Money!

One way to get your hands on a chunk of startup cash is to pitch your idea to investors. A few years ago, Priscilla Groves and James Kennedy did just that. They went on the TV show Dragon’s Den, to raise cash for their budding business called “Piehole,” an online voice casting service.

Did they get the money they asked for? Find out for yourself:

Audio book publisher Karen Wolfer had a different idea. She’s using crowdfunding to pay for her latest project, the spoken version of “Safe Harbor,” by Radclyffe. You can find her project on Kickstarter.com.

Since launching in April 2009, Kickstarter has successfully funded more than 20 thousand projects backed by 1.8 million people who raised over 200 million dollars.

The idea is simple. Once your project is approved, you post it on the site and you list how much you’d like to raise within a certain time frame. Visitors to the site can pledge a dollar amount and in return they receive a reward.

If the project succeeds in reaching its funding goal, all backers’ credit cards are charged when time expires. If the project falls short, no one is charged.

SUCCESS STORIES
Winning projects don’t get to keep all the money raised. 3-5% goes to Amazon Payments for processing the donations and 5% goes to Kickstarter.

Video game developer Double Fine Productions surprised everybody this year. They were shooting for a 400 thousand dollar investment. Within 24 hours they had received over 1 million. An hour before it closed, the project had reached the 3 million dollar level.

Entrepreneur Eric Migicovsky outdid them. He created Pebble, a futuristic watch that syncs with Android or iPhone apps. So far he has raised over… 10 million dollars!

Compared to them, Karen Wolfer is asking for a modest $4,700. Why did she decide to raise funds using Kickstarter? Karen Wolfer:

“With Kickstarter, the money is collected before the recording project is started. Fees can be paid for narrators, sound engineers and materials up front. And by involving fans of the story or of the narrator, it becomes a form of pre-advertising for the finished book. Social media is utilized in a big way, so buzz is created from the first stage of an audio book’s life.”

You need a minimum $4,700 for this project to get the green light. Is this your entire production budget, and if not, what does it cover?

“Yes, this is my entire production budget. It will cover travel expenses for the actresses (Diane Gaidry) we signed to do the book, her fees, the sound engineer fees, and a new pre-amp we need.”

How do you reach potential backers?

“Social media: Facebook, Twitter, emails. Lots of them!”

Your company, Dog Ear Audio specializes in lesbian literature. What has been the response, so far?

“Pretty darn good! There is a passionate fan base for these stories, and Dog Ear Audio is the only audio publisher serving this niche market. The biggest surprise so far is the dollar amounts being pledged. We’ve had more pledges over the $100 amount, than we’ve had of the expected $5 and $10 amounts. The biggest pledge was a whopping $500 from folks in the Australian Outback! That floored me. But it also showed me there is a hunger for these books.

All the money is coming from fans of the author our narrator, and of course, we also have fans of Dog Ear Audio’s other titles. They have been very loyal customers. We’ve had pledges from the aforementioned Outback of Australia, the UK, and all over the US. I wrote to my brother about donating, but have not heard back from him. If he doesn’t help, boy, is he in trouble.”

Karen Wolfer

What will happen if you don’t reach your goal on June 1st. Will “Safe Harbor” still be recorded?

“Lol…I won’t let that happen now that we are so close. There are still lots of people to meet and share our project with. It’s all a matter of finding those ‘friends’ and groups that this story would appeal to. It is very much like any sales campaign, only the sales work is done first. You get paid first, and then you create the product.

The great thing is, there are still sales to be made after the book is published through the normal sales pathways. But to further answer your question, yes, I would still record “Safe Harbor” because I believe in this project so much, and I know the fan base is there.”

Based on your experience with Kickstarter, will you be using it again?

“Absolutely. The site is so beautifully organized. It is easy to create your project, all the answers are there to help you with the process, and I love the energy the creators of Kickstarter put into all their communications. Someone has put a lot of thought into the entire process.

A huge side benefit to launching a project this way, is that you can measure the likely success rate of your book, or any project, before you invest considerable time and money into that work. I have seen some projects receive no money, so maybe that idea needs to be revamped or even abandoned. But the person now knows that there may not be a market for that idea without having invested a lot of their own money.

Or, it may be that person needs to hone up on their social media skills. That can make or break a project, too. And as you see with Kickstarter, if a project does not receive full funding, no money is collected from donors. It is safe for anyone pledging.

I understand that it helps if a person donates to other projects before they launch their own. It is a form of ‘payback karma’; you help me, I help you, not only in donations, but in advertising of a project. I have ‘liked’ other projects that are similar to mine, and they have done the same to me, so the social networking is wonderful. Sooooo, if anyone needs a place to start, I would greatly appreciate any help from this voice-over community toward our goal.

One last detail. We are donating a percentage of any monies collected to the Safe Harbor Prison Dog rescue in Lansing KS. There are more details on this on our Kickstarter page. Again, it is in the spirit of paying it forward, and sharing the abundance that is out there.”

RISKS & RETURNS
With three weeks to go, Karen has almost raised all the money she needs. It doesn’t always work out that way. In 2011, 46% of the projects posted on Kickstarter were successful. In 2010 the success rate was 43%.

Let’s assume a project reaches its minimum limit. Who will hold the fundraiser accountable to live up to his or her promises? Kickstarter writes:

“It is the responsibility of the project creator to fulfill the promises of their project. Kickstarter reviews projects to ensure they do not violate the Project Guidelines, however Kickstarter does not investigate a creator’s ability to complete their project. (…) At the end of the day, use your internet street smarts.“

Pledges to Kickstarter projects are generally not tax deductible and if you live outside of the United States, the site will tell you that you might “experience a problem trying to pledge.”

Then there’s the fact that the success of a Kickstarter campaign heavily depends on word of mouth. It’s the number of backers that determines what gets funded and not necessarily the quality of what’s being offered. It’s a popularity contest.

If we would leave it to public opinion, the paintings of Thomas Kinkade would now be in the Museum of Modern Art. Indie artists looking for funding might think twice about seeking support for their work on Kickstarter.

Last but not least, funding Kickstarter projects is not an investment. You might get a T-shirt out of it, or some public recognition from an author, but that’s it.

What if Eric Migicovsky’s Pebble watch becomes a huge hit? We know that Kickstarter and Amazon together take about ten percent of his 10 million dollars raised.

If you have pledged $99, all you get is a watch. Okay, it’s a very cool watch, but still…

Would you back or post a project on Kickstarter?

Paul Strikwerda ©2012
www.nethervoice.com

PS News just in: Karen Wolfer has reached her goal almost three weeks before the deadline. You can still contribute to her project and help her raise money for the Safe Harbor Prison Dog rescue.

Speaking of raising money. In the past couple of months generous readers of this blog have donated $2500 to the National MS Society.

Thanks to your help, our team was able to raise a total of $6200, making us the number 2 fundraising team in our area. Thanks to your support there’s hope and help for those who have to live with multiple sclerosis. Thank you so much!

His name is Jake Foushee and he’s the latest online voice-over sensation. Over one million people have watched his movie trailer man impersonation on YouTube.

If you haven’t seen the video, you might wonder: What’s the big deal?

Well, even though he sounds like he’s in his fifties, Mr. Foushee is actually fourteen years old. It’s creepy. Fortunately for Jake, we like creepy. Regular Joes rarely make the headlines, but we all love the bizarre and the eccentric, don’t we?

Next to the bearded lady we now have a 14-year old who sounds a bit like Don LaFontaine. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Ellen DeGeneres had him on her show and like a docile puppy, Jake eagerly showed off his tricks.

That’s a good boy!

And because good boys deserve a reward, Ellen announced that the renowned Abrams Agency was eager to represent him. I’m sure a little bit of showbiz pressure and the prospect of free publicity didn’t hurt.

GOLDEN PIPES
Remember all the companies that were lining up to jump on the Ted Williams bandwagon? When Ted got back into his old habits, the job offers melted away as fast as snow on a hot summer’s day.

We like to be associated with a feel-good story, especially if we can dangle our brand name in front of television cameras. But when a humble hero falls, we leave him on the side of the road, right where he came from.

Mind you, I don’t wish to deny Jake his two minutes of fame, but does he really deserve to be under contract with one of the nation’s premier talent agencies? Come on! I can think of a number of colleagues who can do a far better “Don” and for whom access to the hallowed hallways at Abrams has always been a distant dream. Their problem: they’re no longer fourteen… and creepy.

There’s one consolation. I predict young Jake will be forgotten before he turns fifteen, because he is making two mistakes many aspiring voice-overs make:

1. He’s starting too early, thinking that owning an okay instrument makes one a professional musician;

2. His reputation is based on imitation.

FAKING FOR FAME
Now, don’t give me that “imitation is the highest form of flattery” nonsense. It’s called making money off someone else’s unique talent and creativity. It’s a gimmick. A party trick. Not exactly something you can build a career on.

Granted, a few brilliant impersonators are making good money doing one-man shows around the world, but these guys can do many voices to perfection. Not only that, as they “do” the voice, they actually become the character. It’s an acting tour de force! Strangely enough, there don’t seem to be too many female impersonators. I wonder why that is.

Even though I predict that Jake’s success will be short-lived, I think many voice actors can relate to him. So many of us started out imitating cartoon characters, family members, teachers and celebrities. I certainly did and still do, even though I stink at it (my wife and daughter can attest to that). You should hear me try to speak with an American accent. It’s pathetic!

There’s nothing wrong with stretching one’s voice acting muscles, but here’s the problem with impersonations: most of them are nothing more than a caricature built out of mannerisms. There’s no depth to it. It’s just a bunch of cliches.

Regrettably, some folks who are trying to break into the voice-over business are trying to jumpstart a career by copying mannerisms. Sadly, some veterans have never grown out of that habit.

When you listen to their demos, you do not hear a natural, original interpretation. What you hear is an impression of what the talent believes a voice actor should sound like. Instead of sincerity and individuality, you hear a stereotype.

This goes to the heart of what acting really is.

WHAT IS ACTING?
The art of acting is about creating a unique character. Not about recreating a cliché.

Acting has very little to do with clever imitation, unless the role requires it.

Great actors are phenomenal at pretending not to pretend.

In a way, voice acting can be even more demanding than on-camera acting. When narrating a novel, a voice actor has to create many characters and keep them consistent throughout an entire book. Most of the time, a stage or screen actor only has to play one role.

The audio book narrator cannot fall back on body language, costumes or make-up to set a character apart. All of that has to be done with pitch, timbre, tempo, inflection and accent. In order to be convincing, nothing can come across as contrived. It has to sound spontaneous and real.

On top of that, an audio book narrator often works without a director, a technical crew, a PA, a publicist, a personal chef, trainer and nanny.

Of course most voice-over work is far removed from Shakespeare, Spielberg and Harry Potter. Medical narrations, e-Learning programs and corporate presentations call for a very different approach. Yet, I hear many voice-overs make the same mistake.

They start imitating a certain sound they believe to be appropriate for the read, very much like a radio announcer. One moment you have a normal conversation with them in the studio, but as soon as they’re on the air they flip an internal switch and out comes the announcer voice.

Here’s the crux of the matter

When you’re imitating, the focus is always on someone or something else; on the sound you’re trying to recreate. It’s disingenuous by definition.

Great painters, architects, scientists and writers are not great because they’re trying to emulate someone else. They are great because they are who they are and there’s no one like them.

Painters and poets who try to rip off someone else’s work engage in plagiarism.

So, I’m happy for you if you can do an amazing Morgan Freeman impersonation or you can sound just like Christopher Walken, but we all know that’s not you. It might get you a job here and there, but most agents and producers aren’t looking for something we already have.

It took me years to find out that most clients hire me for who I am and not for who I can pretend to be.

Of course there’s a difference between the Paul in the studio and the Paul enjoying a cappuccino in his favorite coffee shop. The Paul in the studio is more polished, articulate and prepared. Every now and then I still do character voices, but that’s just part of being a versatile voice actor.

After decades of searching, I can honestly say that I’m okay being me, and I’m happy with the way I sound.

And you know what?

As soon as I started accepting myself for who I am, I was overcome by a relaxed kind of confidence. I could feel it in my bones and it came out through my mouth. That’s when it happened:

I found my sound

It is the inimitable sum of all my life experiences, the languages I speak, the people I have met and the countries I have lived and worked in.

It is that Northern-European sound most of my clients select and pay me for.

And what about fourteen year-old Jake?

Well, if he plays his cards right and starts working with some talented coaches, one day we might actually hear the real Jake Foushee, instead of Movie Trailer Man.

That’s when he will find out if he really has a future in this business.

Now, let’s forget about Jake and talk about you.

Have you found your voice yet?

Paul Strikwerda ©2012
www.nethervoice.com

PS This Saturday, May 6th, I’ll be taking part in the Walk MS event. I am raising money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and I need your help. 

If you feel that my blog has been of value to you in some way, please show your support and and click on this link and look for the “donate to Paul” button. 

So far my readers have raised an amazing $2265! I only need $235 to meet my goal of $2500. Your support would mean the world to me, and to those who have to live with MS every day. Thank you!

SaVoA, the Society of Accredited Voice Over Artists has imploded. Six members of the executive board resigned last week, citing irreconcilable differences between them and SaVoA’s founding father.

On hearing the news, I was stirred but certainly not shaken. To me, the real news was how the worldwide voice-over community responded. The overall reaction can be summarized in two words:

“So what?”

Of course a few inner circle members -sorry, make that “certificate holders”- reacted as expected by telling their version of the break-up. And yet again, thousands of voice actors answered silently in unison and said:

“Who cares?”

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

You see, in the five years of its existence, SaVoA managed to attract and accredit a whopping 170 people, and it never became the organization it set out to be. Instead, it was regarded by some as an old-boys network.

The idea was to bring together a group of voice artists who had proven to their peers that they could provide “vocally and technically proficient, broadcast-quality voice over services” and who would “conduct business in such a way that it enhances the profession as a whole.”

Apart from a few discounts on trainings and gear, accredited members received a SaVoA certificate and a seal that could be displayed on websites and business cards. Like the Good Housekeeping seal, it was meant to reassure prospective clients that they were about to hire an established, highly qualified voice talent.

Upon seeing the seal, most clients said:

“What the heck is that? Just because some unknown body has accredited you, doesn’t mean you’re a good fit for the job. Let me hear your demo. You’re a voice-over. Words speak louder than actions.”

Many colleagues responded the same way. Why would an experienced talent even need to be accredited? Paul Payton:

“My accreditation is 24 years in the VO business, 22 without a back-up job, working with great clients including many who bring me repeat business. If a certificate works for someone, great; for me, every check I cash is an accreditation. Color me grateful.”

Others like Todd Schick questioned SaVoA’s technical standards:

“How good are standards that can be easily faked? What good is legal gobbledygook to a consumer who hired a SaVoA talent, only to find out that they didn’t have a phone patch, the editing was horrible, the sound sucked because they had a -40dB noise floor… and couldn’t work after 5 pm EST because they had a day job?”

The SaVoA certificate still hangs on Danish voice talent Jacob Ekström‘s wall. Even though SaVoA as we know it is no more, he believes it’s useful to set standards.

“Certification in general is not a new thing, and in an industry like ours where clueless noobs armed with a $20 RadioShack microphone can build a website and/or sign up to a p2p-site and think they can compete with VO-veterans with $10.000 studios, it certainly could be an asset to voice seekers with limited time to listen through 500+ auditions or demos. But alas, not if they don’t know what it means, and I guess this is where SaVoA failed.”

“As a well-established talent you can always argue “Sheesh, why would I need this, a $75 badge on my website isn’t going to get me more gigs anyway!” – and that’s true. But for the remaining 90% of us, just maybe it could. Mind you, the original idea was NOT to build a “boys club” – it was to make the industry better, not only for our clients, but more importantly for ourselves.

Having a SaVoA badge on your website should be something everyone should want to strive for, not because it looks good, but because it means you’re serious and you want your clients to know. And yes, we all know you don’t need a $75 badge to actually be serious, but all the $20 microphone guys who clutter the p2p-sites do not, and, apparently, neither does the industry. And that’s why I feel it’s a damn shame SaVoA never made an impact.”

Audio producer, script writer and voice actor Matt Forrest has a different take on the viability of a professional organization for voice actors:

“Unless the standards or code are adopted by an organized group (like a union or SaVoA) and used – and promoted – for the benefit of its members, I’m not sure what good any of it would do. Being individual contractors, we all know how we want to treat our customers and our craft, but getting everyone to abide by them would be like trying to herd cats.”

Dan Lenard is one of the former members of SaVoA’s executive board. He strongly believes the voice-over community has to have a SaVoA type of organization:

“We have common needs. We need to come together in an organized manner to harness this energy that has created this unique virtual community, and work together to deal with the unique marketing, legal and technical issues involved, along with the socially isolating nature of our trade.”

OUT OF THE ASHES

Together with other ex-SaVoA directors, Dan has been building a new and more transparent voice-over organization, modeled after a Trade Association. It was incorporated on April 25th and it was launched a day later. It’s called the World-Voices organization. Lenard explains:

“It’s an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. An industry trade association participates in public relations activities such as advertising, education, and publishing, but its main focus is collaboration between businesses, or standardization. Many associations are non-profit organizations governed by bylaws and directed by officers who are also actual voting “members” of the association, not just certificate of Accreditation holders.

This is a model that makes sense for us, the independently based freelance voice artist, here and now. To have an individual competitive advantage we need to have agreed standards of business to strive for. Marketing wise, legally and because of the new territory of being able to produce quality audio at home, Accreditation of technical skills based on the reality of today’s digital marketplace, not outdated, obsolete broadcasting standards.”

Founding Executive Vice President, Dave Courvoisier says:

“Our founders are Dustin Ebaugh, Dan Lenard, Chris Mezzolesta, Robert Sciglimpaglia, Andy Bowyer, “Kat” Keesling, and myself. All are SaVoa ex-patriates. With certain obstacles out of our way, we’ve been able to organize, conceptualize, implement, and carry-out an amazing array of technical, foundational, and legal collaborations in just a matter of days.

The newly established World-Voices Organization will actively work to promote certified members to potential voice seekers through its website and in an aggressive marketing campaign. Materials explaining a proposed structure will be posted on our website.”

And what do I make of this?

If teachers, lawyers, roofers and even DJ’s see value in building a business organization with a code of conduct and professional standards, I see no reason why voice-overs should not follow in their footsteps.

I am in favor of defining criteria for excellence and ethical behavior. It’s important to create programs that will further our field and promote professionalism. Let’s show the outside world what being a voice-over pro entails!

We have a vibrant, supportive and growing community. It’s time to take ourselves and our line of work seriously. If we don’t, no one else will and we’ll forever be known as a bunch of bickering amateuristic blabbermouths.

We need and deserve this professional organization for ourselves, and to help the outside world separate the wheat from the chaff.

Now, to make sure that good people with good intentions will fail, you and I will only have to do one thing:

NOTHING

It’s very easy to stand on the sidelines and ridicule, criticize and discourage the efforts of a few. It takes no commitment whatsoever. It’s safe, it’s lame and it’s lazy.

I’d like you to consider this.

SaVoA did not fail to grow because the founder had no vision. The fact that SaVoA wasn’t thriving cannot be blamed on directors supposedly sitting on their behinds. Most of them worked their butts off!

The way I see it, SaVoA failed because part of the voice-over community paid lip service to the organization (VO’s are good at that), but never invested in it. The other part looked at it from a distance and said:

“Whatever”

Existing members did not succeed in making the organization relevant. Some of them adopted a wait-and-see attitude and vented their frustration that nothing was happening.

THE FUTURE

Many will look at World-Voices and ask themselves this question:

“What will I get out of it?”

Those who are primarily focused on themselves ask that question all the time. If that is going to be your approach, I predict that this new association of voice over professionals will die a quick death.

This is not going to be a ME-ME-ME organization. This is a WE-organization, working to benefit our entire community and beyond.

I challenge you to ask this question instead:

“What can I do to make World-Voices relevant, strong and successful?”

If you want to make it matter, you have to be involved.

Otherwise, another tree will soon fall in the forest without a sound.

Paul Strikwerda ©2012
www.nethervoice.com

PS If you feel that my blog has been of value to you in some way, please show your support and appreciation and click on this link and look for the “donate to Paul” button. 

I am raising money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and I need your help. 

So far my readers have donated an amazing $2195! Let’s see if we can at least get to $2500 before the end of the month. Thank you so much!

Just like desktop publishing changed the printing business, home studios have forever transformed the world of voice-overs. If you enjoy hanging out in a stuffy, cramped, dark claustrophobic enclosure all day long, having a home studio is heaven.

Most clients seem to love it. They no longer have to hire an audio engineer and a director and pay for studio time. Theoretically, hiring voice talent with a home studio may save a lot of money, but it can come at a price.

Let me tell you about the downside of home recording.

1. $$$
At some point in your voice-over career you want to get rid of the egg crates and the moving blankets hanging from a pvc frame, and move into a real recording space. You have two choices: Prefab or DIY.

Even the cheapest Whisper Room™ will cost you more than three grand and this does not include shipping (these booths weigh as much as an elephant). The standard, single wall models usually don’t offer enough isolation. Double wall is your best and more expensive bet.

Most booths sound boxy and you probably need bass traps to tame the “boominess”. Imagine putting these huge babies in your 3.5′ x 3.5′ space. If you enjoy breathing fresh air, add another $500 for a ventilation system.

Ka-ching!

Of course you can always build your own recording cave. Monk Schane-Lydon is constructing one right now, and on his blog he’ll give you a good idea of what’s involved. Obviously, this is not a project you can do on a Sunday afternoon. It might take many months and eat up all your spare time, energy and extra cash.

I designed and built my own booth, but I couldn’t have done it without the help of a contractor-friend. Thanks to him, I was able to keep the costs down. I couldn’t be happier with the result, but if I ever move, my studio stays and I’ll have to start from scratch.

2. More $$$
A professional career requires professional gear: hardware, software, microphone, preamplifier, audio interface, studio monitors, headphones, mic stand, pop filter, cables, ISDN…

Ka-ching!

Ask a successful voice-over artist how much he or she has invested in equipment alone. Make sure you’re sitting down! And yet, most of them don’t come close to having the bells and whistles a professional recording studio has to offer. You might not need all those mixers, compressors and equalizers, but even a simple set-up like mine can easily set you back thousands of dollars.

Bottom line: a home studio is only cheaper for your clients and if you don’t build your investment into your rate, it might take a long time before it pays off.

3. Sound Quality
Let’s face it: what people advertise as their “home studio” is often nothing more than a nook, dampened with pillows, blankets and mattress foam. As soon as the neighbor’s dog starts barking, the recording session is over. Believe me: I’ve been there and done that.

These types of improvised studios can actually make you less productive. Some voice-overs have to work the night shift because it’s the only time it’s quiet in the ‘hood’. Talking about a dream job…

Don’t get me started on the poor quality of some home studio recordings. I’ve written about that in “The Amateur Infestation.”

Compare that to spending a few hours in a real, soundproof studio. You can get more accomplished in less time and you’ll never sound better!

On one level, the home studio revolution has been good for my business. I get requests to re-do recordings made by someone who was willing to work for beer money. Either the talent couldn’t interpret a script or couldn’t record it without hiss, mouth noises and the neighbor’s lawn mower in the background. Usually, it’s all of the above.

4. Master of None
At some point in the beginning stages of a voice-over career, people get hit by a huge brick as they make a terrifying discovery:

They have to be a Jack Of All Trades

Jack wears many hats: Head of Advertising, Marketing, Accounting, Sales, Acquisition, Customer Service, Legal Affairs and Shipping. He’s also the Social Media and IT manager. It almost sounds like running a business, doesn’t it? Does Jack have any formal training or background in these areas?

Ehhh…. Let me get back to you on that.

News just in: Jack simply enjoys reading out loud to people and that’s why he thought he’d make a great voice-over. That’s also the reason why Jack started to record that audio book at $75 per finished hour. Not bad for sixty minutes of work, right?!

Oops…

Online forums and LinkedIn and Facebook groups are populated by people who are discovering they don’t know Jack about setting levels, microphone technique and the bare essentials of audio engineering.

Yet, in his comfortable home studio, Jack is not only the Narrator, he’s also the Director, the Audio Engineer and the Head of Quality Control.

Overwhelmed, Jack tells his VO self-help group:

“It’s hard to keep track of so many things at the same time. If only I had known that it would take me three hours to produce one hour of finished audio, I would have adjusted my quote. And when I finally thought I was done, the client made me to do it all over again because I didn’t record it loud enough and she could hear the fridge in the background.”

There’s the home studio advantage in a nutshell!

Let’s assume your house has to be re-wired. Would you hire an electrician who needs a lot of hand-holding because he’s learning on the job?

Would you say yes to a job without really knowing what it takes?

In most professions this would be unacceptable.

Not in the field of voice-overs!

5. The weakest link

Audio engineering is the Achilles heel of the home studio hero. That’s why so many throw it in for free.

Make no mistake about it. Editing and mastering are specialized skills that take time to develop. To the initiated, it is an art form that cannot be mastered by watching YouTube tutorials.

If you’ve never seen audio pros edit, you’ll be amazed at how fast and accurately they work. They make cuts and cross-fades you never thought possible. What might take you an hour, they get done in under ten minutes. Working with a pro increases your quality and your productivity by leaps and bounds.

But there’s more…

The best feedback I received in my career, often came from a sound engineer. First of all, they hear things you and I do not. It’s a fact that we can never hear ourselves the way others hear us, but audio engineers have highly sophisticated ears.

Because they have worked with so many talented and untalented people, they can contrast and compare. They don’t represent the advertising agency that wrote the copy or the maker of the product. They can be honest and objective and level with you.

Quite often, a few words from an audio engineer are more valuable than a five-minute monologue from a director.

Third, audio engineers know how to sculpt your sound and how to turn good into great.

That’s what you’re missing out on, if you’re running a one-man show.

In a recent interview, Grammy & Audie award-winning producer/director Paul Ruben had this to say:

“If you extract money from the equation (no small positive if you’re a publisher) I’d argue there is little or nothing inherently beneficial about a home studio recording.

Because a recording studio can employ highly trained engineers and post-production staff, and have access (particularly in New York and LA) to hundreds of experienced narrators, it is capable of turning out multiple, high quality (both technically and in terms of talent) audio programs for multiple publishers, inexpensively and fast. Though the audio book director may soon become an anachronism, some publishers still employ them, and only at a traditional studio.

(…) in my opinion, there may be an axiomatic relationship between home studio and performance quality: While it bears repeating that there are many very talented home studio narrators and certainly lots of poor performances direct from a traditional studio, in the aggregate, a traditional studio with director will produce a more satisfying listening experience than a home studio.”

6. Alone in the dark
One of the big problems of having a home studio is the fact that it’s a lonely existence. People literally work in isolation, and you know what that means, don’t you? They start talking to themselves. There’s no punch clock. There’s nobody to push you. Nobody to correct you. Nobody to kick your butt.

We cannot be objective about our own performance. Unless we receive quality feedback, training, coaching and direction, we’re stuck in a bubble of our own making. We can only rise to the level of our own incompetence (read more about this in “Your Biggest Blind Spot“).

I can usually tell if someone’s spent most of her time by herself in a booth, or has experience being directed. Not only is home studio talent more nervous in a ‘real’ studio, they’re not as used to receiving and integrating feedback. They can become very defensive or overly apologetic, and I have seen people break under pressure.

Recording in a home studio often means dealing with vague instructions from the client and working without guidance. Script interpretation is hit or miss. Several takes might have to go back and forth before the client is satisfied. It can be needlessly frustrating and time-consuming. That’s why I welcome being directed via phone patch, but it rarely happens.

The introverted enjoy being left to their own devices. If you’re more the outgoing type, the four walls of your recording space might drive you nuts.

7. Always at work
Having a home studio is the best commute ever and it’s good for the environment too. However, your work will never leave you. If you’re not good at setting boundaries between your personal and professional life, it can be very tempting to lose track of all the hours you put in every day. Assuming you like what you do for a living, there’s a thin line between work and play…

Let’s go down to the studio and check email. You don’t want to miss an audition, do you? And while you’re at it, make some new Facebook friends and leave a few comments. There’s this new client who needs a quote ASAP. You better give it to him right away, otherwise you might lose the job. Have you read Paul’s latest blog post yet? You really should!

I work for clients on different continents, and if I’m not careful, I’ll stay in my cave from the crack of dawn till dusk and beyond. Work never ends and it’s only a few steps away.

For others, working from home means that distractions are just around the corner. It’s so easy to lose focus.

Why not go out and run that errand? It’s the perfect day to do some weeding in the yard. Work can wait. Mommy is in her studio and the kids are crying. The phone rings and it’s your best friend calling. She wants to have lunch with you. Have you walked the dog yet?

For the undisciplined, nine-to-five workers of the world who thrive when supervised; for those who love leaving work and not having to think about it until the next day, being a solopreneur can be a nightmare.

The uncertainty! The responsibility! The lack of structure. The freedom!

Those are the joys of having a home studio.

And I wouldn’t want to trade it for anything else!

How about you?

Paul Strikwerda ©2012
www.nethervoice.com

PS If you feel that my blog has been of value to you in some way, please show your support and appreciation and click on this link and look for the “donate to Paul” button. 

I am raising money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and I need your help. 

So far my readers have donated an amazing $2195! Let’s see if we can at least get to $2500 before the end of the month. Thank you so much!

Is it wise to put your rates on your website?

I used to be vehemently against it, but I have changed my mind. To give you an idea why, let’s explore both sides of the argument.

Business writer and voice-over professional Maxine Dunn describes herself as a savvy solopreneur. Does she think it’s a good idea to post rates? Maxine:

“No! Definitely not! No way! Never!

What if you had a rate on your website that said you charge $600 for something, but the client’s budget was actually $3000? Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Or what if your rate appears too high for a prospective client and you’ve lost the chance to negotiate with them?

I think putting rates on your website makes the client focus on price right away and that’s not what you want. It’s about your value and how you can help them, not appealing to price shoppers. It’s always best to negotiate a rate with a client when you have all the information about a project.”

In an informal poll on Facebook, 88% percent of voice talent agrees with Maxine. 9% was undecided and only 3% (one person!) thought listing a rate was a good idea.

Mara Junot is with the 88%:

“Years ago I read an article about thinking like a pro and not putting a “ceiling” on oneself with listed rates, and it has undoubtedly served me well.

When listing rates up front in the past, I found it was much harder for me to make room for any flexible negotiating of fair fees based on specific factors (…). Most top performers and their agencies don’t even have rates in their vocabulary as far as their website is concerned, so as not to create that pre-determined sense of value, especially for the higher-end consumer.”

SELLING A SERVICE

One argument that always comes back is that we’re selling a complicated service, not a simple product. It’s virtually impossible to come up with a standard rate card because we’re dealing with many variables that can all influence our voice-over quote. To name a few:

• the medium (radio, television, internet)
• the market (local, national, international)
• the length, the nature and the use of the audio
• the value of our expertise, experience and reputation

Furthermore, rates can be determined per project, length of script or per word. Good luck fitting all of that on a neat sheet. It will take several pages to cover all the details and who wants to read that?

There’s also this golden rule in sales that says:

“Never mention price until value has been established.”

Once the client is convinced of your quality, it’s much easier to negotiate a decent rate.

Then there’s the element of competition. Do we really want to give our colleagues the information that will allow them to put in a lower bid?

CARDS ON THE TABLE

Arno Lubbinge was one of the first Dutch voice-overs with an online presence. He has always been open about his pricing. He explains why:

“I see no reason to be mysterious about my rates. When I do an online search for a service or product -whether it’s a vacation rental, a vacuum cleaner or a handyman I have to get a good feeling about it and I want to know what I’m getting myself into. What does it look like? What do others think of it? And lastly: how much does it cost?

I tried to translate that in terms of my situation as a voice-over pro. I book most of my voice-over projects without ever speaking to the client in person. That’s why I think it’s important to come across as reliable and to put all my cards on the table. My voice is a valuable investment and my prices and my demos reflect that.

In The Netherlands it’s mainly the so-called budget voices that post their rates. I’ll be honest with you. I am anything but a budget voice. Of course there are clients who won’t consider me because my rates are too high. But you know what? I’ve never been able to convince these folks that I’m worth it anyway.

I’m not afraid of undercharging a client with a bigger budget. Usually, it’s the opposite. People think my rates are quite up there, which is absolutely true.”

PRICING AS A FILTER

Voice-over professionals are by no means unique. We all need to figure out ways to spend our time wisely. In the past, I’ve spent countless hours with potential clients explaining my services and my rates, only to find out that they had a champagne taste and a beer budget. If you’re in sales, you learn not to spend too much time on unqualified buyers. If you do, you will be paying for it. Literally!

A freelance photographer was asked about posting prices on his website. He was tired of tire-kickers:

“If you want to deal with the people who want to haggle, then you shouldn’t list the prices. This can lead to wasted time spent dealing with folks that in the end aren’t going to make you any money anyway. I have found that listing my prices on my site is good for business. I don’t have to spend a whole lot of time replying to emails from people wanting to know prices. When they contact me, they know what to expect.”

Clients can be clueless. That’s why you need to educate them and manage their expectations. If you’re dealing with customers who have no idea how much your service costs, why not tell them upfront? What’s the big mystery? Have you ever thought of the fact that you might actually lose business because you’re not open about your rates?

A copywriter put it this way:

“When you yourself are shopping for something, don’t you find it irritating when you can’t find a price? Aren’t you inclined to walk away and find someone who’ll tell you what you want to know? I’d answer Yes to those questions, and I have a strong hunch most potential clients (looking for a freelancer) would do the same.”

The owner of a transcription service added:

“When I’m looking for a service I will generally look at lots of different websites to compare prices. If there isn’t a price list I usually don’t bother with the company because I assume that their prices are high. It is also a lot more effort to contact a person to find out their prices.”

But what about the argument that you might be losing money by posting your rates, because a big budget client could be willing to pay way more?

Narrator Jeffrey Kafer isn’t buying it:

“If my rate for something is $300, then that’s what I charge. I don’t charge more if the client’s budget is higher. When I walk into a grocery store to buy bread, the cashiers don’t ask me how much is in my wallet and then charge accordingly.

I actually have a rate calculator on my website that covers all kinds of different types of projects. Once they fill it out, I follow up with an email.”

MORE THAN MONEY

Let’s keep one thing in mind. Just because we’re talking about rates doesn’t mean that price is always the predominant factor in the selection process. Maybe for low-budget clients, but that’s not the crowd I wish to attract. The clients I usually work with pick me because of the way I sound and for my ability to interpret their script. Most of them are willing to pay my going rate and if they’re not, they’ll find someone else.

Should we still be worried that a rate sheet might scare potential clients off?

Piehole is voice casting site based in Ireland run by Priscilla Groves and James Kennedy. In a recent blog, they discuss reasons why some of us land a job and others don’t:

“For most people hiring a voice over, they’ve put a lot of effort into this production. It’s more important to get the right voice than haggle over 50 quid.

When it comes to voice-over gigs, the majority of the time it’s someone in the middle price range who wins the gig (you know the way you never order the cheapest wine on the wine list, same thing). The law of averages says that you have the best chance of being “average”, so just knock out your quote and don’t think too  much about it. The only thing you don’t want to be is the bottle of plonk. Everything else is ok.”

LESSONS FROM THE POOL GUY

You already know where I stand in this discussion. I’m with Marcus Sheridan. Marcus used to sell fiberglass pools until he became a succesful speaker on sales and social media. In a recent article for the Social Media Examiner he writes:

“People like to know how much stuff costs.

That’s just the way we’re all wired.

Notwithstanding, the majority of businesses around the world have elected to skirt the subject of pricing on their websites for a variety of reasons, the most common being fear of losing a prospect before he or she ever contacts the company.

And although this “hidden approach” may have worked in marketing 5 or 10 years ago, I’m here to say that today’s consumers don’t like their core questions to be left unanswered. Furthermore, if we are truly to embrace content marketing and the essence of social media, we must learn to embrace every question consumers ask our company.

In other words, if your customer is thinking it, you should be addressing it. This transparent, common-sense approach is the essence of successful modern-day marketing.”

Here’s my take-away:

Lesson number one: Think like a customer. If you’re not posting your rates because you believe it might cost you business, you’re thinking about yourself and you’re probably acting out of fear. As I said in my previous blog: a winning website is never about you.

Lesson number two: Being open about rates attracts business. Because Sheridan didn’t beat about the bush and started addressing the cost of his pools, traffic to his website skyrocketed. Transparency is a good thing. Customers appreciated the fact that he was open about pricing.

Lesson number three: Be proud of your price. Your rate is a statement about the quality of your product. You offer great value for money, don’t you? Why keep that a secret?

Lesson number four: Fear paralyzes. Confidence gives you wings. 

THE PERFECT RATE SHEET

With a fiberglass pool there are hundreds of factors that can determine the ultimate price. When it comes to voice-over rates, there are also a lot of variables that go into the mix. What to do with that?

When shopping for services, most customers like to get a sense of how much things will cost. That doesn’t mean you have to give them a definite number.

Should you decide to be more open about what you charge, I recommend you build in flexibility by either giving a price range or by listing starting rates.

That way, potential customers have a ballpark figure and there’s still room for negotiation. In other words, give potential clients an idea what a project could cost and not what it eventually will cost.

Isn’t that the best of both worlds?

Paul Strikwerda ©2012
www.nethervoice.com

PS If you feel that my blog has been of value to you in some way, please show your support and appreciation and click on this link and look for the “donate to Paul” button. 

I am raising money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and I need your help. 

So far my readers have donated an amazing $1915! Let’s see if we can at least get to $2500 before the end of the month. Thank you so much!

Are you happy with your website? Does it represent who you are and what you do? Does it convert visitors into customers? How do you know?

I’ve had my website for a few years now, and to tell you the truth: I think it’s just okay. And “just okay” doesn’t cut it. That’s why I am in the process of rebuilding it from the ground up. It turns out that I’m not the only one.

Whether you’re redesigning or starting from scratch, there are some important do’s and don’ts you have to keep in mind.

I will assume that you have your own domain name. If you don’t own the name, you don’t own the site.

First, let’s talk about what makes a website work.

Number One: In times of microwave meals and high-speed internet, people have become impatient. An effective website is easy to find, easy on the eyes, easy to navigate and it loads fast.

Number Two: A website is as effective as its landing page. If the window to your shop doesn’t catch people’s attention and isn’t inviting, it’s time for a make-over.

I could easily write five blog posts on that topic alone, but Copyblogger.com is an excellent resource for information on spicing up your landing page.

That was the good.

Now it’s time to look at the bad and the ugly.

Mistake #1: Designing a site based on what you want to share instead of on what the client wants to know.

Remember the 10 things your clients don’t care about? A winning website is not about you. It’s about your customers. What are they looking for when they’re searching the web? What questions do they have that need to be answered? What do they want to do once they’ve landed on your site? What will scare them off? What will keep them interested for longer than ten seconds?

If you don’t have the answer to these questions, chances are that you’re designing a site to please yourself, and you’ll end up being your only customer. It’s an exercise in narcissism.

Mistake number #2: Not making a value proposition.

A value proposition answers the question:

Why should your ideal prospect buy from you rather than any of your competitors?

If you can’t explain why clients should hire YOU, you’re encouraging them to shop elsewhere. It’s vital to describe the benefits of hiring you from the viewpoint of your clients. Remember: you are a solution to their problem and the pleasure to their pain.

Mistake #3: Having static content.

Having a website is one thing, but  search engines have to learn to like it. Don’t stuff your site with strategic keywords just to please Google. That is so yesterday. Think of your visitors first. Give them a reason to  spend time on your site and come back for more.

Web crawlers love fresh, relevant content that drives lots of traffic. There’s a reason why this blog is an integral part of my site!

Mistake #4: Having a site that’s not mobile responsive.

More and more people access online information on mobile devices. Ineffective sites are designed for computer screens and can be hard to navigate on smart phones and iPads.

If you decide to use a template to build your site, make sure that it automatically adapts to allow your visitors to view your content — whether from a desktop, laptop, smart phone or tablet.

Mistake number #5: Not establishing credibility and professionalism.

In order to hire you, the client has to have faith that you can handle the job. But how do you get someone who doesn’t know you to trust you?

The way I see it, you have two options:

One: Toot your own horn really loud.

Two: Let others do the tooting.

Nothing you say about yourself will be as credible as what others say about you. That’s why I am a fan of incorporating short testimonials and logos of companies you’ve worked for. On one condition: Don’t make things up. If you fake it, you won’t make it.

Everything you put out into the world is a reflection of your professionalism: your demos, your pictures and your website. First impressions matter. If your site looks unprofessional, you look unprofessional.

Mistake #6: Too much text and uninterrupted paragraphs.

Some of you don’t know the difference between writing the next Great American Novel and a few webpages.

Yes, you want to answer your client’s questions, but you must leave something to talk about. Don’t you want them to contact you?

People don’t read anymore. They scan.

• Long pages and paragraphs scare your visitors away
• Bullet points get their attention
• Winning websites have lots of blank space and
• eye-catching images

And please, check your spelling and grammar. Have someone else proofread your copy. Errorz uddermine you’re cridibility.

Mistake #7: Make clients jump through hoops to get to important information.

Easy does it. Things like “Client list and testimonials upon request” require busy visitors to do extra work. Not a good idea.

Are you still secretive about your rates? Isn’t that one of the first things clients want to know? Don’t make them fish for it.

Why don’t you tell your client where you’re located? If that French director wants you to come to his Paris studio, shouldn’t he know that you live near Montreal? Visitors expect contact information at a prominent place.

By the way: a Gmail or Yahoo email address does not look very professional. Get a business email address, but use a spam-proof contact form on your site. An email address on a website is an open invitation to spammers.

Can clients download your demos or do they need to ask you to send them to you?

We’re creatures of convenience. If you were a producer and you needed a demo NOW, what would you do? Would you go to talent A and take a few seconds to download it from her website, or write an email to talent B and ask for it?

Mistake #8: Flash landing pages and automatic audio.

Flash animation slows down the loading time of your site and if forces people to watch something they might hate. What a way to greet your customers!

The same can be said about background music or an automated welcome message. I have a message on my landing page but visitors have to click on it to hear it. People want to choose.

Another no-no is a Doorway Page. You know, the one with a button that says: ENTER. It might as well say LEAVE.

Mistake #9: No call to action.

Do you leave your visitors all dressed up and nowhere to go? That’s a big blunder. You put all that effort into crafting a core message in a neat online package. For what purpose?

What do you want your visitors to do? Download your demo? Buy your audio book? Get in touch with you?

You tell me. Then you tell your visitors.

I mean it!

Look at the bottom of this blog. What do you see? (subtle hint: it’s in green)

Mistake #10: You can’t update the website yourself.

There’s a testimonial you’d like to add. You have a great new demo that needs to go on your site. Your latest audio book is on the shelves. Do you want to wait a few weeks until your webmaster gets his act together?

I have three words for you: DIY!

With a platform like WordPress, there’s no need to learn complicated codes anymore. There’s a wealth of templates that can be easily customized to create a unique, clean look.

Updates install at the click of a button. New plugins are developed every day. A framework like Genesis is already search engine optimized. It doesn’t get any easier.

I’m not saying you must design your own website, but you should at least learn how to update your virtual store.

There’s no reason why your online presence should have a sign saying:

SITE UNSEEN

So, what have you done to kick your website up a notch?  What has proven to be most effective? What are your clients looking for?

Do you have a designer you’d like to recommend?

Do you think it’s wise to publish your rates on your website?

The floor is yours!

Paul Strikwerda ©2012
www.nethervoice.com

PS If you feel that my blog has been of value to you in some way, please show your support and appreciation and click on this link.

I am raising money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and I need your help. 

So far my readers have donated an amazing $1890! Let’s see if we can at least get to $2500. Thank you so much!

the author caressing a CAD E100S

Something scary and awful has happened to me.

Because of the strange popularity of this blog and my appearance as an “expert” on several VO-shows and webinars, people are starting to take me seriously.

What am I to do?

All of a sudden, friends and foes feel the urge to retweet my nonsensical wisecracks and care to comment on bizarre thoughts I share with you on Facebook. Some people even shower me with compliments and unhealthy adoration.

STOP THAT!

I already suffer from extreme self-esteem, and you’re not making it any easier for me to stick to my twelve-step program aimed at practicing modesty and humility.

My AA (Arrogance Anonymous) self-help group was just praising me for the progress I had made in that area. It was horrible. All of a sudden I felt exceedingly full of myself again, and their flattery threw me back several months.

Because of my growing reputation, folks from all corners of the earth believe I have the answer to all their voice-over questions. Who do you think I am?

Bettye Zoller?

I thought I’d share a few of their issues with you, and when you read my responses, you will soon realize that it’s pointless to contact me.

Here we go.

Q. Dear Paul, I’d like you to critique my demo. How much do you charge for that?

A. Mr. Friedman, it depends on the audio. If your demo is very bad, you can’t pay me enough to listen to it. If it’s any good, you don’t need my critique because it speaks for itself.

Q. Dear Paul, I want to get rid of my announcer voice. What do I do?

A. Dear Doug Turkel, I can see why this could be a problem for you. I suggest talk therapy, and be sure to keep it conversational. Once you’re rid of your radio voice, relaunch your business. When you do, you better make a big announcement!

Q. Dear Paul, can you tell me what James Cameron found when his sub hit the floor of the Mariana Trench?

A. Contrary to popular belief, this was not a marine expedition. Mr. Cameron was actually looking for fresh and cheap voice-over talent for his upcoming productions. He wondered how low they would go and I believe he actually found some bottom feeders.

Q. Dear Paul, am I allowed to drink during the session if the client is paying for a “dry read only”?

A. Very funny. You may drink but only from a Blue Bottle! I have a good one for you: Are you allowed to shout in a Whisper Room®?

Q. Dear Paul, Marc Cashman charged me an arm and a leg to help me find my money voice. Is that okay?

A. Give the man some credit. He’s a genius and he deserves every penny!

Q. Dear Paul, I have some emotional scars from a Nancy Wolfson tough love seminar (and a sore back from being forced to read lying down on the podium). What do I need to heal from that experience?

A. A big hug from Bob Souer.

Q. Dear Paul, although I just started my voice-over business, I want to come across as a seasoned professional. What are some of the must-haves if I want to pull this off?

A. That’s easy. People are doing it every day. You have to have:

- a profile picture of you, hugging a microphone;

- demos that have been so doctored, sweetened and spiced up that your voice needs decompression after the session;

- a YouTube video tour of your walk-in closet voice-over studio showing a surprisingly rich variety of naughty undergarments;

- knowing the answer to the question: “What would Don have done?” (No, not Don Draper);

- a Neumann TLM 103 because you can’t afford a U87;

- a website with a picture of you hugging a microphone;

- a personal relationship with a Sweetwater Sales Engineer;

- a friend request from Dave Courvoisier;

- an East West Audio Body Shop coffee mug;

- a Facebook album with pictures of you holding various celebrities in an iron grip as they are forced to pose with you;

- a subscription to my Double Dutch blog;

- a real job.

Q. Dear Paul, you’re such a wordsmith. Can you come up with a snappy slogan for my VO-business?

A. What do you think of these?

“I can’t read your mind but I will read your script.”
“I’m always on speaking terms with my clients.”
“I will goodmouth your products and services.”
“My free custom demo comes with a money-back guarantee.”
“Speak for yourself or I will do it for you!”

Q. Dear Paul, please listen to my most recent audition. Should I put more egg crates on the wall to tame the reflections?

A. The audition was horrible. Your bathroom sounds just fine, but I think you are the one who needs more treatment.

Q. Dear Paul, I hate vulgarity and your blog is always very tasteful. What was the best advice someone ever gave you?

A. “Grab life by the balls but don’t squeeze too hard.”

Paul Strikwerda ©2012
www.nethervoice.com

PS My sincere apologies to all the colleagues mentioned in this article. You never wrote to me, and after this article I fear you never will.

PPS If you feel that my blog has been of value to you in some way, please show your support and appreciation by clicking on this link.

During the next couple of months, I am raising funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and I need your help. 

So far my readers have donated an amazing $1890! Let’s see if we can at least get to $2500! 

In my next post I’ll tell you why your website stinks!

Throughout my career I have really tried to educate potential clients. Yet, almost every day I get the same old question:

“How much do you charge for a 2 minute voice-over?”

As if we’re talking about a pound of sugar or a gallon of milk.

I really can’t answer that question, but if you think you can I’d like to know:

Based on what?

In the absence of specifics most people start making things up.

Take it from me: Do not assume you know what your clients want.

Ever.

Amateurs make assumptions. Professionals ask questions.

Leave the mind reading to the psychics. Conjectures have destroyed many promising relationships.

In the wonderful world of voice-overs there are many variables to consider before you can come up with a quote.

What you need to know before accepting the gig

1. Based on the initial description, are you the right person for the job? Is this a project you can handle, technically and artistically?

Don’t just audition to gain experience. It’s not a lottery. You do not increase your chances of getting hired by playing the numbers game. Mediocre demos decrease your chances and give you a bad rep.

Advice: Only run a race you believe you can win. Less is more. Choose quality over quantity (more on this in “Bursting the Audition Bubble“).

2. Based on personal ethics, can you stand behind this project?

Your voice will be associated with a product, a service or an organization. You’ll never do your best work on something that goes against your deepest convictions and you will resent yourself for doing it.

Advice: Don’t sell your soul to the devil. Choose integrity over money.

3. Who is the end-client? Where is this company located?

This relates to number two. Voice-over job posters don’t always reveal whom they’re working for. Wouldn’t you want to know that you’re about to be hired by the Church of Scientology or a company responsible for one of the biggest environmental disasters in history?

Secondly: Don’t quote an American rate to a European company.

Advice: Do your homework before you say yes to a moral mess. Knowing the size and location of a company will help you determine your bid. Do not sell yourself short.

If you’re based in the U.S. and you are bidding on a European project, the least you can do is change the dollar sign to Euros when you name your price. Then factor in the cost of money transfer.

4. How did they hear about you?

You can’t change what you cannot measure. If you don’t know how the client found you, you have no clue which part of your marketing strategy is working and which part needs more work.

Advice: If you don’t know already, always ask the client how they found you. If a colleague referred you, send a thank you note. If very few leads come from your website, it’s time to rethink, re-write and redesign.

Perhaps you need to fire an agent or lose that membership to a voice casting site that doesn’t bring you any work. If one of your pipelines proves particularly successful, how can you make it even better?

5. For which medium and market will the audio be used and for how long?

Some clients will happily negotiate a local radio rate for a global multi-media campaign and tell you they’re paying for a full buy-out. I’m not going to blame them. If you want to look like an amateur, go for it and leave a lot of money on the table. But don’t complain to me afterwards when you find out that you’ve been had.

Advice: A different medium, market and length of use all come with different price tags. Unless and until you get those specifics, any quote is nothing more than blind bidding.

6. Does the client expect you to deliver unedited or fully edited, ready-to-use audio? Do you need to separate the audio and send each file individually?

Depending on your experience, you can easily spend a number of hours editing sixty minutes of audio. Are you getting paid for that time? Some commentators think voice-overs have lost this battle by automatically including audio editing in their rate.

I still believe we deserve to be compensated for this special skill and time-consuming process. Unless you’re using a DAW with batch processing or a program such as Word2Wav, file separation and naming only adds to the aggravation.

Advice: Iron out the details before you name your price and get to work. If you plan to outsource prooflistening, editing and mastering, factor in how much that’s going to cost you and build that into your rate. If it’s included, make sure the client is aware that they’re paying for those services. I list them on every invoice I send out. That’s how I reinforce the added value I provide.

7. What does the client need you to sound like?

Without a clear map it’s almost impossible to get to your destination. You know that and I know that, but so many clients appear to be clueless. It’s about time they recognize that basic descriptions like “English, male or female” are unhelpful to say the least.

Advice: Ask what the client wants to hear and get specifics. A few examples:

- Language and Accent: Australian, South-African or British English? What kind of UK accent? RP, Cockney? Liverpool? Glasgow? Do they want American English? Mid-Western? Southern? New York?

- Style: Announcer, drill sergeant, movie trailer man, best friend, business-like, girl next-door, drama queen etcetera

- Tone: Serious, sarcastic, soft-spoken, comedic, insecure, confident, sophisticated, old and wise

- Tempo: Are you expected to read to timecode, does the client want a relaxed or an energetic read?

- Character: Does the client already have a certain sound in mind e.g. George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Morgan Freeman, Julia Roberts, Betty White.

- Syncing: Do you need to match the sound and tempo of the original narrator (in case you’re creating your language version of an existing video. If so, ask for a link to the original).

8. What’s the deadline for the project and how long will it take you to complete it?

Take a close look at the entire script and your schedule (not just the audition script) and ask yourself: Is this time frame realistic? How much time do I minimally need to get the job done?

How many hours will you spend recording and editing that 350-page audio book and is $500 really worth it?

Some clients tend to want the audio yesterday (and pay you many months later).

Remember: Fast delivery, High Quality and a Cheap Rate do not go hand-in-hand. Getting two out of three often means having to compromise on the third element of this equation.

Advice: Don’t get pressured into rushing a job at the expense of quality. One of the privileges of being an independent contractor is that you set your own standards and hours. In case the client asks for an ETA, build in an extra day or two. That way you look good when you deliver the goods ahead of schedule.

9. How much, how and when do you get paid?

Don’t you love it when a client says:  ”Budget to be defined”?

They’re probably testing the waters to see how low people will go in a desperate attempt to break into voice-overs.

Amateurs plug in numbers. Professionals know what they’re worth.

In business I have learned that trust must be earned. Do not negotiate the terms of payment after the client has received the audio. In the worst-case scenario you might not even get paid (and don’t think it won’t happen to you)!

Realize that services like PayPal or international bank wires come with a fee. It’s up to you whether you want to absorb that fee yourself or build it into your rate.

Advice: Determine upfront how you want to get paid: per word, per hour, per finished hour or per project. Make it as easy as possible for clients to pay you by offering several options.

Ask first-time clients to pay upfront. Consider offering discounts for fast payment and to returning customers. Use the power of PR: Positive Reinforcement!

Think about a fee for late payments. Business is a game of carrots and sticks!

What you need to know once you’ve accepted the job

In the following, I will assume that you’re recording in your home studio without SourceConnect or an ISDN connection.

1. Is the script you received the final and officially approved copy?

Just like people, some scripts are a work in progress. Certain clients believe it’s perfectly okay to present you with a new and improved version after you’ve recorded the original. What’s more, they will ask you to record it at no charge.

Advice: Let the client know that if that’s the case, they will be billed for a new session. Otherwise you’ll end up recording versions 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 for free, thereby creating an expectation for the next time this client wants to work with you.

Sometimes a re-recording is necessary because of something you did (or failed to do). In that case, the client shouldn’t have to pay for your mistakes.

2. Pronunciation: ask the client to provide a pronunciation guide.

If you’re reading a script in e.g. Spanish or Danish with an American brand name, does the client want you to pronounce it the Spanish or the Danish way, or the American way? Don’t guess. Always ask!

3. In which audio format does the client want you to record (e.g. MP3, WAV, AIFF) and what’s the preferred bit depth & sample rate (e.g. 16 bits, 41,000 Hz).

Advice: High quality recordings can always be converted into recordings of lesser quality. It does not work the other way around.

4. Does the client want processed or unprocessed audio?

If the client doesn’t mind you adding a bit of compression and equalization, make sure you save a copy of the original, unprocessed audio. If they don’t like what they hear, you can always send them the unsweetened version.

Advice: Most voice-over clients prefer unprocessed audio. Always add effects afterwards on a separate track.

5. Does the client want to listen in and/or direct the session?

It’s often very helpful to get some feedback during the recording because you’ll be able to get a clear sense of what the client wants to hear. There are different ways to set up a simple phone patch.

6. Do you need to sign any forms before you start working?

Think of a Non Disclosure Agreement, tax forms, Policies & Procedures and all that boring small print you really don’t feel like reading. Do it anyway!

7. Do you want the client to sign any forms?

If you have a working agreement or a formal contract, this is the time to send it over. As long as your terms and conditions are reasonable (and legally sound), your client should have no problem signing it. If you detect resistance, something might be going on and you need to address it.

8. How does the client wish to receive the audio file(s)?

These days there are many options. To name a few: You can use a digital online file delivery service such as www.yousendit.com or www.wetransfer.com. You can share your files using www.dropbox.com, or you can use an FTP host to upload your files.

Advice: Many of these services will send you an automated confirmation, letting you know that your file has been downloaded. If that’s not the case, always ask your client to confirm receipt. That way you have proof that your goods were delivered and received.

9. Ask your client: Is there anything else you need me to know about this project that we haven’t covered yet?

And that’s exactly the question I’d like to leave you with. I think I’ve covered the basics, but I’m sure you can add things I have overlooked. That’s what the comment section is for.

Before I go I’d like you to promise me one thing:

No more blind bidding. Be a pro and come up with an informed quote!

Do we have a deal?

Paul Strikwerda ©2012
www.nethervoice.com

PS If you feel that my blog has been of value to you in some way, please show your support and appreciation by clicking on this link.

During the next couple of months, I am raising funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and I need your help. 

So far my readers have donated an amazing $1390! That’s why I am raising the bar. Let’s see if we can at least get to $1750! 

At that time I was a reporter, producer and presenter for Radio Netherlands International. The museum had just announced the discovery of a new Van Gogh, and I was on my way to get a first look.

The curator was visibly excited to share his find with the world. So-called “new” Van Gogh’s had popped up every now and then, but most of them turned out to be poor imitations or brilliant forgeries. This time around, the authenticity was not in doubt. Why? Because the actual painting was invisible.

As I walked down the climate controlled basement, I saw canvas after canvas radiating with vibrant colors. Some of them were in the process of being restored. Others were carefully wrapped up, ready to go on loan to a museum abroad. Then we stopped at what looked like a huge file cabinet with wide drawers.

“This is it,” said the young curator, as he opened one of the drawers. “Here’s our discovery. It is a portrait of an unknown woman.”

“I don’t understand,” I said. “All I see is a painting of a Patch of Grass.”

The broad brush strokes of vivid green seemed to be sculpted onto the canvas, making this magnificent meadow almost a three-dimensional work of art.

The curator smiled and said: “That’s because you can’t see the portrait. Van Gogh often re-used his old canvases to save money. The painting you’re looking at right now was painted over the image of the woman. Let me show you what the X-ray revealed.

A hidden masterpiece
We believe the painting underneath was made in 1884 or 1885, during a period in which Van Gogh painted several portraits of peasants in the Dutch village of Nuenen.

The colors are kind of gloomy, certainly compared to the work of Impressionists, and that’s probably why Vincent decided to paint a brighter and more commercial scene over it when we was in Paris. As many as one-third of his paintings may conceal earlier works.”

In 2008, researchers used a newer technique to penetrate the layers of paint, revealing more details and color of the unknown woman hidden underneath the green grass.

Right now, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has some 40 Van Gogh’s on display at their ”Van Gogh Up Close” exhibition. I don’t think “A Patch of Grass” has made it to the U.S. but a work like “Undergrowth With Two Figures” from 1890 is part of the exhibit. Looking at it, one can almost feel the waves of wind whispering in the weeds.

My U.S. television debut
The catalogue for the exhibition was in part funded by the Netherland-America foundation and NBC 10 provides promotional support.

As part of that promotion, Eileen Matthews produced the documentary “Van Gogh Up Close” which airs on March 17 at 7:30 p.m. Lori Wilson will be narrating and you can hear me as the voice of Van Gogh, reading quotes from some of the many letters he wrote.

NBC wanted me to add some authenticity to this production and that made for an interesting challenge: we don’t really know what Van Gogh sounded like. He was born in the South of Holland and at age 20, he moved to London to work for an art dealer. Some scholars believe these were the happiest days of his life.

Van Gogh returned to England for work as a supply teacher in a small boarding school and later he became a missionary’s assistant. This leads me to believe that he might have spoken English with Dutch-British accent.

Here is part of a letter Van Gogh wrote in 1881 to his brother Theo who was an art dealer. These are the actual words Vincent wrote:

[audio:http://www.nethervoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Letter-to-Theo-Dutch.mp3|titles=Van Gogh's Letter to Theo in Dutch read by Paul Strikwerda]

Listen to the same letter in English:

[audio:http://www.nethervoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Letter-to-Theo-English.mp3|titles=Van Gogh's letter to Theo in English read by Paul Strikwerda]

Talking to non-Dutch speakers, one thing always comes up when discussing Van Gogh. Nobody seems to know how to correctly pronounce his last name. Is it “Van Goff” or “Van Goh”?

The correct answer: neither.

If you wish to impress your friends and family, here’s how you do it:

[audio:http://www.nethervoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Untitled.mp3|titles=Dutch pronunciation Vincent Van Gogh]

A new discovery?

Even today, people claim to have found new masterpieces by van Gogh. On Wednesday March 14th, Joshua Tree resident Michael Wilson announced he had discovered a long-lost painting depicting beech trees at sunset. He bought it for $50 in a junk shop. If the painting turns out to be genuine, it could be appraised at approximately $200 million.

During his lifetime Van Gogh only sold one oil painting. He lived and died in poverty, but he knew he was was leaving an extraordinary legacy. He once said:

“I can’t change the fact that my paintings don’t sell, but the time will come when people will recognize that they are worth more than the value of the paints used in the picture.”

Well, that’s certainly one of the most prophetic understatements in the history of art. Especially if you take into consideration that some owners of a real Van Gogh might actually have purchased two pictures for the price of one!

Paul Strikwerda ©2012
www.nethervoice.com

PS If you feel that my blog has been of value to you in some way, please show your support and appreciation by clicking on this link.

During the next couple of months, I am raising funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and I need your help. 

So far my readers have donated an amazing $1390! That’s why I am raising the bar. Let’s see if we can at least get to $1750! 

When it comes to the tools of the trade, I subscribe to the “less is more” philosophy. Life is complicated as is, and in my studio I’d like to keep things as simple as possible. How about you?

Without exception, my clients ask for audio that’s “unfooled around with”. Most of them are much better equipped to do post-production sweetening in their studios, if that’s what they want.

I have no inclination to compete with all the high-end bells and whistles their engineers have at their disposal. As long as I can give them clean and clear audio, they’re happy and I’m happy.

Computing Power: the hardware

At the heart of my studio is a Mac Mini with a dual-core 2.3 GHz Intel i5 processor running OS X Lion. It came with 2GB of memory, but thanks to a removable bottom, it is very easy to add more memory to your mini. If you let Apple do it for you, 8 GB will cost you $400. It took me ten minutes to do it myself for less than $45. At the time I even got a $10 rebate and free shipping!

Sorry, but I’m not going to get into the Apple versus PC discussion. I’ve used both and I have found Apple to be more reliable and user-friendly. I do want to tell you what prompted me to get a Mac Mini.

Reason number one: it barely makes any noise. When it does, it produces a whisper that’s almost inaudible.

Some colleagues have a studio with two separate areas: a sound booth and a control room. The computer is usually outside the booth. I combined both spaces, which means that my desktop sits next to me in my studio. The Mac Mini uses very little energy and it rarely ever gets warm. That makes it amazingly quiet.

Secondly, this computer stays in my studio. It doesn’t have to go on the road with me. Otherwise I would have bought the Macbook Air (no moving parts and also nearly silent).

Third: I already had peripherals such as a flat-screen monitor and an ergonomic mouse. I just added a wireless keyboard. Tip: if you want to connect a standard analog computer monitor or LCD to your Mac Mini, you need a Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter.

What the Mac Mini doesn’t have is an optical drive to play and burn CD’s or DVD’s. For that purpose I bought the Macbook Air SuperDrive which can be plugged into one of the four Mac Mini USB 2.0 ports.

The actual move from PC to Mac was very easy. It took me about a week to get used to my new computer and the operating system. It’s all rather intuitive. A few weeks ago we did add a MacBook Air to our household. This is no ordinary laptop. It is a work of art!

Backup, please!

We’ve all heard horror stories of friends who lost months if not years worth of irreplaceable data when their system decided to take a permanent break. Backing up is something all of us should do, but we often don’t. We forget. We tell ourselves that we’ll do it tomorrow or the day after. It’s just one more thing to think about, and that’s why I wanted a backup system that would do the thinking for me.

I now have an Apple Time Capsule with a 2 TB hard drive, designed to work with my operating system (although it works with PC’s too). After an initial backup which lasted several hours, it now backs up both computers in our home quickly, wirelessly and automatically. Installing it was a piece of cake. The Time Machine feature in the OS detected the Time Capsule and within minutes it was up and running.

With an AppleCare Protection Plan I have everything covered.

click to enlarge

Look at me!

Next on my list was a webcam which I use for coaching sessions, webinars and Skype. I picked the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910. The Carl Zeiss optics lens has a wide angle and the video quality is remarkably crisp and clear.

Reviewers also praise the quality of the stereo microphones. That’s not so important to me because my sound comes directly from my studio condenser.

Mac users: don’t get all gaga over all the advanced features listed on the box and in the manual (zoom, face tracking, exposure adjustments). Even though Apple sells this camera in their stores, most of the Logitech functionally works on a PC and not on a Mac. The C910 is also not supported as an iMovie camera, but that’s Apple’s fault.

In summary, this camera gets an A for image quality, but a C- for limited Apple functionality.

Software

There are many different types of DAW’s (Digital Audio Workstations) available for audio production on a Mac. Colleagues with a background in audio engineering like to use Pro Tools. A lot of my voice-overs friends rave about Adobe Audition CS5.5 and Twisted Wave. Until I made the switch, I was a happy Sound Forge™ Pro user.

I won’t be going over the pros and cons of each program. You can try most of them out for free and I’d certainly take advantage of that.

I ended up choosing Twisted Wave because it’s very stable, easy to use and at $79.90 it’s also budget-friendly. Thanks to a great interface, zooming in and out of a waveform is very fast, even when the file is quite long. I particularly like the fact that I can zoom in at great detail for precision editing.

Different clients prefer different audio formats and TW can import, export and convert most of them. It has a time-saving batch processing feature which is especially useful when you’re working on a lengthy e-Learning project with lots of short files that need to be separated out and individually named.

TW doesn’t come with a whole lot of special effects, but new and existing plugins are imported seamlessly. With TW, effects no longer have to be applied one by one, but it’s possible to load any number in an effect stack and still adjust them separately.

Some of you might prefer Adobe Audition CS5.5 because it’s loaded with features such as Noise Reduction, a DeClicker, a DeHummer etcetera. I had already invested in Izotope’s RX2 audio repair toolkit and it’s now an integral part of my Twisted Wave Effects line-up.

I do have two items on my Twisted Wave wish list. I’d love to have a feature similar to Adobe Audition’s Auto Heal function for brushing away audio glitches. It’s like having Photoshop® for your audio! I also like to have my Sound Forge WaveHammer tool back. It applies a tad of compression and normalization to the sound files to give the audio just a bit more oomph.

click to enlarge

Controlling the Wave

To streamline my job in the editing room I’m using a ShuttlePROv2 controller. It has 15 programmable buttons, a jog knob and a spring loaded wheel with which I can control the main editing functions in Twisted Wave.

It’s preprogrammed for things like Garageband, iPhoto and iTunes, but it was really easy to program the TW keyboard shortcuts into the Shuttle. With my mouse in one hand and my ShuttlePRO in the other, I can scroll, zoom, cut, copy and paste much faster than with a keyboard.

The ShuttlePROv2 connects to your computer via a USB port and it comes with custom labels for the top 9 buttons. It can be used on either MAC or PC computers and it retails for about $80.

Microphone and shock mount

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I consider myself to be a very lucky man. Last December I won a Microtech Gefell M 930 Ts large diaphragm condenser microphone in a recordinghacks.com giveaway. This microphone happens to be ideal for voice-over work. To find out why, you should read my review by clicking here.

Because the Gefell did not come with a shock mount, I had to find a suspension system that would hold this small microphone. Rycote, a company based in the UK, makes the InVision™ Studio Kit you see in the picture ($149.99). It’s a combination of a unique, universal shock mount and a very light and effective pop filter. If you click here, you’ll find out what I think of this kit.

I’m using an Ultimate Support® mic stand and their telescoping Ulti-Boom. WindTech cable clips keep the mic cable separate from the stand.

Preamplifier

A good preamplifier strengthens the low level signal coming from your microphone to a level suitable for recording, without degrading the signal to noise ratio (S/N). A preamp with a high S/N has very little background noise.

Some boutique preamplifiers can really color your sound and that wasn’t something I was particularly interested in. My ideal preamp needed to be dead quiet, transparent, detailed and clear in all frequencies.

click to enlarge

As I researched preamps within my budget range, I kept coming back to one model: the Grace Design m101 ($565).

Built in Boulder, Colorado, the sound quality is often described as “natural” and “pristine”. I couldn’t agree more. This is a phenomenal preamplifier!

Looking at the front panel, you’ll see a 48V phantom power button, a ‘ribbon button’ which, when engaged, bypasses the phantom power circuit, and a high-pass filter button to reduce low-end rumble and curb the proximity effect of a microphone.

In my review for pro audio dealer Sweetwater, I called this preamp an “Amazing Grace” because it makes my microphone shine.

Audio Interface

In a nutshell, an audio interface connects your microphone and other sound sources to your computer. For audio to be usable by a computer it needs to be digital, and an interface converts your analog signal to bits and bytes. You’ll often find external audio interfaces that include a mic preamp, but since I already had a pre, I opted for the pocket-sized Echo AudioFire2 ($195).

This device is connected to and powered by the computer via a FireWire bus. I purposely didn’t want to get a USB-interface. The Mac Mini only has four USB slots that fill up pretty quickly and USB devices cannot draw power from the computer. With the AudioFire 2 you can record 24-bit 96 kHz audio with near-zero latency (delay) monitoring.

Because the AudioFire2 has a 400 Mbps FireWire port and the Mac Mini has an 800 Mbps port, you need an adaptor to be able to connect it to the computer. The AudioFire could also use a simple step-by-step  set-up guide. Perhaps it’s my lack of technical insight, but it took me a while to make the right connections (literally and figuratively).

Overall, this sturdy, small metal box performs just fine. It’s more of a necessity than anything else.

Monitoring

Like so many of you, I evaluate my audio in two ways: I use headphones and studio monitors. Gear-guru’s often recommend buying closed headphones to prevent sound leaks from feeding back through the microphone. That’s why I got the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro.

These headphones stay put alright, and they shut outside sounds out (not that ambient noise is a problem in an isolated studio). Over time I found them to be quite uncomfortable. I happen to have a rather large head (thanks Dad!), and I didn’t like the tight grip the Sennheiser had on my ears.

The AKG K 240 semi-open Studio headphones I am using now (also $99), are very comfy and they provide plenty of acoustic isolation. My ears can breathe! After a year and a half, the cups started showing some wear and tear, and I will replace them soon with velvet ear pads.

The AKG has a regular, straight cable which I also prefer. Somehow, things always get caught in a coiled cable, such as the one that comes with the Sennheiser.

Both headphones are excellent for detailed monitoring.

When it came to picking out a pair of speakers a few years ago, my budget was limited and so was my space. At that time I was recording in a cold corner of the attic. For $99 I bought a pair of Alesis M1Active 320USB monitors.

At first I was quite skeptical and I didn’t really expect much from these bookshelf speakers. Once I plugged them in, I was blown away by the fact that so much sound could come out of such a small package. That has not changed.

I’m sure they are no match for a pair of Genelec studio monitors, but for under 100 bucks these Alesis speakers continue to impress me. As you can see, I have placed them on stands at ear hight. It really makes a difference.

Enough already

Alright… I think I’m done shopping for a while, don’t you?

Selecting audio equipment can be a daunting task and it can be a learning experience. Just as a musician has to know his instruments, a voice-over pro has to have a basic knowledge of the tools he or she is using. There’s so much good stuff available these days, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Whatever you do, don’t be intimidated by gear-snobs and audiophiles. Talk to people you trust and whenever possible, try things out for yourself.

Don’t blindly buy something just because some guy at your local Guitar Center told you he loves it, or because Paul Strikwerda wrote about it in his blog.

After all, that’s just a bunch of Double Dutch!

Paul Strikwerda ©2012
www.nethervoice.com
PS If you feel that my blog has been of value to you in some way, please show your support and appreciation by clicking on this link.

During the next couple of months, I am raising funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and I need your help. 

So far my readers have donated an amazing $1260! That’s why I am raising the bar. Let’s see if we can at least get to $1750!