blogs

Help For A Cold

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 20:19:10 +0100

Sometime ago I read an article at Voices.com entitled "How To Prevent a Cold From Becoming a Really Crappy Cold" As a voice actor, vocal care and health are always very important to me. Some time ago while recording a narration for an audio book, I caught a pretty bad cold. The timing was terrible because I was under a deadline to finish the recording so I had to fight my way through it.

I came across the above mentioned article which includes a recipe for banishing congestion. While the flavor will never make my top 10 yummy drinks of all time list, the remedy really helped clear up my congestion allowing me to finish the project.

So if you're looking for some cold remedy help to get through a project, I invite you to check out this blog by Susan Eichorn Young at this link at Voices.com. http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2009/05/how_to_prevent_a_cold_from_becoming_crappy.html

Here's to your health!

Paul Hernandez, The Guy Next Door Voice

Voice Acting Feedback – It’s As Clear As Mud

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:28:01 +0100

The longer I’m in the voiceover game, the more I realize that you’ve got to discover your strengths and weaknesses and the ins and outs of this business largely on your own. I’m not saying you shouldn’t get training, because you definitely should. I’ve received my fair share of it and will continue to do so. What I am saying is that much of the critique I’ve received over the years has been contradictory.

Recently I got hammered on an audition where the person critiquing me said they liked my voice and how I read the script but because I added a “crowd cheering” sound effect, they wouldn’t hire me in 100 years. On other auditions I’ve been told I didn’t get the job because the talent I went up against added sound effects and that’s why they got the job. I’ve been told on one audition that my conversational read was like the “old style” of trying to sound authentic and that this style of read would never cut it. Yet, I’ve been hired numerous times doing this and been directed to do it exactly that way. I’ve even been criticized for my tag line “The Guy Next Door Voice” because they said it was limiting me as a Voice Actor, which I can understand, yet have landed many jobs as a result of this tag line.

So what do you do with feedback and input that’s all over the board? I think you take the good and the bad critique and use it to get better. You ultimately have to be your biggest critic and encourager. If you disagree with the critique, ignore it or use it to modify and improve your style. If you get a lot of good feedback that’s similar, maybe you have a strength in that area. By the same token, if you get a lot of similar negative feedback, maybe there is something you need to work on, or perhaps a style of read you’re not cut out for.

The reality is you’ve got to try to figure out what the Casting Director or the person hiring you wants to hear. That’s the tricky part, especially in an audition situation where the direction is vague. I once auditioned for a job where they wanted “the conversational voice of a short man”. What the heck are you supposed to do with that? I gave it my best conversational read… while on me knees… and no, I didn’t get the job.

The bottom line is, keep practicing, keep working at your craft and try to stay positive. Eventually you find your niche or niches and get hired more often.

Paul Hernandez,

The Versatile, Animated, Confident Voice Actor with the Conversational Guy Next Door Voice
(How's that for covering the bases?)

iPhone iPad Voiceover Recording Solutions

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:10:50 +0100

Tascam IM2 iPhone Mic Review

I’d been looking for an inexpensive way to get nice quality recordings from my iPhone 4S. I read Beau Weaver’s review of the Tascam IM2 mic along with his audio test on George Whittam’s blog at http://eldorec.com/eldoblog/?currentPage=4 and thought I’d give it a try. I have to say for a mic that you can buy for under $80, I was fairly impressed.

I constructed a portable sound booth that I could take on the road and then began testing the Tascam IM2 mic with it. It’s pretty sensitive and you have to hold it very still and watch your plosives, but once you get used to it, it does a pretty nice job. I also purchased an extension cable to use with it, which is mentioned on the above noted blog.

I created my own audio test comparison with three takes of a short script. The first is an Audio Technica AT-2020 Mic into a Focusrite USB interface. The 2^nd and 3^rd tests are recorded using the Twisted Wave iPhone app, Test 2 with the iPhone internal mic, test 3 with the Tascam IM2 mic for the iPhone and iPad. I used a pop shield and had to learn to talk over the mic to cut down on popping and plosives but I think the results are very nice for the money.

Listen for your self at http://soundcloud.com/paulvoices/tascam-im2-iphone-ipad

Paul Hernandez, Voice Actor

paulvoices.com

paulvoices@gmail.com

541-760-8035

I'm Still No Don LaFontaine And That's Still Okay!

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:38:42 +0100

I think most people think that for a man to be in voiceovers you have to have this big booming Don LaFontaine voice. While l do not to dispute the man's greatness, because he was great, but I don’t believe every voiceover project calls for that kind of a voice.

Over the past few years I've taken part in many workshops, read books and trained with great people like Voice Coaches and Terry Daniel. One thing that I've come to realize is that there is a niche out there for guys like me that don't have that big booming movie trailer guy voice. I feel I'm a pretty versatile voice actor but many of the jobs I get hired for are for 'the guy next door" style or sound. When clients are looking for that “real person” or “believable” sound. So rather than run from that, I've decided to embrace it and have been fairly successful.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to be yourself. The longer I’m in this business the more I realize the one of the keys to success is ton not try to mimic others, but to bring more of yourself into the work. I think this applies in any field. We all have God give gifts and talents and our own unique way of doing things. I say embrace your uniqueness and see what happens.

Paul Hernandez, The Guy Next Door Voice

www.paulvoices.com

paulvoices@gmail.com

541-760-8035

Auditioning On The Go Solutions

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:36:56 +0100

While I believe it’s best to audition from my home studio, there have been occasions when I’ve been on the road or away from my studio and come across a job posting that I felt was a good fit for me and had wished that I had a simple set up for my iPhone so that I could audition for it.

A while back on Voices.com I learned about an iPhone app called iAudition designed for voice actors by voice actors http://www.everydaygiants.com/iaudition2/. It’s a simple $6 app that allows you to record, edit and email your auditions. While the iPhone mic is okay, I was hoping to find a way to plug an XLR cable to my iPhone and use and external mic with it. I found $30 solution on Amazon.com. It’s an iPhone Adapter Cable made by Comprehensive. One end of the cable allows you to plug a 3.5mm jack into the headset slot on your iPhone. The other end has a female XLR plug and a head set jack. Here’s a link

http://www.amazon.com/Compatible-Microphones-Professional-Recording-Headphones/dp/B004Z97CQW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319328949&sr=1-1

I’ve used the cable with an EV N/D 267 Dynamic Cardioid mic and it’s sound pretty nice. Certainly not my studio quality, but nice enough for Podcasts, Live Radio Broadcasts and auditions on the go I think. If you’re looking for something that supports phantom powered mics, I invite you to check out George Whittam’s blog on the Tascam iXZ. http://eldorec.com/eldoblog/

I hope this has been helpful and all the best,

Paul Hernandez, The Guy Next Door Voice

The Power Of An Apology

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:46:27 +0100

I’ve been reading the book “UnMarketing” by Scott Stratten (which I highly recommend) and was reminded of a recent incident as I read a section about the importance of owning your mistakes in business.

Recently I sent out my voiceover business newsletter to many folks in my email contacts list. I made the HUGE mistake of not sending the email list out as a “bcc” (or blind carbon copy) email. So basically, everyone that I sent this to could see all of the other emails on the distribution list. I felt like a complete idiot and my friends that called me one were correct in doing so.

As soon as I had realized what I had done, I sent out another email (bcc this time) to all the same people apologizing for this huge mistake and asked their forgiveness. I also pledged never to make such a bonehead mistake again.

The interesting thing to me about this whole ordeal was that besides people being very kind and forgiving of me, I found that I received more responses and interaction with people from my apology email than I had from the original newsletter I sent. In fact, as of the time of this writing, I reconnected with several old clients and landed two voiceover jobs as a direct result.

So what have I learned from this? Well, we’re all human and make mistakes, but if we own up to those mistakes most people are generally forgiving and will respect and even reward your honesty with their business.

If you’d like more information about Scott Statten’s book UnMarketing, here’s the link to his site www.unmarketing.com

Thanks for reading this blog and please feel free to post your comments and stories, I'd love to hear them.

All the best,

Paul

How do you know your doing what you're supposed to be doing?

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:55:40 +0100

Have you ever asked yourself that question? I know I have many times over the years and continue to do so. I think it’s healthy to think about where you’re at in life and see if you are where you want to be.

Over the years I’ve had many jobs, and with each of them, there were elements of my personality and talents and skills that were put to good use in those jobs. But I don’t know that I was ever completely fulfilled. For me, as a Christian, I’ve struggled with the question of am I doing what I’m supposed to be in terms of my faith but also from a practical career choice stand point. I believe whether you are a person of faith or not, we all have a need to accomplish something with our lives, to have more than just a job and pay the bills.

In addition to my voice-acting career, I am a DJ at HOPE 107.9 FM and lead Worship at my home church in Albany, Oregon. For me, all of these jobs make me feel at times as though I am where I am supposed to be and like I’m making a small difference in the world. The beauty of voice acting for me is that I thoroughly enjoy it and love exceeding client’s expectations. All of my skill sets are put to work and I get to meet a lot of great interesting people. Though it’s challenging it drives me and keeps me motivated to continue working in the field. Because of this I’ve come to realize that it’s one of the places I’m supposed to be.

Maybe you’re in a job or career that you don’t like right now. I know I’ve had jobs that I was miserable at and I wasn’t helping the company or myself. Though it is risky, you might ask yourself: “Is this where I’m supposed to be?” That’s a question I’ve prayerfully considered many times. Making a career move for me was scary and risky, but I love what I do and I have never looked back.

Paul Hernandez, The Guy Next Door Voice

Low Budget Noise Blocking Solution

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 00:18:54 +0100

Like many voice actors with home studios, the issue of blocking outside noise can be a problem. I recently visited a friends home who was building a semi-sound proof office in his home. He had installed, sandwiched between the dry wall and standard 2x4 framing, sheets of sound board material he purchased at Home Depot. This material is roughly 1/2 inch thick and does a nice job of sound proofing his home office from family noise in his home.

In my home voiceover studio I have a 4x4 window facing the neighborhood cul de sac and at time with kids playing and lawn mowers going, I just have to wait for a quieter time to do my voice work. So I went to Home Depot and picked up a 4 x 8 sheet of sound board and cut it in half to fit in my 4 x 4 window. I glued the two pieces together and added sound foam to one side and a handle. This "plug" fits right in my window and does a very nice job blocking outside noise into my studio and it only cost me around $20 to make.

HERE'S A LINK TO A SHORT VIDEO I CREATED ON THE WINDOW PLUG http://ow.ly/4FKlz

We are planning to move and so this is a short term solution but works pretty well. If you are looking for a more detailed look into ways to create a sound booth on a tight budget, visit my friend Paul Strikwerda's blog at http://www.nethervoice.com

Hope you find this information helpful.

Paul Hernandez, The Guy Next Door Voice
541-760-8035
paulvoices.com

Faffcon

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:50:56 +0100

I recently had the privilege of attending Faffcon, the "UN-Voiceover" conference http://faffcon.com/. It was great meeting up with so many talented voice actors from the industry. We had the opportunity to share and learn with one another to help better our careers and the industry. I highy recommend to my fellow voice actors attending the next one if they get the chance

I also learned about meetup.com and the voiceover group that was started in the Portland, Oregon area. If you are interested in learning more, here is the web link http://www.meetup.com/PortlandVoiceTalents/ I look forward to getting together with this group in the future in the spirit of Faffcon.

Paul Hernandez, The Guy Next Door Voice

Hacker Protection

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:41:29 +0100

Has your twitter, facebook or other social networking account ever been hacked? Well it’s happened to me and it can happen to you. Social networking can be a fun way to keep up with old friends, meet new ones or promote yourself and your business. But it can also be very frustrating when a hacker breaks into your account and starts sending out spam and junk messages to all of your connections as if they were coming from you.

On one hand, I have to admire the ingenuity and creativity of the hacker to be able to do what they do. On the other hand, I’d like to see them all imprisoned on a deserted island and forced to listen to Tiny Tim music for the rest of their lives. All that talent and skill wasted for no apparent reason other than causing problems for others. What a waste.

While I am not a computer wiz by any stretch of the imagination, I have looked into this issue to learn about how I can protect myself from social networking hackers. It seems that your best line of defense is a good strong password and changing it from time to time as well. Below are a couple of links to articles that you might find interesting on this subject. I hope you find this information helpful to you and happy social networking.

Paul Hernandez

http://www.paulvoices.com/links.php

How to Keep Your twitter Account From Being Hacked

http://www.ehow.com/how_5186773_keep-twitter-account-being-hacked.html

How to Keep Your facebook Account From Being Hacked

http://www.ehow.com/how_5424616_keep-myspace-accounts-being-hacked.html