“Do not take the attitude of, ‘This isn’t a big deal…It’s just an audition.’ Every audition should be ideally treated as though it is a paying job. In fact, a great sounding audition can often turn into a paying job without you ever having to re-record the script.” 

By the way, you should really own that book. It is 100% worth your time to read and implement what Dan says!

I’m not suggesting people aren’t giving their best performances for their auditions. What I want to address is talent missing a competitive edge by sending away sub-par audio for consideration. Without a lot of effort, you can start sending out better sounding auditions right away. Today even! 

Why is this important? Because our clients aren’t just studios and creative directors. Increasingly, we are working with indie producers that want a quality voiceover that they can just drop on the timeline and know that it is killer. As Dan says, a good sounding audition might just turn into a paying job without re-recording!

Hopefully I’ve got your mind wondering, “So what can I do to improve the sound of my auditions?” Thankfully, it’s not hard to do. Diligence is the key. Here’s what I do.

Record in a quiet and treated space. You don’t have to have a Whisperroom (although they are nice) to get a quiet, dead room to record in. I’m not going to talk about studio design here, but make sure your room is as dead as it can be.

Edit with care. If the breaths need to be taken out, take the time to remove them. Use room tone where necessary. On a related note, make sure you keep your editing chops sharp. It’s one of those skills we need to be really good at.

Consider processing. Now I know there are those that will disagree with me about this, but I typically add 1.5:1 compression to my auditions and then normalize to -3 db. It levels out the audio and makes the volume more consistent. At the least, consider normalizing to -3 db. If you need help setting this up, ask your voiceover colleagues. (Heck, you can even hire folks to help you with this. It’s money well spent.)

All of this presupposes you are recording in your home studio with your “everyday” setup and in a quiet space. What about recording auditions on the road? Can’t you just plug in that cool new iPad microphone and start recording?

Hardly. You still need a quiet space to record. Let your ears guide you on this. You can setup a nice little “booth” using all the pillows from the bed and sofa in your hotel room. Your relative’s walk-in closet (with the clothes still in it) will work great too. (I’ve recorded in both of these environments.) You’ll want to be extra diligent editing to make sure it sounds the best it can before sending it off.

The truth is, it’s not just an audition. It may very well be the only chance you get to make an impression on a potential client. If you have a great performance but your audio stinks, you may find your audition was passed over for someone who had a better sounding clip that they could use right away. 

We are professionals, always honing our craft. A great audition performance deserves the best audio you can deliver. Happy auditioning!

I’m not talking about romance. No, this is something far more serious. I’m talking about audio interfaces for the voiceover studio!

What’s an Interface?
An audio interface connects to your computer via USB or Firewire and converts analog sound into digital information that your recording software can work with. That is, it gets the sound into your computer.

Examples of audio interfaces include the MBox, MicPort Pro, Apogee Duet, PreSonus Audiobox, M-Audio FastTrack, and many others. Most have a microphone jack and some also have line input jacks.

For the voiceover talent, the simplest path to getting audio in your computer is plugging the microphone into your interface, and then plugging the interface into your computer. If you have a dedicated microphone preamp, like a dbx or Aphex unit, you might plug your microphone into that first, then take the output of the preamp to the line input on your interface, and then into your computer. 

Why Not Use My Built-in Soundcard?
“Hey, my computer came with RealHi Super-Duper Hi-Def Surround Sound! I even paid extra for it! Why can’t I use that for recording too?”

While the OUTPUT of your fancy on-board sound card might be incredible, the INPUT will never match that of a dedicated USB or Firewire interface made specifically for the task. 

Most computer users listen to sound. They don’t record it. The manufacturers know this and skimp on the input circuitry. Plus, on-board sound cards are prone to letting system noise through. Sometimes, you can literally hear the hard drive spinning (or some electronic artifact to indicate it).

Which Interface Should I Get?
The choices are wide and varied. Mac or PC? USB or Firewire? One input? Stereo inputs? Are you going to record multiple voices at once or maybe your band someday too? 

For voiceover, the simplest and most effective choice is the Centrance MicPort Pro. I won’t bore you with the technical details here since you can read about them at Sweetwater or another reputable retailer. The short story: the MicPort Pro turns any microphone into a USB microphone and it works on both Mac and PC.

USB Microphones
What’s that, you say? USB microphone? Yes, there are USB microphones that connect right into your computer. The audio interface is built into the microphone itself. Popular models include the Audio-Technica 2020 USB, Samson G-Track, and Blue Yeti.  

I’ve used these microphones and I have to admit, they do sound pretty good. I used the AT2020USB for many auditions and booked a number of jobs with it. However, the one time I tried to record an actual project with it, the client specifically said they didn’t like the audio. I re-recorded the project with my main studio microphone and all was well. They could hear the difference. 

USB microphones are fine for getting an audition in. But in a voiceover world that is increasingly competitive, I think we need every edge we can get. If the MicPort Pro will let you use any microphone via USB, with zero headaches to setup, why not go for the better sound? “Good enough” are two words that do not apply to the microphone that records your voiceovers.

Wrap-up
We’ve all heard the saying, “You only get one chance to make a good first impression”. When it comes to auditioning, you only get a few precious seconds to make that impression. Using your on-board sound card is not something you want to do if you want your audio to sound professional. 

My vote is for the MicPort Pro, but really any dedicated USB or Firewire interface for professional audio is going to be better than the on-board sound card. The MicPort Pro is easy and relatively inexpensive considering what it does. 

So get interfaced and start recording better voiceovers! GBY!    

Those last couple of months of the year are always super busy. If it's not holiday commercials that need recording it's end of year funds that must be spent by December 31. Happy holidays? More like Hopping holidays!

And then...Happy New Year! For a lot of folks, things have a tendency to slow down this time of year. Oh sure, we're still booking work, but not like that previous couple of months. So we have a lull in the action. A little down time. Here's my advice for the slow times in our business.
 

1. DON'T PANIC. It's only temporary. As tired as you and I were at the end of the year, our clients are at least that tired. Maybe they are taking a break. Maybe they are planning what to do in the new year and don't need our services just yet. There are many other productive things to do, but don't panic.
2. KEEP IN TOUCH. It's a good idea any time of year, but we can initiate "top of mind" contact with clients we've done work for in the past with more even more vigor. I call this "shaking the trees" to see if any fruit falls. You might book a project, you might not. But at least they've been reminded of your presence.
3. CLEAN YOUR STUDIO. A clean and uncluttered working environment is important. The less clutter, the easier it is to stay focused on the task at hand (the script you are reading!). This might also be a good time to dust. Electronic equipment and dust are not friends. Here's what I do: I completely clear off my desk, wipe it down, and gradually add back only what needs to be there. The studio monitors and display gets wiped down too. If I had  PC (I'm a Mac), I would take the opportunity to take the cover off and blow the dust out from inside the case. (Go outside or in the garage to do that.) I would do this even if my computer was not in my studio. 
4. TAKE TIME TO LEARN. There's always something going on in the voiceover world that you and I can participate in to hone our craft. John Florian's wonderful VoiceoverXtra is a great place to start with webinars and articles that are top-shelf. Or get local and find other VO talent in your area; help each other out with script reading and interpretation. Setup that next session with your VO coach and sharpen those skills! It's always good to get a fresh perspective and you'll learn a thing or two along the way. 
5. PREPARE FOR THE INEVITABLE. At some point, if you stick to your marketing plan, keep auditioning, and keep your name in front of clients and leads, the tides will turn and you'll start to see it get busy again. Take time now to re-evaluate your processes when recording. Can you make it more efficient so you can reply to audition requests in a more timely manner? Can you do anything to improve the quality of your audio? This is a good time to contact guys like George Whittam or Dan Leonard. They know how to talk gear and audio quality to mere mortals like us. :) 

Don't sweat the lull in the action. Take advantage of slow time to catch your breath, hone your craft, and prepare yourself for the next Avalanche!

I'm a big believer in the power of Customer Relationship Management software, or CRM. From tracking all the parties involved in a project (proposed or booked) to keeping good notes on all interactions with clients, I think the CRM is a must-have tool for any serious business person.

The problem for me has been finding the right CRM for me. There are plenty of them out there. ACT, Daylite, PerformerTrack, iPerform, and heck, even Outlook (or Entourage, for us Mac users) will work in some capacities as a CRM.


If you've known me for any amount of time, you know that I am a big fan of web based services. I use Freshbooks for invoicing, am probably a candidate to be a Google poster child, and now, I'm going to add BatchBook to that list. 

With a 30-day free trial, it's hard to go wrong at least giving it a try. And believe me, there's a lot to try.

• Integration with a ton of 3rd party services like Freshbooks, Mailchimp, Zendesk, Eventbrite, Google Contacts, and more.
• A decent mobile app.
• Tiered subscription levels at affordable prices.
• Ability to BCC BatchBook when emailing a contact and have that communication show up in the contact/company record in BatchBook.
• Very flexible list generation. 
• An interesting concept called "SuperTags", which lets you track custom data fields when you tag a record with that "SuperTag". It's like another little database inside the database!
• Social media awareness. You can have it look for associated social media accounts for your contacts (Twitter, Facebook, etc.).
• And a lot more!

As you can see, it's a good thing they give you a 30-day trial. There's quite a bit to try out.

Give it a spin and let me know what you think. What CRM are you using?

A New Beginning
Lots of people get excited about New Years and the anticipation of new things. Fresh perspectives and new beginnings abound this time of year. 

And so it is with my website. Hopefully the new site is easier to navigate for you. I've wanted to add a blog to my site for awhile, but wasn't sure how best to present it. The new engine that runs this site seems to be just what I was looking for.

What to expect
I am a man of many interests! Professionally, I'm a voiceover talent for commercials, audiobooks, e-learning and corporate narration, and just about anywhere else you need a professional voice. At home (which is also my office, since my studio is in my house!), I'm the husband of one amazing woman and dad of eight awesome children. Believe me, working at home with this kind of crowd makes for some interesting stories and observations from time to time!

I will be writing mostly about voiceover and business. I promise there won't be any religion or politics here. (Though my Catholic faith my occasionally show.) 

So feel free to add my RSS feed to your reader, tweet or Like a post, and be amused. Welcome to my blog!