Double Dutch

PS Doing the work is (relatively) easy. Finding it is hard. Here’s my top tip for winning more auditions and freelance projects

“Paul, I think you’re on to something,” said Heinz Gruenewald. Heinz works for the world-renowned Westdeutscher Rundfunklabor in Germany, and he’s one of the top sound wave specialists. He has several patents in nanomaterials, acoustic devices, transducers and sensors in his name.

AN UNUSUAL TALENT
Just like some wine connoisseurs are born with an extraordinary palette, Heinz is blessed with extraordinary hearing. As you know, you can let an oenophile taste a glass of wine, and he’ll tell you what country it’s from, what region and even from what year. Heinz has that same uncanny ability but with microphones.

He says that it’s both a blessing and a curse: “Whenever I hear audio, my mind immediately tries to figure out what microphone was used to record it. It usually takes me a few seconds to analyze the sound spectrum. Call me arrogant, but 9 out of 10 ten times I’m dead on.” Heinz has even been on the German version of 20/20 to show his talent off.”

Right now, he is working on a portable version of the digital microphone interface, which is expected to come out next year. The rapid advance of high-def television is associated with increasing requirements in terms of audio technology, which can only be met with the aid of digital microphones. That’s where Heinz comes in.

SURPRISE DISCOVERY
Heinz and I actually started an “online relationship” when I found him on the Internet as I was looking for an expert who could confirm or deny what only can be labeled as a surprise discovery. Here’s how it started.

At the end of 2008, I was listening to some old demos of mine, to determine which ones to keep and which ones to delete. Since I’ve been listening to myself for my entire life, it’s fair to say that I know “my sound” top to bottom, inside out. For some reason I listened back to back to a demo recorded at the end of January and one from the middle of August. The difference between the two couldn’t have been greater. It was almost as if another person had taken over my vocal chords. I couldn’t believe it.

Back in January, my sound was thin, shallow and cold. In August I sounded rich, resonant and warm. Mind you: I was certain that I had used the same microphone, the same preamplifier and they were all at the same setting I always use to create a consistent sound. For days I kept wondering what could account for the tremendous difference in the way my voice came across. It was night and day. It was too weird for words. What on earth could be the difference that had made the difference?

EUREKA MOMENT
Then I got an unexpected breakthrough. One December morning, I went into my studio to record an audition. It was early and I was freezing. Nevertheless I gave it my all. But when I heard myself back, I could hear the cold of the morning in my voice. This wasn’t working. I decided to switch on the thermal heater and come back when the temperature would be up.

Fast forward sixty minutes. I recorded the same lines with the same gear, and out of curiosity I played the two recordings I had made one after the other. My mouth fell open. A week and many experiments later, I contacted Heinz.

“Let me get this right,” he said with his soft German accent. “Are you saying that the temperature in the recording booth actually influences the way you sound?” “Based on my experiments, I’m prepared to go even one step further,” I said. “At this point I am convinced that the temperature of the microphone greatly affects the tonal qualities of the sound it is picking up. It boils down to this: when the mic is cold, I sound cold. When the mic is warm, I sound much warmer.”

SCIENCE IN ACTION
Being a scientist and a sound wave specialist, Heinz didn’t take my word for it. Not even when I sent him the audio files. But I could tell he was intrigued and determined to repeat my experiment in a laboratory setting. It was easy enough to replicate.

At 3:00 AM the next morning my phone rang. An excited Heinz had forgotten that he was on German time. “Paul, I think you’re on to something,” he said. “I have never heard anything like it. I only had a cheap microphone in my office, but I decided to put it to the test anyway.

Stone cold it sounded like…. the piece of junk that it was. But when I left it on the radiator and it had warmed up significantly, it was a totally different animal. I swear to you, it almost had tube-like characteristics. It’s amazing. I don’t know how it works, but it definitely does.”

FURTHER TESTING
In the months that followed, Heinz and his team made sure that this hadn’t been a random event. Test groups were brought in to evaluate identical sound bites that were recorded with cold mics and mics that were warmed up. Without exception, the people surveyed not only noticed the difference; they all preferred the warmer sound of the warm microphone.

In February 2009, I traveled to Germany to go over the findings of the Rundfunklabor in person. Heinz and I had been speculating about how we could put my discovery to practical use. We had agreed that it would be a shame to leave the results of the research in some stuffy drawer.

When we sat around the table at the lab, Heinz had a big smile on his face when he handed me a cable with some sort of extension that reminded me a bit of a MicPort Pro. He said: “It looks like an ordinary USB cable, right?” “More or less,” I replied. “What is this black thing that’s attached to it, and why are you showing me this?” Heinz said: “You are looking at a prototype, my friend. And I have a feeling that this is going to create a small revolution.”

TRIAL PRODUCT
He continued: “This device is powered from the USB port and needs no batteries. The other end plugs directly into a condenser microphone. Now, do you see this control knob? Notice that the scale is in centigrades?

When you turn it up, it draws energy from the computer and transfers it into heat. This heat is actually warming up the microphone. And because you can adjust the temperature, you can adjust the tonal quality of whatever the mic is recording. That means that you can use a lower temperature for microphones that already have a warmer sound. Isn’t it ingenious?”

I was floored. In a few months time and without telling me, Heinz had turned my little discovery into the beginnings of a product. “Do you think people would actually buy this?” I asked.

“Paul, listen to me,” said Heinz. “I took the cheapest condenser microphone I could find and plugged it into this mic warmer. When it had reached the right temperature, I asked a professional narrator to read a few paragraphs into this mic. Then we asked him to read the same passage and we recorded it with a Neumann U87 large diaphragm microphone. I think it sells for about $3400.00 in the US.

My assistants had me listen to both samples, and I am telling you right now that I could not hear the difference. And you know me. My ears never lie. This is going to be big!”

“We have to make sure that this thing is safe,” I said. “I don’t want to be sued by some engineer because my device set his studio on fire.” Heinz agreed that there still was a lot of work to be done, but he was confident that we could put this thing on the market within one to two years.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS
With the backing of an innovation grant from the European Union, things moved fast. Patents were secured. The technology was thoroughly tested. Designers were brought in to make the mic warmer look sleek and futuristic. Because we were using European money, the device had to be manufactured in Europe. That’s where my Dutch connections came in. I managed to find a small company in the North of Holland that was able to start a modest production line. And I am proud to tell you that in the next month or so, the very first mic warmer will be ready to go to market!

It will be officially launched at the biggest annual audio show in Munich, but one of America’s top pro-audio providers has already placed a substantial advance order after hearing the test results. Geoff Deary, the head engineer, said that he had been very skeptical at first, but that he was “absolutely blown away by this small device.”

CONTEST
So… there you have it.  As faithful readers of my blog, I wanted you to be the first ones to know. But this story does not end here. I need your help. My product needs a name. For some reason ‘mic warmer’ doesn’t sound good. That’s where you come in. I’m asking you to come up with a better name. Please leave your suggestions in the comment section at the bottom of this article.

In two weeks, Heinz Gruenewald and I will pick a winner. And if we choose your name, you will be the first person to receive the finished product! The winner will be announced in this blog, so stay tuned.

Thank you so much for your help!

Paul Strikwerda © 2010
www.nethervoice.com

PS please take a few moments to read a personal letter from Prof. Dr. Heinz Gruenewald.

It’s been a few months since Harlan Hogan came out with the VO: 1-A Microphone. Made by MXL, this is the first mic designed for voice-over performers by a voice-over professional.

When I first wrote about it in August, Harlan claimed that this mic  “will sound great on about 99% of the population”. That’s quite a statement, and as always, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

So, what’s the verdict? Before we can answer that question, we have to ask ourselves a different one: What makes a good voice-over mic?

A good microphone is like the ideal partner. It has to be, because you’ll be spending a lot of time together (and usually in a cramped, dark space). Personally, I love my mic because it’s such a good listener. But as in any type of committed relationship, what works for me, might not work for someone else.

BANG & BUCKS
Just as it does not make sense for a budding violinists to get a Stradivarius, beginning voice-overs should get a decent mic that doesn’t break the bank. But simply because something is relatively inexpensive, doesn’t mean that it will only take you so far.

My wife is a professional flutist, and the instrument she’s playing is a true work of art. Her students often complain that they don’t sound so well, because they’re playing on an entry-level flute. It’s a common excuse for those who forgot the way to Carnegie Hall.

At that point, my wife will take the cheap flute out of their hands, and she starts playing the inferior instrument. You should see the eyeballs pop out of her student’s sockets and jaws drop to the floor, because she sounds better than Jimmy Galway. After that, no more excuses!

HOGAN’s SLOGAN
So, is the VO: 1-A “The Voice Over Microphone made for Voice Over Performers”?

George Whittam runs the well-respected ElDorado Recording Services. He gave the Harlan mic a spin,  along-side the venerable Neumann U87.

Mind you, the new Harlan mic costs $199. You can get the Neumann for about $2,700 on eBay. Is that even a fair comparison? George concludes:

“While the U87 has that smooth, almost dull top end in comparison, the VO: 1-A’s response is almost identical to my ear across nearly the entire frequency spectrum.  The VO: 1-A is slightly hyped at the top, but not overly so, and sounds very even and natural all the way down.”

We’re so impressed with VO-1a that we’ll begin bundling it in our “The Audition” package beginning in 2010.  Coupled with the MicPort Pro, the two work wonderfully together either as a budget home studio setup, or as a travel companion for the working voice actor. “

You can read the full review on George’s blog.

MY TWO CENTS
Unlike Mr. Whittam, I don’t have a Bachelor’s degree in Music and Audio Technology. Therefore,  it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to make some sort of a recommendation based on my knowledge of voice-over recording technology. I will tell you this.

By putting his name on this mic, Harlan put his reputation on the line. Based on his career, his writings and products like the Porta-Booth, Harlan’s got it down. If you’d ask  me, his voice-over mic is not a safe bet. It’s an excellent bet. Yet, there’s always a chance that it might not be the right mic for you. If that turns out to be the case, are you going to be stuck with it? Harlan Hogan:

“Every microphone will sound different on different voices but most retailers and manufacturers don’t allow you to try and return their microphones easily. I vowed we’d change that approach with the VO: 1- A and you can buy one, try one and return it with no questions asked – it only seems – and is – the right approach.”

Well, it turns out that Harlan was right on the money. His signature mic took the voice-over world by storm and it’s temporarily sold out. Click here if you wish to be contacted when the VO: 1-A becomes available again.  This link will also take you to a number of reviews and voice-samples.

PORTA-BOOTH
As for his famous Porta-Booth, Harlan’s new and improved version is finally in production. This is what the new Porta-Booth Pro looks like:

To me, it appears to be a cross between a bowling ball bag and a pet carrier. In fact, should you choose to take your cat to the vet in this contraption, the feline cries of anguish will be nicely muffled by the isolation  foam.

The new booth is $349.00 and the optional Porta-Stand is $100.00 and includes two adjustable shelves and a set of four hooks for headphones, etc. An angled (sheet music) holder is also available.

A  limited number of these babies sold out in March, and more are now available. They can be ordered from Harlan’s Booth-tique. Catnip not included.

Paul Strikwerda © 2010

www.nethervoice.com

PS For more Harlan Hogan factoids, read my article “What about Bob?“

PPS Although it’s pretty obvious that Mr. Hogan is one of my voice-over heroes, he has yet to pay me for promoting his products -and I’d like to keep it that way!

If you’ve read “Tales and techniques of a Voice-Over Actor”, you know that Harlan is not his real name. It’s Bob. But when it was time for Bob Hogan to get his SAG card, he found out that there already was an actor who had claimed that name. It was Robert J. Hogan, best known for his roles on “Peyton Place” and “As the world turns”. This Hogan also made a couple of guest appearances on the 1960s sitcom, Hogan’s Heroes, and the show’s main character, Colonel Robert Hogan, was named after him.

Anyway, “our” Bob had always liked his dad’s first name which was Harlan, and decided to adopt it for the SAG-registration. Later on, he legally changed his name to Harlan Robert Hogan. As we all know, he’s made quite a name for himself! His voice will forever be associated with phrases such as “”Strong enough for a man…”, “When you care enough to send the very best…”, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression…”, and “Quaker Life, It’s the cereal even Mikey likes…”.

Hogan is also one of the first voice-over actors who really caught on to the idea of ‘personal branding’, the art of marketing people and their career as brands. He now has his own “Signature series” of products, such as a stopwatch, a mouse pad and his famous Porta-Booth. At one point he even had a calendar. What’s next, you wonder. Well, we’ll get to that in a minute!

REPUTATION
According to marketing consultant Nance Rosen, personal branding accounts for 30-70% of your value.There are many ways to build a reputation that have very little to do with what the marketing world calls your “core competency”. That’s your ability to offer a unique product with a wide application that provides great benefits to consumers.

Here are some keys to personal branding:

1. Create your own personal product, service or trademark

2. Focus on giving instead of getting

3. Establish yourself as an expert: write articles, books & blogs

4. List yourself as a resource (http://www.helpareporter.com) and get free publicity

5. Actively participate in social networking sites

6. Associate yourself with powerful brands

7. Associate yourself with the best mentors and other ‘influentials’

8. Ask for endorsements and use those to take you to the next level (the “Oprah-effect”)

For more ideas, check out Dan Schwabel’s www.personalbrandingblog.com. Dan is the author of “Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success”, as well as the publisher of both the Personal Branding Blog and the Personal Branding Magazine.

MORE THAN A VOICE
Harlan Hogan’s success proves that it takes much more than a good voice and great acting skills, to become one of the best in this business. Personal branding has a lot to do with it. How many of you have read the “Voice actor’s guide to recording at home… and on the road” (co-author Jeffrey P. Fischer)? How many of you have visited http://voiceoveressentials.com? How many of you actually use his Porta-Booth? If you’re a Harlan Hogan fan, I have some news for you!

PORTA-BOOTH PRO
Harlan’s actually coming out with a new Pro level version of his Porta-Booth. I’ve seen the first pictures, and I can assure you that it doesn’t look anything like the collapsible Whitmor Cube that’s available at your local Target store (left image). Just add some acoustic foam and voilà… anyone could build one of those. I won’t reveal too much, but unopened, the Pro version looks more like a rather big bowling ball bag.

One of the problems with the “old” Porta-Booth has always been where to put the script. Once the microphone is inside, there’s simply not enough space for your papers (unless you’re reading the text straight from your iPhone). Harlan’s new design seems to have fixed that. In addition, the Pro version features a new way to keep unwanted noise out.

HARLAN HOGAN VO-MIC
Harlan also teamed with microphone maker MXL, and commissioned a voice-over mic that -in his own words- “will sound great on about 99% of the population”. It’s available on an “Audition it, return it if you don’t think it’s right for you basis”, in a package with mic cable, case, shock mount for $199.00. It’s called “The Harlan Hogan VO: 1-A Signature Series Microphone“, and can be ordered directly from voiceoveressentials. Harlan also put together a USB package with his new mic and the nifty CEntrance MicPort Pro preamplifier.

One more thing: if you’re familiar with Jeffrey Fisher and Harlan Hogan’s writings, you might remember their praise for the ultimate Pop Filter, the Avantone PS-1 PRO-SHIELD Studio Pop Filter. It’s finally back in stock, ready to stuff some voice-over stockings!

SUCCESS
There are a few ways of looking at the success some of our colleagues deserve and enjoy. Some people become jealous. Others become frustrated or even scared. My attitude has always been more inquisitive: What can I learn from them? Obviously they must have been doing something right! I’m sure I’m not the only one who has learned a lot from Harlan Hogan over the years. For one, changing your name won’t hurt your career!

Paul Strikwerda ©2009

www.nethervoice.com

PS the author of this article is in no way compensated by Mr. Hogan, Mr. Fisher and/or Avant Electronics, for featuring their products.

PPS ever wondered  why your custom demos hardly ever lead to anything? Is it you or are there other factors at play? Read my next blog and find out.

Did you hear the one about the three voice-over actors bragging in a bar?

“My condenser has phantom power”, says the guy with the spooky voice.

“My shotgun produces killer demos”, retorts the man in black.

“My ribbon has a suspended diaphragm”, snaps the girl in the Hogan baseball cap.

Waitress: “Anyone ordered a Blue Bottle?”

Unidentified customer: “No, I just got a Snowball.”

“Can I get some MixCubes on the side, please?”

Waitress: “Active or Passive?”

TICKLES
Hearing voice-overs talk is like listening to a Monty Python skit. It can be slightly surreal and silly. One thing’s for sure: many VO’s have opinions. Strong opinions, especially when it comes to gear.

Whenever people take themselves too seriously, I’d like to tickle them a little. If you ever plan on messing with the mind of a VO-pro, go to an online voice-over group and type in the following words:

“I am new to this business and I’d appreciate your advice. What’s the best voice-over mic?”

Unknowingly, you just released the beast. If you honestly believe that the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is a big deal, wait until you get voice-overs started on their choice of mics…. You’ll soon discover that some VO-Pros suffer from a condition the psychological community calls “Microphone Envy”. So far, there is no sound treatment for this auditory affliction.

Here are some of the comments these hired voices might make about their precious sound catchers (in order to protect their identity, I decided to name all of them ‘Mike’).

Gear Geek-Mike: “My mic has a 32 mm gold sputtered thin Mylar capsule.”

Show-off Mike: “Mine has a retail value of $7,775. I got it for 7 grand on Ebay.”

Frugal Mike: “My cheap Chinese mic sounds almost like your pricey German one.”

Model Mike: “But I cut a deal with the Germans to endorse this microphone”

Macho-Mike: “Mine is bigger and better.”

If you happen to be in the market for a microphone, these message boards might not be the best place to solicit advice. In fact, I highly recommend not asking anyone for any recommendations. Period. Not online. Not in the shop. Trust me, you’ll sleep much better. Do your own homework instead.

Researching mics can be good fun. Why not fire up your laptop on a rainy Sunday afternoon, and listen to a few microphone tests. The fellows on this page always manage to crack me up… They’ll say something like this:

(test: courtesy of Nethervoice Sound Laboratories)

Sound engineer Jeff Dykhouse of How Audio, posted “Getting good Sound for Voiceover”, a 20-minute microphone throwdown, featuring the Neumann U87, Sennheiser ME66 Shotgun, Sennheiser 421, Rode Podcaster and the MXL UBS .009. It’s actually quite informative, and you can brush up on your Bible studies at the same time!

To end this audio tour, I invite you to visit the online microphone museum, the brain child of retired Professor S.O. Coutant. I’m especially fond of the gallery of “celebrities with various microphones”.

MY CHOICE
And finally, many of you have asked me what microphone I use to bring home the bacon (which is not an easy thing for a vegetarian). Well, here’s my pride and joy: the Avantone CK-6 Large Capsule Cardioid FET Condenser Microphone. As you can see, it comes with a custom retro shock mount, an elegantly padded genuine wooden mic box and a padded aluminum storage/travel case.

If you experience a sudden attack of “Microphone Envy”, remember this:

Writing about microphones is like ice skating about food

It doesn’t really make sense. Just as you can’t get wet from the word water, you don’t know if a certain microphone is the one that will flatter your voice the most by merely reading about it or by staring at a picture. You’ve got to give it a spin and use your ears.

So, have you heard the one about the two voice-overs in a bar?

With tears in his eyes, the first one exclaims:

“Why did Don LaFontaine have to go before his time? It is so unfair.”

The other one thought about it for a moment, took a deep but silent voice-over breath, and replied:

“I guess God wanted his voice back!”

Paul Strikwerda © 2009

www.nethervoice.com

PS Voice-over veteran Harlan Hogan  teamed up with microphone maker MXL, and commissioned a voice-over mic that -in his own words- “will sound great on about 99% of the population”.

It’s available on an “Audition it, return it if you don’t think it’s right for you basis”, in a package with mic cable, case, shock mount for $249.00. It’s called The Harlan Hogan VO: 1-A Signature Series Microphone, and can be ordered directly from voiceoveressentials.

Harlan also put together a USB package with his new mic and the nifty CEntrance MicPort Pro preamplifier.