Earlier today, 701 voiceover people from around the world attended my live teleseminar with Harlan Hogan and Jeffrey P. Fisher, authors of the VOICE ACTOR’S GUIDE TO RECORDING AT HOME OR ON THE ROAD.
This posting is for the uncensored “reviews” of our attendees.
(You didn’t hear about the free teleseminar? Join my E-Mail Gang so you don’t miss our next event.)
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Loved the v/o tele-seminar! Can’t wait for part 2!
WOW! Excellent. I loved this and took lots of notes. I ordered the book too. (I’ll get 2 more copies after my next gig.) J I liked especially how Jeffrey and Harlan explained specifics, about: pre-amps, software, and types of mics and brands. This is information all voice over talent needs, but it’s often hard to find. I appreciate it so much! THANK YOU!
Nice work Harlan, Jeffrey and Dan. Thanks for the seminar. It was 90+ minutes of the kind of solid advice and information I would have never hesitated to pay for. However, it was FREE! Each of you brought your own special brand of talent and expertise to the call. What’s next Sign me up!
Dan.. Thank you for seminar! I actually learned something. It was a pleasure to listen!
Very nice stuff! Been in the biz for 30+ years and still learned quite a bit – took notes – worth every penny, Dan!
I am a voiceover wannabe who has audio experience from 20 or 30 years ago, as well as video recording. However, I don’t profess to say I have the tools to make a viable living at this time. I still have to take voiceover classes as well as doing the much advised theater work, but what I learned today solidified what I perceived to what a home studio should consist of. Even the points made on soundproofing, noise control and location of the microphone made so much sense, and gave me the confidence to know that I can do this successfully. I can’t wait for the MP3 file so that I can dissect the information while I look up on the internet what it is that you suggest to help me get started. I will be buying you book on my next payday. I will also start going to your site and looking for more opportunities to study with you.
Really enjoyed the teleseminar. The information discussed was, for the most part, slanted more for the beginner. Perhaps you could do another dedicated to the intermediate and advanced vo folks?
My biggest take-away: “plain vanilla” is usually preferred.
Thanks for a great 90 minutes!
Great teleseminar with Harlan and Jeffrey. Very good, practical information. I’m a bit of a tech-head so I was following pretty easily. Great takeaway value for me in their recommendations of the John Hardy preamp, the MXL mics (909 and .009) and the emergency car interior/studio solution. I also learned some good things about the software-based ISDN solutions currently available. With Harlan and Jeffrey, you had experts from both sides of the studio glass. Good, balanced, practical stuff.
Only suggestion I would have is live follow-up questions. I thought a “chat” based or IM based connection would allow for immediate follow-up questions. Some of the Q’s might have taken a second to answer but would have completed the picture.
Today’s teleseminar was very encouraging!
I will press on and keep learning. Thank you for further demystifying the recording process.
Harlan, I finished reading your book today AND listened to the seminar, so today is burned into my brain as “Harlan Hogan Day!”
(I hope your wife Lesley gets that slate roof really soon!)
Thanks so much for your time and insight!
I did learn about software that I will use for my internet radio station.
The “Whisper Room” info was helpful also.
I have used laptops and PCs for VO work and radio production and I found your info on ISDN use very interesting.
The work-around info about “in your car” info was good stuff too!
It was “all good”!
I am looking forward to more nuts and bolts kind of stuff in the future on your teleseminars. The how-to segments are great!
I will get 3 books from your site!
Dan, you did a great job of setting a world record of having 701 VO Artists inside a phone booth ..
Harlan, Jeffrey and Dan, thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences with us.
I enjoyed the “show” and it was worth the price of admission. I laughed and marveled at several of the ‘inventive suggestions’ which Harlan found “devious”.
I found several suggestions from Jeffrey equally brilliant in the short span of his answers.
Looking forward to having the opportunity to attend another Teleseminar as part of the “email gang”.
Thanks again Dan for making this happen … Sir … May I have more please?
Thanks for putting together this event and conducting a very informative session.
There are only three areas I thought could have been covered in greater depth:
– In the discussion of proper recording levels, it might have been helpful to indicate what proper levels look like on the screen, what clipping looks like, etc. Different record/edit software look a little different, of course, but a general description would probably work for most.
– I felt there could have been more discussion of monitoring oneself during a remote session. Sometimes the headphone output on the laptop just doesn’t provide enough volume, or none at all. There can be latency (delay) with USB mics, but there’s one — the Samson G-Track — that solves this by giving you a headphone jack on the underside of the mic; it even has its own level adjustment.
– When we lean into the mic in a remote situation, there’s a greater tendency for the plosives (“P” sounds) to act up. I’ve wondered about carrying some women’s hosiery to slip over the mic to prevent this, much like a popper stopper works. Of course, it might be a good idea to explain to one’s wife why hosiery is part of the travel kit!
Again, thanks much.
There is a sense of intimidation in this business. That intimidation, somehow leads to not asking the questions that so desperately need to be ask to gain the knowledge needed, especially when first diving into the business. I think this is in part due to the fact we all want to look like we know what we are doing and are professional so we can get the job. You have- very well- answered many of those “hard” questions for those who are green, and not so green. GREAT WAY TO SPENT MY AFTERNOON! THANKS!
Nice event! The last 20 minutes was loaded with some great info/tips! Thanks!
But there was one little, but weirdly important piece missing in the discussion: having handy lighting in a cramped set-up like a “pillow-fort” or Harlan’s PortaBooth. In confined spaces, lighting to shine on your copy can be a dickens of a deal — and worse: the heat that it can throw-off can be misery. That’s why I pack Ott Lite’s “Mini-Task” model (their larger gooseneck version’s in my soundbooth at my studio) in my computer bag. And for Harlan’s little Porta-Booth? I use the microscopic Lampcraft “Gig-Light.” Very Handy and NEVER dies. Available on Amazon, too. Both give off NO heat or hum.
Thanks for organizing a nice afternoon, Mr. O’Day!
Thanks for an informative 90 minutes! Most of my most basic questions were covered, and I was pleased to hear that my new MXL 009 mic was given a thumbs up by Jeffrey. I was also glad that Source-Connect was discussed, which I had been investigating. All in all, it was great to get a general overview from you all. . . and I for one would be very interested in future teleseminar offerings. I appreciate you each taking the time to share expertise with us.
Well done! You, Harlan and Jeffery “hit the nail on the head”. Bought the book last month and look forward to absorbing it when I fly home to South Carolina for a 3 week visit Monday.
I’d appreciate you or Jeffery comment on the new Maya Flashman II digital recorder that can eliminate a computer if editing is not an issue, and connect remotely to the Internet delivering voice overs in a wide choice of digital audio formats. It allows 3G wireless, and USB or XLR mic input.
Well done! You, Harlan and Jeffery “hit the nail on the head”. Bought the book last month and look forward to absorbing it when I fly home to South Carolina for a 3 week visit Monday.
I’d appreciate you or Jeffery comment on the new Maya Flashman II digital recorder that can eliminate a computer if editing is not an issue, and connect remotely to the Internet delivering voice overs in a wide choice of digital audio formats. It allows 3G wireless, and USB or XLR mic input.
Well done! You, Harlan and Jeffery “hit the nail on the head”. Bought the book last month and look forward to absorbing it when I fly home to South Carolina for a 3 week visit Monday.
I’d appreciate you or Jeffery comment on the new Maya Flashman II digital recorder that can eliminate a computer if editing is not an issue, and connect remotely to the Internet delivering voice overs in a wide choice of digital audio formats. It allows 3G wireless, and USB or XLR mic input.
Thanks to all 3 of you for providing a lot of wonderful and specific information to our questions.
I liked the candor. Very clear responses. I would have like to hear some personal stories from your vast veteran experience that led you to make some of your recommendations. We all learn through the experience of our predecessors and role models.
When I first came into the conference call, there was some background chatter that did not relate to me so I would suggest you learn to use the bridge gear so that only what the audience needs to hear it what it does, and the rest is off mic. No one said hello or asked me to ID myself as a member of the call. Most bridge conferences let each person say Hi as they enter the room. Yes with 700 folks that is a lot of howdies.
Also, like all good presentations, your call needed a beginning middle and end. I know this was not about writing, but even for listening, there still was no introduction for the session telling us about the key points that would be discussed and the goals of the call. You have heard this before: Tell 'em what you are going to tell 'em. Tell 'em. Then tell 'em what you told 'em. The intro for any presenter should be made, no matter how famous or well know they may be. They have earned the right to be introduced and acknowledge in 30 seconds each. The audience deserves to know who is speaking. Out of 700 listeners some of them may not know the cast and crew.
I thought most of the questions, and the purpose generally, was to focusing on home studio setup. It seemed to me that nearly half the questions dealt with remote recording. Do people really record professional in hotels that often? What did I miss in the run up to this event? Good info about hotels and such for sure, but I wanted to know about building a great home study for my primary recording needs. I would have loved to have had a much longer discussion on microphone choices, mic qualities. On audio file types and the settings for those file types (bit rate, sample rate etc) for the best pro sound for the size of each file. No mention of MP3.
As to mics, you can rarely find a place to audition a range mics prior to purchase these days. Even the dealers don't have them set up or have all the models in stock. Would love to have tips on how you get to test mics (as you recommend we do) short of having to buy them? Also what copy would be good to use as a test for things like ambiance, plosives etc. Is the test all subjective or is there some software we can use to create comparitive data? Mic selection has been a major issue for me and I am sure others. Since the mic is the starting point of any VO recording if you start with garbage, there is nothing you can do to fix it down the line. Did you know that you almost did not discuss mics until the last few minutes. I am glad you finally did. An outline or time-line for the presenters might have kept you better on a track to cover all topics more completely and with equal weight.
Would suggest that you organize the questions into sections, – gear choices, environment set up [thanks Harlan for the virtual tour of your home rig], remote connections, common pitfalls and solutions et al. – and thus you would have avoided the repetition some of the questions asked. As for phone patches to interview people over the phone, I would love to have learned what I need to do that and get the best quality.
You indicated 70-90 minutes for the event. I believe this went way over the alloted time. What would your producer say? 'nuff said. Better outline would have kept everyone on track. The book pitch was fine at the end, but a little much for 3 copies. What was never said about the book was how this Q & A offered different material from the book. You asked me to buy but didn't tell me what I would get for my money. The link to the Amazon page didn't not offer much more info btw. And if you had offered a few bucks off the book as a special incentive for folks on this call, I think you would have sold a boatload more of them (especially autographed).
Thanks for this insight. I am proud to be in the same profession with you. It was terrific call and I am certain you will improve with each one you do. The concerns I shared are more about process than the content which was incredibly valuable to me.
@ Mitch: The background chatter was our “pre-game show,” before the teleseminar officially began.
Harlan and Jeffrey were formally introduced to the audience at the beginning of the call.
The questions answered were the ones most frequently asked in response to our worldwide survey of voiceover people.
The running time of the teleseminar was 94 minutes.
Enjoyed the teleseminar. Good, real-world info & insight from the pro's without a bunch of bull.
Thank you so much for the informative and engaging Teleseminar this afternoon. As someone who is incredibly enthusiastic and excited about the field I remain, however, truly a novice and so any (and all) information was greatly appreciated! I approached the seminar as a sortof 101 course expecting a summary and overview, with the professor highlighting key areas for thought and research. You did not disappoint! I feel as if I’ve learned a new foreign language this afternoon, for which I am most grateful, and I’m excited about reviewing the notes and getting the homework done! When a ‘student’ is surrounded with this kind of security, it’s difficult not to succeed.
I really appreciated the wealth of information you provided through your teleconference earlier today. I especially liked the information regarding the equipment necessary to start doing voice overs. I almost invested in a $500 mike, but after joining the phone chat, I understand that you don’t have to break the bank to get adequate voice over sound; rather, I can get the same effects through simple recording programs on my laptop. The best thing I liked about the teleconference was the price! Thank you so much for such invaluable information, and keep up the good work!
I have both of the books and still learned lots from today’s call. Education with humor? Priceless. Thank you gentlemen – you guys rock
Loved the seminar. I was glad that a lot of attention was devoted to sound treatment and proofing at home and on the road, as well as the importance of a good ‘front end’ on the signal chain. The discussion on the differences and benefits of ISDN, Phone Patches, and plug-ins such as Source Connect was very useful. I think the topic of whether we, as voice over professionals, should ‘process’ our tracks was important. I loved the mic discussion towards the end of the call and was impressed to learn that the guys had trouble telling the difference in sound quality from a certain $60 mic and a popular (and expensive!) $1300 shotgun mic… speaking of which, I’m gonna pic one up for Trailer work!! Hope you do more of these in the future and I’ll be picking up more than one copy of the book as you suggested!
P.S. Beginning & aspiring voice talents should *definitely* hear this before investing thousands of dollars in a studio setup!
Thank you for putting on this wonderful session. I am currently working at a desk in our home theatre, but I prefer to stand when I do voice work; so I am in the process of converting a small back room into a studio. Some of the information I already knew, but when you went into details, for example dBA range, internal vs. room noise, average range vs. peaking range, do we need to fully produce the piece ourselves, etc. These are things that rarely come up in a conversation unless you know what to ask.
I also have a few friends who are coming to me with their “building a V.O. home studio” questions because they know I do voice overs; so I can now refer them to where they can buy Harlan and Jeffrey’s book. I already have a copy for myself but I am taking Dan’s great suggestion and purchasing one for the sound engineer that is helping me put my studio together.
In the words of Margaret Fuller, “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it.”
Thanks for the light guys, my candle will be burning “hot as possible!”
Thoroughly enjoyed the session today. I am beginning to understand why the voice is only 10% of the business.
Dear Dan, Harlan and Jeffrey,
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in today’s tele-seminar. I enjoyed hearing all of the information that you all shared with us about the voice over process.
How to select a microphone and software that works best for my needs was of particular interest to me.
Hearing about the more technical aspects of the voice over and post-editing process gave me a glimpse of what can be accomplished once a voice actor provides a clean track.
The discussion and details about setting up a home studio really provided specific guidance so that I can proceed with getting started with my voice acting career.
Finally the “Take first step” encouragement you gave to “newbies” during the seminar was totally the best. I am looking forward to reading your book.
Bravo!
Whoa!! Soooo very impressed Dan!
This was my first teleconference with you. I feel like I got more out of this than I have out of all of the boundless literature that I’ve read from books, on sites…I’m just thrilled. Harlan was a gem, I just wish that we’d have had a bit longer to chat, as I can see that he loves telling stories (much like myself). Jeff is a wealth of knowledge, and I’d LOVE to have him as my go-to techy!! I’m on my way to purhcase their book via your link!! Enjoy the 13 cents!! I can’t wait for your next call!!!
I listened on my way to an appointment. I have to say, I was wowed by the amount of content and value in this call. I usually approach these things with a level of cynicism thinking it’s nothing but a big infomercial with a tease. I decided to listen in because I am building (re-building) my home studio and have been doing some extensive research and homework. Not only were my decisions re-affirmed but I gained some great ideas as well. Your guests are industry leaders and they addressed the questions with clarity and understanding that the beginner and novice could understand and learn from. So, was it effective? Heck yes and I was indeed moved to buy a copy of the book. There was too much info of value not to.
Thanks so much for the tele-seminar. I bought the first book H & J did and now I bought the second. Invaluable information.
What a wonderfully enlightening and entertaining call! Thank you for providing a means to open yourselves up to the many questions presented and for answering them in such an open and cogent manner. Having met Harlan already, it was a pleasure to hear his voice again and also to become better acquainted with Jeffrey, putting a voice to the words I’ve been reading in their book. Listening in was a treat and I trust all 700+ people on the call would agree.
Good stuff guys! I got some interesting info on fold up microphone stands, how to pad a corner for bounce instead of trying to foam the whole room (in a home studio), levels, and more. Thanks for making the teleseminar available to us!
This was a great teleseminar!
It reinforced a lot of things I knew, but especially learning to be scrappy in any situation – plus remember to watch levels and send sound files unprocessed to your producers.
I talk to VO guys all the time who say that mobile recording is not necessary and they still like to take unencumbered “no session” vacations. Oh, really? In 30 years of doing VO’s I have never figured out how to do that – no matter how much I plan or even if I notify every possible client in my database. When I take a vacation, either some fantastic new opportunity emerges, or a valued client that I voice things for needs a new spot a spot update, etc. Deadlines do not stop, so the professional thing to do is be ready to modify vacation time and record a few VO’s.
These days you need to be not only available – but accessible!
Harlan and Jeffrey are right on with all their suggestions, hints, tips and methods.
As a mobile studio VO guy for 10 years – and a home studio ISDN guy since 1992 – I say “let’s hear it for the ‘VO On The Go’ Revolution”
Thanks, Dan – for putting this teleseminar together!
Your teleclass was a resounding ‘hit’ as far as I’m concerned. I appreciate you guys more than words can describe. I’m just starting out in this business and am doing so on a very fixed income (disability — plane crash — but that’s another story!). If it weren’t for the kindness of such gestures as this from you and others who cast a large shadow, I don’t think I’d be recording my first audio book or would I now be the voice for Advantage Mortgage of SW Florida.
Please, PLEASE keep me on your mailing list for any other future ‘nuggets’ you feel like throwing my way.
A BIG thanks goes out to each each of you for taking the time to impart your expertise to us in the form of a teleseminar!. The information was presented in an “easy to understand” style and the fact that you covered a wide range of critical topics as posed by talents is very commendable. I, for one, am mostly computer challenged and it’s good to know that I’m not the only one. My confidence level to “get into” program installations and the like has been greatly bolstered thanks to you guys, in addition to the information contained in the book. Now it will be that much more enjoyable to read and re-read as necessary. But now I gotta order two more copies, THANKS alot!! (LOL). Thanks again for undertaking this mammoth effort.. You guys ARE the greatest!!
I just wanted to say “thank you” again for organizing yesterday’s teleseminar with Harlan and Jeffrey. There was really a lot of helpful information discussed. I plan to pick up the most recent edition of their book as I’m sure there’s much more to dig into. As for the call, it was good to hear both new ideas on home/road recording techniques and equipment, as well as to get confirmation on things I already knew or at least had heard from various other sources
SOUNDPROOFING your home. That was a nice subject covered in the teleseminar. I've built two booths, now. Allow me to share another bit of info that will help quell headaches? There are a LOT of people "out there" who can help you with your soundproofing needs/decision-making. FIND THEM. Message boards abound. YouTube vids & more! Do NOT restrict yourself to walking into a Home Depot or Lowe's on your own.
Some kind and concerned citizen needs to remove the stick from the backside of those who would spend their comment time picking “fly poop out of the pepper” (hey – this was a FREE SEMINAR – NOT A UNIVERSITY EXAM!).
I just wanted to point out that for me – the seminar came at 3am (I live in Manila) – and the “pregame warmup” and loose format was just perfect from my point of view.
Having read the many comments, I must also agree with Steve Webb and Dave Spiker regarding both a more advanced follow-up and a chat oriented seminar with written-in followup questions would be really nice!
Keep up the good work, Dan – we love you –
A big THANKS to Dan, Harlan and Jeffrey for the wealth of information packed into the podcast. Always good to learn new things, and I got some very straight forward answers to questions I’ve been wondering for quite some time. The presentation ran about 90 minutes, but it was like sitting at a table with the three of them. I have a much better idea of where to tweak my setup to get the most out of it. Definitely gave me a glimpse of what the book is all about…
hi Dan, Harlen & Jeff, I had the pleasure to listen to all of the show. it was kind of basic, but also very informative.
I don't do much road recording but, you guys gave me some great advice for my home studio. (no need for compression anymore.) I most likely need a better preamp than my Shure FP33.
But the best advice was, my Sennhiser 416 is a good mic for doing VO's and I need to be about 3" off of the mic to sound fuller. thanks for your generosity.
Just taking a moment to say that the teleseminar was superb. Really informative and jovial! What a treat. I’m thrilled that i was able to listen in and glean all this valuable information. I now feel much more confident about creating voiceovers from my laptop where ever I am in the world. The hotel scenarios were invaluable and quite honestly hilarious.
Dan, Harlan and Jeffrey:
Thank you so much for this seminar! It was excellent and answered many of the questions that have been running through my mind… especially in regards to the reasonably priced brand of preamp and microphone that was suggested.
I have “Sound Forge Audio Studio” that I can use for editing and have a fairly new HP Computer, so learning about the use of a preamp and some of the possibilities for microphones was very informative for me.
I saved the seminar on my computer so that I can listen through it again. Sometimes I have to hear things a couple of times before I can put all the information together in my mind (especially if it is new material that I am not completely familiar with).
Terrific job on putting this together Gentlemen!
First of all, it was good to hear you’ll print, unedited, any negative criticism. That makes it easier for me to speak my mind.
It was GREAT !
I finally got answers to my home studio issues, that I could understand. I actually began making a few minor changes to the room while listening. I was very happy to hear that I’ve even done a few things right. Most of all … I finally understand what I need to do to clean up my ISDN issues.
Can’t wait to read their book.
Thanks Dan. See you in August at Summit ’09.
I have learned more stuff in the past month between the “How to record voice overs at home or on the road” teleseminar and the 17th annual PD grad school, than I have in years.
Thanks Dan O Day!
Dan, Harlan and Jeffrey,
First, Thank You for taking the time to share your knowledge-and for even making it available (and still free!) to those of us who were unable to attend the call.
I would've been sorry to have missed this because you guys confirmed almost everything I've been learning blindly for about 4 years now-even the car gig (really-thought I was the only one)! Can recommend hanging a jacket or blanket off the rearview mirror if you don't have the "Porta-Booth"……but please, don't tell my clients! & btw, if you're choosing between the car and tent, choose car.
You told me exactly what I wanted to know about ISDN, SourceConnect, phone patches, etc….even Skype. I am now ready for my next step-with confidence-so thanks again!
To blog readers: The Porta-Booth works great…..best purchase I've made since the mic.
I had purchased their book a few months ago and found the teleseminar reflected one of the points that I really enjoyed about the book. Even though both guys are very experienced, there was a “just like you” flavor in their comments without a trace of any “holier than thou” attitude. Their presentation of the information was as important to me as the information itself.
My only regret was that Harlan and Jeffery didn’t have a chance to really let their sense of humor shine the way it came through in the book. I would call it “edu-tainment” :-). Hopefully the next time there can a little more fun interplay between them.
And I certainly hope there is a next time soon!
Dan, Harlan, Jeffery, Thank you so much for all the information in the Teleseminar and thanks for putting it in my price range.
I especially liked the “pre-game show” chatter it made you guys more than just voices. I tend to put well known/important people on pedestals which makes them out-of-reach and that chatter made you real people, so it became more cozy and comfortable allowing me to absorb everything easier.
The explanation Harlan and Jeffery gave of the ISDN vs. Phone Patch was very easy to understand and the fact that there are alternate methods that they have actually used, like the Source Connect was very enlightening . Which brings me to one of the big things you covered for me, Software: I wish I’d heard this BEFORE I went out and purchased Pro Tools. Hearing that it almost made Harlan cry when someone tried to teach it to him, made me feel a whole lot better about life.
Another of the big things I’m taking away from this is the understanding that ‘Plain Vanilla’ is all that is required in most cases and really is preferred. I can’t wait to buy the book, book(s) actually since what Dan said at the end made sense. I’ve loaned out a few books that I’ve yet to get back so I think a backup or second copy is required in cases where you have a good source of information you don’t want to lose.
Thanks again to all of you. I look forward to the next one!
I truly benefited from the teleseminar on Tuesday. Harlan and Jeff shared a wealth of specified knowledge in a non-patronizing and concise manner.
Living in New York City is almost like being on the road in that room noise and other space factors are a continual challenge. As I am looking into doing more at home recording the information from the call could not be more timely.
Great Seminar!!I am not the most technical person but this seminar made it seem a little less daunting a task. Thank you very much for the information. I will be purchasing the book!!
The teleseminar was fantastic, Dan! Many thanks to you, Harlan and Jeffrey for all the info. I particularly appreciated the discussion about ISDN vs phone patch. ProTools has been a real challenge for me too and it was great to find out about Source Connect. I also loved the “plain vanilla” advice.
I think a live “chat” where we could write in questions that come up might be helpful if not overwhelming to you all. Thanks again, and please invite us again soon. Good luck with the book! You guys are great.
Just finished listening to the recording with Jeff Fisher and Harley Hogan and found it very beneficial. Presently, I am not yet at the stage of recording from home but after listening to the recording I have that much more confidence and knowledge of implementing it successfully. Having a Mac I now know that Garageband will be sufficient as my recording software. Thank you Jeff and Harley! The comments on the MXL 909 microphone and the fold up stands were insightful and am prepared to purchase them in the near future. Thank you very much and I look forward to future teleseminars.
Great idea to host these two winners. Prior to starting to put together my home studio last summer, I purchased their, at the time, current book. It was a good guide and now as I am much the wiser, I was ready for a real informative session which frankly, this experience couldn’t be accused of.
There was way too much time spent on ISDN, a technology that new to mid-level VO’s just don’t need and a technology that will in all probability, be replaced by some software company real soon. It took about a half hour to get from the hello’s thru ISDN to other potentially significant stuff.
After Jeffery commented on the quite minimal requirements needed to set-up a recording area in a small apt, specifically recommending a corner of a room due to echo cancellation, etc, you asked if a corner was a good idea or some such thing in your own words.
Where do you get/buy acoustic foam?? Google the word and see what happens…my cat knows that.
Essentially, I thought the time was not used to great advantage for the listener, it was pretty unproductive in my opinion and I was disappointed with the lost opportunity with these two expert witnesses.
But all is not lost as the closing statements of both Harlan and Jeffrey were insightful. And as for your efforts I can offer this in closing: You could have been better prepared and you could have/should have guided the conversation more effectively.
That said, you did put this together and for that I applaud your efforts. I think you should do it or something like again and build on this experience…and learn from it.
Thank you for the interesting seminar. Overall it was very interesting. Could have done without the first thirty minutes as those subjects were already familiar to me. There were some good nuggets of information in the last hour – thanks!
It was great info! I liked that the terminoloy was so user friendly and everything was broken down to the basics. Now I feel like I can talk to producers and engineers a little bit better than before!
Thank you for the interesting seminar. Overall it was very interesting. Could have done without the first thirty minutes as those subjects were already familiar to me. There were some good nuggets of information in the last hour – thanks!
Well, the thing that kept me from dialing in live finally freed me up time to relax long enough to finally listen to the mp3.
I have to say… awesome! I took very detailed notes also. I’m one of those individuals at the very beginning of the beginning of trying to crankstart a VO career. In fact, finances are so tight right now in this crazy economy that I’m just scraping by while looking for a new dayjob. That was my biggest regret that I couldn’t afford to participate in Harlan’s VO class. I’m confident that would’ve been perfect for me. But I digress…
The ‘recording at home or on-the-road’ teleseminar was excellent! Lots of good questions. Both Harlan and Jeffrey couldn’t have been nicer, more knowledgable or more clear in how they explained everything from their respective strengths.
Thanks so much! I’ll keep an ear out for future teleseminars. 🙂
This was a most enjoyable efficient 90 minutes with useful tips in particular on noise control in hotels as well as loads of excellent technical information. These two generous gentlemen were both knowledgeable and fun to listen to. Thank you SO much!
Outstanding podcast. As someone new to the business, I found it extremely informative. I had ordered the book last night and am looking forward to “ingesting” it when it arrives next Tuesday.
Dan, Harlan, and Jeffrey:
Nicely done, what a great idea taking questions directly from the VO community and answering them for Teleseminar. I hope you don’t mind if I post it on MY website to share with my clients, with a link to buy the book, too! I bought the book a few weeks ago and read it cover to cover. I think you took a difficult range of material and managed to convey it so that the average voice actor can grasp most of the information.
Although I consider myself an authority on the subject of recording VO at home and on the road, I learned some stuff from you guys. I never stop learning, in fact…
My only criticism, if I may be so bold…
I didn’t get to hear the live teleseminar, but I just heard it on the Voiceover Experts podcast in MP3 form. I was surprised that you didn’t record your voices locally, or via ISDN or Source Connect, and use a high-fidelity version for the archive and syndication. Definitely do that extra step for the next teleseminar recording.
What a great presentation! For me, it was a bit basic and repetitive… yet
the material is nonetheless valuable for beginners and novices. Great to hear that
Harland endorses many of the techniques I already use. Repetition is the soul of learning.
Thanks to Dan and crew for making this a good place to start for everyone.
I came away with several tips that refine the techniques I’m using.
The advice on mics is especially cool. My experience is: the big buck mics don’t always get the job done.
As Harland and friends explain… What works .. is what works. Don’t be afraid to play.
I wanted to take a minute to thank you for the Podcast you did on home studio engineering. It was extremely informative, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in home recording of any type.
Here’s what I liked:
— discussion of specific equipment and software with brand/model recommendations
— options for those who want the best, and want less expensive compromises
— objective information, no hint of self-interest (except for promotion of book, which I assume is equally objective)
Thank you very much for providing the podcast, which I heard through the Voices.com subscription.
The seminar on home recordings and equipment was a tremendous help!
First, I ordered my new microphone based on his suggestions and hours on the internet listening to actual recordings with the mic and comparing it to others. Then, I got rid of the room noise by adjusting my db levels according to Harlan's suggestion… who knew…