RadioDaddy.com: Industry

Voices.com recently teamed up with a group of voice actors to create a public service announcement for the petition encouraging the Academy of Arts and Sciences to introduce a Voiceover Performance category at the Oscars.

Voice actor Andy Boyns originally brought up the idea of a PSA in a conversation with Voices.com Social Media Manager, Ashley Hall. Together they approached Pablo Hernandez, a voice actor with previous experience creating PSAs, to discuss the idea and assemble a cast.

"This was a collective effort between Pablo, Scott, Andy, Lori, Doug and myself. I am extremely pleased with the support and enthusiasm we have received from the voiceover community in regards to the Oscar Voiceover Petition," says Ms. Hall. "All of the voiceover talent involved with this PSA project are so talented and creative. What a great group of people to work with!"

The PSA is a volunteer effort with one common goal in mind, to achieve recognition at the Oscars for the actors who give outstanding performances off-camera.

Scott Fortney, voice talent and PSA Producer, asks, "If you can get an award for sound editing, sound mixing, visual effects, art direction and makeup, why are voice actors' contributions ignored? Try watching "Toy Story 3″ with the sound muted. Not such a great story without the voice actors to bring the characters to life, is it?"

The petition is going strong with 675 signatures. Voices.com hopes to reach 2000 signatures in time to present the idea for consideration before next year's nominations are considered and the respective nominees are announced.

A true testament to the age of the Internet the project came into fruition with participants from far and wide including Puerto Rico, the UK, Canada and the USA.

Pablo Hernandez indicated, "Everything was done via e-mail and via private messages on Facebook. The entire collaboration process was really easy, all the voice actors and voice actress involved in the project are all voice over professionals that work on {these kinds} of projects."

Click here to download the Oscars Petition PSA.

To view the petition, visit: http://www.thepetiti...oscarspetition/

Cast and Credits:

Pablo Hernandez (Executive Producer & Copywriter)
Scott Fortney (VO talent & Audio Producer)
Andy Boyns (VO Talent)
Lori Taylor (VO Talent)
Doug Warner (VO Talent)

Source: Vox Daily

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Over the last decade the use of celebrity voice overs for television commercials has grown in leaps and bounds.

During the Oscars program this year there were twenty-four percent more ads featuring celebrity’s compared to last years program which had just four percent. Most of the ads this year featured celebrity voice overs rather than on-camera appearances.

With the jump in celebrity voice overs it seems clear that in the minds of marketing gurus it’s worth every expense. Because celebrities are recognizable, people tend to have an emotional response to the sound of their voices. They remember them from their favorite movies and from the media. The more distinct the voice the better. People are therefore more likely to gravitate to that product over the competitions because they have an emotional connection to it.

Whether or not celebrity voice overs hurts or helps the industry is still up for debate. Some voice actors feel that celebrities are taking jobs away from the hard working talent who make a living doing voiceovers.

“Current day celebrities don’t need the money and are taking jobs away from unknown actors who do voice overs, many of which are just as good and some of them much better.” says veteran actor Paul Dooley. “The funny thing is that the large majority of listeners don’t even recognize the celebrity’s voice out of context.”

Good or bad, the once anonymous industry is getting some Hollywood limelight.

Written by Lin Parkin · Courtesy of Voice Over Times


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According to a new report by IBISWorld USA, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) leads the list of the ten industries expected to see the highest growth rate between 2010-2016. Also on the Top 10 list are video games and Internet publishing.

This is good news for the voice over industry. These sectors regularly require voice over talent for their audio needs and could become major contributors in the job market for voice talent as they grow.

The voice over industry is said to be over $11 billion strong which is divided across a huge span of niche markets including Business, Cartoons, Documentaries, Educational Video, Internet, Jingles, Movie Trailers, Music, Podcasting, Radio, Telephone, Television and Videogames.

Corporate projects currently lead the bread and butter jobs for the voice over industry. An increase in voice over jobs for video games would give talent the opportunity to stretch their creative muscles more often and with the growing popularity of Internet publishing as a new method for entertainment programming voice actors may see more opportunities to work on projects in online broadcasting.

Over the last two years Voices.com has seen an increase in Internet job postings which seems to suggest that there is the potential for these growth industries to lean more toward e-commerce sites to search for, audition, and cast their projects.

The future is looking bright.

Source: The Atlantic/Voices.com


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Welcome everyone to the NEW and IMPROVED Radio Daddy.com...we are still everything you expect us to be and now a whole lot more.

First , I'd like to thank Adam for the hard work he's put in here switching everything over, he has done a tremendous job. Danny for letting us run in a slightly different direction and all of you for your patience and understanding.

So you know going forward, unless it is a generic bit we will be regularly removing posts from RD, most request will have a 90 day shelf life and after that they will be deleted from the server. So if you make a request or you fulfill a request be sure to to retain a copy because it won't remain on our server forever.

We will be making some items exclusive to subscribers, instructional videos, advice, reviews, and access to more than one request and commercial content will require a subscription fee. We do this to allow Radio Daddy to continue, it cost Danny, Adam and I a pretty penny to get this new site up and running...it continues to cost money daily and we need to some how generate some revenue to keep it going and to keep the Voice Pros here...we will work out the logistics over time...subscription prices will not be outrageos trust me...more information on that soon.We will still be offering FREE Voiceovers and everyone and anyone will have accesss to request them, just much more limited.

RadioDaddy Radio will be the place to tune in for great music, shows, industry talk, Voice Pro Demos, instructional advice and just plain fun...that is coming very soon.

So everyone, again, Welcome to the New and Improved Radio Daddy...you're gonna like it here.
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This article is courtesy of Emmett, one of our VoicePros.

This is intended for people who are serious about making some real income from VO. Read it if you like...Or don't. I think it will be beneficial to those who really absorb the information. I'm covering a bunch of stuff to do with gear and studios. There are a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions. None will go into great detail. If you want to know more about something, ask!

1. The most important part of any recording is the source material. Voice quality and delivery are more important than ANY piece of hardware or software.

2. Room treatment is the forgotten investment...And more important than most others. A great mic chain will not fix a bad room...It will only reveal the room noise more clearly.

3. Sound proofing and sound absorption are NOT the same thing. Foam will not block out noise. Learn the difference and treat the room accordingly.

4. The ENTIRE mic chain is important. Don't neglect any part of it. A professional pop filter, microphone, preamp, (processor, if desired) and A/D converter (i.e. Soundcard, USB or Firewire device) are essential.

5. Recording software does not have a 'sound'. When it comes to recording, Audacity (free) sounds just like Audition, Sound Forge or Wavelab.

6. Most of the time, you don't need a mixer. It will just add noise to your chain. Few voiceover people have a real need for a hardware mixer.

7. No mic will make you sound good. Better mics will ALLOW you to sound good, if you already do. And some will compliment your voice tonal qualities nicely for subtle character...But nothing will make you sound good.

8. You get what you pay for. Those cheap mics? They sound cheap. Luckily, thanks to technological developments, prices for quality have gotten much lower. That means that mics that would have once cost $1000 now sell for about $300. Large diaphragm condenser mics today start to sound professional around $220 or so. Mics in the $300-500 range can sound truly great. Below those price ranges, build quality can be sketchy and consistency is non-existant. Above those prices, you'll get a little better build quality and measurable consistency, but not always a better sound.

9. The ElectroVoice RE20 makes a lousy VO mic. It's great for durability and works very well in radio environments, but in terms of sound, it's pretty rough. For that price, you can do much, much better. It's only the radio standard...Not the VO standard.

10. Mic placement is very important. Finding the sweet spot is as important as the mic itself. Speaking directly into the diaphragm is rarely desirable.

11. Trying to make your voice 'thick and big' is a waste of time. VO artists should not perform heavy processing of any kind. It's a nightmare for a good producer.
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I listen to alot of stuff posted here on RD as I'm sure many others do and while we all know we have some GREAT talent here at RD we all also know we have some people who, while giving it the old College try, just aren't very good. That's ok, the only way to learn and get better is by doing. But if no one is pointing out the things you're doing wrong and giving you plus reps because you did attempt, this can lead to a false sense that you are doing things correctly and that you are getting better when in fact you are not.



My background is more of an On Air Personality, I thrive best in the Live situation on air, having worked in Radio for awhile now, however, I have done some voice over work professionally. No where near the amount as some of the talent here on this site and I am sure they will chime in with their opinions and advice, which will be more than helpful to us all.

If you decide that you want to try this as either a living or as a hobby you need to invest a little bit of money, even if it is just a hobby. Hobbies cost money, if you collect baseball cards you have to spend money to get the latest cards or sleeves to protect them. Well, VO work (or hobby) is the same you need to invest some money. Get yourself a decent microphone, the one that came packaged with your PC is not going to cut it. You don't sound clear and the hissing and popping is unbearable. When you buy your microphone (and we can have a discussion as to what is a good entry level microphone in another thread) invest in a pop filter or make one (hanger and stocking I'm told work decent), I'll assume you have a PC and sound card (we can discuss the different sound cards in another thread also) a mixer or mic pre-amp is also necessary to get the mic sound into the computer, unless you are using a USB microphone. So these are the basic tools you need to begin with, you also need some software that allows you to record and edit your voice. I use Adobe Audition (Cool Edit Pro) but there are others out there, and even some free stuff-someone I'm sure will list the free stuff in this thread.

Once you have these items now its time to record some stuff-PLEASE turn off your TV or Radio and get the house as quiet as possible. Too many times as of late I've heard people recording stuff for someone and I can hear everything that is going on in the background. We want to hear your voice not the television show you're watching. If you don't eliminate the background noise no one can use your recording anyway.

Read your script several times before attempting to record, I've heard people recording the script and it is obvious it is the first time they've read it. They have difficulty pronouncing words, they stop and stammer, are unsure of their place in the script. Read the script, practice it, so as you read it it doesn't sound like you're reading it. I read the paper everyday out loud and try my hardest to sound as if what I'm reading is coming naturally out of my mouth not something I'm being read. When I first started in Radio my first PD told me this technique and it has worked wonders for me. Practice, Practice, Practice!!!

Use voice inflections, don't sound like a robot-sound like you actually care-don't think that using a bunch of special effects is going to mask a poor reading. A poor reading is a poor reading and while swooshes, beeps, zaps and pops are great, it is difficult to mask a poor read with them. Again practice sounding as if you care, if the read is upbeat SMILE while you are recording it, you'll be surprised how much of a difference this makes in your voice.

Stand up-I know there are VOs who record sitting down, but until you are much better at it, stand up to record, it will help your breathing and diaphram and allow you to project clearer.

While I'm on the subject of breathing, learn to control it, learn, how much breath you'll need to say a sentence. Nothing worse than hearing a sentence where the reader runs out of breath at the end-IT IS OBVIOUS-or has to take a breath at an inappropriate time within the sentence. Pratice your breathing techniques, read the script out loud several times to know where the problem areas might be so you are prepared prior to reading.

Have confidence and have fun. With anything else if it isn't fun why do it unless they're paying you alot of money LOL-make it fun and have confidence that you can do it-that in and of itself will make a HUGE difference in how your read comes out.

I'm sure I left some stuff out and I know our great Voice Pros here will add some stuff and correct any things that I may have err'd on. I hope any new people here will use this thread to post examples of work and have pros critique it here in the thread.

Have Fun!
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This article is based on a post from several years ago. One of our members, Emmet< was kind enough to post this in our forums. It holds true for anyone that is looking to become an "On Air Personality" (DJ). Whether you're doing it on Terrestrial, Satellite or Internet Radio. Here is what Emmet suggests.

1) KNOW YOUR LIMITS - You are NOT Howard Stern, Bob or Tom, Valentine, Rush or any other major syndicated personality...Don't try to be. Don't copycat someone else's style, and understand the limits of your own talent. This goes hand-in-hand with number 2.

2) LEARN THE BASICS - Before you try any creative radio, you must have the basics down. You have to be able to sound convincing when you say, "That was--this is". You have to be able to give the station slogan a ton of different ways. You have to be able to make every break sound different, even if you're just saying the same thing over and over. If you can do that, you'll sound better than about 80% of the jocks I hear.

3) LOSE YOUR ACCENT - Yes, you have one. Learn to recognize it and get rid of it. I'm not talking about your overall accent (i.e. American, British, Austrailian etc.), I'm talking about your regional accent. I don't know much about accents for the rest of the world, but in the US, there are several accents that stand out...Northern, Southern, New England, Midwestern, Southwester, West Coast, Urban, Rural, Southeaster. Learn them. Learn to speak in all of them and then learn to speak in none of them. Local listeners won't notice if you have the local accent, but if anyone ouside of your area will hear your work, they may notice. Nobody will ever notice if you completely eliminate your accent.

4) LISTEN - Listen to jocks you admire. Listen to national ads. Listen to yourself. You are your own worst critic.

5) PRACTICE - Every day. In the car. At home. Read newspapers outloud. Do whatever you can to improve your skills. Practice breathing. Practice standing and talking. Practice sitting and talking.

6) BE CONVERSATIONAL - Listeners want to hear someone that sounds like their friend or neighber...Not someone that sounds like a top 40 jock in 1970. Stop yelling! It's not important to yell to sound excited. Talk from your gut, not your throat. Never say "all of you". You're not talking to a group, you're talking to ONE person. Put a picture of a friend in fron of you, if it helps.

7) PREPARE - Know what you want to talk about. Develop an outline for each break and stick to it. Don't fly by the seat of your pants. Once you've done it for many years, you may not need to prepare as much. Know the music, know the lifestyle.

8) CHECK YOUR EGO - Radio people have huge egos...Just like any other talent-based industry. Just remember, you are NOT the best. You may be very good, but there's always someone better. Be confident, not cocky.

9) STAY ACTIVE - Most jocks get to a point and think that they're the best, so they stop trying...Then they suck and get fired. Always learn new things, from as many people as you can.

10) DON'T USE CRUTCHES - If you use the same phrase more than once an hour, it's a crutch. It can even be as simple as saying your name too much. This will be a constant battle. Jocks who have been in radio for 20 years still use crutches. Watch out for them.

Absolutely SPOT on advice, I remember my first day broadcasting at a fairly large FM station and I just plain old SUCKED! (Some people say I still do ) But I swear the advice that Emmett gave was given to me and I followed it, maybe not to a T---I copied some people along the way, well borrowed a little from alot of people I admired and thought were good. With that you begin to get a feel for who YOU are behind the microphone and develop a style all your own. I did an Aircheck of everyone of my shows in the beginning and listened to them over and over, made my wife listen until she was ready to divorce me. I made a list of good and bad, she made a list and we compared. I spoke with my peers, asked their advice, took the criticism and improved. Spent time reading everything I could OUT LOUD until it no longer sounded like I was reading .

We will be talking specifically about this subject in up coming articles. We'll talk about branding your station and how to develop a station from the ground up. Use these suggestions with your 'Jocks" to help them get better and to help your station sound better.

Until next time...
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