Long Time Radio DJ But New To VO - Seeking Advice
Hi-
I've been a small town radio DJ for over 10 years. In that time, I've voiced more radio ads and promos than I can count. For a couple years, I was also an on-air personality for a local morning television program, and currently I am the voice of our local ski resort's 5AM Snow Report. With all of that as a background, I wanted to start looking at earning some money on the side in the world of freelance voice over work. I've made a small recording studio in my home, and have access to the studio in our radio station, if needed. I applied to VB, and was rejected, but fully understand the errors in my initial submission. With the feedback, I've tried to make improvements to my home recording studio (and plan to continue to make many more). I went ahead and rerecorded the application script and have provided a link below. Despite my experience,I've never had any formal training in this area and I believe I still have a lot to learn in this industry, but I am wanting to take it very seriously. Therefore, I'd love any tips, advice, or feedback on the revised recording, or in general. Thanks in advance for your time!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5d3becyot0wfxf8/VB%20Phone%20Sample%202.mp3?dl=0
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Hi Eli!
Thanks for being patient with us here! I'm listening to your file now and I'm going to give you my feedback now!
I have some comments here:
1. Your performance is really good! I really like how upbeat and happy you sound. It sounds a bit unnatural at times, but overall I really like how you convey the message.
2. The voice sounds quite nasal and a bit thin. Maybe this could be related to the microphone's capsule? Which mic are you using? It could also be related to some processing you could be adding. Are you adding some EQ? These are all guesses so that's why I'm asking some questions here :)
3. There are some plosives in the recording. Try recording a bit farther away from the mic and use a pop filter. Regular pop filters, like the ones that have an arm, are the best to adjust distance between you and the mic. If you have one of those, I'd totally recommend you adjust the arm so you are a couple inches apart.
4. I pick up a faint hiss in the back at the beginning. As the take is super well edited, it's not that noticeable throughout the rest of the file. However, you may want to check if maybe the gain is a bit too high and could be increasing the noise floor!
Hope this helped! :)
Thank you very much for your feedback Angela! I truly appreciate it. To answer a couple of your questions, in an attempt to save some money as I am just getting into this, I am using a mic that I found in our storage closet of extra equipment at the radio station. It is a Sennheiser connected to a Focusrite iTrack Solo interface. I did not add any processing to that particular track, other than adjusting the volume a bit.
I appreciate the compliments as much as the constructive criticisms. I will take your suggestions and will work on making some adjustments to improve the quality of the product. I look forward to my next opportunity apply for chance to be a Voice Bunny!
Eli
Hi Eli!
Thank you for letting me know! You may want to try a different microphone as this one seems to be boosting some unideal frequencies on your voice. I personally love the Blue Spark, but this depends so much on your voice that I suggest you go to a store and try a couple of them if you have the chance.
I look forward to a new recording! You can share it here before reapplying so we can be 100% sure that it will be approved!
Happy New Year and we look forward to working with you on 2018.