Hi Bunnies, would love some advice on a rejected application.
Hi Everyone,
I've just received a rejection for my submission, and would love the community's help on assessing why.
I have a sound-treated wardrobe space running a Rode NT1000 into a Focusrite ISAone pre and into a MOTU Ultralight into Adobe Audition.
Here is the submission: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wn27we3a5eqgbby/Voice%20Bunny%20Test_Submitted.wav?dl=0
Any advice at all including quality, performance would be hugely helpful, as I'd love to join you guys!
Thanks :)
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Hi Ben
The recording sounds very overprocessed. Can you please share a 100% raw recording?
Yes, thanks so much for helping out. Here is the raw take...
I'm concerned about two things: 1. Performance and accent, and 2. Sound Floor.
RAW: https://www.dropbox.com/s/faw9dtcuk5tsk11/Voice%20Bunny%20Test.wav?dl=0
Hi Ben!
Thanks for sharing! The noise floor actually sounds very well. There's just a tiny bit of hiss noise but it's not very noticeable. I think we're OK on that front. I did find, however, some problems that should be addressed. Let me list them here:
1. The recording has a lot of plosives and sounds quite boomy. My guess is that you're recording too near to the mic's capsule. If you're using a pop filter, I would suggest you adjust the distance and angle so you can record farther. This way, the impact of the low frequencies and plosives will be much lighter and won't cause that much of an impact.
2. The edits are too harsh. There are areas that have editing clips and there are other areas where even though there are no clips, the flow of the voice over is cut and the take ends up sounding quite unnatural. I suggest you review how you're editing the recording and add fades in/out. It's important to be very mindful of the areas where you're cutting to make sure you're not leaving any cut breath/syllable!
I suggest you step away from gates and edit manually. I know this can take quite some extra time, but I can assure you it does give you much more control over how your flow sounds.
3. Performance wise, I feel it sounds a bit too salesy. It's not too over the top, but it doesn't sound very natural. I suggest you read the script several times as if you were saying it to a friend or a colleague. Imagine you're actually recommending the service to a person you know and you just want them to check it out. You would definitely want to sound super convincing, am I right? Try that out! You have awesome enunciation and pronunciation!
Thanks so much Angela, this is super helpful, do you know if they take resubmissions? I might try the process again.
Otherwise, does anyone else have any advice?
Hi Ben!
Sure! Glad to help :)
You can request another chance at the application project by logging into your account and clicking on "You started an application. Click here to continue." Due to the amount of applications and reconsiderations we receive, the process can take from 7 to 31 days.
Thanks Angela, I've kicked off another application, have treated my studio with some more goodies, repositioned mic, and will take on those performance notes next time around :)
Awesome! Looking forward to your new application!
Hi Angela,
I addressed these issues, and waited around 20 days for another audition, and again was just rejected.
I spent quite a bit of time and money treating my 4x4 space, with acoustic foam, moving blankets, and believe my chain of Rode NT1000 into Focusrite IsaONE pre and into Adobe Audition is pro-quality.
I was asked not to compress or treat the audio at all, which I did not, other than to normalize to -3db. I normally do this for clients (who have not had any issues with my setup, which is now being used for national campaigns)
I guess I'm now just scratching my head having been rejected a second time, this time for "echoes throughout" which if anything my space is too dead. Can you please shed some light? Something doesn't add up here with Voice Bunny.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ifpmj95mcxkqw59/VB_BenPrendergast_Demo4416.wav?dl=0
Thanks so much for your help.
Ben.
Hi Ben
Thank you for sharing the recording. I find 2 main issues:
1. There are several reflections that make the recording sound quite boxy. This is usually a common thing when the space you're recording in is too small and where the acoustic treatment is not accurately set up. This doesn't mean the blankets or the foams are wrong, however, they could be placed incorrectly which could be leaving some space for reflections. This is what could've been felt as echo, but I believe the correct word is unnecessary reflections that are coming from the space. You can pick up the reflections much better when you breathe. You can see they sound as if you were in a can due to how they're being picked up.
For this, I suggest you review how you're recording, your technique and the placement of both your microphone, acoustic foams/blankets and the rest of your equipment. Any window, desk, stand, etc. around could make a difference!
2. The edits are very harsh which makes the recording sound unnatural and robotic at times. Please make sure you are adding fades in and out when you cut or edit an area. It's also important to understand where you need to cut and ensure that the transition is smooth and natural.
Hope this helps!