 Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
It really could be the answer to many a voice actors home recording headaches–IF it works as advertised. With the Auralex name behind it, I'm cautiously hopeful... Did a quick Google search and typical price point online seems to be @$100.
BTW, though just announced "officially," it looks as though it's been on the market for a few months already. If any of you out there has one, and wants to share your experience–good or bad–please add to "Comments" below. Thanks.
Gearwire: "MudGuard is a new microphone isolator designed to help isolate monitors, amps, microphones, and stands in recording studios from hard surfaces...Ideal for voiceovers and vocals, the Auralex MudGuard features the company’s Studiofoam sound-absorbing acoustical foam, which helps to reduce excessive room ambience and off-axis sound. The MudGuard mounts easily to most microphone stands and clips and has an adjustable height."
British voice talent, Lorelei King is one of the best known and most successful audiobook narrators in the UK–she has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, and won multiple awards for narration; performing works by such best-selling authors as Margaret Atwood, Patricia Cornwell, Janet Evanovich, and Lynda LaPlante.
Bottom line: When Lorelei generously offers free advice on how to prepare before a session, and how to act–and not act–during a session, we should ALL pay attention....
A MUST READ...Excellent interview with internationally renowned voice coach, Patsy Rodenburg. If you've never heard of her, maybe you're familiar with some of the actors she's coached....Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Ralph Fiennes, Joseph Fiennes, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Natalie Portman, Daniel Craig, Orlando Bloom, Joseph Fiennes, and Ewan McGregor. Now do we have your attention?
The Guardian: "The voice encompasses so many things," she says. "Everyone comes on to the planet with a fantastic voice, but people lose it. The voice is about communicating, engaging, how you show yourself, how you speak, how you listen...Unless you connect to the text, the audience won't be able to connect with you..."
To take antihistamines or not take antihistamines...THAT is the question.
I find that Ann Utterback, PhD's web site, OnlineVoiceCoaching.com is a great resource of information on vocal health and how to maintain it. Here's a recent post on how to best deal with allergies if you're a voiceover or broadcast talent...
|
New version of Adobe Audition, CS5.5, is now available. The big news is that for the first time ever, Audition will be available for Mac OS users, too. If you own previous editions 1.5, 2.0 or 3.0 of Audition, you can get the upgrade for $99.
For the purposes of voice actors who use the program primarily to record and edit auditions, is it absolutely necessary to upgrade? Probably not, but there are some cool new features in the new version, plus the product will be fully supported and updated, whereas the older versions of Audition won't .... Your call. (For my .02...I'll probably be investing the extra $99.)
Some very wise advice every actor should heed, from Chicago-based actor/coach, Wendy Braun.
Pay particular attention to # 4: "STOP COMPARING."The author is absolutely right about this being "actor death" I've seen far too many talented actors on the edge of succeeding, blow themselves up because they were unable to let this one go...
Wendy Braun: "A lot of actors...love to blame their agents, casting directors, traffic, and even celebrities for the lack of work/auditions that are coming their way. It’s definitely the easy way out, but it also makes you the victim of your circumstances and makes you feel powerless...The problem is, it perpetuates negativity. You convince yourself you can’t move forward and then gather more evidence from other actors. All this blaming and complaining just makes it easy to stay stuck and helpless."
|
Suggested by
David Houston
|
Thanks to voice actor, David Houston, for posting this fun segment from "Rachel Maddow Show" on the peculiarities and difficulties of pronouncing proper names and certain words properly---even for TV Broadcasters. (e.g., "ar-KAN-zis River" vs. "AR-kin-saw," the state.)
Bonus: Several excellent online pronunciation resources are provided so that if you ever have to pronounce the President of Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika's name in a script, you'll actually know how to say it...
David Houston blog: "This segment from Wednesday's The Rachel Maddow Show serves to remind that, even (especially?) for those of us who talk for a living, some words and names are more problematic than others."
Even when you think you know-it-all...you really don't. Not only CAN you learn from others in the voiceover industry; you MUST learn if you want to stay relevant, fresh and keep your skills up to date.
The Actors Voice: "You know the type. The actor friend who knows EVERYTHING. She's seen it all. He's done it all. She's heard it all. He's experienced it all. Absolutely nothing you tell these folks comes as a surprise because apparently there are no surprises in their lives, since they're experts on all things, ever...How sad."
|
