VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[georgethetech]

[Gregory Best]

George, will SC do? ISDN is not available in my rural neighborhood.
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Gregory Best

greg@gregorybest.com

[georgethetech]

Gregory:
I'll tell you what I tell everyone who asks if I should get ISDN or Source Connect. Give your clients what they want. If they want it, and they pay you for what they expect, then the decision is easy. If no ISDN is available, Source Connect with an ISDN bridge is the next best thing.
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If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
VOBS.TV Co-host
TheProAudioSuite.com Co-host
TriBooth.com Co-founder

[BenWils]

I use ISDN often. As far as SC, I have had it for about two months and have used it once for a session already. It was used for a multi-talent session with a studio that did not have two ISDN codecs. So since I have SC and so do they, I connected via SC. I will say that doing a session this way with dialogue between two people....the delay was BAD!! Nothing like having to react to what someone says 2 seconds before they are done speaking. It really throws you off your game.

Otherwise, I think a regular session would be fine. A little more delay than ISDN...but passable. And if the studio has the pro version, they can set it up so it downloads wav or aiff versions of your session when done. Not sure how this is done...but I know the pro version has this ability. It kind of solves the dropped packet issue.

The other tidbit is that if you get SC set up and you have a home network, you need to make sure the right ports are open for SC to work at its best. Otherwise it has to more or less find its own way through your network and will not be as efficient.
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Ben


"To be really good at voiceover, you need to improve your footwork and hip snap."

[Jon Morss]

For those interested in getting Source Connect set-up, I can vouch for George Whittam (soundgun). He was a huge help to me with getting my config up and running. It really took no time at all with his help.

I did check into getting ISDN set-up first, but after being bounced around from person to person from my Phone provider trying to explain what I was after and after they told be the cost involved, I decided I would wait a bit and opted for Source Connect instead. It would be nice to have both options though.

Ben -- Thanks for the story. Its good to be aware of the delay issues that you encountered.

[georgethetech]

Delay can become an issue, especially if you have multiple SC users working through the same session. You are dealing with the round trip delay of each SC connection, which added together can be 2 seconds or more. With SC pro there are several was to minimize delay.
Thanks for the shout out, Jon. I know the ways of the TelCos, should you decide it's time for ISDN.
_________________
If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
VOBS.TV Co-host
TheProAudioSuite.com Co-host
TriBooth.com Co-founder

[Frank F]

I have not weighed in on this subject until now, feeling the software would live or die on it's own merits.

Source Connect is a good product with limitations on how it can be used. Users MUST have a fast internet, without high speed internet above 512 kbps delay WILL occur. This is a limitation of the software implementation.

MPEG II, Layer III or .mp3 connections require a minimum of 300 kbps up and downloading speed. AAC-LD/HE requires additional coding time or delay.

Add the small amount of time for encoding and decoding in each connecting parties hardware of approximately 50 ms, transmit and receiving speed, and connection delays, and a few other details together and you have approximately 400 ms delay or latency inherent. Minimally acceptable latency is 120 ms.

Further if you add an additional or third party to the connection as in a conference call the latency time increases exponentially due to hardware restrictions and the internet. For every 250 miles distance apart add an additional 20 to 100 ms delay in the media signal. One can minimize this delay problem with more internet bandwidth. For each additional party connected and additional throughput of 300 to 500 kbps internet speed is required by all parties connected.

Now the boring realities have been stated. Source Connect's main problem is not in the software or how much latency is involved. It is related to how the company has failed to market their product to potential users. The origins of this product were designed for music recording studios - not Voice Over talent. Once again we are a fourth world group of people.

The companies business model although seemingly altruistic is very poor, there is no growth potential or long-term income potential.

With more than six years since their inception the company has only a few over 2000 users worldwide. Ask yourself why?

Telos, Musicam, APT, and others have all added IP codecs to their foray of products, but none of the products will interconnect. This is another problem which must be resolved prior to IP technology being accepted by the mainstream.

ISDN services are on their way out. I predicted three to five years of slow death two years ago. However, ISDN codecs may surprise me and last another year or two.

The economy has hastened the death of ISDN for many broadcast facilities. One broadcast chain (you know who they are) with over 700 radio and television stations has dumped ISDN already and will conclude it's purge of the service in June or July. This group is not replacing ISDN with IP codecs, rather they are using phone-patch and .mp3's sent via the internet as the alternative.

For interviews and long-form recording; the company is relying on a private VOIP connection, which can be set-up and ready to use by downloading a simple GUI via the internet and using an inexpensive headset device for communication. The software connection is a secure, safe, private, and inexpensive device for the companies use only, This software uses G.722 (wideband), G.723.1, G.729A/B, GSM-FR, G.726-32 codecs which are better than POTS telephone quality, but not true studio quality standards for audio.

So what this boils down to is if you have a need for ISDN or Source Connect - then purchase the one (or both) technologies which will serve your needs with a simple ROI. If you do not have a NEED, then do not purchase one or either product until that time.

Neither product will get you work, although having it available does not hurt. Ultimately your talent and skills as a VO Artist is what makes the difference. If a client wants YOU - they will find a way to work with you.

Sell your talent not the technology.

Toodles

F2
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[ccpetersen]

[georgethetech]

[davidmonteath]

[Don G.]

"If a client wants YOU - they will find a way to work with you. Sell your talent not the technology."

I think Frank summed it all up quite nicely. Of course maybe I'm biased because I have neither.

[Mandy Nelson]

[Bruce]

There are still agents, ad agencies and production houses (generally at the upper end of the scale) that just will not deal with you if you don't have ISDN. It's their prejudice, but our problem if we want to get at that piece of the pie.

I like pie.

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. .

[Philip Banks]

To get from a conversation with a Big League Agent to the dial tone say the following....But I have ACCESS to ISDN and Source Connect AND THAT'S JUST AS GOOD.

[Claire Dodin]