Take some time to judge your own work

I recently uploaded a Fauxdition (that’s a fake audition) to Internet Voice Coach.

I joined that site recently and I must say that it has been a great help for a student Voice Actor! Tons of articles and advice and interviews. You can upload a sound clip for them to critique roughly once a month, and they have an audition contest each month.

The contest is sorta fun for a newbie. First you have to try to record something that sounds vaguely professional, then you have to work over the file, clean it up, turn it into an MP3 and then upload it. Good practice all the way around!

Anyway, I recorded a bunch of different takes on the audition script, and then just saved them on my computer and spent the next several days chasing my kids around the house – completely forgetting all about the recording.

Went back yesterday and listened to the clips — and it was GREAT! I came to the clips completely cold, having forgotten most everything about them (Early Alzheimer’s, I know) and it was almost like listening to a total stranger!

I could easily identify things that sounded amateurish (yeah, most of the clip, I know) and also things that I liked. It was a completely different experience from listening to your recording right after you do it.

So why don’t you practice with some scripts and record your efforts and then let them lie around for a few days before you listen to them? I think you will be surprised.

And yes, I know you can’t do that in real life — but we are learning here! Cut yourself some slack!

New website for Voice Over types — SocialMediaVO

I know we are all learning VO here, and we think of our voices, acting, mic technique, etc. when we think about learning VO — BUT! You also better learn about HOW you are going to get JOBS in VO while you are at it! And here is a new site that has a lot of info about Social Networking.

Any of you out there who are 14 years old may skip this lesson, but for the rest of us who were NOT born in the 1990’s, you probably need to learn about this, LIKE it or NOT!

Thanks and a tip of the hat to Bob Souer for putting this up after his trip to Voice 2010!

SocialMediaVO.

VOICE OVER MICROPHONE SELECTOR | Edge Studio

If you are interested in buying a microphone, this is a fun little machine to play with. I wish they had a few more mics in the mix tho…

VOICE OVER MICROPHONE SELECTOR | Edge Studio.

Interesting article about The Cold Read, and why you need to be able to do it

This is an interesting article and one that makes me think a little bit. Being a student, and in class with a bunch of other students, I think it is interesting how hard it is for a lot of people (me included sometimes) to actually just Read the Script!

Not only is Cold Reading important, just being able to read the thing accurately and correctly aloud is important!

Like my last teacher said, just read aloud for 15 – 20 minutes a day and watch how you progress. It has sure helped me.

Why Cold Reading Skills Are a Must For Voice Actors | Voices.com.