Voices of Horror 2011

Digital Audio Production Basics - Lesson 3

This is the third of a series of video tutorials dealing with the basics of digital audio production - specifically Adobe Audition, but a lot of these lessons could be applied to other audio editing software. These videos are just one of my ways of giving back to the voice-over world. Please let me know what you think and/or if you have any questions.

In this lesson, something I call "Pick up and Roll." You might call it "editing on the fly."

Enjoy!

Digital Audio Production Basics - Lesson 2

This is the second of a series of video tutorials dealing with the basics of digital audio production - specifically Adobe Audition, but a lot of these lessons could be applied to other audio editing software. These videos are just one of my ways of giving back to the voice-over world. Please let me know what you think and/or if you have any questions.

This lesson teaches how to replace a small piece of your audio with a new piece - seamlessly.

Enjoy!

Klipsch Speakers

Recently, I learned a lot about sound and speakers, especially the awesome line of speakers from Klipsch. As I say in the narration, you may not have heard of Klipsch, but you have probably heard some Klipsch speakers - especially in a quality movie theater. My thanks to the good folks at gearshift inc. in Toronto, who produced this excellent video for Klipsch.

Watch the video here.

Rock on...

Digital Audio Production Basics - Lesson 1

This is the first of a series of video tutorials dealing with the basics of digital audio production - specifically Adobe Audition, but a lot of these lessons could be applied to other audio editing software. These videos are just one of my ways of giving back to the voice-over world. Please let me know what you think and/or if you have any questions.

Enjoy!

My Daughter's 2nd Voice-Over Job - The Trailer

New Tutorials Coming!

Hello my friends! I'm excited to tell you about some new video tutorials I'll be producing soon. If the one thing about voice-overs you lack is the ability to produce yourself, you might like this. Watch the video to learn about what is coming. Thanks!

Aflac!!!

So I was cleaning up and maintaining my YouTube site the other day, and I saw this new thing that lets me create animated videos using text-to-speech. What the heck. I love gadgets as much as the next guy. So I gave it a try. I went with what was on my mind. I had just received my "thanks but no thanks" email from Aflac regarding my audition for the voice of their duck. So that's where I started, but when I was done I had picked on text-to-speech software and British people. And I'm half-British... so I have an unofficial license. So there. Here's the final product.

Work For Free to Get the Fee

Have you ever thought of giving away your work? Yeah, working for free.

I know, I know. You're saying, "Scooter, have you lost your mind? Whaddaya nuts!?"

No, seriously. I've done it… much to the chagrin of my wife. I have given work to people for free. But... there is a method to my madness.

You see this all the time in grocery stores, right? Think about it. You're walking along searching for that 2-gallon jug of ketchup… when you see a nice old lady standing behind a card table with a Bunsen burner. She smiles, and offers you a free sample of Grandma Mabel's Cajun Smoked Sausage. So you take a sample, and… you love it!

Okay, maybe you're thinking, "Those free samples never convince me to buy anything." Well… maybe not. But if it didn't work, do you really think the Grandma Mabel companies of the world would keep asking nice old ladies to hand out samples at the end of the ketchup aisle?

Without revealing any clients' names, I'll give you an example. I saw an email from a company that I'd never heard of. I wondered if they thought about doing radio or TV advertising. So I decided to volunteer my services... for free. With-- a catch. I told them that I will give them a free spot, no strings attached, but if they like the results... any future spots will be at my regular rate. They really had nothing to lose and a free ad to gain. So off I went to the studio, cranked out an ad for them, emailed it to them, and wished them well. About a week later, I checked with them to see how things were going. They were so thrilled with the results of the ad that they simply had to do more ads. And now that company is one of my best clients, and I look forward to working with them each time they call on me.

It's kind of like handing out business cards with a free sample attached. Of course, just like the nice, old lady in the grocery store, there's no guarantee that you'll get a bite from everyone who tries your product. And unlike the grocery store, you need to follow up with your prospects - whether they liked you or not. You won't hit a home run with each swing, but you have to keep swinging to get the hits.

How to Post Audio on Your Facebook Page with Audioboo

My Daughter’s First Voice-Over Gig

Preschoolers are learning about shapes with a new videogame for the iPhone and iPad. The game is called “Math Shapes,” and it comes to us from the talented people at MathZee.com. I’m especially excited about this because the voice of the game is my 5-year old daughter, Roselynn Kate Fortney.

This was Rosie’s first gig as a voice actor, and she handled it like a professional. The video below contains some clips from the session.

5-Year Old Rosie Fortney at the Mic

If you have a preschooler in your life, head over to the app store and pick up “Math Shapes” from MathZee.

Adobe Audition Keyboard Shortcuts Tutorial

I’ve been a fan of Adobe Audition since it was first introduced as Cool Edit by Syntrillium in the early 1990s. Audition just fits my needs as a voice actor and producer. I have tried other programs, but most of them are just too complex for the needs of a voice actor.

One of my favorite features of Audition is the ability to customize it to work the way you want it to work. If you are an Audition user, and you are not using keyboard shortcuts, you are wasting valuable time. Watch my video and learn just how easy it is to customize those shortcuts.

Learn how to create custom keyboard shortcuts. It’s easier than you think.

Happy Editing!