A few issues I've run into
1. Twice in the past week I've had auditions rejected due to audio problems, but everything I've done has been from the same setup. Other auditions were accepted both before and after the rejections. What's happening here?
2. Being relatively new to VB (I signed on in September), I figured the best way to get as much work as possible would be to audition for as many projects as possible -- but now I'm not so sure about that. Is there a sweet spot between auditioning a lot and getting good stats?
3. On the subject of stats, all I have is good reviews (but only a handful), while my stats have been steadily spiraling downward. What's the best way to improve my stats?
4. I've worked on a fairly steady (though small) stream of projects and have banked over $800 since my first payment in October. Not bad, but I'd really like to increase that amount. How do I get more work?
5. I had no idea when I signed up what my rates should be. Recently I stumbled on the rates of some other VB pros, and that made me think my rates are too low. What's a good way to tell how much I should be charging?
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Hi Bob. Let me go over your points one by one.
1. Can you please share the files for those auditions and one that was approved afterwards? We'd like to check them and give you further feedback.
2. As you mentioned, it's not really the best idea to audition for all the projects that come your way. We recommend you to be more selective and only participate in projects where you consider your voice would be the perfect fit. There's not a specific number really, but we do recommend you to read and understand a project's brief well before auditioning. If you consider your voice matches really well and you have experience with those projects, you should audition. However, if your voice may not be such a great match, it's better to not submit. This will surely improve your chances of getting picked as the winner and give you better stats.
3. In regards to the stats, the most important is to as be selective with both Speedy and Contest projects. The more you are certain your voice would be a good fit before submitting, the more likely is that you'll be accepted by both our team and clients. In regards to Bookings, the best option is to have clean and concise samples that showcase the work you can do as a voice actor. The more versatile and well edited they are, the better. Also, responding in a timely matter will definitely help!
4. This is a result of what I mentioned before. If you're more selective, get approved by our team and clients and deliver a great experience, you will more likely have better stats and more projects coming your way.
5. Keep in mind that the prices you see in Search already include our margins for which considering only this pricing to review your rates could be counterproductive. You can review your own final price on your profile and compare it with the ones that appear on Search if you want! However, we also recommend you to set your rates as per your experience, equipment and delivery.
Thanks for your response. That answers MOST of my questions.
Here are four auditions, the first and third of which were accepted while the second and last were rejected:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aw5y6qgvni3q9w3/04%20lam.wav?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dmdcyu8eb6mc7qv/04%20mrs.wav?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kn8i5b9pm8cq4xq/05%20fun.wav?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tfjnwu1tbnvubso/05%20arcu.wav?dl=0
As an aside, I guess it's hard for me to be very selective because I spent almost 30 years on the radio. For a lot of that time I was a production director, voicing and producing commercials for hundreds of clients, so deciding who my voice matches really well has never entered into my thinking.
Also, how can I review my own final price and compare it with the ones that appear on Search (apples to apples, so either with or without markup)?
Hi Bob!
Thanks for sharing.
So, I listened to the recordings and I do have to agree with the team's decision. The first and third recordings, while they sound processed, they don't sound as over processed or degraded as the second and last one. Also, on the second one, the performance is a little too forced. Also, on this second one, for example, right after "everyone" there is a hissy or breathy sound that is repeated later before the laughing sound.
This is one of the risks that exist when you use processing on the recordings. Noise reduction, noise gates and similar processes do impact the quality of a recording. This processes can even degrade the recording when the performance, gain or volume are different from each other for which we don't recommend using any processing. This also causes this problem: The processing may work on some files, but it may not on others.
Would you mind sharing a 100% raw recording and let us know which equipment you're using to record? You have a great voice so I'm sure that getting the quality issues down will help you a lot!
Now, as per the pricing, you can check that on your Profile page. Each sample will have a Book this voice actor button you can use to create quote for yourself.
I'm using a Blue Yeti microphone with a windscreen and Audacity -- same as I've been doing since I started three months ago. I generally don't use any kind of processing at all except normalization to -2 dB with DC offset. Here's one of the auditions that got rejected, but without even any normalization:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5e3pr5d5zobycwn/00%20raw.wav?dl=0
Hi Bob
I believe the problem is from the USB mics. USB mics are not built for professional audio recordings as they have lower quality preamps and AD/DA converters. The recording without any processing does sound boomy and muffled and it gives the impression it's been processed for this reason I explained before.
I would recommend you to explore the possibility of getting an interface and an XLR mic. There are very nice mid-range options that can deliver some amazing quality. If you could review this possibility, I'm sure your quality would be much better and you wouldn't have similar issues!
Wow. How is it that I've recorded dozens of auditions that passed muster, and now suddenly the sound quality isn't good enough?
The Yeti setup came highly recommended by others in the business -- the same people who referred me to VoiceBunny -- and I'm a little reticent about tearing it down and starting from scratch, especially since the Yeti now becomes essentially a $120 paperweight.
I'll replace it, if that will prevent any more audio quality issues, but I don't know what microphone and interface you're looking for. I found a Behringer Ultravoice Xm8500 Dynamic Vocal Cardioid Microphone and Behringer 1-Channel Audio Interface for about $60, which is about all my budget can take. Would those work?
Hi Bob
As I mentioned, we personally don't recommend USB mics for professional audio applications. We actually have some articles on our Community explaining why that is and recommending some pieces of equipment. Your case up to now has been quite of a borderline one as a good number of the recordings have not been approved precisely due to quality issues. Due to the processing added, it worked sometimes, but it's not a recommended or solid setup for professional audio.
Now, I would not recommend Behringer, especially at that price point. Behringer is a very popular brand for on-stage and live recording, but when it comes to in-studio recording, their pieces are quite hissy and low-quality. I'd definitely recommend you to check the Focusrite Solo or the 2i2 as a good quality, mid-price interface. For the microphone, I'd recommend the Blue Spark which is also a very good piece for its price point.
I found a Blue Spark Blackout for $200 and Focusrite Solo around $110. Can I assume those will be acceptable? And can I continue to use my current setup until the new equipment arrives after Christmas? I'm not exactly raking in the dough so I'll have to wait until I have some disposable cash.
Hi Bob
You can use this setup in the meantime! However, I'd recommend you to review the pieces you submit really well to ensure the processing is not that strong and/or noticeable. Also, when you have your new equipment, share a recording with us! We can help you tune it up to ensure you get the best out of it.
I used a Spark for a long time and I definitely loved how it worked for my voice. I've already upgraded it, but it's definitely a great piece. Make sure you also have a good XLR cable for the mic as well!
Hi Angela.
Finally got the mic and amp I mentioned above -- the Blue Spark Blackout and Focusrite Solo -- and I re-recorded an audition that got rejected for audio issues:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/isu8wayfir5aqwv/atd.wav?dl=0
Can you review it for quality?
Also: I haven't gotten any opportunities in the past 18 days, with the exception of a few Speedies that came through in the middle of the night (but by the time I got to those they were no longer available). I did get another great review and was "favorited" in the interim, but I'm wondering why all the auditions dried up?
is it because of my stats? Or did someone place a slowdown on my opportunities until I upgraded my audio setup?
Hi Bob
This new setup sounds amazing! There's just one edit that sounds a bit harsh (0:08 where the breath is cut in the middle) the overall quality is perfect.
Your profile looks really well! However, all our projects have slowed down considerably due to the season. We expect our project flow to come up again within the next 2 weeks.
Okay, it has been good the past few weeks since your last response on this thread, with plenty of offers and gigs, although if I had my way I could handle at least twice as much.
But now that I have everything sounding the way it should and am starting to get the hang of the way it works with you guys, suddenly there's complete radio silence!
Ever since I didn't respond within the requisite half-hour to a revision request that came in after I'd gone to bed one night last week, there hasn't been a peep. No offers for five days, and no responses to the email I sent wondering about it.
What's going on?
Hello, Bob.
I've double-checked and I couldn't find any open email that you've sent us in the past few days. Could you please send it again to support@bunnyinc.com? Or just copy it here if you think is easier.
To answer your question. I've noticed that you had accepted 5 Speedy invitations in a short time-span. However, there were two in which you received a rejection; one from our QC team, and one from our client (The one from our client couldn't be ignored because it didn't actually sound as if you were a young adult.)
Therefore, having 2 rejected deliverables out of 5 in 7 days might have impacted your rank within the system and it is taking a bit of time to consider other Pros with better stats before you. However, you should receive an invitation soon, given that everything in your profile looks normal.
Let me know if that solves your question or if you have any other doubt.
Best,
Oscar
Thanks, Oscar,
I realize now that I wrote an email out of frustration and then decided to delete it without sending once I'd cooled off.
I probably should do that here too, but I'm having a little trouble with your explanation. The rejection I got from the QC team requested a revision at 10:45pm – five hours after the original deliverable was submitted, by which time I'd gone to bed for the night (I have to get up at 5:30 for my day job).
Doesn't seem too fair, though I guess it is what it is.
Can I assume that I'll start receiving invitations again soon?
I understand that the time at which you received the revision request was, of course, inconvenient.
However, we advise our Pros to avoid accepting projects (speedies/contests in particular) when they do not have the time to work on a possible revision, as it can happen that our client requests something in particular, or our QC team asks you to revise something (as they have up to 6 hours -or more depending on the project- to revise a deliverable).
It is much better to avoid accepting these types of projects late at night, or when you know you'll be away right after submitting your deliverable.
Regarding the invitations, I think you will start to receive projects soon, as everything looks normal with your profile.
Let me know if that helps.
Best,
Oscar
Point taken, but it seems pretty trivial to cause my invitations to stop completely for what's been an entire week now.
It does help, and I thank you for your patience with me.
I'm looking forward to getting some more projects soon.
You're welcome, Bob. I'm here to help!
I understand your point. Nonetheless, as a machine, the system just calculates numbers and sends invitations out accordingly, without taking into account the reasons behind rejections/revisions.
Please, let me know in case you haven't received project invitations again next week.
Best regards,
Oscar
Oscar, it's now been 12 days since my last invitation. I'm starting to despair of ever getting another chance!
Please let me know that I'll have some more opportunities soon.
Thanks!
Hello, Bob.
As I've mentioned via email, one of those rejections have been ignored from your stats, and the option "Male-Yound adult" has also been deleted from your "rates and preferences", given that you have received several rejections for not sounding accordingly.
Let's wait and see if those changes result on you getting invitations soon.
Oscar, it's been 15 days now and still no invitations. How much longer do you suppose it'll be?
Hello, Bob.
We honestly do not have a way to know when someone will receive invitations, as this is a completely automated process that depends entirely on each pro's rates and stats.
In your case, it might be that, within your demographic group, there are other Pros with better stats so the system is considering their profiles before yours when it comes to speedies and contests.
Wow, so you're saying I’m not getting any invitations because of those two rejected auditions?
What about my stats is causing the system to completely ignore me?
I’m FIRST in Bookings, top 30% in Speedies, top 47% in Contests, my average score is 4.9, and nine clients have favorited me. Even if your algorithms penalize me for those two rejections at the end of January, what about the 44 projects I did that were approved in the 30 days before that?
You can probably sense my ongoing frustration. I don’t want to jeopardize my future with Voice Bunny, but if I’m not getting any invitations what difference does it make?
Clearly, I’m not some dilettante who can’t be relied upon, or who needs to have his hand held all the way through the process. After I upgraded my audio gear in January I made more than $700 through Voice Bunny in less than four weeks, with very few issues and no complaints.
I’m really eager to continue this mutually beneficial relationship. Is there any way a human can intervene on my behalf?
What can I do to start getting invitations again?
Hi Bob
Thank you for sharing. However, as Oscar mentioned, your stats are borderline. We have a lot of Pros that rank higher for which the invitations are sent to them before you. Keep in mind it's not just because of 2 auditions, it's because the unsuccessful projects have piled up quite a bit.
Keep in mind you have 6 rejections by our Quality Control team, and around 9 Speedies you've submitted have been rejected our clients. This, all, lowers your ranking and comparatively moves you down in our invitation algorithm. Same happens with contests. Out of 35 you've sent, only 6 have actually been chosen as the winner. This shows that our clients, unfortunately, are not favoring your voice for contests and our system invites people with higher success rates before you.
Unfortunately, there is nothing we can manually do to change this. Our system works comparatively and will send invitations to our Pros based on how well they have performed overall. We would love to guarantee you that you will see more invitations, but this will depend on how well the other Pros with your same skills perform.
Hope this explained it.