VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Tom Test · DC Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Chicago, IL

I didn't want this to get lost in the earlier thread, so I've started a new one. Here is a list of auditioning talent who received 2 or more positive comments:

#14 is Bruce Miles. Congratulations, Bruce!! You got a total of 14 positive comments, and folks who expressed a preference seemed to prefer your 2nd take.

#25 is Bob Souer. Bob got a total of 11 positive comments, and folks seemed to prefer your 1st take. Also, one voted yours “best sound” (along with one other talent).

Next with 10 positive comments each are #13 Tom Burris (A was preferred) and #28 Pete Newman (only one take).

#1 was yours truly, Tom Test, with 9 positive comments. Most preferred my 1st take (a more intimate read).

#20 Craig Park had 7 positive comments, and B was preferred.

#3 Don Goonan and #16 Dave White both had 6 positive comments (no clear favorite for either take).

#12 Donna Postel was the top ranking female voice with 5 positive comments (A preferred), and #24 Mike Rhys also had 5 comments and one vote for “best sound.”

#4 Greg Phelps and #11 Caryn Clark both received 4 positive comments.

#9 Chuck D, #10 Lee Gordon, #22 Jeff Kafer, #29 David J. Lawrence and #32 Mandy Nelson all had 3 positive comments each.

Bruce, for you "victory" you get nothing but the adulation and respect of your peers. That's a check that won't bounce! Thanks to all who played.
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Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com

Tom Test · DC Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Chicago, IL

Mock Audition – Lessons learned

People don’t follow directions very well. Most submissions did at least one thing that was not quite what I had asked for, and it was a slightly frustrating for me at times. For example, the way some created their files names made it harder for me to find individual files to piece together the master file. If I asked for YourName-MockAudition and you gave me MockAudition-YourName, since my files are arranged alphabetically, it’s harder to find you when looking to add your file to the master file. So when your agent asks you to follow a very specific file naming format, get it right (or ask questions if you are unclear). This IS petty, I know, but listen - the difference between talent A getting the gig and talent B can be so small that the final decision could be something quite arbitrary. Like talent A followed our instructions to a T, unlike talent B.

A fair number of people also missed the note about the music being “bold and driving,” which meant they may have given a softer read that would be overwhelmed by the music. If they did a take 2 with a more intimate read, I think that was a good idea in case the client shifted gears to more Hallmark-type music. But you gotta give them what they seem to be asking for first!

Many submissions had serious audio quality issues. Most often, I found that the levels were too low. All things being equal, louder sounds better as long as it’s not clipping. I purposely did not equalize the audio levels among the various takes so you can hear the difference it makes. Some auditions had a very muddy sound that had all the life squeezed out of them. (Now one respected VO told me he normalized to -3 dB like the p2p sites request, but that always sounded way too low for my ears. Anyone agree or disagree?).

My opinion is that there are so many really good people who are in this business that we compete against that you need every possible advantage to succeed. I really doubt that if a producer asks for 50 auditions that there will be one talent who is so brilliant and head-and-shoulders above the rest that having poor audio quality won’t matter. There will probably be at least 3 or 4 out of 50 that are brilliant, and if you’re one of them but the other simply sound much better than you do because of their studio setup and knowledge, I doubt you’ll get the gig. As I said before, the distance between one talent getting the gig over another can be so small that any issue – like not following instructions, substandard audio quality, giving a goofy slate that is off-putting, etc. – can easily make the difference. This is IMHO.

I’m assembling suggestions for improving this the next time I do it – keep ‘em coming! I’ll probably shoot for late April/early May, unless “life” has other ideas. Thanks to all who participated and joined in our conversations. I know I learned a lot!

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Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com

bobsouer · Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:01 pm Post subject:

Congratulations Bruce! You were my favorite, too.
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Bill Campbell · DC Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 621

As a producer, I would agree with Tom that about half of the auditions
had audio quality issues. Some minor, some not.
Even some of the more expensive mic/pre combos did not sound that good.
Not sure why. Too close to the mic? Bad room?

As far as LEVELS go, -1 is a good level for auditions. You want them to be loud and clean.
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David Swinehart · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:13 am Post subject:

Congrats, Bruce! You gave a great read!

Thanks again, Tom. Not only did you put together a monumental task, but your feedback has been invaluable. Thanks for sharing your thoughts from the "other side of the desk" that I, for one, don't consider often enough. Let me know if I can be of any help with the next mock project.
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Bruce · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:14 am Post subject:

Unless there was a slip of the finger, it looks like Bob and I tied for first, which is an honor right there!

It looks like at least one of my critiques was not well received though. Someone blogged about how they were hurt by my comment on their audition (without naming me, thank goodness). Harm was not intended, but apparently felt. Sigh. Maybe I'll pass on the next round, certainly in commenting.

I do think some of the audio quality problems came from the one or two(?) rounds of processing each file went through to get glued together. Hearing the original of each file would make for a fairer judgment in the future.

B
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KaraEdwards · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:39 am Post subject:

Bruce · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:26 am Post subject:

No problem, Kara. Apology accepted, although not terribly necessary, especially now that I know where you were going with it. I can see how you'd have a hard time coming up with a lot of examples of negative comments about your work, since your work is always excellent.

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Hugs,

Bruce
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:40 am Post subject:

I need to go back to voiceover school.

Yay Bruce and Bob and everyone who participated, especially Tom. Lots of work and great rewards!
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KaraEdwards · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:59 am Post subject:

Bruce,

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Kara Edwards
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kara@karaedwards.com

ccpetersen · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:31 pm Post subject:

Congrats to our winner(s). I agree on the audio problems. I know mine had some issues that are now corrected. Now to fix my delivery... Wink

c
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Mandy Nelson · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:32 pm Post subject:

I didn't get around to commenting but my first thought when I listened through was WOW! There is great talent on this board. Listening w/out critiquing can be hard but it's fun sometimes to step back. I thought most of the reads were fantastic as is (and Kara, I loved how different yours was and was very keeping with your style. I meant to say that on your blog post but time does not seem to be on my side lately). I listened through again and am glad to see that my thoughts jive with the votes posted. I think the winner is right-on for the requirements.

Thank you for taking the time to give the feedback on the production end. There is a lot of value there. I look forward to the next one of these. Thanks to everyone else who took the time to vote and comment as well. It is great to see the trust and honesty around here!!
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Don G. · King's Row Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 1071 Location: MA

Yes, congratulations to Bruce and everyone else who participated. And a big thanks again to Tom for initiating this. It was indeed a learning experience in a number of ways and I look forward to the next one. For starters, you know I'll be cranking up my levels. Smile

(Oh, and of course, thanks to those who tossed me a vote.)

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:55 pm Post subject:

I'd love to see a completely different kind of read for the next audition, if there is one. We've certainly got the folks with big pipes, and I'd love to see some of them stretch into more energetic, perhaps youthful read. Get them out of their comfort zones.
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Tom Test · DC Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Chicago, IL

I'm planning on finding a more conversational, personality-driven script next time around. Definitely non-announcer and hopefully non-gender-specific.
_________________
Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com