I get asked all the time about producing voice over demos. I certainly have produced more than my share and its a lot of work for one minute’s worth of voiceover, job-getting magic. But you’re impatient and you want the golden ticket NOW.

Well to answer all the voiceover newbies, here’s the magic answer:

You’ve got 20 seconds, if you’re lucky!
Now get in line, cross your fingers and say a prayer.

You’ve just sent in your voice over demo for a possible voiceover job….along with anywhere from 5 to 200 other voice over talents.

In 20 seconds (usually less) a producer is going to toss your demo into the :

• “Keep for review pile” (which will get whittled down again until the producer picks “the” voice talent) or
• “Throw in the garbage” file.

Anyone in voice-overs (even the so-called “big names”) know a voice over talent is going to get rejected more often than they get hired…the numbers are not in the talent’s favor no matter how talented.

Since most times the voice actor is not likely to be auditioning in person (especially outside the big 3 U.S. markets) you (the talent) have only one tool at your disposal to represent your enormous talent, range, creativity, charming personality, client-friendly demeanor, multi-faceted character repertoire and stunning good looks (in the eyes of the listener). That tool is your voiceover demo.

And now you’re only getting 10 seconds…this better be good.

A 10 second demo?

No, I was just kidding. The industry standard is one minute for the length of your voice over demo with segments of spots ranging anywhere from about 6 seconds to 12 seconds depending on the content. The point is that whatever the producer hears in the first 10-15 seconds will determine whether your voice has the exact (or very close to exact) quality the producer is looking for.

What is that quality? Only the producer knows (it’s very subjective) so all you should worry now only about showing your best work as professionally as possible.

Generic or customized?

Every voice artist should have at least one strong generic demo to be able to present to a prospective client (at the moment, the most favored demo format is an MP3 for e-mail and a CD for snail mail….and yes, the CD should have a professional look to it, not a Sharpie scrawl of your name across it).

Some folks create generic demos based on category…a generic commercial demo, a generic narration demo, a generic character voice demo and so on. Tailored demos simply mean the producer has a demo script he/she wants you to voice; if you are asked, do it.

How do I determine voice over demo content?

Assuming here we’re talking about creating a strong generic demo (not a category voice demo) the recommendations here are:

• The best or most widely heard of any spots or narrations you’ve been paid to create (this should include straight reads as well as character voices). Preferably you want the fully produced cuts on your demo, not the dry reads unless that’s how they were produced.
• Any tailored commercial, narration or voice imaging demos that you felt really presented your talents well.
• Determine your best work from all your categories (commercials, narrations, voice imaging, on-hold, audio books etc.). Then consider the type of work you’re most often hired or considered for and include best of all those segments mixed as you think works best.

When you’re done producing your voiceover demo….you’re not. Play it for other people in the business, get their opinions, and tell them to be cruel, put it up on some voice over bulletin boards that encourage member-to-member critiques. Take all the info to heart (but not personally, the critiques are about “the voice”, not you) and make the changes that you think make the most sense.

What’s in that first 10 seconds?

Your money voice. Every voice artists has one, some have a few. The money voice is either:

• That voice that seems to bring you the most work/that you’re most known for OR
• The voice that you can do well that seems to be in vogue among those who are hiring (at the moment, it’s the sort of conversational, everyman voice as opposed to the big-balls announcer voice).

Now the truth.

Voice demos are close to the apex of and imperfect science. It is an ever-evolving tool and one for which your lively hood depends…but no matter how good it is, your demo is useless if no one hears it. That requires marketing.

And that’s a subject for another day.

Hope this helps.

Tags: character voices, commentary, commercials, marketing, narrations, podcasting, radio, technology, tv, voice actors, voice casting, voiceover advice // 6 Comments »

It’s funny how, not really so long ago, I was editing commercials, narrations and other voice over projects with a razor blade and tape on a beautiful Otari reel-to-reel machine. The digital age has made that skill obsolete.

While that’s not new news to most, take a moment to reflect on the time period of that change, how fast it took place, where technology is today and how in just a few future “blinks” we’re going to be producing audio and voice projects with even newer, faster technology.

ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network) has always had many applications but ISDN’s application for voice over talent has been a standard for over a decade (and its been around longer than that). But the question in voice over circles has been is “ISDN’s usefulness to voiceover’s about to change?”

For many part-time voice talents, the benefits of having an ISDN studio was squelched by the significant start up and maintenance costs; basically if you didn’t have a regular client to foot the ISDN bill, why take the financial risk.

Entering the mainstream consciousness in the past 4-5 years has been Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Companies like Vonage and Skype have for a while now been promoted VOIP’s significant benefits over our traditional long distance telephone calls plans. But now the benefits are being noticed and exploited by voice over talents by combining it with ISDN technologies.

VoIP over ISDN has real cost savings potential but for voice over talents and studios, there has not been the establishment of a leading product or services system for VoIP over ISDN, especially in using IP Telephony. There is no Telos Zephyr (the world-standard codecs for radio and television broadcasters) for VoIP over ISDN Systems. At present, VoIP over ISDN can be done technically,but the standard for Quality of Service is presently a bit…cumbersome.

My bet is that there will be even a faster, less expensive service that will include VoIP over ISDN or even surpass it as the technology of choice for cross country and international voice over hook ups. Wait until the market shakes out from that change!

Your thoughts?

Tags: commentary, isdn, radio, technology, tv, voiceover advice // Comments Off on the continuing evolution of ISDN for voice over and the looming impact of voice over internet protocol (VOIP) for producers

Under whelmed.

That’s my unprofessional, uneducated and musically talent-less opinion of the sound created by a team (a whole team, for goodness sake) at Microsoft to be played upon opening new Windows Vista operating system.

It’s four seconds worth of poorly computerized music that these folks took 18 months (!) to write and produce!

I don’t know how to write or play music but I know what works. This music is “ok” but for 18 months work I expected something a bit better.

I think I could have fixed it with a one note change. But if I was that smart, I would have been paid to spend 18 months to come up with four seconds worth of audio that Microsoft ultimately wants to go ‘unnoticed’

Here’s a link to the sound in this article. What do you think?

Tags: commentary, silliness, technology // Comments Off on the new sound of microsoft

Truth be told, it never takes much incentive to get me to go to Toronto for anything. While I don’t spend nearly enough time there, I always enjoy the city when I go there — it’s a huge city that to me still has wonderful vibe. The people, the shops, the architecture — all of it. Toronto ’s a great place.

So combine my love of Toronto with audio production (some of my favorite clients are in Toronto — you know who you are) and I am soooo there!

audio’connell Voice Over Talent (well, ok, just me) will be presenting a seminar and sitting in on a panel discussion during PodCamp Toronto 2007. At this “unconference” (I like the sound that already) February 27 & 28 at Rogers Communications Centre at Ryerson University. I’ll be presenting “Pod Presence” focusing on how to make pod casts sound really ear-gasmic in other words a podcast listeners would want to listen to again and again.

You can register here (its free to attend) or through the link on my links page. Come on along, it’ll be fun.

BTW, podcast is another one of those undefined spelling words: is it podcast or pod cast? Like the ago old question: is it voiceover or voice over? Only the search engines know for sure.

PS (1.15.07) Here’s a link to a TV interview Leesa Barnes did which explains PodCamp Toronto in even greater detail.

Tags: commentary, peter o'connell, podcamptoronto, podcasting, technology // 1 Comment »

Goodness knows I have been on the receiving end of professional rejection many times in the voice over business. I’ve gotten to the point when I do auditions, I find it’s safer just to assume I didn’t get the job so that I can enjoy the surprise when I am called in to do the project.

Rejection is part of my job.

Sometimes I am the bearer of bad news, especially to other voice over talents who contact me, unsolicited, to ask if I have work for them or if I could feature them on my site. My answer is no.

Hey, I’ve been out there, beating the pavement for voice work (a more glamorous term is marketing, but we’re all friends here, no need to be glamorous). And I know you gotta ask if there are opportunities…”all they can say is no”, right?

No harm in “the ask” except for my rule: voice talents that are featured on this site are recruited by me, they didn’t solicit me. They didn’t send me a demo or ask to be listed on the site…I came across their unique sound; I contacted them and said “Come on, let play!” If they had pestered me for work they would have all but assured themselves of never ever getting on the roster.

Does that make the voiceover roster at audio’connell Voice Over Talent exclusive and exclusionary? Yes. Not everybody gets to play.That does not mean that those who don’t get invited are talent-less. They have talent, loads of it usually but not the “right” sound; it’s my personal taste, one that my clients rely on me for. So, sadly, my answer is no.

Rejection is part of my job.

Tags: commentary, voice actors, voice casting, voiceover advice // 1 Comment »

As we saddle up for the fourth quarter of the year, a time when networks like MTV and Premiere Radio Networks start assembling their countdown shows, I thought it fitting that I would announce (with 60+ days still left in the year) the best performance by a voice over talent in 2006.

The rules of this award, created by me and owned by me state that I cannot give the award to myself (darn those rule makers!)

No, the 2006 award for best voiceover goes to a voice that’s known by many generations both from his (ok, first clue: it’s a guy) radio and television voice work (some of it on-camera). He is also one of the oldest (clue #2), living (clue #3) and occasionally working (clue #4) voices around. He also loves to sail (clue #5).

On September 5^th, like many Americans, I was watching the debut of the “new” CBS Evening News with Katie Couric opened the show with some headlines, read from her new multi-million dollar set inside her new multi-million dollar studio.

The new theme music was cued, the graphics came up and THAT voice intoned: “THIS is the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.”

The voice wasn’t just perfect because of its own rich quality, nor was it simply the really well paced read.
With all that included, the reason THAT voice worked so well was because the CBS Evening News, a broadcast steep in journalistic history, reeling not so long ago from a costly news scandal and now introducing the first solo female news anchor (which shouldn’t have been such a big deal) needed to deftly combine all the news gathering technology and fanciful broadcast elements with its storied (and successful) journalistic past.

When Walter Conkrite, the broadcast’s most famous and beloved anchor, introduced this newest version of the CBS Evening News, he was also imparting his implied blessing on this new news show. Almost so far in the background as to be imperceptible (as many good voiceover talents are) but authoritative and certainly recognizable enough to impart a feeling of trust in the news show that was about to be unveiled.To Walter Cronkite, I bestow The Best Voiceover Performance of 2006 Award. And to the CBS staffer who came up with the idea to use Cronkite, like they say in the beer ads: Brilliant!

Tags: CBS News, commentary, narrations, tv, voice actors, voice casting // 4 Comments »