- Working the Mic

Generally  you'll want to be 8 to 10 inches from the mic. But if you're yelling you need to be farther back. If it's a very personal or intimate read, you need to be very close. It's very important that you learn to work the mic so you know what  the right distance is for you when you're doing different kinds of reads. Don't wait until you have a job that reveals you haven't experimented with distance and tones of voice. Knowing how your voice works under different conditions with your mic will put money in your pocket:)

- How to Transfer Waves Filters to your new Computer for ProTools

You have an A computer and a B computer. To move your Waves licenses from A to B computer, login to your Waves account on the A computer and move them to the cloud. The log out from the A computer and Login into the Waves account using your B computer. The licenses will be waiting for you in the cloud.
Here's the Waves link to their instructions for moving the licenses from one computer to another.

Move Licenses | Waves

- Voiceovers for YouTube Videos Tips & Tricks

We had a large crowd at the Vidsummit 2014 conference on video marketing and video advertising. I was surprised and happy that everyone wanted to know how to get better audio, so here are a few of those pointers. Buy a better mic! A $30 mic isn't going to sound as good as a $150-$200 mic. There are many great USB mice in that range. Stay 8" to 10" from the mic. Most people are too far away and it makes it sound hollow. If you done have acoustical egg crate foam, buy some and stick it up where you record. Make sure the mice is sitting on foam or at least a towel, not a hard surface. Buy a noise reduction filter from WAVES NS1 is amazing. Warm up your voice before you record so the voice is open and naturally warm sounding:)

- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are all working, Why Not You?

This is to say that all types of voices are working and making money. Casting agents sometimes use voices that just sound like the"person next door" who is "unpolished" because it sounds more sincere to them. Other times a more polished voice IS needed. There are many ways of looking at casting and voiceover success and there is no one right way. This doesn't mean you shouldn't practice and have good skills for reading copy so you can take direction. The meaning is don't let anything stop you. Develop your skills, concentrate on what your unique personality brings to the table and FOCUS!!!
It is simply one of the most wonderfully ways to make a living for people who love to talk:)

- The Best Way to Get Voiceover Work

There are a million people doing voiceover work and a lot of them are really great. What can you do to get work in this sea of voice actors? It's easy to talk about knowing the various styles and having good cold reading skills for bigger projects, but there is one quality that seems to me to be the most important. It is my opinion that the ability to personalize voiceover copy is the most important skill. It's obvious that the copy has to be idea driven, not merely "read". Sounding like you are "Present" when reading the copy makes it sound intimate...as if you are speaking to only one person who has your undivided attention. Many people do good "Reads" but the ones who seem to get the most work are the ones who personalize copy the best. The ones who sound like they're speaking to a close friend. The ones who sound the most "Present".

- Microphone Techniques - Finding the Sweet Spots for Your Voice, with Your Mic

It's not just about setting up your session, hitting record and the laying down some voiceover tracks.
Whichever mic you use, try recording at different distances and at slightly different volumes with your voice. Do many different takes where you speak louder and then slightly softer, while you vary the distance. Take a good tour to keep refining which sounds you like better. The interaction between the electronics in a mic and a specific voice involve many variables, so you have to experiment to discover the many different sweet spots for the various tones of voice you might want to use. When you speak softer and closer to the mic it's obviously more intimate AND there is more saturation in the sound that is recorded. Speaking softer and then using more "Head Room" in your spoken tone will give yet again a different effect. The important thing is to become very familiar with your own recording set up and how to best present the sonic identity of your voice based on each job.

- More on Studio Behavior

I'm still getting input from casting directors and some agents that want Rob Actis and myself to emphasize in our VO BootCamp Workshop for VO artists that there a lot o lot of talented people that seem unaware that people hire people they are really comfortable with.
Some Issues:
Do you dress nicely but casually? Don't go to a VO session in a suit and tie.
Be well rehearsed ! You aren't there to do your homework on other peoples time.
Remember to stay 8 to 10 inches from the mic.
Don't debate any direction you're given. Just say "OK, let me try that for you".
Thank everyone on your way out
Enjoy yourself don't look like you're struggling.

- Don't Blow Out Your Voice To Do Character Voices

Here is a short video clip to illustrate that you can't just bring on your voice to do character voices.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5p-lgKsGn8

- Here's The Follow up Exercise To Using Beat Changes

A beat change is the change in tone of voice to set up new ideas.
Find a piece of copy you like that's not too long. It can be a commercial or short descriptive narrative.
It should have at least four Beat Changes/Change in directions in the copy...places. that require beat changes:) Record yourself and vary the cadence to set up clear Beat Changes.  Try and create 20 versions that are more related than not. Yes 20 versions. This creative exercise will help develop control over the voice and tone of voice as well as improve creativity.

- Reading Copy With Beat Changes So You don't Sound Like You're Reading Copy

It's an interesting task to read copy and have it sound idea driven and spontaneous. When we are talking to a friend there is a tumbled quality to the words because the words are idea driven. Each new idea or development in the text has a natural "Beat Change"... a change in the tone of voice that marks the shift in ideas. We never really think about the musicality of this in daily life because it's a natural part of the harmonic language that we use to communicate clearly to each other. Becoming more aware of beat changes can take the quality of our voiceover work to a whole new level. I hear casting directors say things like "Nice voice, but doesn't mean it." This seems to be shorthand for the person just sounds like they're reading copy. Our reads have to sound like we're talking to a friend in a focused but conversational manner. Beat changes are simply one of the elements that help us read into a mic and not sound like we're reading into a mic.

- A Great Way to Practice and Develop Voiceover Skills

One of the best ways to develop your ability to read copy is to pick any piece thats at least 5 or 6 pages long and cold read it. Take the time you need to read it perfectly. Remember to scan ahead with your eyes as you take a breath for the next sentence. Your eyes should always be 2 or 3 words ahead of where your mouth is speaking so you can deliver ideas and not just the words.
There is something amazing that happens to everyones talent when they spend a lot of time reading out loud, they get a lot better.
Happy  4th everyone!

Black Box Wine Commercial Goes International Congratulations Rob Actis

I've worked with Rob for 20 years and he gets better every year.

Black Box Wines Shattered Red TV Commercial - YouTube

- William Shatner's Best Voiceover Work Ever - Mars Rising

William Shatner  is famous for a lot of great things. His narrative voiceover work on the Science Channel for Mars Rising is really wonderful.

Here's the link.

Mars Rising : Videos : Science Channel

- The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Do is Talk

Everything about ourselves is carried to everyone else by our voices. The manner in which we speak, whether doing voiceovers, teaching, negotiating, or explaining, determines the success of our communication. There are many studies that show that much of what we communicate has nothing to do with the words we speak. How important then to work on our presentation to make sure that our voice carries the sound of what we truly mean and not the aggravation we may feel.

Everyone has made someone laugh, cry, provided comfort and solace. We all have these powerful abilities to communicate clearly for the benefit of others and ourselves.
Our voices are the engines that carry ever ideas, every hope and dream to everyone we interact with.
Developing our skills of expression with our voices can benefit ourselves, our voiceover careers and all aspects of our lives.

- My Favorite Carl Sagan Voiceover From " The Pale Blue Dot"

I have always admired his writing and larger view, but here, he makes amazing use of his own eccentric narrative style in a very authentic way. A lesson to all of us in voiceover to embrace who we are and how we speak.
Yes, they have a short ad before it plays:(

▶ Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot - YouTube

- Going from good reads to Great Reads

Reading a sentence and getting it worked out so it sounds idea driven is fairly straight forward work.
VoiceOver artists from pros to beginners learn to do this pretty well. The real work begins after a person can do this.
Multiple takes in a studio are done to find different shades of meaning and nuance. They are not done to figure out the meaning of the copy, all of that should be done before the session.
Time is money in a studio or anywhere else for that matter.
It's relatively easy to do a good read, it's much harder to learn to do great reads. Repetition is the main ingredient. Once it's a good read, repetition will reveal nuances and other possibilities that make the read naturally persuasive. Many times a client isn't sure what they want, so it's up to us VO artists to keep giving them variations until they jump up and say "That's great, do it like that again".
Our ability to hear nuance and variations will develop as we learn to rehearse over and over. Record and play back, record and play back. Greater awareness and artistic control are a direct result of how much flying time we log.

- Vocal change ups and deceptive cadences will help get you work

I hear a lot of reads that are very well spoken that really don't sound convincing. They don't really sound conversational at all. They are articulate but not "idea driven". I've heard casting agents on large project auditions describe it like this. "Nice voice, but doesn't mean it"
Advertisers tend to pick voiceover artists who can meet all the stylistic demands of the copy and still sound like they're just talking to one of their best friends. This ability to "personalize" copy isn't magic, it has certain musical characteristics.
When we are talking to people in our "Day Voice" we naturally use a lot of vocal change ups, "beat Changes" and deceptive cadences. It's part of the harmonic geography of how we communicate in daily life. When we read copy these characteristics are often left out, making the copy sound merely like a person just reading copy. It's important to study and retain these variations in our best natural speech and not loose that spontaneous expression when we are doing voiceover work.

- Practicing Cold Reading

Commercials are always pretty short, 60 seconds or less. Audio books, or corporate narratives are many pages long. Even if you read a hundred page narrative or a book many times you still don't really know whats coming up next.
Practice having your eyes two to three words ahead of where you're speaking. You should not be saying the word you're reading with your eyes at the same time. Read ahead.
When you get to the end of a sentence and take your catch breath, make sure you always dart your eyes to the right to read ahead, this will reduce the number of flubs.

- The Very First Read in a Session...

It's important that VO artists practice at home so you can start with a good read and not use studio time with people standing around to get "warmed up". Remember to practice your reads thoroughly before getting there and warm up your voice on the way to the recording studio. I've recently seen people in a studio wondering what was up with the VO artist who just didn't seem "ready to go" when the person showed up. Be respectful of peoples time by being completely prepared when you show up. it's the best way to be invited back

- Personalizing Voiceover Copy

There are many people who can read copy well. The most important skill however is to be able to personalize copy. Making the copy sound like it's a collection your own ideas that you are relating to a friend is key to getting cast. This requires an ability to make subtle change-ups in tone of voice and cadence that sound like your "Day Voice" and not like an announcer reading copy. The ability to persuade comes from staying in the tonal  bandwidth of natural conversation between friends.