Voice Over Body Shop
2014-11
Episodes
Wednesday Nov 26, 2014
EWABS Episode 167 November 24, 2014 with Harlan Hogan, HH, H2!
Wednesday Nov 26, 2014
Wednesday Nov 26, 2014
Tonights Guest is none other than Harlan Hogan!
Show Log
Episode 167, November 24, 2014
Guest: Harlan Hogan
George on equipment upgrades
0:01:59 Here they are! Dan missed the big Buffalo snow dump.
0:03:17 Thanks to sponsors: Harlan Hogan, Edge Studio, VoiceZam, VoiceOverXtra,
HomeStudioMaster, VO Studio Tech.
0:03:45 EWABS NEWS
0:04:00 WoVO’s new website is launched! Go to http://www.worldvo.org/
0:05:00 Yosemite OS for Mac is still not quite ready. George says hold off!
0:06:15 Studio Suit is temporarily out of production. Dan may resume after he moves to
California.
0:06:52 CBS is replacing ISDN with SourceConnect in 2015.
0:07:49 SourceConnectNow is still in beta. Coming soon SourceConnectNow 3.9.
0:08:23 EWABS NEWS
0:08:41 Questions.
0:09:00 Q: A person who works in Guatemala and wants to know about a VO kit that includes
Adobe Audition. A: George doesn’t know the mic.
0:11:32 Q: about adding plugins that don’t have .stack extensions. A: They just show up in
the flat list. George shows a screenshot. If they don’t show up, try reinstalling the plugin (like
iZotope).
0:13:37 Q: What’s with the Avalon pre-channel strips? A: Adding enhancements defeats the
purpose of sounding like you. You can actually make your recording noisier. Tubes can
degrade over time. Leave it to the engineers and audio geeks. Tube equipment will add
distortion that you can’t undo.
0:18:55 Write to ewabshop@gmail.com with your questions. Or call, 818-47EWABS.
0:19:34 Break. Home Studio Master.
0:20:43 Bumper on Thanksgiving.
0:21:16 They’re back.
0:22:27 George’s Whittam’s World on upgrading equipment (episode 23). https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9Keu2tkQbA Does equipment degrade?
0:28:23 Back the show and discussion about equipment upgrades.
0:29:10 George asks Dan what’s the oldest thing in his studio.
0:30:00 George talks about interface lifespans.
0:31:23 Break. VO Studio Tech.
0:32:34 They’re back
0:33:10 And now, Harlan Hogan. http://voiceoveressentials.com/
0:33:40 Dan introduces Harlan’s second edition of VO Tales and Techniques of Voice. The
second edition is at http://alturl.com/gbmtw
0:35:04 Harlan tells what’s in the book. The second edition takes into account home studios
and other changes in the business, amounting to about 60 percent of the book being new.
0:37:37 Dan asks how this book is different from how-to books. This one is tales “from in the
day.” It makes a great book for people outside the business.
0:40:45 How things have changed since the 70s.
0:41:40 Harlan tells about “trades” used instead of salary.
0:42:30 Dan asks if there’s an audiobook version of the book. Not yet. It’s a long story.
0:45:35 What the publishing business knows…
0:46:05 There’s a contest. He has five autographed copies to the first 5 who can answer
the question, what did Harlan do to get his agent call him regularly? Send entries to
ewabshop@gmail.com with the subject line, “H2 Contest.” Entries must be received by
November 28. The winners to be picked at random.
0:47:50 Dan asks how Harlan got into his “retail empire,” and how he balances that with other
work. He tells the story. Several things led to an article on building the Porta Booth.
0:50:33 People wanted to know where to buy it! His IT suggested he make it and sell it. Before
he knew it, he had a store. He made 1500 of the original Porta Booth. Then he ran into the
idea of the “minimum order quantity.”
0:53:29 VoiceOver Essentials is all about voice-over.
0:54:52 Bumper … then …
0:55:20 They’re back talking about the book cover.
0:55:55 There’s a Black Friday sale! Use this code: BLKFRIVO, at midnight Thursday through
Sunday.
0:58:07 Questions. Q: Make sure Harlan talks about the famous diner where the owner named
a frittata for Harlan and a crepe for his wife.
0:59:48 Q What kind of discipline does it take to write a book, how do you do that as a busy VO
talent. A: Harlan talks about a time expert in Canada. This guy recommends no to-do lists. He
says pick a time and days. Set aside the time and do it. Schedule it.
1:01:45 Never finish a chapter during a writing time. Save it for the next day; this avoid writer’s
block.
1:04:14 Q: What about the Mixer Face, the new interface? George wants to know about the
limiter. A: Harlan tells the story, and gives a tip for fixing a phone session. He describes the
device.
1:08:10 George talks about limiters.
1:08:37 Harlan talks about the nice thing about a small company—they can move quickly. In
this case, adding the limiter after the product was announced. It’s now expected in February.
What will be out will be fully ready.
1:10:00 Q: What steps do you take to get work quickly? A: Harlan answers. You have to be
your own marketer.
1:10:54 Harlan talks about how voice actors may not see what they do as a business.
1:11:56 Q: What’s your bike? A: Harlan rides a BMW-R-1200RT.
1:12:40 Harlan asks Dan and George to guess how many miles he drove on his bike in 24
hours. They guess. The answer is 1350 miles on a round trip from Chicago to Sioux Falls, S.D.
This put him in the “Iron Butt Society.”
1:14:10 Q: If someone has the VO1-A, and wants to “mod” it, what would you do? Dan
explains the hobby of messing with mics.
1:15:00 Harlan talks about the art of making microphones and what little changes can do to the
sound. George talks about switches and how confusing they can be.
1:16:39 Harlan how slight changes can add hum or other artifacts.
1:17:25 Q: Where does Chicago fit in with studios? A: Harlan talks about the scene.
1:19:37 George asks Harlan if he recorded at “Another Country,” a studio in Chicago, the place
where SourceConnect started.
1:20:56 Harlan talks about missing audio engineers and learning from them.
1:21:30 Harlan tells about voice talent not knowing how to work side-address microphones—
because we don’t have the studio and engineers to learn from anymore.
1:22:30 He talks about talking with audio engineers.
1:22:59 Q: When will you have a signature series shotgun mic? A: Probably never. He
explains. Those “minimum order” quantities interfere.
1:24:31 Break. VoiceZam.
1:26:08 They’re back. Next week’s guest: Jodi Gottlieb, a promo writer and director. She’ll be
talking about performance.
1:27:02 Thanks to donors and sustaining members.
1:27:20 Thanks to NarratorHelper.com.
1:27:42 Movember reviewed. See bitly.com/movos-movember
1:28:45 Nita Whitaker (Don LaFontaine’s widow) has her first Christmas CD out at
nitawhitaker.com
1:29:10 Show logs: access at the EWABS website. Push the Show Log button.
1:29:48 Coming up: the annual/best of show from the past year, on December 29. Send the
time and date of the show. George will put a form online.
1:30:35 Next shows: not sure yet, but Christmas week no show!
1:32:09 How to get to podcasts: Stitcher, iTunes, and click on the podcast at the EWABS.com
website.
1:32:30 Follow us on Facebook, and other places. Thanks to wives, sponsors, and staff.
1:34:57 End of show.
Tuesday Nov 18, 2014
EWABS Episode 166 November 17, 2014 with Zurek and Doug Turkel!
Tuesday Nov 18, 2014
Tuesday Nov 18, 2014
Episode 166, November 17, 2014Guest: Zurek, https://soundcloud.com/zurek, founder of Voice Over UniverseGeorge is at Doug Turkel’s in Florida, Dan is farther west in Buffalo!Tip of the Week: Overthinking it.0:01:52 They begin…reversed. And both are remoting!0:04:00 Zurek comes on.0:05:03 Zurek catches us up on what he’s been doing since his last EWABS appearance two years ago.0:06:44 Dan asks how VO may have changed Zurek’s perspective on doing radio. He explains and George talks about John Taylor’s similar experience.0:08:00 Zurek talks about being a morning show person on radio.0:08:35 They talk about the Randy Thomas Voice Mastery event in Ft. Myers, Fla.0:10:09 The event included a children’s reading. Name dropping ensues. The program came together in two months. It was a professional, intimate crowd. 0:14:16 Dan asks about Voice Over Universe, which Zurek founded.http://www.voiceoveruniverse.com/. It was early in the VO social media explosion over the last six years.0:17:55 Break. HomeStudioMaster. 0:18:55 SpongeBob!0:19:18 They’re back. Questions: What’s your studio set up these days? A: 416 and the MBox 3 mini, and MacBook Pro and a bunch of plugins. He takes it all to the radio station. 0:21:58 Q: Do you do any improv and has it helped? A: He hasn’t but, he’s had an acting coach.0:22:50 Q from Paul Strikwerda: How do you see the role of VoiceOver Universe in light of Facebook and other social media? A: It gives you your own webpage. They talk about people who got their start at VO Universe. 0:26:15 Q: What are you favorite plugins for Pro Tools? A: Waves. It’s got it all. L2 Maximizer and C1 are good. George asked about multiband compressors. 0:27:16 Q What iOS interface are you using on the iPhone? A: He uses the iRig into the iPhone with his 416. iTrack Solo is also a good iPhone device, though they have to be plugged into a power source.0:28:21 Q: When did you decide it was time to uproot to follow the work? A: Chicago is his home. He recounts his early career in radio and voice-over. 0:30:13 Zurek introduces his fiancee, Georgia (AKA Zsa Zsa). He proposed on the air. She is an attorney, originally from Haiti. She speaks French and Creole.0:31:59 Zurek talks about recording videos in the car. George talks about doing that while picking up people at the airport and will post. Zurek uses iMovie on his iPhone.0:32:57 Dan asks Zurek about his interview with President Obama. He tells the story.0:35:00 Zurek signs off. 0:35:10 Break. VO Studio Tech.0:36:35 The celestial brothers clip from The Grand Budapest Hotel movie.0:36:59 A couple of show bumpers.0:37:56 EWABS News. (Jack de Golia voice)0:38:40 Studio Suit is about gone! Order now! Dan may custom make them once he moves to California.0:40:04 Q: thoughts on new virtual recording tool for (Voice Meter Banana?). A: Dan’s view: the best substitute for a phone patch is a phone. George shies away from software mixers. He needs to check it out.0:42:09 Dan gives a tour of the theater where he just did The Music Man. He talks about stage acting compared to voice-over, lines and breaths.0:45:48 They get letters. 0:45:58 Q about pasting in room tone in TwistedWave. A: Generally you don’t master room tone. George goes on to explain possible exceptions. 0:48:40 Q: How do you properly store equipment in different seasons? How do you travel with gear? A: If you’re always using your stuff, it’s just there. Dan elaborates.0:05:32 George the only thing to watch are humidity changes with condensation on the capsule. Keeping mics dry, clean and not dropped are key.0:51:46 Mic cozies are discussed. 0:52:10 Time for the Tip of the Week on OVERTHINKING!0:52:30 Tip of the Week: Overthinking.0:56:14 They’re back. 0:57:30 Break. VoiceZam. VoiceOver Xtra.0:59:02 They’re back, with Doug Turkel, host for George tonight. http://dougturkel.com/0:59:30 Doug talks about observing “Apollo 13” moments before the show began! George said it’s called “show prep.” 1:00:25 George talks about going to the Banjo Emporium and wasting time in trying to solve a problem.1:01:30 Harlan Hogan time: go to VoiceOverEssentials.com! Harlan has what VO actors need! 1:04:58 Go to ewabs.com, and click on Harlan’s logo at the bottom of the page to reach VoiceOver Essentials.1:05:21 Dan shows his adapter collection. 1:06:02 Doug Turkel tells about his recent work with car and casino spots and mixed martial arts (MMA). Lots of screaming.1:08:00 Doug talks about his goal with auditioning—he’d rather market to people and get on short lists for gigs rather than audition on play-to-play sites. He gets a better return on his investment. You can make it up in volume, but it’s hard to make a living that way. 1:10:10 Dan asks Doug about his view of pay-to-play sites. 1:10:43 Doug tells his opinion. 1:12:12 George joins the discussion with thoughts about the role of pay-to-play sites. Doug comments about VO talent selling themselves short. He sees a gradual erosion of pay rates and quality.1:14:25 Dan feels it’s like an auction. Doug says it’s a reverse auction. They end the debate by mentioning the WoVO site that will be coming soon.1:17:26 Thanks to Doug. Thanks to donors. Show addiction discussed. 1:18:55 How to donate: go to EWABS.com.1:20:15 Subscribe to the YouTube Channel! 1:21:39 NarratorHelper.com, where you can get help with long-form work. 1:22:14 Movember. Donate to George’s MO-VO team at us.movember.com/team/15791491:23:25 November 24: Harlan Hogan will be the guest.1:23:41 Another roundtable is in the works. Let them know what topic you’d like to see: audio masters, marketing, social media, acting, demo. Send a message to ewabshop@gmail.com with your thoughts.1:24:29 Thanks to sponsors, Harlan Hogan, Edge Studio, VoiceOverXtra, and VoiceZam!1:24:55 Thanks to the wives and to the staff. See the show logs via EWABS.com, click on SHOW LOG.1:26:50 End of show.
Tuesday Nov 11, 2014
EWABS EP165 Nov 10, 2014 co-host John Taylor and guest Jeff Berlin
Tuesday Nov 11, 2014
Tuesday Nov 11, 2014
Jeff, John, and George really get to geek out this week as Dan rehearses for the Music Man, but he still manages to stop in to say hello in his top hat! We talk about audio processing, Voice Arts Awards, Car Talk, audio gear, Sennheiser 416, and a ton more on this one. Thanks to our sponsors:voiceoveressentials.comedgestudio.com/vostudiotech.comvoxtra.comvoicezam.comhomestudiomaster.comnarratorhelper.com
Tuesday Nov 11, 2014
EWABS Episode 164, November 3, 2014 with Townsend Coleman
Tuesday Nov 11, 2014
Tuesday Nov 11, 2014
Show LogEpisode 164, November 3, 2014Guest: Townsend Coleman, voice of Michelangelo, one of the Teenage Mutant TurtlesGeorge answers questionsDan’s Tip of the Week will be about studio monitors0:01:46 Here they are!0:03:14 Sponsors: Harlan Hogan at VoiceOver Essentials, Edge Studio, and VoiceZam!0:04:14 EWABS NEWS (minus the bumper). George talks about the Behringer mixer, the XR12 X Air Mixer: http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/Xr12.aspx/. It can be controlled remotely with any device. The price is good, too.0:05:28 Dan has news about Harlan Hogan’s new book, http://www.amazon.com/VO-Tales-Techniques-Voice-over-Actor/dp/1581152493 Hear excerpts at VoiceOverXtra.com0:06:37 George says there’s a new Tesla museum being built in New Jersey. igg.me/at/bricks-for-tesla/x0:08:02 New sponsor, VoiceZam! Find out SamFusion!0:13:33 Dan and George are back.0:13:57 Break. Home Studio Master.0:14:57 The Two Radiant Celestial Brothers.0:15:12 They’re back with questions via SpeakPipe.Q: A new VO actor wants advice on mic and preamp within his budget.A: Dan says, start with basic gear. Work on your mic technique, room acoustics, and performance first. His super cheap mic sounds just FINE! The new Scarlet Solo might be an option. The VO1-A from Harlan Hogan might work, and others. 0:19:27 Q: How do I connect Apollo Twin Duo to a hardware mixer. A: George gives the details.0:23:40 Tip of the Week: Studio Monitors. Dan talks about “Close field monitors” and the limitations of headphones. 0:27:36 George talks about how headphones can help. He prefers them for audiobook production because the end-user will likely hear the audio that way. Hear more on Whittam’s World, Episode 46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fWtpoQGOxY where George talks about monitors and headphones pluses and minuses.0:28:53 Break. VO Studio Tech. Spongebob.0:30:25 They’re back, in hysterics! Townsend Coleman is the fun guest.0:32:00 Dan runs through Townsend’s credits. 0:33:16 Townsend tells how he got into VO.0:35:42 Dan asks if Townsend’s work in promo led him to animation?0:40:24 Townsend tells about how he knew Don LaFontaine. He and George reminisce. 0:45:10 Dan asks Townsend about his personal studio use. Townsend tells about his current work.0:46:00 George asks Townsend what his chain is. His main mic is a 416. He likes keeping it simple.0:47:59 George asks him if makes use of preset modes available. 0:51:35 Dan asks what Townsend has going on now.0:54:04 Never burn a bridge!0:54:41 Harlan Hogan time: VoiceOverEssentials.com, a great resource.0:58:27 Q&A session. Q: What was your “life in a day” with TMNT? A: Townsend tells ninja turtle stories.1:02:07 Q: Did the folks at DIC make life miserable for voice talent? A: Townsend replies.1:04:42 Q: What character was the most difficult to create? A: The ones he didn’t get.1:07:22 Q: What time of year is the best time to market to people who hire promo voices? A: interesting answer!1:09:03 Q: Do you do dark dramatic promo or just comedy? A: He explains.1:10:42 Q: Is it still an exclusive club in L.A.? A: Townsend tells the story. You don’t have to be in L.A., except for animation. 1:12:18 When it comes to the networks, it’s still pretty rarified. 1:14:16 Q: Is there room for women in promo?1:15:31 Q: How do you warm up your voice. A: He demonstrates.1:17:39 Q: Does animation ever abuse your voice when you scream?1:18:19 Be careful not audition with a character that pinches your voice that you can’t sustain.1:18:50 George asks if Townsend is a musician?1:22:51 KOWABUNGA!1:23:08 Dan asks if Townsend teaches? He does with Samantha Paris in Sausalito, Calif. http://voicetraxsf.com/1:24:11 Break. 1:24:57 VoiceZam ad.1:25:59 VoiceOverXtra1:26:34 They’re back. 1:27:01 Announcements. Thanks to the donors. Go to EWABS.net1:28:31 YouTube Channel: all 164 episodes are there! https://www.youtube.com/user/ewabsshow. There’s a podcast at Stitcher Radio, podbean, and iTunes.1:29:18 NarratorHelp.com, will help you get your audiobook done right.1:30:19 It’s Mov-ember. Donate to George’s team at us.movember.com/team/15791491:31:02 Next week, Dan is in a show, so it will be Jon Taylor and George. November 17—from Doug Turkel’s home in Florida. Harlan Hogan will be on on November 24. Send questions and guest ideas to ewabshop@gmail.com.1:32:52 Thanks to the wives and staff.1:33:47 Dan wants to leave us with something: his son Jacob’s animated short.1:34:30 Jacob Lenard’s animation.1:36:40 End of show.