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Voiceover Paul · Joined: 17 Sep 2014 Posts: 4 Location: UK

Hi

I have been voicing full time since 2012 and have so far managed to avoid having to invest in ISDN...but it seems that many production studios still insist on dealing only with ISDN VOs.

I do have ipDTL but there seems to be a bit of reluctance to embrace it from the old school, despite how fantastic it is.

So, do I bite the bullet and invest or hold off? I don't want to be left with a very expensive ISDN paperweight in a couple of years but I don't want to miss out on good jobs either. Anyone out there in a similar situation want to share your thoughts?
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heyguido · Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2015 6:16 pm Post subject:

Consider it an investment in your business. There are many who have not joined the digital age yet. And a number of established potential clients are among them. If you can do bigger business with bigger clients, and it fits with your goals for the direction of your career....

If you stand to do enough additional business to pay for said investment, then you will have a profitable paperweight. Which should bring a smile of appreciation, not loss.

After all, they're getting cheaper every day, right?

Inoccent

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Mike Harrison · Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2015 6:33 pm Post subject:

What Don said.

Here, in the States, as many telephone companies consider it old technology, ISDN is becoming harder to get. In many cases, if one currently has it but is considering moving to a new location, they won't be able to move the ISDN servioe. But especially if that's not the case in the U.K., and even if it were to later go the same route as in the U.S., at least you will have had the opportunity to work with studios and end-user clients (both in the U.K. and in other countries) who will still want to work with you after ISDN is replaced by whatever becomes the new standard.

Go for it!
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Bruce · Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 6:59 am Post subject:

Used ISDN codecs are getting cheaper every day and as I understand it ISDN service is relatively cheap in the UK. I'd go for it.

In the U.S., especially in cities where ISDN service is pricey I'd say skip it. Use one of the free/cheap Internet connection services and use a bridging company with the old fuddyduddies who still insist on ISDN. I've been dying to get rid of my ISDN but I have enough clients that still insist on it, and it is a bit more reliable.

B
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Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 2:29 pm Post subject:

It's a simple math game.

Are you turning down work as a result of not having it? And would that work bring in more money than what ISDN costs?

The answer is you answer.
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georgethetech · Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 11:46 am Post subject:

I was shocked to hear that even in Los Angeles AT&T has jacked ISDN rates up to $300 for one of my clients who's had it for many years. As Jeff said, it's all about ROI.
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Voiceover Paul · Joined: 17 Sep 2014 Posts: 4 Location: UK

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Regards the potential work I am missing out on, I realise that it would make sense to go for it but it's still a sizeable investment for something that must surely be in its twilight years.

I'll have to have a serious chat with myself - and the accountant!
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ballenberg · Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 11:26 am Post subject:

Rick Riley · Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 1:39 pm Post subject:

Hey Paul,

Here’s a hypothetical for you. Here in the states it cost me, with a Codec from eBay, a total of $1300 to get into ISDN. But let’s say it was $2,000 because after I had it for a year, I went from a Musicam Codec to a Telos Xstream.

Now, if I came to you and said, the installation and setup will be $2,000, but as soon as you install it, I have $6,000 gig for you. I might have other jobs for you down the road, but I can’t guarantee it. However, the $6k gig is yours.

Would you pop for ISDN or not?
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Jason Huggins · Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 7:37 pm Post subject:

That's how I got Source Connect...but it wasn't a $6000 job. It was enough to cover the cost of the software and be worth it though.

Voiceover Paul · Joined: 17 Sep 2014 Posts: 4 Location: UK

Hi Rick, I know what you are saying and your particular scenario is a no brainer, of course.

ISDN is not going to disappear over night, as Ballenberg rightly suggests, but I do think that more studios will see the light over the next year and embrace the new ways of ipDTL etc. I suspect some diehards are eagerly looking for the slightest faults in the new alternatives to give them a reason to dismiss them as flawed and inferior...whilst turning a blind eye to the fact that ISDN was hardly perfect to start with.

My experience with wired ipDTL is simply crystal clear sound and ease of use. No expensive hardware, no costly ISDN line rental...just great sound. So, my gut feeling is that I'm going to put my faith in the future, not the past. Yes, I may miss out on some gigs but - when the change does happen - I am ready for it
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Rick Riley · Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 8:04 am Post subject:

Paul, with this post you asked, ‘Should I or Shouldn’t I?’. You’ve been offered a lot of positives from those who use it, but it sounds like you had your mind made up going into this and you’re prepared to stand with a negative for each of those positives. We all hear what we want to hear and pretty much see what we want to see, and I understand that. What I heard about four years ago, as I was taking her course, Nancy Wolfson telling me, ‘If I were Rick Riley and $3500 dropped on my desk, the first thing I’d do with it is get ISDN.’ I heard that, was able to pare that $3500 in half and to this day in my VO career, it’s been one of the top two decisions I’ve made.

The scenario I gave earlier was not a false one. ISDN gigs often pay far and away over other gigs. The connections are easy, the sessions are easy and antiquated as it is, while you’re using it, it’s a great tool to have. A GREAT tool to have.

I’m not here to convince you. Just answer from experience, the question you posed in your post.

I wish you well!
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:29 am Post subject:

This may just be re-stating what Jeff Kafer said earlier, but for the sake of argument, let's assume that a Zephyr or similar codec will become a £1200 doorstop in two years' time. Do you stand to make more than that plus the installation cost and the ISDN service fees in the next two years from jobs that require ISDN? If so, it makes sense to get it, even if the service goes completely away in 24 months (something even the naysayers probably don't think will happen) and you get no further value from your investment.

Otherwise, it's like saying, "I'm not going to waste money on a car because, in the near future, we'll be having flying cars," and spending the next several years walking or taking the bus while you wait for the flying cars to materialize. cool

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Rick Riley · Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 10:12 am Post subject:

I wasn’t going to add anything to this, but this is extremely timely. I just got finished with an ISDN session with a studio in St. Louis. While we were waiting for everyone to assemble, the engineer asked me if I had ISDN or Source Connect. I told him ISDN. He said he was taking a survey, so I obviously asked him for the results. He said more home studios are beginning to use Source Connect, but all the big studios still use ISDN. I asked if they had Source Connect, of which he said ‘No’ and if they used a home studio that had it, they had to use a bridging service. He noted that it still has its problems but it is getting more reliable.

Then I asked him what turned out to be the BIG question. What are you finding with ipDTL? He said, ‘Never heard of it.’ Did you catch that? This was a notable studio and the spot was for a company that is a household name. So you’re dealing with an engineer from a major league player that says he’s never heard of ipDTL. I’m not saying that this is a definitive answer to anything. I’m just passing along a conversation that I thought was very timely, from someone entrenched and working day to day in our industry.
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Kristin Lennox · Flight Attendant Joined: 30 Apr 2011 Posts: 858

It's a simple matter of do you/will you have the ISDN business to cover the expense, and that's not just the $2000 price tag to get the equipment, it's the monthly fee to keep it going, which in my neck of the woods is significant.

For me, it makes zero sense. Nearly all of the ISDN jobs I book are through agencies, so they are simultaneously booked into a local studio (one of the few that still has ISDN), and it only costs me gas to get there. For the few ISDN jobs that I do book on my own, I've used a bridging service, and it was easy-peasy.

Now, if I suddenly land a gig voicing weekly promo ads, and they want ISDN...? Yeah, that might balance out the books, and I'd look into getting it. But I'd still try to talk them into Source-Connect first. Wink

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