Vox Talk

VOX Talk PODCAST: EPISODE 21

Salutation:

Hi, I’m Stephanie Ciccarelli, your host. VOX Talk rounds up the stories, the audio features and the tips that matter to you. VOX Talk is a community podcast for voice actors and we’re proud of it ☺ Before we hear Colin, let’s find out what’s been going recently in voice overs.

The Loop:

Ralph Hass on YouTube

If you are a fan of the Buffalo Sabres and watch the team on the MSG network, you are familiar with the voice talents of Ralph Hass, the imaging voice talent for the Sabres’ television broadcasts. A new video interview with Ralph is available on YouTube.com that highlights his vocal talents as well as presents you with a glimpse of his work behind the scenes.

To watch the video, go to the VOX Daily blog at blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/

News #2

Microsoft

Microsoft took another step into the speech technology and contact center market, acquiring Mountain View, California-based TellMe Networks Inc.

TellMe provides voice services that include directory assistance, customer service and voice-enabled applications. Its mobile search service at 1-800-555-TELL helps users find local businesses, sports scores and movie times. Businesses use TellMe's voice services and platform to provide customers with voice-access services ranging from banking to package tracking.

To learn more about this acquisition, visit searchcrm.techtarget.com

News #3

Country Music Celebrity Birdhouses

Interested in birdhouses? Country music celebrity birdhouses designed or inspired by the likes of Dierks Bentley, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban, are being auctioned off as part of the sixth Annual "The Birdhouse Thing" auction, benefiting the W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School.
Bidding for the auction on www.opry.com ends Sunday, March 18. All proceeds benefit the W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School, a non-profit organization that has provided music education to thousands of low-income children who otherwise would not have been able to afford such instruction.

To place a bid on the birdhouse of their favorite artist, visit www.opryauction.com.

The Biz:

Whether it's just a bit of spring cleaning for you or if you're in for an all-out demo overhaul, updating a commercial demo from time to time is necessary.

Today in The Biz, we’ll be covering several indicators that you need to update your commercial demo.

The lifespan of a commercial demo is determined by a number of factors.

Common indicators that your demo or parts of a voice over demo may be past their prime are:

• Dates and Times mentioned in the ad copy

• Music Selections

• Voice Age

• References to Pop Icons and Events of Yesteryear

Dates and Times

Marc Cashman received a question on Ask the Voice Cat about how often a voice talent should update their commercial voice over demo.

Marc focused on the issue of dates and times, saying that if a product is mentioned to be older than two years, try to edit out the date or leave the dates out altogether when recording initially.

For instance, if you have a commercial read in your demo about a model of a car that was 'new' in 2005, it might just be time to update that demo :)

Music

Let's look at the music factor now.

• Does the music sound retro?
• Are the sound effects in line with what you would expect to hear today?
• Are there cheesy synthesizers in the background?

Music often sets the tone for a voice over demo and helps to establish your personal branding style.

Don't let styles of music that have been shelved for too long give clients the wrong impression of your production or music selection skills.

There are many royalty-free music libraries out there that you can purchase updated music and sound effects from to keep your demos current.

Voice Age

If you recorded your commercial demo in the 80s or even the early to mid 90s, the demo itself may not only sound aged, but your voice may have matured since that recording, too.

Voices age, just like your body’s do.

A good example is the hesitation that the directors for the Transformers movie due out this summer had with guaranteeing that the original voice actors from the cartoon series in the 1980s would be cast again in their roles.

From what I’ve heard, men’s voices do not change nearly as often or as dramatically as women’s voices do. A woman’s voice will continue to mature until they are forty years old establishing their signature sound in their vocal prime. That's a lot of changing and readjusting to your voice and vocal technique in the span of a voice over career.

And finally, we find ourselves again in ad copy refinement...

References to Popular Icons and Events of the Past

If you have a spot that mentions a Beatles reunion with Paul, George and Ringo, it may be time to cut that bit. George Harrison passed away in 2001. If you have a reunion tour of a band or anniversary reference in the ad copy on your demo, make sure that it is still relevant or at least accurate.

Perhaps it isn't something in the popular realm but a political ad campaign. If the person isn't currently running for office or did not succeed in their attempt, strongly consider removing that spot. It may confuse people who are listening to your demo, and of course, reveal the age of the demo.

So, now you have the tools to evaluate the state of your commercial demo.

Take the time now to listen to your current commercial voice over demo and let us know what you dig up!

Leave a comment at VOX Daily with some of your discoveries!

Tech Talk:

Colin Campbell

VoxBox:

Earlier this week, I posted an article to the VOX Daily blog asking how you unwind after recording sessions and we’ve received some very interesting responses! For some of you, it may be eating food or enjoying a drink that you normally wouldn’t have before recording while others said that they preferred activities outdoors as a reward for a long day in front of the mic.

For instance, Jason McCoy chimed in to say that one of the ways he rewards himself after recording voice overs is a tall glass of milk with Oreo cookies! Now, that does sound decadent! If you’d like to share what you do post recording session to relax or treat yourself, leave a comment on the VOX Daily blog or send in an audio clip to be played here in the VOX Box. You can email your MP3 to media@voices.com

Farewell:

That’s it for today’s show. We’d really love to hear from you! Let us know what you think of VOX Talk and what this podcast means to you. If you’ve been waiting to contribute, I want to encourage you to be an active part of this community podcast. VOX Talk is what you make of it so be sure that you are giving back even just a little bit of what this podcast gives to you. I’m your host Stephanie Ciccarelli. Enjoy your weekend!