Are audio technical problems stealing your time? Are mysterious hums, buzzes and clicks invading your recordings? Is your "sound" just not pro enough for your ear... or for your clients? And what future trouble lurks that you don't know about?
Merlin and Harry Potter ... Step Aside.
On Tuesday night, December 10, 2013, Home Studio Master / Audio Wizard Dan Lenard sweeps in with a Home Studio Wizardry Webinar to chase away your tech demons - and to purge your studio of those creepy, evil things that keep you from sounding like a pro.
Dan Lenard is the Home Studio Master, one of the world's leading consultants on voice over home studio audio. Also a veteran voice talent and educator, he helps clients with home studio set-up and problem-solving via Skype, phone and email.
He presents highly acclaimed home studio webinars for VoiceOverXtra and in-person workshops on a variety of home studio topics. And Dan is co-host of the popular Sunday night East-West Audio Body Shop Ustream TV show.
Even though I'm still in the process of writing this series on audiobook creation, I'd just like to announce that the audiobook has just made its debut!
(I'll try to get more posts in this series done soon, but I've just been contracted to do a series of three audiobooks so I'll do my best to write when I can! )
Would you like to become a great audiobook narrator? Or take your great narration skills and make them even better? Then here's some good news for you! The good people over at Voice Over Xtra have just announced an online narration workshop with none other than Paul Ruben!
Here's the lowdown:
Paul Ruben, the multi-award winning audiobook director / producer and trainer, has coached many narrators to their next level of audiobook success - through both personal coaching and in sold-out workshops.
Now Paul brings this excellent training live online for you to enjoy in the convenience of your home - Monday night, November 11, 2013, in the VoiceOverXtra webinar, Paul Ruben's Online Audiobook Narrator Workshop.
What will you learn?
Paul's training goes deep - to the top pro level that keeps narrators working. The following techniques will be discussed and rehearsed with volunteers:
Acting the subtext, not the words
Connecting to the subtext (point of view)
Assessing and playing the stakes
Discovering the difference between organic emphasis vs. empty calorie modulation
VOLUNTEER FOR ONLINE COACHING!
The first four people to register and volunteer will receive online coaching from Paul at this webinar!
In this installment in The making of an audiobook series, I'm going to point out some very important little things you may not have thought about. You see, before you hit that record button, you'd better make sure everything is set up and ready to go (including yourself). Because if you don't, it's only more and more headaches down the road.
Here's a special video (well actually, an audio) treat!
I made a video consisting of snippets of both the major and minor characters from the audiobook that I'm currently recording. There are still a few more minor characters and many "one-shot" characters left. But hey, let's have a little fun now, shall we?
So, you've followed my advice in part one and recieved the proper training along with knowing if you really want to do this. And you took my advice in part two by searching for novels that fit your vocal style and auditioning for them.
Now in part three, you'll learn about some very important things you absolutely must do after landing an audiobook job. Necessary requirements that are vital before even starting up your recording software and charging the phantom power of your mic.
There is nothing worse than recording a few chapters of an audiobook and then finding out that the author wanted something slightly different than your audition.
I like to use ACX.com to find audiobook jobs. But choosing which book you'd like to audition for isn't easy. There are many things you need to take into consideration before warming up your studio and recording your audition.
In part two of the "The making of an audiobook" series, I'd like to talk a little bit about just that -- choosing the right book for you.
Registration has opened for Voice Over Virtual, the first-ever online voice over training and networking conference for voice over actors at all career levels, as well as those considering a career in voice acting.
The three-day main event takes place on September 18-20, 2013, featuring 50+ voice over training sessions from the industry’s top voice actors and coaches, an interactive exhibit hall for shopping and learning about home studio audio equipment and voice over products and services, and social media-style networking and interaction.
Participants attend this special voiceover acting conference at neither a hotel nor a convention center, but instead, affordably online in the convenience of their homes or from any personal device with an Internet connection.
Training will be presented in career tracks to allow participants to focus on specific genres, including audiobooks, home studio audio production, voice over business and marketing, and voice acting techniques.
Training will address all levels of voice over experience, from newcomers to mid-level and advanced professionals. For instance, a session will introduce voice over beginners to the voice over business. Advanced professionals will receive advanced voice acting and home studio production training.
And all career levels will learn essential business, marketing, audio technical and voice acting techniques!
About two months ago I was hired through ACX.com to narrate an audiobook. It's a full-fledged, 14-hour, fantasy-fiction novel filled with a multitude of unique characters with varying ages and accents (about 5 main characters, 5 minor characters, and at least 15 or so periodic characters. Oh! And the narrator's voice, too.)
Having reached the half-way point in the production, I thought it might be cool to start a series of articles on narrating an audiobook; what I've been going through, my thoughts, some techniques, etc.
Are audio technical problems stealing your time? Are mysterious hums, buzzes and clicks invading your recordings? Is your "sound" just not pro enough for your ear... or for your clients? And what future trouble lurks that you don't know about?
)
Would you like to become a great audiobook narrator? Or take your great narration skills and make them even better? Then here's some good news for you! The good people over at Voice Over Xtra have just announced an online narration workshop with none other than Paul Ruben!
In this installment in 
So, you've followed my advice in 
I like to use ACX.com to find audiobook jobs. But choosing which book you'd like to audition for isn't easy. There are many things you need to take into consideration before warming up your studio and recording your audition.
About two months ago I was hired through ACX.com to narrate an audiobook. It's a full-fledged, 14-hour, fantasy-fiction novel filled with a multitude of unique characters with varying ages and accents (about 5 main characters, 5 minor characters, and at least 15 or so periodic characters. Oh! And the narrator's voice, too.)
