VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[billelder]

Peter,

Exactly which kind of "pop filter" do you use? Foam or screen?

[audio'connell]

I have no idea why my inner voice is forcing me NOT to offer the (what I consider) very humorous answer to Bill's question…even though he’d think it’s funny.

Maybe I should turn the table. We’ll make it like Match Game ’05 staring everyone’s pal Gene Rayburn….

“Peter doesn’t sit or stand when he broadcasts…he squats. So he doesn’t use foam or a screen for his POP filter, he uses…blank”
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- Peter
audioconnell Voice Over Talent
Your friendly, neighborhood voice over talent

[Jeff McNeal]

I found Simon's comments about never walking into a booth set up for standing quite interesting. I've walked into very few that aren't. But they always have a tall counter stool in there so the talent has their preference. I've been sitting or standing, as circumstances dictated, ever since I started doing this stuff. My current preference is to stand.

And I don't use a pop filter, either. The only reason you would ever need one would be to control the plosives, but once you learn how to position your upper lip slightly forward of the lower lip when saying your "P's", then plosives will never be a problem again. The last pop screen I tried out was a Stedman. Nice, but like all pop filters, it does filter out more than just air.

[Spacegypsy]

Maybe the sitting down set ups in the UK are a Southern thing, or a recent thing - when I did VOs in the UK they were always standing, though it is a good few years ago.

Jeff, thanks so much for the P advice! I don't like using the pop shield either, because of the drop in sound quality.

[Philip Banks]

1990, Commercial Production, Radio city, Liverpool, England. Standy uy gig under the direction of Leo Cubbin. The only UK standy uy gig I can recall. Where did you make your stand, Katrina? I believe one makes a stand at Custer's Studio in Hull and Little Bighorn studios Montana.

[Jeff McNeal]

Spacegypsy -- you're welcome. Very easy to practice and master. Hold the palm of your hand in front of your face, the same distance you would work the microphone. Now, say something with plosivies -- "Peter piper picked a pack of pickeled peppers" or what have you. Feel the puffs of air hitting your palm? Now, say the same thing again, but move your upper lip slightly forward, which will in turn, redirect those puffs of air lower than your hand (and microphone!).

It takes a little while to get used to doing this, but in time, it becomes second nature.

When I'm doing an outside session (which for me are increasingly rare these days), I tend to leave the pop filter in place, so the engineer doesn't have a heart attack. But I never use one in my home booth. Once you learn this simple technique, you'll never want (or more to the point, NEED) to use a pop filter again.

[Charlie Channel]

Jeff, that's really cool! Great suggestion and advice. The secrets of the masters are being revealed to the initiates.

CC

[Jeff McNeal]

Thanks, Charlie, but the real credit goes to Professor Anthony Georgilas at Pasadena City College, who taught this to me in Radio 101 when I was 18-years-old.

Professor Georgilas was definitely "old school" and had some terrific advice in terms of the mechanics of speech. Taught me how to cue up a record, also, but I no longer require that skill. Fortunately. :lol:

Speaking of old school. Stop and think about it for a minute. How many old time announcers -- you know -- the guys who had to do it LIVE on television, do you recall using pop filters? How many publicity stills from the golden era of radio and television do you see with pop filters in front of the RCA 44's and 77's? None that I can recall.

[Debbie]

All the studios I've worked in (bar 1) are set for standing. I have set my home studio up for standing as well.

The reason I've set it up for standing is because I move around too much if I'm sitting down and the chair makes some horrid squeaking noises ... the kind I can't seem to edit out.

If I could just stay still .... and stop my hands moving around ... and .....

:wink:

[Philip Banks]

[MichaelJ]

On a related note...

Whether standing or sitting (or squatting), do you tend to HOLD your script, leave it on a stand, or actually read from the computer screen (thereby sparing the lives of so many shrubs)?

Although I set up my "booth" with a stool and a music stand, I tend to stand and hold the script. The computer is next door, because it's too noisy. (The large brass nuts hanging on the music stand are more for encouragement than anything structural.)

What's the trend?

[brianforrester]

Trend?... Heck, who cares about trends! If I had followed every trend over the past 10-years, I'd have blue hair, 27 piercings, 19 tatoos, be wearing "professionally torn" blue jeans from the Gap that cost me $250, have on a pair of Doc Martin knee high purple boots, be listening to my iPod with oversized headphones, while driving in my pimped out Honda Civic with a nitros bottle, $6500 stereo system, lowered suspension and ground effect lighting...

Here's a question that keeps popping up on this board and I feel is very appropriate... what works for you?

As far as the script goes... I tend to be on the higher energy side, and my arms flail around like a little girl running from a ghost :wink: ... which makes holding the script without noise, let alone being able to read it, next to impossible :lol:.

I have a flat 17" monitor mounted in my booth, from which I read most scripts, however in the event that I have a faxed script I also have a butterfly clip stuck to the monitor housing to which I can attach a script. You can take a look at picture of booth setup if you like (www.brianforrester.com/delivery.html#studio)

I find working with the monitor above my line of sight forces me look up, which in turn opens my throat etc... I feel less restricted and more able to move around, than working with a music stand in front of me. When I'm in somebody elses studio, I really try to move the stand as far away from me as possible and as high up as I can.

I personally, would never recommend holding a script while performing. Even assuming that you can find some kind of stiff paper that won't flop around and make noise (good luck, unless you mount each script to piece of cardboard)... from personal experience (being a hand talker) it immediately restricts my ability to move, which dramatically affects my performance, not a good thing! Use a stand, or heck... post a cork board on the wall of your booth behind your mic and in your line of sight and thumb tack your scripts there... although that may bring in another issue of sound reverberation off of the board, but that's for another thread! :wink:

However, that's just me any my lolely opinion.

Happy Holidays
_________________
Brian Forrester Voice Overs
www.brianforrester.com
brian@brianforrester.com
778.668.5715

[Deirdre]

[Audiogal]

I've been in standing & seated booths, but am seated in my own. I was taught to smile & gesture in the booth, as it helps convey feeling through the mic. I have to remember to sit tall & not shift in my chair, but hand gestures are ok since I have plenty of space around me.

In someone else's studio, I always prefer standing if the only other option is a tall stool, as the lack of back support makes it hard for this short person to sit up straight & tall.

I agree with the suggestion to use a monitor or clip...holding the script is asking for paper rustling.
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Mary

[marko]