovers | Charlotte Voiceover Talent | Voiceover | Radio Imaging | Audio Editing

Voiceover and Punctuation

2012-01-09T18:05:42Z

Voiceover talent always enjoy a well written script. Edge Studio knows that sometimes the copy voiceover actors receive may not always be written by professionals, for understandable reasons. Regardless of how the copy is written, there are things we as voiceover professionals can do to iron out any wrinkles and provide our clients with the best possible final product.

Take a moment to read: "Handling Punctuation Like a VO Pro"

VOICEOVER TRENDS in 2012

2012-01-05T14:44:37Z

Like many of you, I use Google Reader to keep track of blogs that I keep tabs on. One of those helpful resources I look to often is Dave Courvoisier's Voice Over Blog. I saw "12 Trends: MUST READ!" listed and headed over to read. Good information for anyone in the voiceover business - from beginner to professional.

Thanks for posting the link, Dave.

By the way, if you are new to the business, there is another helpful resource to view each day and that's Vox Daily, from Voices.com - they put together the information Dave links to!

VOICEOVER TRENDS 2012

Microphone Shootout

2011-12-27T19:12:43Z

Well known voiceover pro, Bob Souer, has another helpful post on his blog - this time he points us to a microphone shootout.....and affordable microphones at that.

For this article and continued quality posts, visit Bob's blog using the link below:

MICROPHONE SHOOTOUT on BOB SOUER's BLOG

Who Does The Voice At The Airport?

2011-12-01T17:12:55Z

CBS NEWS recently ran a story that featured a voice you have no doubt heard - no not mine, but that voice at the airport.

The Voice At The Airport

UFC on FOX Airs Marines Promo

2011-11-13T17:38:36Z

This is a promo I voiced last week for the Marines. It aired during the event, "UFC on FOX". In voiceover, we often do work that we don't get to hear on the air, whether that be radio or TV. When we do have the opportunity, it's a great learning process for the voice actor. We can hear how the final mix sounds to the ears of general public – far removed from our studio. In my case, our TV's have surround systems and since I have a subwoofer in my studio, I was pleased that the translation from what I heard in my studio was very close to what I heard on the air....that is always a confidence builder....especially when it comes to me producing a spot for radio, web etc.

Below is what aired Nov. 12th during "UFC on FOX"

Pro Tools Tips For Mac

2011-10-03T18:15:31Z

Over the years, I've found keyboard shortcuts, tips and production "must knows" that have really accelerated my workflow. Below is a culmination of things I have either discovered on my own, learned from others or found on web videos etc. These are all from a Mac perspective, but I believe that on a PC the ALT key is equivalent to the Mac's Option key...so perhaps this will be beneficial to PC folks as well.

These are in random order as I learned them...I simply kept a "draft" email going and added as I learned. So, forgive any typos grammar issues. While there are certain to be other ways of doing some of these, this will prove helpful for some.

I'm currently running Pro Tools 8 on a Mac Pro w/Snow Leopard

DUCKING MUSIC FOR VO:

On VO Track, assign BUS 1 to the track (a single fader will appear...you'll need that to control ducking level)

On Music Bed, Insert Compressor/Limiter Dyn3

Near upper left of Comp/Limiter, click on the little KEY and choose Bus1 (what this is doing is saying that Bus1 from VO track is going to tell the Comp/Limiter when to kick in...it's being controlled by the VO).

Now go over to the right of the Comp/Limiter and you'll see Side-Chain, click the little Key to turn it on

Finally, locate the single fader that popped up when you created the Bus on the VO track. Use the fader to set the ducking level to your liking!

DARTHY VADERISHY For Fun:

Drop down -2 Semitones using the Pitch-Shift plugin, then add D-Verb "Large Plate" at 25% (or to taste), Then under the Modulation plugins, choose Chorus and then StereoDeepChorus

SHORTCUTS MAC

WANT TO RESET WAVEFORM HEIGHT TO DEFAULT:: Control + Option + Command + [

OPTION/ALT KEY: This basically an ALL kind of key, so for example, if I click MUTE while holding down the OPTION key, it will mute ALL the tracks!

COMMAND KEY: If you hold down this key while adjusting any values/levels etc, it will do it slowly so you can FINE TUNE a bit better

"PUNCH IN" RECORD: If you want to re-record a portion of audio but would like to hear the stuff that comes before so you can get the flow. Highlight the area you want to record in (give some extra room at the end just in case you go long) and then using the OPTION key click where you want Playback to start and where you want it to end. Little YELLOW FLAGS will show up at the top of the window. Now, just make sure you are in QUICK PUNCH mode and track is set to record...off you go

JUMP TO BEGINNING OR END OF A REGION: With Tab to Transients OFF, simply use your TAB key. If you want to SELECT/Highlight the region while jumping, just hold down SHIFT while hitting TAB key

WANT TO SELECT A REGION WHILE IN PLAYBACK: Use the DOWN & UP ARROWS. Click the DOWN ARROW for the start and UP ARROW for the end. When you stop the PLAYBACK, you will now have a highlighted region!

WANT TO EXTEND A REGION SO IT BUMPS UP (BUT DOESN'T GO PAST) THE NEXT REGION: Hold down the CONTROL key while extending and it won't go past the next region...butt's right up!

WANT TO MOVE ONE REGION IN LINE WITH ONE ON A DIFFERENT TRACK: Highlight the region that you want the other one to line up with. Now, hold down the CONTROL key while clicking on the region you want to move and it will snap in place!

WANT TO DUPLICATE A REGION AND HAVE IT SNAP TO WHERE THE CURSOR (PLAYHEAD) IS: Click to place the PLAYHEAD where you want the duplicated region to go, then hold down CONTROL-OPTION and click the region you want duplicated. It will copy and snap to the PLAYHEAD! NOTE: CONTROL-COMMAND will put the END of the region at the PLAYHEAD.

WANT TO TOGGLE BETWEEN WAVEFORM VIEW & AUDIO LEVEL VIEW: Make sure the little a/z button is turned on in the near top right of the window or you can find it in the bar above the wave form window. Now whatever track you are on, simply hit the MINUS KEY on the Qwerty Keyboard (NOT the minus key on the numeric portion of the keyboard)

WANT TO SEE YOUR ENTIRE SESSION ON THE SCREEN: Click OPTION-A

WANT TO SET YOUR FADER TO ZERO QUICKLY: Hold down OPTION key and click the fader

WANT TO MAKE THE TRACK OR MULTIPLE TRACKS BIGGER REALLY FAST: Click on the track or slightly highlight multiple tracks and then holding down the CONTROL key, use the UP/DOWN ARROWS

The Edge Factor Show: "GNARLY METAL"

2011-09-22T16:04:59Z

The latest episode of the incredibly shot, edited and produced show The Edge Factor is now online.

The Edge Factor Show

2011-08-18T15:26:51Z

The Voice of Brian is the narrator for the surging program The Edge Factor Show - and this show has really created a huge buzz in the manufacturing world! A big thanks to Francois Driessen and Jeremy Bout.

Here's their latest Tease!

Olivia

2011-08-17T12:33:08Z

It was 1997 and my wife and I were about to have our first of two children. We didn't want to know whether a girl or boy would be our joy, but decided we did want to work on names. I knew for sure if we had a girl, Olivia would be her name. I always liked that name for a couple of reason....sappy as they may be. First, I was a huge fan of the Waltons growing up and Olivia Walton was such an awesome TV mom. Secondly, the beauty and sweet voice of singer Olivia Newton-John had kept the name Olivia in my head. That said, we believe names are important and have meaning and so I actually prayed about the name Olivia and a Bible scripture came to mind...when I looked it up, it said "...and your children shall be like 'olive" plants in your home". Well, back in the days this was written, that simple line would have meant really good things and when I saw the word "olive" and how close it was to the name Olivia, it was a done deal.

Why all this sappy, non-voiceover stuff? I'll tie it in here:

Well, I've been a subscriber to Voices.com's services for many years and they were a large part of helping get my full time voiceover business on solid footing back in those days and I still have the very large majority of those clients I first obtained through Voices.com.

This morning I saw a note posted by Voices.com Co-founder, Stephanie Ciccarelli, who says that she's been busy lately and enlisting the help of guest writers on the Vox Daily blog because.....you guessed it, she and her husband David welcomed their fourth child into the family – Olivia!

Stephanie is such a great asset to online voice talent and I'm very happy that the Ciccarelli family has added another Olivia to the world!

CONGRATULATIONS David & Stephanie and a heartfelt "Welcome Olivia" to their newest addition.

Read what Steph has to say on VoxDaily

Voiceover Training with Erik Sheppard

2011-07-20T14:47:07Z

Just got this email and wanted to pass it along...

Beginning in August, Erik Sheppard - seen here, the voice of thousands of voice overs, popular voice over coach, and the head talent agent at Voice Talent Productions - will offervoice over training and support to a very limited number of voice talents ... conveniently on Saturday afternoons, by phone and private message boards.

This is your opportunity to work with the man who books national projects daily, represents some of the biggest names in the voice over industry, and has coached thousands of aspiring and established voiceover artists.

After a 19-year career on both sides of the glass he knows what books.

This is not a one time class, this is an ongoing training and mentoring program for a very select group of students who will receive daily support tailored to their particular needs. This is a new and innovative approach that gives you access to career assistance on an unprecedented level and all for just $100 per month.

Both the Beginner and Advanced groups are filling up fast, and students not in the first 10 to register will placed on the waiting list.

For more about this Voice-over training opportunity, click here!

Read Aloud Everyday

2011-07-08T14:57:19Z

I'm a big believer in reading aloud every single day. Sure, I read aloud about 6 days a week doing voiceover, but I still believe time needs to be set aside to read aloud as a training exercise – over and above the voiceover scripts that may come along each day.

To be quite honest, I've struggled with reading aloud since I was a kid and have only recently seen positive gains in this area. YEP, after 20 years around the voiceover business, I have always had this issue. I could read till I was blue in the face, but never really made any headway in my reading flow. At one point, I thought of going to see a professional to find out if I have some kind of handicap in this area. (hello!!)

Of late, I've found there has been (oddly) a focusing issue. So, I'm working on that as I continue to read aloud everyday.

Here's a GREAT article that Voices.com posted on Vox Daily – The Official Voices.com Blog.

How Your Eyes Help You Interpret A Script

Here's an idea....read the article aloud!!

Royalty Free Music | Royalty Free SFX

2011-06-28T13:28:40Z

When I need something for a project, whether it be in my studio or in my garage, I want the tools to do the job and I want them NOW! Well, it's cost prohibitive (.99) for me to purchase every tool for the garage, every audio plug-in, music bed and sound effect that I "might" need in the future.

However, (.99) when it comes to royalty free music and sound effects, I really don't have time to go hunting around. So, when I see deals come along, I often take time to review the item or items thoroughly and make the purchase accordingly. (.99)

Today, (.99) I received a note from a company called JewelBeat and they offer royalty free music and sound effects for just about anything you can think of. As per my norm, I ventured out to their site and was pleasantly surprised (.99) – not just at the price per download, but at the wide array of useable options.

From Blues, to Children, to Jazz, Hip Hop, Rock and World....these folks have much to choose from – and they only cost .99 cents. I guess you noticed my little subliminal hints as you read to this point....I couldn't resist!

As is my custom with this blog, I always enjoy pointing readers to things that will help them in their voiceover or audio production business and today, I want to draw your attention to JEWEL BEAT. I plan on using them and I have no doubt believing you will find this a great resource as well.

Thanks to Sue at JewelBeat.com for directing me to this royalty-free music and royalty-free sound effects site.

RE20 Microphone for Sale

2011-06-20T23:03:00Z

I'm selling this NEW EV RE20. I purchased it 2 weeks ago off eBay brand new, and after listening back to the audio I have recorded, I don't like how I sound and unless I get a boat load of radio imaging it simply will not meet the specific need I currently have. I'm selling for what I paid...not looking to make any profit, so it's a good deal for someone!

I have the mic, XLR cable and the mic clip you see in the picture. The case in this pic is an old case and I'll send that with it...don't have a new one.

Price is $335 plus $13 shipping - this is a firm price. As you may know, retail is $429 at, for example Sweetwater.com.

Email my Gmail account, which is Briansvoice (@gmail) if you are interested.

Bob Souer Interview

2011-06-17T13:10:00Z

Longtime friend and storyteller, Bob Souer, has been interviewed by Stephan Cox – it's a great look into Bob's life and you'll learn about an interesting "watershed moment" in his past.

BOB SOUER INTERVIEW

Pro Tools Shortcuts on a Mac

2011-06-14T22:25:00Z

I'm big on keyboard shortcuts and I cringe when I see someone click through to get to something on their computer. Well, when it comes to audio editing, in my case that means Pro Tools, I NEED shortcuts.

There are plenty of shortcuts available in Pro Tools. But the question arose recently when I thought to myself:

WHAT IF I WANTED TO MAKE MY OWN SHORTCUTS!!?

For example there are half a dozen plug-ins that I use quite often, some I use multiple times a day. On my Mac, I know that I can assign any plug-in I want to show up in a "shortened list" of sorts, when I click the "AudioSuite" menu. So, instead of clicking AudioSuite > Other > Normalize. I can have the Normalize plug show up at the top of the window when I click on AudioSuite, by simply holding down the COMMAND key and clicking on the plug-in...this will assign it to the short list.

To do this:

Click AudioSuite > Other > then hold down Command and click the Normalize plug-in you want to show up in the list. Now, when you click "AudioSuite" next time, it will be at the top of the list! This saves a bit of time.

BUT I WANTED A "SHORTER" SHORTCUT!!

There is a site called "ProTools Dudes" and they have an easy tutorial on how to assign a HotKey so with just a keystroke, your desired plug-in will pop up.

NOTE: On my Mac, I decided I wanted to create a "shorter" shortcut for Gain & Normalize. Because some keys combinations are already used for things in ProTools, I did find that the following worked perfectly.

Here's what I assigned:

GAIN: I hold down Control and the number 1 on the Alpha Numeric keyboard

Normalize: I hold down Control and the number 2 on the Alpha Numeric keyboard

PRO TOOLS DUDES shows you how to make your own shortcuts for Pro Tools

Learning and creating shortcuts in Pro Tools, or any DAW, is such a time saver and just makes sense....take time to make your workflow smoother!

NEW EV RE-20 For Sale

2011-06-06T23:29:00Z

I purchased a new RE20 off eBay (last week) and was very excited to hear what I sounded like on it. Much to my dismay, this will not serve the particular purpose I had in mind. I'm not doing a lot of radio imaging right now, so keeping it doesn't make sense at this point.

I paid $335 for the mic, brand new, and it comes with plastic case, XLR cable and the standard mount. As you may know, these retail for $429 w/out the XLR cable.

All I want is what I paid for it....so, save yourself some cash and purchase this one!

PAYPAL ONLY, please and buyer pays shipping - US RESIDENTS ONLY

Email to: Briansvoice at gmail dot com and put RE20 in the subject line!

Brian

Voiceover Workshop

2011-06-01T14:27:00Z

Peter K O'Connell sent out a communique today and the opening struck me for two reasons.

1. He signed off with "...enjoy the ride". This is the same line I use in a large portion of radio imaging I do for a Charlotte station called, well, The Ride!

2. Peter says "Just some quick notes that I hope takes your mind off the crazy heat, rain or whatever sort of meteorological chicanery your part of the world is caught up within." Well, my "part of the world" is in the middle of a tough heat wave – 97 degrees today, but heat index feels like 105!

Why did Mr. O'Connell write?

The Saturday Morning Voice Over Workshop Sessions for June have only one date left (this Saturday June 4th). Call me if that date works for you (10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m ET). July is wide open right now.

Sessions are via Skype or in person at the studio in Buffalo, NY. Over the past couple of months, folks have asked if they could book a non-Saturday date - it would have to be in the evenings between 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. eastern and only on a really limited basis. As always, please feel free to call me and discuss your needs.
About the VOICEOVER WORKSHOP or CALL 716-572-1800 for your PRIVATE WORKSHOP

Lame Excuse for a Sale Sale?

2011-05-27T16:17:32Z

Well, I'm not the one who came up with the sale's name – blame it on Harlan Hogan

Here's what says:

It's Voice Over Essentials' lame excuse for a sale sale!

$25 Off Orders $100 to $199.99

$50 Off Orders $200 and Up

(Discounts not seen since Black Friday!)

Signature Series Products on Homepage only
Does not include Porta-Sound Stand™ or shelves
In-stock products only - Sorry no rainchecks
Starts NOW! Thru Memorial Day Monday

Voiceover Essentials LAME EXCUSE FOR A SALE SALE

EV RE320 Review

2011-04-28T12:46:00Z

I've been eyeing this microphone for many months now and was looking forward to hearing reviews from other voiceover professionals, but not so much from companies who sell it.

Then, a dear colleague, Wayne Nelms sent me a link that fulfilled my hopes of hearing from a voiceover pro about the RE320. Truth is, I subscribe to an RSS feed that would have the article in it, but it was great to get a note from Wayne alerting me first thing this morning. Why? Well, I am in talks with someone to purchase an RE20, but would like to have known more about the 320 before I purchased. Thanks to Dave Courvoisier I can move forward with the RE20....the broadcast standard.

RE320 REVIEW

THANK YOU, Dave (and Wayne) for the information!

P.S. Here's a link to an additional review featured in ProAudio Review

Help Fellow Voice Actor & Coach Help AIDS Orphans

2011-03-18T13:40:00Z

Many, if not all, of you know my friend Julie Williams, voiceover professional and coach. She's tackled many things in her life, and now she's going up against a brutal ride from California to Florida to raise money for children who must struggle and fight everyday simply to exist – I'm talking about AIDS orphans in Africa.

JULIE NEEDS SPONSORS – and literally, every dollar is needed!

Here's more on the story:

Where

Julie and her team will embark on their nine-day journey from Orange County, California, with their rear tires in the Pacific. They’ll trek to Phoenix the first day, then on to Albuquerque on day two. From there the team will ride to Lubbock, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, Tallahassee, and Datona Beach to put our front wheels in the Atlantic.

How can they cover so many miles in so little time?

“We’re ‘leap-frogging it’” says Williams. “That means I’ll only be riding about 100 miles a day—and driving 400 miles a day—as someone from our team rides every single mile.”

Why would she do it?

Is she crazy –that's debatable! But Julie points out, she’s doing it for a cause. As the sun sets each day in sub- Saharan Africa, HIV and AIDS have claimed 3800 lives and another 5200 men, women, and children are infected. Little children wander with no parents, and no one to care for them. Many are HIV positive, themselves. Christ’s Hope International helps with food, medicines, and hope.

“Last year, because of the recession, Ride For Hope funds were what kept this ministry afloat!”

She adds, “I love cycling, I love giving, and I love a challenge. I'm very excited about this ride because it'll offer all three. Granted, I do realize that there'll be many times along this ride when I'll say, ‘Never Again!’ That's when I'll persevere for the children, reminding myself of Phil 3:13-14, which says: Forgetting what's behind and looking toward what's ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize, for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Her Goal, and how you can help

Her goal is to raise $5,000.

Fundraising Link: RIDE FOR HOPE

Be sure to specify that you’re donating for a specific rider… Julie Williams (page 2 of list, it’s alphabetical)

Other ways you can help… perhaps give a certain percentage of each VO for a month to the cause? Or spread the word and pass the link on to friends.

For those who don't know Julie:

Julie Williams is a national voice-over talent and coach, Voicey Award winner, and Audie Award Finalist, who’s worked for the likes of Orbitz.com, Coca-Cola, Pampers, Adobe, The U.S. Army and thousands of others. She’s voiced commercials, audiobooks, narrations, and other genres. Her specialty is voicing and teaching narration and medical narration. In addition, Julie works as a news anchor at K-Love Radio Network which has more than 5-million listeners, and is ready to launch in NYC. She can be heard at VoiceOverChocolate.com, and you can email her at Julie@voice-overs.com.