VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

jbvox · Joined: 09 Jun 2013 Posts: 3 Location: Sacramento

I'm new to VO. Actually did a lot of voiceover work in the late 90's... but nothing since.

I had a local producer put this together for, he did the scripts, he produced...

But... I'm not feeling it. But I'd love to know what some of you think.

https://soundcloud.com/burgessvo-1

Bruce · Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 3:58 pm Post subject:

I think this will work for you. I'd be tempted to put something like the turkey spot up front. It's the most natural sounding of your reads. I'm also tempted to recommend more variety to the style of reads if you're up for redoing it, but there is a school of thought that says you should only use your "signature" sound, whatever that may be for you. But that school has never gone to a bowl game for what it's worth.

On the technical end, everything sounds very much the same...same mic, same studio space, same EQ, same kind of mix, and I think you're missing some lower end or richness. I'm not sure whether it's a less than desirable quality to your mic, or your producer took a lot of lower end out of the mix. Maybe someone else hears what I hear and has a thought.

Welcome aboard,

B
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Scott Pollak · Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 7:38 pm Post subject:

Yup, I'm with Bruce.

You sound good. Nice voice, comfortable delivery, but there IS a lot of 'sameness' throughout the demo.

Any one of the bytes alone is plenty good. But all together it's like getting a mammoth bowl of pasta for dinner - without the appetizer, salad, breadsticks, and dessert.

The SeaWorld spot and Turkey spots were a touch 'lighter' in delivery and - at the very least - need to be interspersed among the other bytes to break up the dark delivery that is prevalent in the demo.

And I, too, was thinking "Hmmmm... sounds like it's all done in the same studio, same mike, etc." which isn't a BAD thing (and honestly, how many clients even notice that?), but it would be nice to vary the type of music, and the audio quality of the mike just a bit to further distinguish the pieces.

Now, all that being said..........................

You sound really good. And most people would be very happy to have this demo. You don't HAVE to change it, but some tweaking will make a good demo very good.
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Jen Gosnell · Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:15 pm Post subject:

Hi Jeremy,

I don't have a lot to add to what Bruce and Scott said, and generally agree. I like your sound, and feel sure you can land work based on a demo like this.

If we're gonna talk about what we're not feeling, though, for me it was the Sea World spot. I couldn't help thinking the time might have been better spent on something a little brighter or higher energy.

There you have my feedback: worth every penny you have paid for it! Wink

Cheers!
Jen
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ballenberg · Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 8:39 am Post subject:

Hey Jeremy--

I'll just add, because no one else has yet, that the demo seems to be both commercials and narrations--The way I hear it, three each. That's certainly not anything heinous, but I believe usually it's best to have a demo be one or the other.

jbvox · Joined: 09 Jun 2013 Posts: 3 Location: Sacramento

Thank you all so much. I'm taking a lot of notes back to my producer and hopefully be able to put something new together soon.

Narration vs. Commercial is something I notice, too. I really need to separate them. Also I don't have anything on there that really sounds "dad" or "husband" like.

I want to nail this before I move on to a pay-to-play site (I'm sure that's a topic around here Wink

) or build a website.

baby steps.

But I guess what you're telling is this isn't a bad start, right?

ballenberg · Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 12:06 pm Post subject:

That's for sure.

Benjamin Stovall · Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 2:17 pm Post subject:

You've got the chops. If you're going to do P2P, and you've already paid money for that demo, it's plenty good enough for that purpose. You can always add to it or change it up as you go. Most P2P users have several demos available in their profiles with differentiating tags anyway. If you're trying to build a website or get an agent, definitely take the advice given. It'll only make it better. The 1st, 3rd & 4th spots feel ripe for a narration demo, so really, you could go back and produce a commercial demo and a narration demo by adding a few more spots appropriate for both.
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Bruce · Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 2:41 pm Post subject:

With P2P sites you rarely get selected based on your demo. They go mostly by fresh auditions.

Unless there's a producer like me. I listen to the audition then I listen to the demo(s). The comparison sometimes tells a story.

B
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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. .

Scott Pollak · Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 4:16 pm Post subject:

graemespicer · Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 7:35 pm Post subject:

Bish?

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heyguido · Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 9:04 pm Post subject:

Naa, naaa, naa, naaa, naa....

He's not listening. Laugh

Jeremy.... What you've got is perfectly serviceable, and will get you work.

The advice of Scott and Bruce is good, and worth following up on. Move the turkey to the front, and juggle the rest til you're satisfied. Better yet, add a few more, and you've got both a commercial and a narration demo.

And no slam at your "producer", but if he'd done this before, he wouldn't have mixed the two. Don't hold it against him, but learn your software of choice, and take control of your own destiny....

Or save your nickels, and call Zellman about "Done by Six". Ninja

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Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

Bish · Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 9:52 pm Post subject:

Did someone call?

I have no comment about P2P... except that this week I've booked $650 from clients where original contact was made via P2P sites (and it's only Tuesday).

... and as to what Don said... Done By Six is a class outfit run by one of the most respected names in demo production. It's a radical, unique concept, that brings a breath of fresh air to VO demo production. Cliff's brought on board some of the best names in the business to provide specialist direction in their own areas of expertise.

OK... was that too much? Did I over-sell it? Be honest... anyone would think I was involved with it or something Rolls Eyes

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Philip Banks · Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 3:13 am Post subject:

"YOU'VE been Done by 6, mate!"

"Well ya coulda warned me!!"

Above only works in the UK

ballenberg · Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 7:34 am Post subject:

Done by Six--Pretty spendy. Samples?