In
this Issue: |
| CV's Anniversary 5th Sale
........coming up in 30 days...a big one!!! |
| Producer's Corner..........Selecting
the right mic..........Bruce Valeriani |
| Getting paid for the Gig.............all
you have to do is get paid - by Peter Drew |
| Now for the Funnies....Featuring
"Andy Rooney" and "Scottish Sobriety Test" |
| Let's Link up............improve
your web site rank. |
| Don LaFontaine...........King
of the Movie trailers and VoG (Voice of
God) |
| Web site
Tips...............from Glen McInnis |
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| CV's
5th Anniversary Sale
This year our September Anniversary sale is a big
one, the biggest yet! Details will be available here in our next
Newsletter. Sale prices, prizes, cash, free memberships,
launch of new CV.co.uk site and more. Be sure and mark
the date on your calendar, September 15th - 30th
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| Harlan Hogan's
new book "Voice Actor's Guide to Home Recording"
is now on sale at Amazon.com
and Harlan Hogan.com |
| |
Producer's Corner..
SELECTING THE RIGHT MIC
A microphone is basically an energy converter. It takes sound
waves produced by a voice or an instrument and converts them into
electrical energy.
There are several types of mics available, but the 2 types used
most often for voice recording are dynamic or condenser. A condenser
contains a thin diaphragm that works with a power supply to respond
to sound pressure changes. Dynamic mics produce a signal when
sound pressure moves a coil or ribbon within a magnetic field.
Dynamic mics tend to have a slightly restricted frequency response
than condenser mics, particularly in the higher frequencies -
but for voice-over applications, more is not always better. In
last month's column, I described problems related to sibilance,
and with a condenser mic's extended range, the problem can be
exacerbated - depending on the person's voice.
All mics also have a defined pickup pattern, which also shapes
their sound. Omni-directional mics pick-up sound from all directions,
while cardioid mics pick-up sound more from the front of the mic,
while rejecting sound from the sides and the rear. Mics that have
a more directional pickup pattern can also exhibit a significant
bass-boost when used in close-proximity to the voice -- this characteristic
is partially responsible for that "FM Radio DJ" sound
of certain voice announcer.
While certain mics have become standards in broadcasting industry
(such as the ubiquitous Electro-Voice RE-20), when selecting a
mic for your own voice, it's important to try the mic in your
own sonic environment.
The room in which you record can greatly affect the recorded sound.
"Quick-testing" a potential mic in the store is not
a good example of what a mic will sound like in your recording
space. Be sure to purchase from a reputable store that has a good
exchange policy! Also keep in mind that the best mic for your
voice ISN'T the one that's the most expensive.
Some snap recommendations of mics to check out are -
Dynamics: Electrovoice RE-20, Beyer-Dynamic M160, Shure SM58
Condensers: Rode NT-1, Audio-Technica AT4033, Neumann U87, AKG
414
Next month, to go with your shiny new mic, I'll discuss mic pre
amps!
Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound Recording Studios
"Putting the sound back into recording!"
Bruce Valeriani
owns and operates Blue
Bear Sound in Ottawa, Canada, accommodating all your
recording needs - whether it's audio, video, and/or multimedia.
For more information on recording, check out the Articles
page on the studio web site... or for professional production
of your demo at extremely reasonable Canadian prices,
contact Bruce at 613-822-0726 or by email at info@bluebearsound.com.
Blue Bear Sound Recording Studios
"Putting the sound back into recording!"
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Marketing
on line
By Peter Drew
Getting paid for the gig.
Union or Non-Union?
For AFTRA and/or SAG union talent, getting paid in a timely fashion
is a benefit of union membership. It’s built into the union
contract. Union talents fill out a form at the session and then
submit it to a paymaster (someone contracted with the union to handle
talent payroll). The paymaster ensures that the talent is paid within
a time period specified by the union contract.
Non-union talent and financial core talent doing non-union work
are totally responsible for collecting what’s owed to them.
Financial core, if you aren’t familiar with the term, refers
to less than full union membership. Financial core union members
have paid the portion of dues and fees dedicated strictly to collective
bargaining, excluding any activity not directly related to collective
bargaining. You might call it “union lite.” Financial
core members do not have voting rights and cannot hold elective
office in the union, but they also do not have to abide by union
rules and regulations........More
| Peter Drew, a card-carrying member of the
Commercial Voices cadre, provides voice overs for all electronic
media. Have a comment about this article? Please visit Peter
Drew Voiceovers and drop him a line via email. While you're
there, check out Peter's demos and additional articles on the
voice-over business. |
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The Funnies.........
Andy Rooney quips.
Scottish Sobriety test
Got any new funnies? Send file or link to Rick
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Improve
your web site rank......
With all the hoop la about web site optimization and multi
tune ups that are supposed to help us in our web site ranking
in Search Engines one tip seems to remain constant. The more quality
reciprocal links you have, the better. This is your invitation
to link up with CV and we will do the same with your site. The
only criteria is that it be somehow related to the VO industry.
Whether you are a VO talent, writer, producer, musician, ad agency
or production house, come along for the ride with CV. Click
here send us your link request. You can check
out our current links by clicking on "Links" at the
top of this page. Choose from a selection of links to us here.
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Don
LaFontaine et al
Along with more info on the top VO money makers such as
Tex Brashear, Hal Douglas, Peter Cullen and Joe Cipriano.
Don LaFontaine, nicknamed "The King of the Movie Trailers"
and "The VoG (Voice of God)", is credited with creating
the modern movie trailer. He is also responsible for having created
many of the movie trailer clichés, such as "In a world
where...," "A one-man army...," or "From the
bedroom to the boardroom...."
Don't miss the interview with Don and Joe Cipriano at the bottom
of the page
.........more.
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Web
site Tips
Making Narrated Presentations available on the Internet Using
Flash
It has become a fairly common practice for corporations to use
narrated PowerPoint presentations for sales, training and many other
functions. One of the most difficult problems is getting those presentations
out to the audience without requiring them to have specific version
of Microsoft Office and audio-playback software.
To get an idea of what I mean, take a look at the following sample
slide used as part of an online course: http://www.crystalbaymedia.com/sampleslide.html
This slide was created using the built in animation and sound playback
tools of PowerPoint 2003 and then converted to Flash using a product
called PowerConverter.
For more information on PowerPoint’s animation features please
refer to PowerPoint’s online help topics “Adding Sound,
Music, Video and Voice”, “Animating Text and Objects”,
“Setting Timing and Transitions”.
The basic steps to creating a narrated presentation for the web
are:
1. Create your presentation as normal using PowerPoint
2. Add animations and voice using PowerPoint’s animation and
sound functions
3. Convert the PowerPoint file using a converter product like PowerConverter
or Impatica.
More information and a free trial of PowerConverter can be found
at: http://www.presentationpro.com/products/PowerCONVERTER.asp
More information and a free trial of Impatica for PowerPoint can
be found at:
http://www.impatica.com/imp4ppt/
Do you have a topic you would like to see addressed in the monthly
tip? Email your question or idea to info@crystalbaymedia.com
Tips provided by Crystal Bay Media
www.crystalbaymedia.com
Email Glen: Glen
McInnis
Mention this newsletter and you will receive a 10% discount on
any of CB’s services:
• Web site design and maintenance
• Custom web applications
• E-learning
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