tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.comments2012-03-26T11:13:11.656-07:00Lance Blairhttps://profiles.google.com/112505058251792819102noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-45750786552244559712012-03-26T10:56:46.494-07:002012-03-26T10:56:46.494-07:00That&#39;s the first specific guidance I have seen, in a long time. Thanks, Lance! Can we assume that you mean unweighted in your indications of minus 55, 65, 70 dbFS? That makes quite a difference to the reading if there happens to be hum/rumble, though of course there should not be such!<br /><br />Regards, Howard EllisonHoward Ellisonhttp://www.howardellison.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-57313254779070306702011-12-22T08:20:06.583-08:002011-12-22T08:20:06.583-08:00Hey Lance, it was great working with you, too. You did an awesome job and were very patient with our first foray into animation. More projects coming soon!Michele Murdockhttp://www.openspan.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-27304145696276599102011-12-07T11:09:51.993-08:002011-12-07T11:09:51.993-08:00Thanks for the tip. I am now off to read your more recent blog entries.Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370981222208063758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-63223509064059238582011-07-15T13:33:08.248-07:002011-07-15T13:33:08.248-07:00Here&#39;s a sample audition using my new Sennheiser MK4 microphone. There&#39;s light compander on this from AA3 with (2:1 over -15db, expander kicks in at -50db). Focusrite ISA One preamp in &quot;medium&quot; impedance setting (2.4kohms). http://lanceblair.net/sharing/LanceBlairRDQ.mp3Lance Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00867378325176701163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-63055183759661753122011-01-12T18:01:24.023-08:002011-01-12T18:01:24.023-08:00Lance, thanks for this great review I just found out about. I&#39;m *this* close to just buy one of them AT&#39;s, I&#39;ve yet to hear ANYONE talk bad about them, I&#39;ve even been recommending them myself for a while to anyone looking for an entry-level mic, and even though I&#39;m way past &quot;entry-level&quot; I still want to try one of these. Shopping for the best price as I type.<br /><br />Regards,<br />Jacob E.Jacob E.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-1522294091287794402010-12-23T18:22:00.898-08:002010-12-23T18:22:00.898-08:00Hi, good luck with your goal of becoming a &quot;voice-over personality&quot;. <br /><br />I too like Clooney doing VOs, but unlike you I love hearing James Spader doing the Acura commercials. He uses his deep voice for the commercials and I find his voice to be very sexy. <br /><br />I would imagine that each advertising campaign has a certain feel they are trying to establish and that the VO person needs to fit within the parameters of their concept. It has to be a challenge to figure out what it is the ad people are looking for and then meet their expectations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-49857867365254678862010-09-16T14:16:20.518-07:002010-09-16T14:16:20.518-07:00Ach...I should walk the walk too, shouldn&#39;t I? I&#39;ll leave my list of 50 voice over talents I think I sound like soon and we&#39;ll all have a good larff over it. ;)Lance Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00867378325176701163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-32819948523260091802010-07-23T14:24:10.770-07:002010-07-23T14:24:10.770-07:00I agree Paul, there&#39;s a time to sit and a time to stand, and what you do (especially in your own studio) has to be about personal comfort. I&#39;ll stand for dynamic work, but go to my desk for much of my corporate work. Thanks for the comment, you&#39;re one of the best VO talents writing about voice over on the planet (and not too shabby as a talent as well)! :)Lance Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00867378325176701163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-27197273843374046252010-07-23T14:19:42.146-07:002010-07-23T14:19:42.146-07:00As a stand-up guy, I wouldn&#39;t sit on this issue for too long, unless you put me in a lay-z-boy and hand me the remote.<br /><br />If I had to make a stand, I&#39;d say that the expressive voice-over-actors amongst us -you know, the folks who like talking with their hands- should definitely stay vertical. <br /><br />I&#39;m working on longer narrations at the moment, and I prefer to sit down at my desk as I am reading the copy displayed on the flat screen monitor in front of me.<br /><br />Eventually, I plan on getting a so-called &quot;knee chair&quot; which will put my body in an ideal upright position. It&#39;s like sitting and standing at the same time.<br /><br />This type of chair is also extremely quiet. I can&#39;t stand noisy chairs in my whisper booth.Paul Strikwerdahttp://www.nethervoice.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-87811966910286718462009-03-31T20:01:00.000-07:002009-03-31T20:01:00.000-07:00Meh, I've got the same stuff going on at my blog as well (<A HREF="http://gregoryhouser.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow">A man, a martini, and a lot of microphones</A>) so I don't know how much of a sage I am for not following my own advice.<BR/><BR/>But, considering how long it's taken me just to get this far (no thanks to various external factors), I've learned to measure victories in the small things. Life should not be about how many sprints we participate in, but in the number of marathons we complete.<BR/><BR/>Take care,<BR/><BR/>-Greg<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.gregoryhouser.com" REL="nofollow">Voiceovers by Gregory Houser </A>Greg Houserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00301755699550382573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-52155829419021321792009-03-31T14:33:00.000-07:002009-03-31T14:33:00.000-07:00Ah, sage advice once again from Greg Houser...thank you! <BR/>It's all part of the joys of being chef, cook, and bottle-washer.Lance Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00867378325176701163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-63725082141698931312009-03-29T22:00:00.000-07:002009-03-29T22:00:00.000-07:00Lance,<BR/><BR/>while you're doing some "Spring cleaning", maybe you ought to clean up the two "edit me" links you have on this blog, and also have a link back to your webpage from here.<BR/><BR/>Then again you're listing to advice from a guy who still hasn't finished his website yet (though it'll be soon... got the blog up, running, and configured it to the new layout as well).<BR/><BR/>Cheers!<BR/><BR/>-Greg<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.gregoryhouser.com" REL="nofollow"> Voiceovers By Gregory Houser</A>Greg Houserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00301755699550382573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-20028741515053860292009-03-09T06:07:00.000-07:002009-03-09T06:07:00.000-07:00As have I. The loss of headroom and lack of ability to properly use EQ, compression, or any other type of dynamic processing.<BR/><BR/>Of course, when you bring this up the usual suspects come out from the woodwork to let you know how their way is the only way, etc.<BR/><BR/>Make the recording as free from noise as possible, and the number of options you have during later phases opens up to you. Why this seems to be lost on the home VO community is a bit of a head scratcher to me.<BR/><BR/>When all else fails, ask the client, or the studio doing the mixing/mastering how they need the track done. It'll save a lot of time and effort.<BR/><BR/>This also brings up what most people ignore in their home studio environments, the room itself. It is really worth it to spend the extra $ to have someone evaluate your room so that you can treat it properly. Unfortunately, a lot of people think that a couple of moving blankets, or some foam padding strewn about will get the job done. It actually takes a bit more than that. Folks like Don LaFontaine and Joe Cipriano don't hire professionals to help them set up their studios because they're unable to hang a piece of foam. They do it because they know just how important it really is.<BR/><BR/>-Greg<BR/><BR/>http://www.gregoryhouser.comGreg Houserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00301755699550382573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-17261113104286958322009-03-07T12:26:00.000-08:002009-03-07T12:26:00.000-08:00Lance, you also need to think about the HDD itself. First off, there's no excuse for using a 4200 or even 5400 RPM drive. Quiet 7200 RPM drives have been on the market for years, and the 2.5" (notebook size) drives actually work more efficiently on average than their 3.5" counterparts. Additionally, the system's PF usage can play a major role in your performance.<BR/><BR/>It doesn't take much to get a laptop working well for VO, provided that the laptop is in good working condition to begin with. There are several tools out there which can help you to further tweak your system (TweakXP comes to mind as one of the best apps I've used) so that you can get the best performance.<BR/><BR/>All that said, there's a little something which everyone needs to remember: Performance and reliability share a large area on the curve, but eventually you get to a point that the performance of a system outpaces it's capacity to run in a reliable mannger.<BR/><BR/>Cheers!<BR/><BR/>-Greg Houser<BR/><BR/>www.gregoryhouser.comGreg Houserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00301755699550382573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-63010355287255636512009-02-20T21:45:00.000-08:002009-02-20T21:45:00.000-08:00Well said sir!<BR/>I've been fighting brick-walled VO recordings for years...Some Audio Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15458007836541750167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-70569715144942492192009-02-04T07:45:00.000-08:002009-02-04T07:45:00.000-08:00Great parody. The only thing worse than the bad script writer is the client who insists on writing their own copy. I recently had to read a sentence where the subject and verb didn't agree, and I couldn't get it changed. "Verbatim" was my reply. <BR/><BR/>Do you know the name of the guy who voices those Bud spots? He's the image voice on WLW, and he parodied the ads himself in WLW promos.stevefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098471743485897147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-81272854521291176512008-09-20T09:05:00.000-07:002008-09-20T09:05:00.000-07:00Hi, Lance! Thanks for such a thoughtful article. I especially liked how you described your mental process as being in the chair next to the person.<BR/><BR/>So many people think voice-over is just about having a great voice. You show -- or should I say TEACH --in this post that a voice talent must bring one's <B>WHOLE SELF</B> to the microphone. <BR/><BR/>People also try to be all things to all people. While we all would love to be the star of a Disney or Pixar animated movie, work in other areas calls to our souls. Because you always had an intrinsic desire to be a teacher, I am sure that your e-learning modules have that extra warmth of a teacher who is deeply knowledgeable in and passionate for his subject.<BR/><BR/>I hope newcomers read this post and realize that their special love for something may be the starting point for a niche market.<BR/><BR/>Best wishes for unimagined prosperity and radiant good health!<BR/><BR/><B>Karen Commins</B><BR/><A HREF="http://www.KarenVoices.com" REL="nofollow">www.KarenVoices.com</A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.KarenBlogs.com" REL="nofollow">www.KarenBlogs.com</A>AVATChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15681645556089142658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-4535942283843776712008-09-19T06:59:00.000-07:002008-09-19T06:59:00.000-07:00My parents were teachers and it's in my blood. While I pursued voiceovers I was a trainer for two major restaurant chains for ten years. I also do a bunch of educational voice work and I enjoy it!Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02524595763301170071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-83355506973939883762008-03-05T04:34:00.000-08:002008-03-05T04:34:00.000-08:00Lance,<BR/><BR/>It's been a while since I visited your blog. This is such a good point. Thank you.<BR/><BR/>Be well,<BR/>BobBob Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13383277570489404451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-30558131186788278742008-01-08T08:28:00.000-08:002008-01-08T08:28:00.000-08:00I love Mogami cables!<BR/>I'd totally believe that replacing the old cable would give a good noise cut.<BR/><BR/>In this age of digital, this is one of those simple upgrades that's oft overlooked.Some Audio Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15458007836541750167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-63763535974953685242008-01-03T19:40:00.000-08:002008-01-03T19:40:00.000-08:00Wow, a 3db difference just from cords. That is most impressive!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00314878245464908411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-649466471537750872007-09-27T17:21:00.000-07:002007-09-27T17:21:00.000-07:00Well done, Lance.<BR/>Good luck.<BR/>I'm so glad for another area for my filibustering pontification.<BR/><BR/>RobertRobert Jadahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16566721516865686204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-64938895762497422922007-09-25T20:12:00.000-07:002007-09-25T20:12:00.000-07:00Indeed, welcome!Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00314878245464908411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344242408760503407.post-4149572498060354242007-09-25T18:20:00.000-07:002007-09-25T18:20:00.000-07:00Lance,<BR/><BR/>Welcome to the blogosphere and to blogging about voiceover work. I look forward to reading what you write.<BR/><BR/>Be well,<BR/>BobBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13383277570489404451noreply@blogger.com