Vox Daily

To wrap up our week on education, today you'll get a comprehensive list of everything on the website that can help you succeed in voice overs!

From blogs, podcasts, videos, free downloads, and educational packages, whatever you're looking for is right here in this article with handy links to get right to the source.

BLOGS

VOX Daily
Author: Stephanie Ciccarelli
A daily dose of voice acting news, articles, tutorials, interviews, intelligent conversation and business ideas.
Read this blog if you are: A voice actor, talent agent, voice over coach, casting director, journalist, audio producer, musician, public speaker, student, or member of the entertainment industry.
Subscribe >>

Casting Voices
Author: Erica Bontje / Stephanie Ciccarelli
Pick up tips on how to pick the perfect voice for your project and read about the latest in voice casting news from Hollywood and around the world.
Read this blog if you are: A talent agent, casting director, advertising agency, small business, manager, voice actor, student, or journalist.
Subscribe >>

Ask the Voice Cat
Author: Marc Cashman
Q&A with a professional voice over coach and commercial voice over talent.
Read this blog if you are: A voice actor, singer, student, teacher, voice over coach, actor, musician, or a talent agent.
Subscribe >>

Master VO
Author: Dan Lenard
Demystifying the home recording studio, one question at a time. Q&A with a professional voice talent and audio production coach.
Read this blog if you are: A voice actor, an audio engineer, student, radio personality, setting up a home recording studio, podcaster, or hobby engineer.
Subscribe >>

The Biz
Author: David Ciccarelli
Get the inside scoop from the CEO of Voices.com and learn more about the business of the business, including marketing strategies, how you can use technology, and more.
Read this blog if you are: An entrepreneur, small business owner, web designer, tech enthusiast, CEO, audio engineer, or a decision maker in the advertising or entertainment industry.
Subscribe >>

PODCASTS

VOX Talk
Host: Stephanie Ciccarelli
The #1 voice acting entertainment podcast covering voice acting news, business tips, technology, and an assortment of voice actor contributions. This show is produced weekly.
Listen to this podcast if you are: A voice actor, talent agent, voice over coach, student, audio producer, actor, theatre major, musician, podcaster.
Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

Voice Over Experts
Host: Julie-Ann Dean
The #1 educational podcast featuring renowned voice over coaches from US, Canada and abroad. Join us each week for pearls of wisdom and tricks of the trade to improve your voice over career. This show is produced weekly.
Listen to this podcast if you are: A voice actor, actor, public speaker, voice over coach, student, producer, instructor, voice talent agent, or a casting director.
Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

VIDEOS

Tutorials
Learn how to use the Voices.com website to your advantage with interactive videos that entertain as well as educate.
Watch these videos if you are: Voice actor, person hiring voice actors, or a customer of Voices.com.
Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

Commercials
What if Life Had a Soundtrack? Find out in our series of commercials for the web featuring two great actors and hear a variety of narration styles as they hear a soundtrack narrate their lives, turning the mundane into the interesting.
Watch these videos if you are: A voice actor, casting director, agent, someone hiring voice actors, or a fan of videos.
Subscribe: Free in iTunes >>

DOCUMENTS

Official Voices.com User Guide
Find out everything you've ever wanted to know about how to use the Voices.com web service from both the perspective of a person hiring voice actors (client) and that of a voice actor.
Read this document if you are: A customer of Voices.com, whether a client or voice actor member.
Download the PDF now! >>

Getting Started in Voice Overs
Quickly learn the basics of what it takes to make it in the voice over industry with this attractive and useful guide.
Read this document if you are: A voice actor, actor, musician, changing careers, student or voice professional.
Download the PDF now! >>

Blueprint for Voice Acting Success
Discover how easy it is to succeed as a career voice actor. Learn more about managing and promoting your business online using the Voices.com website.
Read this document if you are: A voice actor, voice talent, public speaker, voice talent agent, or student.
Download the PDF now! >>

Voice Over in the Google Era
Google can help you in some major ways when it comes to running your business and being found online. This document will teach you the basics of Google, list Google properties that you can use, and demonstrate how you can make waves with search engine optimization.
Read this document if you:
Download the PDF now! >>

Small Business Podcasting Kit
Want to learn how to podcast? Download this free kit on how to bring your podcast from concept to completion.
Read this document if you are: Starting a podcast, are interested in podcasting, are a podcaster, voice actor, student, or an advertising agency.
Download the PDF now! >>

Voice Over Rate Sheet
Wonder how much a non-union voice over goes for? Download this sheet to find out the general cost of commercials, narration, telephone voice overs, and more.
Read this document if you: Hiring voice actors or are in need of a reference sheet for quoting clients.
Download the PDF now! >>

The Definitive Guide to Voice Over Success
Getting started in voice overs has never been easier with Voices.com's best selling eBook, The Definitive Guide to Voice Over Success. Learn how to build your brand, web presence, and record professionally from home.
Read this document if you are: Getting started in voice overs, are a voice actor, student, professional voice actor, or audio producer.
Buy the eBook for $29.95 now! >>

The Voice Over Script Collection
50 original scripts including telephone, commercials, promos, station IDs, narration and more. Use these scripts to practice from and change the fictitious names of products or companies to suit your needs. Perfect for rehearsal and material to record a voice over demo.
Read this document if you are: A voice actor, voice over talent, public speaker, teacher, voice over instructor, advertising agency or student.
Buy the eBook for $29.95 now! >>

Commercial Scripts for Radio and Television Ads
50 original royalty-free scripts to be used for television and radio advertisements covering a variety of industries. Comes with artistic direction as well as voice casting suggestions.
Read this document if you are: Producing a commercial for radio, television, podcast, or web broadcast.
Buy the eBook for $29.95 now! >>

Frequently Asked Questions
Search the Solutions Database that holds over 500 answers to common questions about the industry and how Voices.com works.
Visit the FAQs:
Visit the FAQs now >>

If you found this list useful, please leave a comment!

Thanks,

Stephanie

P.S. Happy Canada Day (July 1st!)

Do you want to learn the basics of recording from home quickly with the minimum amount of time and expense?

Check out this review on Pat Fraley's book / CD combo, "The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording" to learn the rudiments of producing professional audio at home on your PC or Mac.

A little while ago, I received a very generous gift package from Pat Fraley with all of his published learning materials for review here on VOX Daily.

I thought it would be excellent timing to start our reviews off with one of Pat's Gypsy Guides, specifically the Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording, very apropos for what we've been talking about of late regarding audio production and professional home recording.

First, let me tell you a bit about Pat Fraley.

Pat is an extraordinary teacher based in Los Angeles, CA who is a sought after teacher of character, dialects, and audiobook voice over, and a performer who works in Hollywood providing his voice for animation and ADR (automatic dialog replacement).

Over his illustrious career, Pat Fraley has created over 4,000 character voices, placing him among the top ten performers of all time to be cast in animation. Pat also provides voice matching services for actor Tim Allen on movies such as Toy Story II and Wild Hogs to mention just a couple.

Teaching at events, workshops, conferences and seminars across the US, Pat's unique character voice curriculum is the only one accredited at the university level. He has taught voice over for 34 years, is a member of The Voice and Speech Trainers of America, and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Professional Acting from Cornell University.

What's more is that Pat also creates wonderful developmental products for purchase that get you going at prices you can afford.

One of Pat's sayings is that "Experience is not the best teacher, it's the slowest".

Having met Pat personally in Las Vegas at VOICE 2007, my first impression of him live correlated with how he presents himself online; a master voice actor and educator whose passion is to help people reach their full potential both in the training studio and in the real world of voice over work.

He is a professional that fully believes that as a teacher, one of his chief responsibilities is to expedite the learning process by sharing his experiences and he also plays an active role in getting work and setting up opportunities for his students, taking the classroom into the marketplace.

Now that you have a picture of who Pat is and his philosophies on education, let's get into the review.

Review of The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording

In The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording, Pat addresses:

• How to buy the least expensive professional-quality recording equipment
• How to set up the equipment
• Tips on recording and editing your own audio tracks
• How to convert your audition tracks to MP3 files
• How to upload and email MP3 files to agents, casting houses and producers
• How to direct yourself in the privacy of your own home
• How and where to set up a recording space in your home or garage
• Tips on how to record audiobooks

As I said before, Pat is a fan of brevity and likes to make your experiences learning this vital information as quick and humorous as possible.

The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording comes with a workbook (37 pages of text with a number of pictures) and a companion CD which Pat co-hosts with his partner and recent Audie Award nominee, Hillary Huber.

You'll be delighted to hear that the CD is very entertaining, has great chemistry between the hosts, and is very insightful. The CD runs for about 57 minutes.

The Guide is made with voice actors in mind who haven't yet tackled setting up their own home recording studio.

At the onset, Pat revealed the immediate benefits of Home Recording which I will detail below:

1. Facility of recording auditions at home
2. Convenience
3. Inexpensive compared to former days
4. You can get yourself work without leaving home or paying for studio time elsewhere

One of the most impressive aspects of the CD was how interactive it was. Since Pat and Hillary were communicating directly with each other and their listener, all of the recording jargon / terminology was demonstrated on the recording so that you could hear the difference between say a condenser microphone and a dynamic microphone.

Another goal of this book was to help you find the best possible recording equipment for the least amount of cost. As Pat says, "Sound is about sound, not looks".

Pat dispels the myth that more expensive or elaborate is better and personally guides you through a tour of several different microphones, clearly showing that the most expensive doesn't necessarily sound best when compared to similar microphones that run at cheaper prices on the market.

At the back of the book, Pat includes links to websites where you can locate the items mentioned in the book and on the CD.

If you purchase the products that are listed in Pat and Hillary's grocery list of items, the tally comes in under US$350 to setup your entire home recording studio as a beginner starting out.

In summary, Pat's The Gypsy's Guide to Home Recording teaches more than just the how-tos of setting up and using a home studio. He also prepares you to direct yourself with several tools including text analysis (helps you to deliver lines and grasp the concept or purpose of the copy), an interesting interview with a prominent sound booth director on what makes the difference between an audition that gets work and one that hinders it, where to find free sound effects and how to interpret copy.

If you'd like to buy a copy of "The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording", you can visit Pat's VO Store here:

Pat Fraley VO Store

Have any of you already listened to the CD and read this book?

If so, please leave a comment with your remarks.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Ever wondered about the technical side of voice over recording?

Discover answers to questions you may have never thought of here in this interview with Robert (Bob) Breen from the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology, Inc.

Earlier this month, David Ciccarelli, CEO of Voices.com, returned to his alma mater OIART as a guest lecturer to the graduating class of 2006-2007.

Upon his return, he was excited to share a new trend with me concerning new audio engineering grads purposefully starting up their own businesses out of their homes instead of pursuing work at larger, more established recording facilities.

In order to find out more information, I went straight to Bob Breen, Career Development and Industry Relations Chair at OIART and member of the Audio Engineering Society, Toronto Chapter, and asked him some follow up questions to learn of his perspective regarding this new trend.

Stephanie: How many graduates in North America (if you have the stats) and or at OIART specifically have aspirations to start their own recording studios?

Bob: Well, I don't have specific stats, but anecdotally I would say 40-50% of our graduates. I've likely guessed on the low side.

Stephanie: What is at the root of this trend? For instance, is it a lifestyle decision, business decision, etc.?

Bob: I'm not sure that it's lifestyle necessarily for my students... I think lifestyle is a consideration that becomes more important later in life. I'm not sure it's a business decision either! I remember being 15 years old - in the 1980's (gasp!) - and reading that Paul McCartney of the Beatles recorded his first solo album at home in 1970, and Pete Townshend of the Who had a home studio from the mid sixties onwards, where he recorded demos of all the Who hits playing all the instruments himself! From that moment forward it was a purely romantic notion for me.

The difference between now and then is, the technology to outfit even a B-Range professional studio in the 80's would cost a few hundred thousand dollars. A top notch studio would cost a couple million! Not out of range for a Beatle or a member of the Who, but the rest of us could forget about it. Nowadays, if my teenaged second cousin got the urge, they could buy a decent semi-pro recording package for a minimum of $300 that could run on the family computer. Everyone knows this, but it's still remarkable.

Statistically, 50% of all homes have at least one amateur musician... so you can see how it would be profitable for any gear company to cater specifically to this market. Much of the gear is pro quality, and even some of the classic high end equipment of yesteryear is available - for the first time ever - from local music stores. You know they're responding to demand.

So to answer your question, I think the root of the trend in aspiring students is mostly that they can.

For working professionals, who perhaps used to hire big studios, the reasons are indeed lifestyle and business. I've seen lots of both. Some people prefer to work at home, but I know plenty of composers and musicians who have simply figured out, "wait a minute, I can save money on my studio budget working at home - there's no time pressure, and I can actually bill the company for studio time and the gear will pay for itself. I'll save the company money and I'll make a few extra bucks myself. Wow!"

This financial model has become so prevalent that I've even seen people who don't want to work at home, or record themselves, having to do it to compete. Maybe they just want to play acoustic guitar without knowing how to get a great sound - but they have to learn how to do it anyway. The downside of any home business is you never leave work. The upside is you get to see your kids grow up and hopefully create your ideal environment. For most it's a dream come true.

Stephanie: How much does an engineer invest financially on average when outfitting their professional recording studio?

Bob: Depends on what you want to do.

A typical "voices.com" client probably has a good computer, one good mic, one good preamp, a set of converters, headphones, speakers, high speed Internet, and hopefully a quiet room! You could go top drawer on all those items for about $15,000. You could allocate the same money differently and record bands decently. If you have a less than ideal recording space, that's a whole other issue. A couple thousand dollars and a few hours on eBay can get anyone going nowadays.

What frequently develops, however, is "gear lust". There's always another piece of equipment that will improve your setup. Your computer is now out of date, time to upgrade.... etc etc... At that point it's a bottomless pit - albeit an incredibly enjoyable one that likely slows down the aging process and keeps you a teenager at heart!

Stephanie: What are the "must have" pieces of equipment / software? Do engineers usually purchase a variety of microphones to accommodate all instruments and voice types?

Bob: Well, the industry standard audio software is Digidesign Pro Tools. There are other programs like Nuendo, Logic, Performer, Samplitude, etc. but you can get in to Pro Tools on some level for a few hundred dollars. It's arguably the easiest and friendliest software to operate. The "bang for the buck" in quality is actually far better if you choose your components carefully and use something other than Pro Tools, but nonetheless it's the industry standard. They're the Microsoft of audio.

Preamps, specifically microphone amplifiers which bring the tiny signal from a microphone up to a level that is recordable, have a huge effect on the sound quality and you can't get by without them. Favourites include Neve, API, Presonus, Focusrite, Mackie, Behringer... those are all over the quality range. Neves are my preference on that list - but they're also outrageously expensive! Some computer interfaces, like the Digidesign M-Box, have preamps built right in and they're perfectly adequate.

Engineers do indeed select mics to complement instruments and voices. They usually like large "condenser" mics for low frequency instruments and voices, and small "condenser" mics for percussion and acoustic instruments. A condenser is a very detailed and sensitive powered microphone. They will use "dynamic" mics for loud instruments in particular, like electric guitars, tom toms and snare drums. "Ribbon" microphones, which are a very old design, are nice for brassy instruments. They're very smooth sounding.

Most "voices.com" clients probably already own a large condenser. Quality, tone and price vary of course. The subtleties are numerous - some mics work better on women than men and vice versa - but I never met a mic I didn't like.

I suppose I'd be remiss if I didn't mention here I have a nice little home business selling and servicing studio condenser and ribbon mics; " www.canadianaudiodistributors.com". Indeed, much of my current knowledge of home studios and the people who work in them comes from talking to my customers!

Stephanie: Are recording engineers who decide to strike out on their own aware of the opportunity to record voice over talent specifically? Is this an appealing area of audio production for them?

Bob: They are. I find, as our students progress, they discover a lot of audio jobs they hadn't imagined when they walked in the door. They think about the gear and technicalities at first, but not the people so much - and voice over people can be some amazing and memorable personalities! They discover that a quality voice recording isn't as simple as throwing up a mic in front of someone's face. How do you deal with sibilance? Low end pops and thumps? Dynamic consistency? Acoustic issues? The appeal grows as a full picture develops.

As a result, we have graduates recording voice overs for commercials, television shows, films, video games, and audio books - not to mention setting studios up for voice over talent to record themselves!

Stephanie: David mentioned that there were a number of engineers who were interested in exploring their own voice as voice talents in addition to pursuing careers as professional audio engineers. How many people would you say fall into this camp?

Bob: Probably a dozen or so... but we all know at least one person who would like to do it, for whom voices.com is a bit of a revelation. In my case, it's my wife! She's wanted to do voice overs since she was a little girl acting in TV commercials. Once I finish building my home studio, of course she'll have a voices.com account! You'll notice I used "my home studio", "building", and "voices.com" in the same sentence. One could take it as further evidence of the trends described earlier!!!

Stephanie: How much coverage or emphasis does the OIART curriculum place on voice over and spoken word recordings?

Bob: A considerable amount. There are several classes on the subject, and numerous assignments including a radio play and a 30 second commercial which is adjudicated by one of the advertising production staff at A-Channel.

Stephanie: Do you bring in professionals or aspiring talent to be recorded by your students?

Bob: We do, the students are also free to bring in their own in the last semester.

Stephanie: How do you differentiate singers from voice over talent? Do engineers treat them any differently?

Bob: They do. When you record a singer you are concerned with performance and dynamics as well as getting the vocal to blend in properly with a mix. In voice overs, intelligibility and a clean recording are absolutely key. As a secondary consideration, the engineer has tremendous flexibility to showcase the texture and tone of the voice.

Stephanie: What is the single most important thing you teach about a recording engineers relationship with voice over talent?

Bob: It's a customer service industry! All the gear in the world doesn't make you a great companion on a long session, or enhance your ability to get the very best out of your talent. This is an important skill to develop. Engineering chops are important, but they are a prerequisite. Interpersonal skills win and keep jobs, and ultimately ensure a long, successful career.

Stephanie: I'd also be curious to know what your thoughts are on file delivery methods such as ISDN in the wake of new products, particularly the software Source-Connect. Is ISDN going the way of the dinosaur and yielding to more cost-effective, environmentally friendly methods of file delivery?

Bob: Not my area of expertise - I don't know Source-Connect - but basically yep. ISDN isn't dead yet, but it's expensive and worked mostly because it was the only way to do an international session in real time. I know of a major Canadian TV network who has a satellite uplink with their flagship voice talent, who now has a little booth at home in cottage country. He simply logs in, and sessions run as if he was in the next room - not hundreds of miles away!

Thanks Stephanie!

If you would like to contact Bob Breen or OIART for more information about their program, you will find the complete OIART contact details below:

Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology Inc.
500 Newbold Street
London, Canada N6E 1K6
ph 519-686-5010 ext 21
fax 519-686-0162
www.oiart.ca

Just learning the business of how to set up your home recording studio?

Do you need some assistance learning how to use the software or equipment?

Consider acquiring an education in audio production and audio engineering and find out where people with the proverbial "golden ears" go to school.

We've spent a lot of time on the artistic and promotional development of your business over the last while, so there's no better time to take a look at fine tuning the technical side of your voice over business.

What am I talking about?

Audio production, of course!

Just like how there are training sessions, classes and online courses for voice acting, there are formal schools to learn the art and science of audio production.

One such institution is OIART, the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology, located here in London, ON Canada.

OIART offers a one year intensive program that is renowned as the best in the country for producing professional audio engineering graduates.

At OIART, the staff immerses their students in the art and science of music production and sound recording technologies, nurturing their passion for audio while truly preparing them to meet the demands of the audio production industry. OIART helps students become recording engineers and their grads are among the most employable in this exciting industry.

Another school that you may have heard of is Full Sail's Recording Arts Associate Degree Program based in Orlando, FL.

Full Sail offers an intensive audio education that covers every facet of music and audio production – from tracking and overdubs to mixing and mastering – in a college environment unlike any other. Full Sail's professional recording studios allow you to record artists using the same microphones, mixing boards, and digital audio workstations used in studios all over the world.

Those are just two examples of educational institutes where you can become an audio engineer and gain a greater appreciation for audio production.

Another link I'd like to share with you is to the Audio Engineering Society (AES).

Are any of you graduates of these schools or similar audio education institutions?

Leave a comment!

Cheers,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/tyndyra

Remember when we talked about Podcasting last week?

There's a contest out now put on by the Create Business Growth gang where they are giving away $335 worth of podcasting gear and books.

Sounds good, doesn't it?

Want to learn more?

I received an invitation from Christine at Create Business Growth to spread the word about their contest to win some pretty snazzy getting started gear that would more than get a beginner podcaster or aspiring voice professional on their way to podcasting and audio production success.

Here's what you could win:

MXL 990 Condenser Microphone with Shockmount

Behringer Microphono PP400 Phono Preamp

Sony MDR-V150 Monitor Series Headphones with Reversible Earcups

CAD EPF-15A 6-Inch Flexible Pop Filter

Tricks of the Podcasting Masters

Podcasting: Do It Yourself Guide

To qualify, all you need to do is subscribe to the Create Business Growth RSS feed and email Christine to let her know you have done so. If you are really ambitious, you could choose to write about the contest on your blog and receive more chances to win.

I've already done this (as you can see) and if we win this prize package, we will give it to one of you at Voices.com to help you start podcasting and recording your voice.

Of course, you are more than welcome to enter the contest yourself and increase the likelihood that you will win the contest and the gear!

Learn more about the contest here:

http://createbusinessgrowth.com/what-is-rss/win-podcast-gear

Remember to subscribe to their feed by July 18, 2007 in order to qualify for the draw.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Alex Kalmbach

Would an aspiring singer perform in a recital before taking any lessons?

Would an entrepreneur go to a banker asking for money without a business plan?

Would an agent want to receive a demo CD from a voice actor who doesn't have any training?

Find out which baby steps will get you to where you want to go in the world of voice acting.

What is the likelihood that a parent would hand the keys to the car to their teenage child before instructing them on how to drive?

If you've ever been in a car with someone who doesn't know the first thing about gearshifts, how to steer, indicate, or parallel park, you know just how difficult it is to achieve the desired objective when the person at the wheel has little to no experience driving a car.

The same could be said for cutting an audition or voice over demo without any training or direction.

In Bob Bergen's lecture this week on Voice Over Experts, Bob made it clear right off the bat that he doesn't produce voice over demos for students until they have studied and are ready to do so.

Acquiring knowledge and skill is a primary goal. Application of those skills is the next step and shouldn't be rushed.

In essence, investing resources into making a demo prematurely would be a waste of time, money and also it is important to note that the performance would be shy of where it could be without the application of specific techniques and a polished performance.

Also, I'd add that the initial results may be somewhat disappointing, so it would be best to hold off on making a demo that you promote to agents until you are ready to make that next step.

To reiterate another tip Bob gave, it is hard for agents or producers to get passed that first impression, so you'd better make it good.

Some sound advice, wouldn't you agree?

7 Steps to Take Before Making a Voice Over Demo

So, baby steps you can take to make sure that you are ready are:

• Invest in regular vocal training with a professional voice over coach
• Practice
• Have confidence
• Set achievable goals
• Have realistic expectations of yourself
• Listen to demos of established voice actors on Voices.com
• Take advantage of every free resource you can

There are many elements of interpretation and performance that when combined create the presence you are aiming to achieve in order to make a killer demo.

For starters, you can go back and listen to other episodes of Voice Over Experts to pick up some quick tips and techniques including how to color your words and find the music in copy.

On Friday, I'll be releasing a review that I wrote on Pat Fraley's "The Gypsy's Guide to Professional Home Recording" that will hit on a very important aspect of production and performance where auditions are concerned.

Be sure to read that one :)

See you on Thursday with some Tech Talk,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/bulent ince

Need help finding a coach to study with?

Perhaps the question really is who should YOU study with...

Pick up some tips on how to find the best voice over coach for you at VOX Daily.

Your voice is your instrument and is also the main component of your business.

That being said, it is crucial that you find the right teacher for you to study with as the decision made will directly impact the outcome of your goals.

For the purposes of this article, I am going to assume that you are a working professional or are on the brink of starting out as a novice voice actor who wants to study with a teacher to aid in the preparation of recording a voice over demo.

While a great deal of your success is reliant upon your actions and level of dedication a significant amount of weight is held where private study with a teacher of voice over is concerned.

We've all had teachers along the way, whether in public school or through private lessons, who have had left an imprint on our perspectives, goals, and potentially the directions taken in our lives.

Teachers have the ability to inspire or to deter depending on how you interpret their methodology, or bedside manner if you will.

This is why you need to select the best fit for you as a student of voice over to succeed.

For every person, there is most definitely an instructor who can open you up, develop, and refine your skills - the challenge is finding these individuals and having the ambition and humility to become a student of voice over.

Depending on your needs and aspirations, you will discover that certain coaches will make a better fit for you than others, particularly if you are working within a niche of voice over. The narrower your niche, the fewer qualified coaches there will be that meet your needs.

What do I mean by that?

Let's say you are specifically interested in studying with a teacher of audiobook narration.

Now let's add a few variables:

This teacher also needs to have at least 20 years experience, lives within a two to three hour drive of your home, and is a voice acting specialist in the field of audiobooks.

That's not even hitting on personality, teaching style, or educational facility.

To be certain you will have your own set of criteria that will need to be met that may be completely different from the example I've used above.

More options are opened up to you if you are interested in studying over the phone, Internet, or through reading books, so keep those avenues in mind if you cannot locate someone within a 200 mile radius of your home.

After you've settled on what your criteria is for studying with someone, it's time to start doing some research.

My advice is to ask your colleagues about their experiences with a particular coach (one with whom they study with on a regular basis) and get the inside scoop from them on why they love studying with the teacher they are with.

They'll have specific reasons why they chose and continue to work with the coach they are presently studying with.

Don't just ask one of their students - ask several.

Each person will have their own unique reasons for studying with that coach and you may also find that students in a given studio share similar thoughts on why studying with them has improved their performance.

What to look for in a voice over coach?

• Honesty and Integrity
• A Genuine Interest in You
• Positive Referrals from Past and Current Students
• Recognized by their Peers
• Education and Degrees
• Practical Experience
• National or International Credits for Voice Work
• Awards Won
• Community Involvement
• Good Business Ethics

One of the ways that the team at Voices.com is assisting you to find voice over coaches is by offering the Voice Over Experts Podcast.

Each week, you'll have the opportunity to freely sample the teaching style and expertise of a different voice over expert, helping you to learn more about the instructor before making a commitment to study with them.

Every coach has provided a bio for you to review and we've linked to their websites directly from the Voice Over Experts website making it easy for you to peruse a variety of voice over experts and acquire more information.

Here's a link to check out the Voice Over Experts website and podcast:

Voice Over Experts Website

Do any of you have a coach that you'd like to refer?

If so, please leave a comment identifying which coach you are referring and also let us know why you study with them.

Cheers,

Stephanie

©iStockphoto.com/Lisa Thornberg

Voice Over Experts is the #1 Educational Voice Acting Podcast that features voice over coaches from the US, Canada and abroad.

Want to get on the roster at Voice Over Experts?

Here's how!

Do you teach people how to do voice overs or how to become voice actors?

If you are a voice over coach and haven't added your name to the list of Voice Over Experts at Voices.com as of yet, here's an invitation for you to do so!

Voice Over Experts is the #1 Educational Voice Over Podcast showcasing the best in the business.

Contributing to Voice Over Experts is easy and you can do it often.

Each episode that you'd contribute would be about 5 minutes long, giving you enough time to cover a technique or concept and advertise your website and contact details at the end providing a way for interested people to contact you.

We'll also promote your episode(s) in many ways, one of which being a press release announcing your participation and lecture distributed through our online media channels and to freelance journalists.

How do you get started?

Please email me a brief bio that we can use for your press release. We will be using that bio and photo too (or image) on the Voice Over Experts website to provide listeners with biographical information and links to your website.

With regard to the lectures:

Each lecture (episode) you contribute should be 5 minutes in length, give or take, and be emailed to me as an MP3 file at 192kbps.

I'm happy to share that we've just released our third episode today. So far, students around the globe have had the privilege to study with Voice Over Experts Marc Cashman, Julie Williams, and most recently, Bob Bergen.

Over 20 voice over coaches are on board and we'd love to have you as a member on our expert panel.

If you haven't heard the podcast yet, click through the link below so that you can get a feel for the length and type of content:

Listen to Voice Over Experts

As Voice Over Experts is a weekly podcast, I am going to make sure that there is a good rotation of coaches and material to keep versatility and diversity flowing for the audience. This will also ensure that lectures that are similar in nature are not grouped too closely together, giving you the coverage you deserve and better feature your areas of expertise.

Sound good?

To sum up, here are the details:

1. Please send an updated bio and head shot or logo (.jpg or .gif is fine, I'll crop on this end) for press releases and articles promoting your lectures

2. Each lecture you present should be 5 minutes (or slightly longer), recorded as an MP3 at 192kbps and emailed to stephanie@voices.com

If you have additional questions that I can answer or suggestions, please let me know via reply email.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

While many kids and teenagers may be singing the refrain "School's Out For Summer", there are still workshops and classes going on in the world of voice acting for you to participate in.

If you are craving professional development, check out some of these courses being offered in the final days of June, and the months of July and August, 2007!

Just because your kids, nieces, nephews or grandchildren have ditched their books for the next couple of months doesn't mean that you have to do so too!

We've consolidated many of the learning opportunities going on in the next couple of months here on VOX Daily to give you an idea and preview of how you could be spending the Dog Days of Summer.

For simplicity's sake, here is your Summer 2007 Voice Acting Workshop Schedule in chronological order:

June 30, Fort Myers, FL - Welcome to the World of Voice Over - Randy Thomas

June 30, NYC, NY - Voice Over Immersion - Joan Baker

July 7 (4 classes starting on Saturday July 7), Boston, MA - Voice-over Toolbox - DB Cooper

July 7 (free seminar), Sherman Oaks, CA - All About Voice Over - Becky Bonar

July 9 (free seminar), Sherman Oaks, CA - All About Voice Over - Becky Bonar

July 14, Los Angeles, CA - Voice-over Workshop - Rodney Saulsberry

July 21-22, Los Angeles, CA – "Silly, Serious & Subtle" An Animation, Interactive & Audiobook Character Voice Event - Pat Fraley

July 21, NYC, NY - Voice Over Immersion - Joan Baker

July 21-22, Dallas, TX - The Business of Voiceovers & Voiceover Techniques for Today's Worldwide Marketplace - Bettye Zoller

July 23, Dallas, TX - Character and Cartoon Voice Techniques - Bettye Zoller

July 28, Dallas, TX - Singer's Workshop - Instructor: Bettye Zoller

August 4-5, Buffalo, NY – 56 Slick Tricks/9 Critical Skills Event - Pat Fraley

August 11, San Francisco - Voice Over for Teens - Elaine Clark (Voice One)

August 11, Los Angeles, CA - Voice-over Workshop - Rodney Saulsberry

August 17, Los Angeles, CA – Dan O'Day Radio Summit - Pat Fraley participating

August 18, NYC, NY - Voice Over Immersion - Joan Baker

August 26-27 Calgary, AB Canada - Creating Voices 1 (Private/demo sessions Aug 24 or 28 near sold out) - Deb Munro

~~

If you know of any other classes going on that are not mentioned here, send me an email at stephanie@voices.com and I'll gladly update this page :)

~~

About the Instructors

Joan Baker

Joan is the author of Secrets of Voice-Over Success: Top Voice-Over Actors Reveal How They Did It. She's been teaching and lecturing nationally for over 12 years and is one of New York's top coaches and voice-over professionals. Clients include HBO, Olay, NBC Sports, ABC News, Learning Annex, Nickelodeon, and American Express. Joan is also available for private coaching.

Becky Bonar

Becky Bonar has been an award-winning writer/producer/director for radio commercials and promos since 1984, both with Dick Orkin and The Radio Ranch, and as a freelance talent. Also, Becky is a voice over actress, currently with the William Morris Agency, where, prior to returning full-time to the Ranch, was a Booth Director for two years. Becky Bonar has taught in various workshops in the Los Angeles area, and is looking forward to developing an acting-based curriculum for the new school.

Elaine Clark

Elaine Clark is an award winning actor, director, producer, certified teacher, playwright and the author of the quintessential voice-over book, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is, in addition to being the owner/founder of Voice One. As an actor, she is a member of SAG and AFTRA, having performed in hundreds of voice-over and on-camera commercials, industrial narrations, video games, cartoons, film and made for television movies. She also serves as an audio engineer, casting director, and multimedia & anime director.

DB Cooper

DB Cooper is a voiceover artist as well as a film and stage actor, director, and radio personality. She’s a staff commercial announcer for WBZ Radio and traffic reporter for a number of Boston-area radio stations. DB does character voices and sound effects for web comics and interactive games, is the call center voice for Northeast Utilities, and has provided voice for corporate video, web presentations, and television commercials.

Pat Fraley

Patrick Fraley has created the voices for over 4,000 characters, placing him among the top ten performers of all time to be cast in animated programs. He has taught voice over for 30 years and holds his workshops in L.A., San Francisco, and New York. His is the only character voice curriculum ever to be accredited at the university level. He holds an MFA degree in Acting from Cornell University, and is a member of the Voice and Speech Trainers of America.

Deb Munro

With over a dozen years in broadcasting, 5 years in animation/freelance voicing and over 6 years training in acting both on and off camera, Debbie Munro is able to offer a unique perspective into the Voice-Over industry. Debbie is able to incorporate her incredible training, her broadcasting degree, years in theatre and on camera acting, experience as a Casting agent and more into doing what she loves best, spreading her passion for this incredible industry.

Rodney Saulsberry

Rodney Saulsberry is the author of the best sellers, You Can Bank on Your Voice and Step up to the Mic. The voice of Twix Candy Bars, Toyota Avalon and the Zatarain’s Jazzman, is also in demand worldwide for his voice-over coaching and commercial workshops. For more than two decades the Detroit native and University of Michigan graduate has given voice to many movie trailers such as, Finding Forrester, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Dumb and Dumberer, The Best Man, and Friday After Next. As an announcer, he has worked on the NAACP Image Awards and the Essence Awards television specials. Saulsberry, the voice of Joe Robbie Robertson on the cartoon series Spider-Man, resides in Agoura, California.

Randy Thomas

Randy Thomas is one of the most recognized female voices in America. Randy has the distinguished honor as the first and only woman to announce the biggest and most prestigious award show in the world not once but six times including her most recent return in 2005 for the 77th Annual Academy Awards. In 2006 Randy returned to the Tony Awards in NYC for her sixth consecutive appearance as announcer. The American Film Institute brought Randy back for her fifth time to announce their continuing series of “100 Years...100 Greatest Movies.” Randy can be heard daily on Entertainment Tonight and The Insider television shows from Paramount Television.

Bettye Zoller

Owner, voiceover professional and educator Bettye Zoller, with 35 years experience as a degreed educator (colleges and universities, workshops, private coaching and consultations) and 50 years as a professional performer. Bettye began at age five when she was signed as a contract player and went to school on the famous movie lot at MGM Studios in Hollywood. Bettye is the owner of Voicesvoices Educational Events and the Voicesvoices Recording Studio in Dallas. Bettye also is a professional audio engineer, producer and a Simon and Schuster audio author and narrator.

©iStockphoto.com/Dragasanu Mihai Octavian

If you ask Apple, iTunes is defined as the entertainment center of your world.

To bring Podcasting Week 2007 to a close, we'd like to ask one question of you...

What's in your iTunes?

Ah, the question of the day: What's in your iTunes?

iTunes is amazing, isn't it? You can search through literally thousands of different podcasts and find shows that are easily subscribed to and fun to consume.

Now that iTunes is both Apple and PC compatible, we can all enjoy access to the iTunes Podcast Directory, a virtual hub of podcasts from around the world that is compiled by category as well as popularity.

One of the beauties of the Apple iTunes Podcast Directory, as we learned earlier this week, is that iTunes is also an aggregator of content. It updates your favorite podcasts whenever the host of the program releases a new episode. iTunes is a one-stop-shop for browsing, listening, and subscribing to podcasts, many of which are absolutely free to subscribe to.

Check out this pic of the iTunes application below:

The iTunes software (regarding both the storage of your music collection and podcast episodes) is also free, so really, it's a win-win for everyone.

Now, to share a few podcasts that are in my iTunes:

1. Grammar Girl
2. TWiT (This Week in Tech)
3. Everything Acting Podcast

What's in your iTunes?

Leave a comment with the name of the show and host.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Ever heard of The Everything Acting Podcast?

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Darbi Worley, host of the Everything Acting Podcast as part of Podcasting Week 2007 at Voices.com.

Find out more about this awesome podcast and how you can listen in.

Stephanie: I'm pleased to bring you this special interview with Darbi Worley, host of the Everything Acting Podcast. Thanks for coming by! How are you doing today?

Darbi: Well, I am fabulous, thank you very much, and how are you?

Stephanie: I'm great thanks. I'd like to start off by asking you about how you came to co-host the Everything Acting Podcast with Roz. Could you tell us a little bit about what inspired you to start Everything Acting?

Darbi: We started the podcast for a number of reasons, of which was kind of altruistic and one of which is very selfish. The first reason was because it just seems like everyone is always asking the actor for money. Everyone is trying to sell us something and we wanted to bring something to the community that was free. The second reason was because there’s still casting directors here that I don’t know and there’s still people I want to meet and this gives me an excuse to call anybody I want in the industry and introduce myself. And to that end, it’s also great to be creating your own work. It’s great to have something going on all the time even if I don’t have auditions or a booking... I always have the podcast to work on. They say that work begets work and I would say that really has been the case with the podcast. I don’t know if it is because my attitude has changed in my auditions, or if it is helping me network, or how it’s working, but I am working more than I ever had since we started the podcast and so has Roz who is on Broadway right now understudying for Tanya Pinkins, so it has been great for us.

Stephanie: How would you describe the Everything Acting Podcast?

Darbi: Everything Acting is a weekly podcast and our mission statement is to inform, inspire and demystify the actors’ journey and we do that by interviewing working actors and various industry professionals.

Stephanie: How do you choose the people you interview on Everything Acting? Which guests have been your favorites so far?

Darbi: So far we’re barely new, not even a year old yet, so we’re still just kind of using out network. We really like to interview actors who are making their own work. We have a segment on the show called “Make Your Own Way” and we really like to get people who are writing their own material and producing their own stuff. And although we’ve interviewed a few quasi celebrities we feel like celebrities get interviewed all the time so we want to interview the rank in file working actor because that’s where most of us are going to end up. I really enjoyed interviewing Aaron Yoo ( Disturbia ) because he’s someone I’ve seen progress from being a downtown theater guy to starring in the #1 movie in America – that was a fun interview. I also enjoyed interviewing Danny Burstein who I met at The Flea, a little tiny theater in downtown Manhattan. I also enjoy interviewing voiceover people because that’s my career focus.

Stephanie: Do you interview guests in person or do you use tools like Skype or ISDN? I personally haven't tried either, but know that it is a definite plus to be able to connect that way with an interview subject or co-host. Have you had good experiences doing remote interviews?

Darbi: We kind of do both. We interview most of our guests in person and will either cart over a laptop and a microphone or there’s also this really cool thing, I think it’s called an H4. It’s a teeny little digital recorder that records WAV files so it records at the quality level of ProTools, and if you listen to the interview with Scott Wojcik, I used that device. It’s almost too good of a microphone because it really picks up a lot of background noise but it’s really tiny and handy and easy to carry around.

Now in terms of doing remote interviews, the best thing to do is to have each person recording into their own microphone and then have an ear piece in my ear under my headphones where I’m talking to them on a land line where I’m talking to them on the phone but we’re each recording our voices separately and one of us will send the MP3 to the other and then sync up the files. That’s the best recording quality that we’ve been able to accomplish on remote interview, but most of our guests don’t have that so I use a splitter in the phone line then goes in the preamp and records on the same track as my voice.

Stephanie: As podcaster and blogger, I know that receiving comments or encouragement from your audience means the world and also inspires you to keep up the good work. What kind of feedback do you get from your listeners? Is there anyone specific that you'd like to acknowledge?

Darbi: Oh we get great feedback from our listeners. It’s awesome to hear that we’re affecting peoples’ lives and hear things that the podcast has inspired them to do. We’ve heard from a couple of people I know are from Voices.com. Bob Elliott is a listener and Bob Souer has linked to us on his blog and Joe Rodriguez listens to the show. Those are some voiceover guys that I’ve heard from and I’d love to hear from more of the Voices.com community.

Stephanie: Is there anything exciting coming up that you would like to share with us?

Darbi: We do have some exciting things coming up on the show. We’re actually offering our first Everything Acting Podcast Award for the best newcomer and we’ve invited people to send in any kind of file timed at two minutes or less, whether a YouTube video, a video of you doing a monologue, it can be a voiceover reel, it can be a commercial demo and the only requirement is that you have been acting for two or less years and we’re going to evaluate that along with some agents and casting directors, vote and come up with the best female and best male newcomer.

Stephanie: So, how can people find your podcast?

Darbi: People can listen to the show on either on our website EverythingActingPodcast.com but the best thing to do is to go to iTunes and subscribe. There’s a link right on our website to do that at. If you do a search in the iTunes Music Store for acting, we come up as the #1 Featured podcast, so give us a click and subscribe.

Stephanie: Thanks for the tip. I hope you get some more listeners from this interview and wish you all the very best! Thanks for chatting with us today.

Darbi: Thanks so much for having me!

Stephanie: We were just speaking with Darbi Worley of the Everything Acting Podcast. You can learn more about the podcast by visiting EverythingActingPodcast.com.

Stay tuned for this interview in audio format on the VOX Talk Podcast next week (Episode 35).

About Darbi Worley

Darbi Worley is a working actress who disproves the myth that women can’t enter the business after thirty. She was a member of the The Bat Theater Company at The Flea where she appeared in the world premiere of Design Your Kitchen. While at The Flea, she also had the great honor of working alongside Sigourney Weaver and John Lithgow to develop A.R. Gurney’s, Mrs. Farnsworth. In three short years as a full-time actress, Darbi has taken the commercial world by a storm, appearing in on-camera and voice-over spots for McDonalds, Blistex, Lipitor, Cheese Nips, Dove Skincare, Papa Johns Pizza and many, many more. Film and TV credits include All My Children, Rescue Me, Breaking Vegas and a starring role in the feature film, The Krone Experiment. Prior to embarking upon her acting career, Darbi was a leading sales rep at CareerBuilder.com. That experience, combined with her experience as an assistant at one of the busiest commercial casting companies in the city, makes her uniquely qualified to provide business coaching to emerging artists as they enter the world of commercial acting. Darbi lives with her boyfriend in the West Village and spends a lot of time working out.

What percentage of the general public has even heard of "podcasting"? Out of those that have, do more men or women listen to podcasts? Find the answers and a whole lot more in this extensive post on podcast statistics.

THE HISTORY OF PODCASTING

Wikipedia's entry for Podcasting   History of Podcasting   CliqueComm's History of Podcasting

THE IPOD

4/7/2007 - Apple - 100 Million iPods Sold   10/26/2006 - The Evolution of the Apple iPod

PODCAST USAGE

1/2007 - Hitwise - Consumer Generated Media Report   12/07/2006 - Nielsen/NetRatings - 6.6 Percent of Adults Downloaded Audio Podcasts Within the Last 30 days 11/22/2006 - Pew Internet - Podcast Downloading 4/18/2006 - Podcasts Surpass Radio Stations Worldwide; Podcast Demand Growing Faster Than Supply

THE PODCASTING AUDIENCE

16/4/2007 - Arbitron/Edison - Media Research Internet and Multimedia 2007 Study .: 37% of the US popualtion have heard of podcasting (up from 22% in 2006) .: 13% of the US population have listened to a podcast (up from 11% in 2006) .: 11% of the US population have watched a video podcast (up from 10% in 2006) 7/2006 - Edison Media Research - The Podcast Consumer Revealed: An Exclusive Early Look at the Growing Podcast Audience 4/14/2006 - Arbitron - 27 Million American Podcast Listeners; Podcast Users Young and Rich

PODCAST DEMOGRAPHICS

16/5/2007 - comScore - Males Between the Ages of 18-24 More Likely to Download Podcasts via iTunes   16/4/2007 - Arbitron/Edison - Podcast listeners in the US are split across men and women with 51% being male and 49% female

PODCAST ADVERTISING AND MARKETING

2/23/2007 - eMarketer - Podvertising   7/12/2006 - Nielson - Podcasting Remains a Niche Activity

PODCASTING TRENDS

1/23/2007 - WebProNews - Podcasting Trends of 2006   9/6/2006 - Pew Internet - Latest American Life Trends

PODCASTING ANALYSIS AND FORECASTS

6/12/2007 - The Boston Globe - eMarketer, a trade publication, projects ad spending on podcasts will reach $300 million, while social network ad spending is expected to rise to $2.5 billion worldwide by 2010, from just $350 million in 2006   2/12/2007 - MediaWeek - Podcasting to Generate $400 Mil. in Ads by 2011   7/06/2005 - News.com - Forrester Research is projecting that some 12.3 million U.S. households will be listening to podcasts by the end of the decade

Did any of those numbers surprise you?

Add your comments below...

Stephanie

Want to make your own podcast?

Follow this recipe, being sure to account for all of the ingredients ahead of time.

If there is anything that most podcasters will tell you, it pays to be prepared!

Learn how to make your own podcast at VOX Daily with our Small Business Podcasting Kit.

We spent some time and methodically broke down the steps necessary to build a framework around your podcast production.

These tools below will help you to lay the foundation of your podcast.

1. PLAN YOUR PODCAST

With anything, including a podcast, it truly benefits you to be prepared. Whether you are in podcasting for leisure or business you will need a plan.

Planning topics to discuss, possible guest interviews, and the duration of your show in advance will go a long way when producing a professional sounding podcast. Since you'll be recording your podcast in an almost live fashion, you will have the flexibility of going back and re-editing sections before committing your show as "podcast-ready".

Before you started, you'll need:

* A web publishing tool ( Try Blogger, TypePad, WordPress or MoveableType )
* A file hosting service ( Try LibSyn for free, AudioBlogger is also a good choice )
* Recording software ( Try Audacity for Window-based PCs or Garageband on Mac - both are free )
* Microphone ( Try a good headset microphone or better yet the Marshall Electronics MXL 006 Condenser USB Microphone for only $129

Identifying The Theme of Your Podcast - The Nucleus of Your Podcast

Developing your podcast description is a necessary step in the branding process. When you are brainstorming your podcast description, make sure that it explains the purpose of your show and accentuates the theme of your podcast. This description should be no more than two to three sentences in length.

Selecting a Name - Personify Your Podcast

When selecting a name, be sure that the name of your podcast reflects the content that you are recording. For example, if your subject matter is about travel, your podcast name should be branded to complement your show. To illustrate, a podcast about travel might be called Globetrotter, Passport Podcast, The Travel Guide, and so on. Make sure that the name you choose is also available as a domain name online. Try to make your name unique but easily understood and recognizable.

Acquiring a Domain Name and Blog Name

Once you have picked a name for your podcast, purchase the domain name for your podcast. This is extremely important because interested listeners and inquisitive searchers will be able to find your podcast in Search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, MSN and others. As a reward for consistently branding your podcast, search results will display your website and podcast accordingly.

2. WRITE A SCRIPT

So, you've got the voice or at least a voice in mind for your podcast. What's missing? A script or your game plan! Take a look at a typical outline that will help you to plan out the duration and distribution of content throughout your podcast.

Sample Show Outline

- Show intro monologue (who you are, what you're going to talk about): 30-60 seconds
- Intro music jingle (repeat for each show so listeners identify the jingle with your show): 30-60 seconds
- Topic 1: 3 minutes
- Topic 2: 3 minutes
- Interlude (music or break): 30 seconds
- Topic 3: 3 minutes
- Topic 4: 3 minutes
- Closing remarks (thank audience for listening, thank guests, talk about the next show briefly): 2 minutes
- Closing music jingle (suggest same as Intro music jingle): 2 minutes

3. SET-UP RECORDING EQUIPMENT

Now, in with the hardware! Experimenting with recording your podcast can be done with your existing computer, some free software and online tools. Experimental is the key word here, as you do get what you pay for.

Bear in mind that this set-up won't give you or your audience a good indication of your vocal quality and may reflect poorly on your business. Yikes! For this reason, I'd strongly recommend investing a modest amount ( less than $500.00 ) in some basic recording equipment, specifically a microphone and a book about audio recording.

4. RECORD YOUR PODCAST

Recording a Long-Distance Interview

For interview-style podcasts, you can record using Skype to record or plan to record via a conference call with free services such as FreeConference.com. Both services allow multiple people to participate on a call.

Recording an In-Person Interview

For those of you who intend to record on-site interviews, I'd recommend visiting the location of the interview ahead of time to become familiar with your surroundings. Scope out the best place to setup shop and minimize any extraneous or background noise (unless that's the atmosphere you are trying to create).

Recording One-Person Shows

If you are hosting the podcast and are speaking directly to your audience, life becomes a lot easier because you are in control of where you record, how you record, and the material you present. Simply have your show outline ready, plug in your microphone, set-up your recording software and hit record. Be sure to record in a quiet environment and let anyone present in the office ( or house ) know that you are not to be disturbed until the recording is finished.

5. EDIT, MIX AND EXPORT YOUR PODCAST EPISODE

Room Tone - Natural sound temperature

A location’s room tone is its auditory fingerprint. These are non-specific sounds generated by the natural acoustics of the room.

Editing may also be required when sounds overlap. If they occur while you or another individual in your podcast are speaking your editing can be more challenging. To preserve the original performance, try to find another take of the word(s) in