CommercialVoices introduces "CV's Kids"

We think it's about time the Kids had an opportunity to shine in the VO industry and so CV is going to give them a portal in the New Year. We will be inviting all Platinum Members to send us demos from their children aged 3-16 along with nieces and nephews for free exposure on CV. Nice idea? ......More

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Road Warriors Part 2 - Do I invest in ISDN or an Internet Audio Program?
.....By Harlan Hogan

(Part 1 is here in case you missed it)

I'll try to keep this short.......

If you are doing actual sessions from a home studio ISDN or an Internet equivalent (Source Connect, Audio TX) is an invaluable tool along with a traditional phone patch. To do Radio/TV imaging, ISDN capability is expected and necessary.

However ISDN is becoming hard to get from the Telco's in many places and it is expensive. Installation runs around a hundred and fifty dollars for the two lines necessary, plus a monthly charge of forty to well over a hundred dollars a month, depending on location. It's customary for the talent to not initiate a call, but if you do you'll also be hit with line charges per minute -- times two! A Chicago production house spends over a thousand dollars per month on ISDN line charges for audio book narrations. And there's the gear - you'll need an ISDN Codec (coder/decoder) essentially an expensive computer based modem - three to four thousand dollars new........More

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Welcome to Sound Ideas

Glen Campbell welcomes all CV Newsletter subscribers and readers with an exciting exclusive offer that you will not find anywhere else. Simply submit your name, mailing address. phone number and email address to Glen monthly...that's all there is to it. First he will offer to send you a Sound Ideas Sampler of many of their terrific products and you will also be eligible to win one of two great Production CD's, Captain Audio (450 sfx) or Mzzz Muzic (200 music tracks). Just click on Glen's name to submit. I have been dealing with Glen at Sound-Ideas for many years both in radio and in VO. He is very knowledgeable and professional about his business and is not a sales-hound if you know what I mean. Give Glen a call anytime at 1-800-665-3000 (within Canada) or 1-800-387-3030 (USA), 905-886-5000 (International). Check out their Blue Plate Specials every month for amazing deals!

Welcome to Sound Ideas Online The world's largest publisher of professional sound effects, royalty free music, and your source for a comprehensive selection of production music and production element libraries.Buy direct from Sound Ideas - our e-commerce Web site offers secure online purchasing of more than 200 different sound effects and stock music products for broadcast, post-production, multimedia, game development and other wireless and entertainment applications.

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ACTRA on STRIKE.........By ACTRA

January 8, 2007 - TORONTO - ACTRA is on strike as of today, Monday, January 8, 2007 in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. ACTRA will be on strike in the rest of the country shortly, except British Columbia that is under a separate agreement.

"Regretfully, ACTRA has begun the first strike ever in our 64-year history," said Richard Hardacre, ACTRA's National President.

"ACTRA offered significant discounts and flexibility on internet use. What the producers want is the right to distribute our members work, worldwide on the internet, for free. That's not acceptable," said Stephen Waddell, ACTRA's National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator.

Canadian actor Eric Peterson, said, "Enough is enough. I've had to take a fifty to seventy-five per cent pay cut over the past five years. Actors have been hammered back to scale. And now here we are looking at demands from this trade association, trying to hammer down even those minimums."

Along with demands for free internet use, producers' final wage proposals would further widen the gap between Canadian and U.S. performers working side-by-side on the same sets in Canada.

Canadian actor Wendy Crewson said, "Professional performers don't work for free. Not on TV. Not on film. And not on the internet."

Canadian stars turned out in force to support ACTRA at the strike announcement news conference.

ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is a national organization of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of 21,000 members across Canada- the foundation of Canada's highly acclaimed professional performing community. .....More

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Your LoveNotes identity is crucial to a solid voiceover image.....By Frank Frederick

Creating and communicating your voiceover brand identity is critically important in our competitive marketplace. The word “branding” originated with cattle ranchers in the “old West” who put a mark on the “business end” of his animals by using a red hot piece of iron with a distinctive shape. The shape, which was burned into the animals flesh would identify one ranchers animals from another ranchers. Branding a product or service is really the same; you are burning your identity in the minds of your clients. .....More

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Finding a studio for Voice Over Talent Demos.....Dyana Daniels

Mr. Gordon:

You asked for ideas for articles, so here's mine: I haven't even gotten as far as having a demo made yet. It took me a long time to find only two studios here in Cleveland, so I would love to see an article on how to find, then choose a studio and how to get the best deal once I've chosen.

Thanks,
Dan

This was a question posed to Rick Gordon at CommercialVoices.com recently. Rick has asked me for some suggestions, so, here goes.

Finding a studio these days is very hard. Many have closed their doors due to the competition of home based talents and the invention of ISDN, Internet delivery and the like. Even in large cities, you may only have one choice of a place to record. So what is a new talent to do? First, ask at your local studio to see if they have experience in voice talent demos. Ask to hear samples of some they have produced in the past. If you like what they have done for others, then work your best deal and get started. Once you have a demo, and start getting work, you can then add to it with the real bits and pieces you collect.....More

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The Funnies

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Producer's Corner.
A MIC is a MIC....right?

This month we'll wrap up our focus on the mainstay tool of the voice industry (microphones) and talk about the mic specs in greater detail.

What difference does it make? A mic's a mic, right??

No, not really. Each mic sounds different. Every mic "colors" or changes the sound in one way or another, similar to the way music sounds different from one speaker to another. Some mics sound brighter, others darker, some kind of neutral (manufacturers like to throw around "transparent" but don't believe marketing hype.) Some mics flatter singing more than speech and others the opposite. The trick is really trying to find the one that is most flattering to your own voice, and the only way to do this is to try them.........More

Happy Recording!

Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound

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Web site Tips
Reciprocal Linking vs. Mutual Linking
There is a lot of confusion over reciprocal and mutual linking and what it might mean for your site ranking in the major search engines. To help clear this up let's look at a few key points.

At the most basic level, reciprocal links are links you trade with other sites (you add their link, they add yours) in order to build link popularity. At the moment this does seem to help ranking in MOST of the major search engines.

I like to separate mutual linking from reciprocal linking. Mutual linking is where the content of each site actually benefits each other's sites. If you sell shoes, you may want to recommend other sites for replacement shoelaces and still other sites for shoe cleaning supplies.

The Impact
Google has been making the recommendation for some time that sites stop the practice of reciprocal linking. While it does not seem that Google explicitly punishes for the tactic it is something to keep in mind. The lesson from this is be very aware of whom you link to. You control where your site links to and that could come back to haunt you. Link only to the sites that will help improve your credibility and your sales!
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Tips provided by Crystal Bay Media
Do you have a topic you would like to see addressed in the monthly tip? Email your question or idea to info@crystalbaymedia.com
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Email Glen: Glen McInnis