5 Great Scripts for Practice Reading

All voice-over people practice read… at least they should! It is one of the fundamental skills of the voice talent. It is preached by voice artists and coaches alike. From Mike Kirby to Scott Rummell to Yuri and Tara at VoiceOverVoiceActor.com. Read, read, read and then read some more!

Not only should you do this if you are dedicated to the craft, you probably do this all the time without realizing it. Do you read billboards and ads aloud just to try your ‘take’ on them? I know I do!

The question is then “what to read?” I will search for sample scripts and every commercial style or narration I can to practice, but the easy answer is that you can read just about anything. Grab a newspaper or magazine and start reading out loud. 

Read for an hour a day. Break it up if your get bored but read what interests you. The more wide and varied the text, the better you’ll get at cold reads. And you will get better!

But what about some truly enjoyable reading material that will help your skills and  be fun, too! Well, here are five I think you’ll enjoy!

1. i) Anything by Dr. Seuss is at the top of my list. His thoroughly entertaining stories for kids always seem to hold a moral for adults. But more importantly for us, they provide a better alternative than regular tongue-twisters. The odd rhythms and colourful text make these stories a challenge to read and fun, too.
   
   ii) How The Grinch Stole Christmas is another holiday classic that, while it fits into this first category (Dr. Seuss) still earns a spot of its own. The familiar read by Boris Karloff is so well know it is difficult to give it a different treatment, but I have done many. Try it!

2. Jabberwocky. If you are familiar with this poem you can imagine the terror being handed it as a cold read and not being familiar with it. The many nonsense words leave many to ponder but this piece by Lewis Carroll allows for a a character voice and your enthusiasm to come through.

3. The Night Before Christmas is a classic. I don’t have to tell you about it. It is just a wonder piece to practice with around the holidays.  I have heard many, many different ways to read this, so have fun.

4. Casey at the Bat, the 1888 baseball classic poem by Ernest Thayer is a good length and shows good emotional range. Throw in a voice or two for good measure to bring this story to life.

5. Any Beatles song. This is fun and a good way to develop different ways to do a different take on a read that you imagine only being done one way. Take the lyrics to your favourite Beatles tune and read them in a way that is anything but ‘sing-songy’. Make it sound like a poem or a letter. Just don’t sing it. Sound like fun?
   
   
   

So try keeping some of my Favourite Five  at hand and you'll have more fun with your practice reads and build your skills, too!

I hope this gives you a new outlook on this aspect of your daily schedule. I bet you have ideas for your own list already!

Until next time…

Cheers,

Doug

Voices.com’s New iPhone App: A Boost to the Voice Over Industry!

Last Monday morning ( 9/5/2012) I was fortunate enough to have been invited into the Voices.com boardroom in London, Canada for the media launch of a truly nice piece of software. The new Voices.com app for mobile devices is an all-in-one app that facilitates out-of-office use of the services offered by Voices.com

As leaders in the business of online voice-over marketplaces, Voices.com leapt ahead of the game once again with their new app.  To explain the benefits provided, I should explain how Voices.com typically does business. Voices.com can be compared to brokers in that they will put together the buyers of a product such as those wishing to hire voice talents for a project with the sellers, the voice talents themselves. For this service (which they provide on a global scale) Voices.com collects their fee. Maybe an over simplification, but you get the idea.

iPad Version of Voices.com App

What does this mean for users of Voices.com services? Well, now they have made it simpler for clients to find talent and talent to find jobs. No longer are we tied to our desks. A client can post a job on the morning commute into work or at the airport. 

A voice talent, if travelling for instance, can search these posts, audition and post that audition. They may also edit their accounts, check correspondence and payments. Wow!

While many will obviously desire an office to post their jobs or a studio in which to record, there is always situation that does not allow for what we want and this app may be what we need!

Not long ago as talent we were limited in our ability to record as we travelled. Now, with this new app (that not only records but a lot of your admin work too!), fantastic studio quality microphones and portable studios, voice-over talent has reached a new apex in providing fast, quality work in a manner that is much easier for them.

  

(A word of warning: Just because you can take your work with you on your holiday to the Mayan Riviera, doesn’t mean you should! )

SO when you weant to  

Congratulations go out to the David & Stephanie Ciccarelli and the whole Voices.com App team for hitting a home run with their new software! Voices.com is definitely a leader and is earning many awards in business as they grow within the industry. A complete manual on how this app works for voice talent is available at the Voices.com website. This new mobile app is another indicator of more good things to come from this company. It’s FREE. So download it now!

Til next time,

Cheers!

Doug J.

Questions for Doug? 

Send them to  Doug's Mailbag! 

Voice-Acting: A Two-Headed Demon Dog of a Job! (Part 1)

Thoughts on Voice Acting for the Novice...

Voice-Acting: A Two-Headed Demon Dog of a Job! 
Voice acting today is a two-headed demon dog - a real double edge sword. The duality of it can

 cut your chances in the voice over market. Not only are you the ‘talent’ and need the acting chops to follow your dream, but as a self-employed business person with a home studio, you re your own 'audio engineer.' (Unless you have unlimited cash for studio time, etc, this is how you do it!)

First, you must have the skills to ‘act’ the parts for which you’re auditioning. Whether it’s a car promo or audio book, it is ‘acted’ from a certain approach or perspective! You may benefit from acting classes because you will always be competing with 50 to 150 people for your average job. Don’t get discouraged, there are many ways to approach this aspect of the job. In Part 2 of this article I want to talk about the 'Voice Acting' aspect of this job in more detail. 

Second, you need the ‘engineering’ and ‘producer’ skills to make yourself sound good in your home digital recording studio. On this note, let’s look at some of the gear I have and why. I will state here and now that many choices are purely personal preference.

On the software side I use Adobe Audition 3.0. Some people say it is more than I need for voice work but I find it very user friendly. Also, it is adaptable to use if I choose to record music or if I am called upon to add music or sound fx to a voice job. Also, the many built in features allow me to clean-up a recording or change it to suite the client’s needs.

Rode NT1-A Microphone

The hardware was a much more difficult choice for me - especially the mic. My choice was based on every scrap of info I could find on the ‘net regarding quality, price and who was using what.  The choice I made and love is the RODE NT1-A.

The next item is the preamp and mixer. Originally, I was using an inexpensive ART Tube Preamp with USB connectivity. It has a nice sound but didn’t solve certain problems. If you try to monitor from your output there is latency. That is lag between the time you say something and hear it from the headphones. ASIO driver’s should correct this but my computer with WIN 7 has an issue with ASIO drivers.

Also, I wanted to add the ability to EQ at the source for some project, like when i do my podcast recordings.

This led me to switch my ART Tube MP preamp for the PEAVEY PV 6. This was $130 (cdn) of awesome. While it doesn’t have the tube it certainly simulates that warm sound. I maintain a USB conncection and have a 3 band EQ on not one (as before) but 6 inputs. This plus other great features have made me very happy. 

Peavey PV 6  

The PV 6 allows me to (and this was VERY important) MONITOR of the source. This means absolutely no latency! Whoot! And the PV 6 has phantom power on 2 chanels.  would have to pay approx $100 more to get these features in a lesser piece of equipment. Soooo, yes, consider this my whole-hearted endorsement.

I have a pair of inexpensive SONY MDR-V150 headphones. They are VERY comfortable and sound SUPER, but rattle slightly when you move. So, these will be relegated to use with my iPad as I move onto a better set of phones for voice overs. Until then a small piece of padding keeps them quite.

Sony MDR-V150 Headphones

Most important, you have to be comfortable with whatever software and hardware you chose. You need to be able to work quickly, efficiently and you have to “Keep it Simple” (The KISS Principal) without limiting yourself.

If you need audio engineering skill then look no further than the Internet. Numerous tutorials online cover most audio software packages and give insight into how to record. Then practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Every recording builds your skills and increases your knowledge of your own personal studio.

Here is a tip. Use less expensive items while you get your bearings. Example: While you are picking out a mic and deciding on which sound software to use, AUDACITY is free and fully functional. Try this before purchasing a more expensive program. It works great! Use a cheaper set of headphones until you decide on a pair. Some pros don’t use them while recording at all - it’s personal preference. Unless you really can't afford it, don't buy a cheap $80 mic. Soon enough you will be able to hear the difference. For practice though, any mic will do.

Lastly, remember that other voice over people aren't the cut throat competitors you think we are. We are a very supportive community. If you need help just ask!

Remember I am just touching on subjects of interest. Please comment or ask questions. 

Future blogs will touch on acoustics, networking with other VO types and more software & hardware facts and tips.

Til then…

Cheers, Doug

Doug Jeffery Voice Overs

BTW please follow me on Twitter: @DougsVoiceOvers
Live in or near London, Ontario, Canada? Join Voice Over London Labs!