Here is an important lesson in understanding voiceover technology.
Last week I was booked for a recording session and was asked to use Source Connect as an audio bridge so the client can record the audio on their end. I’ve never had much of a need for it (I usually go to a studio or record from home without being given live direction) so we agreed to use Source Connect Now, a free version of Source Connect. A few hours before the session the engineer ran some tests to make sure everything was working properly. This is where the fun starts…
He could hear me but there was static. For two hours we tried everything he could think of to resolve it including checking the settings for my Apollo Arrow interface, Adobe Audition CC 2018, my Internet speed, and the settings in Windows 10. Nothing. As a result, they had to book a nearby studio. I insisted on playing the studio fee so I made a lot less on the gig than I should have.
The next day I called my cable provider to check my internet speed. It was working perfectly. Then I called Universal Audio, the maker of the Apollo Arrow. That’s when I discovered the issue. The Apollo Arrow was neither designed for nor tested with any phone patch or audio bridge technology. They’re just not compatible. This explains why there’s static every time I try to use Skype, Zoom, or GoTo Webinar.
As of this writing, my current workaround is to use my MicPort Pro. Obviously it’s not ideal so I need to come up with a better solution. Of course I just sold my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 so I may be in the market for a second interface to handle audio bridges and phone patches.
TIP OF THE WEEK
I’m the first to admit I’m not well-versed in voiceover technology. Sometimes it bites me in the ass but this time it wasn’t that. This became a problem because I had known about the static issue with Skype, Zoom, and GoTo Webinar for months. I kept kicking the can down the road and used my webcam mic instead for classes & seminars. My procrastination cost me money and made me look like a newbie dunce to my agent and the end-client. It was both embarrassing and frustrating.
If you have any kind of issue with the technology you use to run your voiceover business, address it immediately. Yes, life is crazy and there are a bunch of shiny things out there to distract you both important and not-so-important. Stay focused! Address important matters that you are uncomfortable with as soon as possible. Do your research, ask good questions, and be thankful for the help you receive from our wonderful voiceover community.
NEWS AND NOTES
The fourth quarter is here! Wanna get your ducks in a row for 2019? Go to the shiny new VO Strategist website (www.VOStrategist.com) to book a session with me. Just pick the one that’s right for you:
a free 15-minute consult
a Diagnostic Session
a one-on-session covering business, marketing, genre exploration, or performance
the Mentorship Program for ongoing sessions to develop your voiceover business
Schedule and pay for your sessions via the website. Let’s take your voiceover business to the next level!
Thursday, October 11th @8PM EST: My next Edge Studio Business and Money 201 webinar will be “Time Management”. We’re going to talk about how to keep your voiceover business on track on a daily basis. Click here to sign up.
SOLD OUT Sunday, October 14th @11:30 AM EST: At Arts On site in Manhattan I will be leading the conversation “Marketing For VO”. In this 2-hour in-person-only workshop we will discuss the basics of marketing, branding, the Sales Funnel, and much more. This is a donation-based event. $35 is the suggested donation, but you are free to contribute whatever you want. To get on the waiting list, PM me with the subject line “Add Me!”
Thursday, October 25th @8PM EST: My next Edge Studio Marketing 201 webinar will be “Keeping Clients Coming Back”. We’re going to talk about the real secret to making clients cast you again and again. Click here to sign up.
SOLD OUT Sunday, November 4th @2PM EST: At Soundvine Studios in Manhattan I will lead the workshop “Learning to do eLearning”. To get on the waiting list, PM me with the subject line “Add Me!”
November 9-11: MAVO 2018 is less than two months away! If you’ve already registered and haven’t picked your sessions, watch this video to learn more about what I’ll be teaching:
If you haven’t registered yet, there are still a few tickets left! Click here to sign up.
Sunday, November 18th @2PM EST: At Soundvine Studios in Manhattan I will lead the workshop “Explainer Videos Explained”. Seating is limited to only seven attendees so you’d better sign up fast! Click here to sign up.
HAPPY HAPPYS
Happy Pierogi Day and World Octopus Day!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
The person who wrote the advertisements is without doubt the most ignorant person now alive on the planet; also without doubt he is an idiot, an idiot of the 33rd degree, and scion of an ancestral procession of idiots stretching back to the Missing Link. Mark Twain
From my village to yours; this is Tom Dheere, The H is Silent, but I’m Not.
Tom Dheere is a 20+year veteran of the voice over industry who has narrated thousands of projects for hundreds of clients in over a dozen countries. He is also voiceover business consultant known as the VO Strategist and is currently producing the comic book “Agent 1.22”.