Welcome to episode 44 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode I want to ask you a serious question:

Do you think like an artist?

The reason I believe this question is so important is because often I find that many people who are attracted to voice acting, especially for animation and video games, started out as fans of those artistic mediums. That was certainly the case with me. Much of my desire to work as a voice actor was because of my love for animated storytelling. However, as I pursued my dreams of becoming a professional actor, first in theater and then in voice acting, I had to make a mental shift from thinking about working on stories from a fan’s point of view to thinking about collaborating on those stories from an artist’s point of view. You could also think of it as the difference between being a consumer and being a creator.

Consumers and creators don’t just think differently, they think opposite from each other. The best way I know to articulate this difference in mindset is to quote the famous acting teacher and father of modern acting styles, Konstantin Stanislavski. In giving advice to aspiring actors, Stanislavski once told them,

“Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art.”

A pithy statement to be sure, but one that deserves a more detailed explanation. I spend this episode exploring that advice in depth and explain how important it is to have a truly artistic mindset if you want to succeed in voice acting!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #44 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 43 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

This is the final part of my interview with my good friend and commercial voice over casting director, Juan Carlos Bagnell. You can find more of his insights on his blog at www.someaudioguy.com.

To wrap up our discussion Juan explains how to handle seemingly contradictory directions when voice acting in commercials. He stresses the importance of working with what’s actually in the copy and not trying to second guess what you think the producers are looking for. He also explains how to take advantage of the current trend of using celebrities in voice over and how understanding the appeal of celebrity branding can help you position yourself as a voice actor. I’m sure you’ll find it helpful!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #43 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 42 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode, I continue my interview with my good friend and commercial voice over casting director, Juan Carlos Bagnell. You can find more of his insights on his blog at www.someaudioguy.com. In this segment, we discuss some of the most common misconceptions about commercial voice over and how to avoid them. Including:

• The “quality” of your voice is not as important as having a business mindset.
• Does your plan for getting into voice over pass the “bank loan” test?
• There is no sound bite solution to becoming successful in professional voice over.

Later, we talk about Juan’s approach to teaching how to succeed in commercials, including his method of analyzing scripts and the importance of understanding the advertising mindset. It’s very insightful!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #42 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 41 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

For this episode, I’m going to be interviewing my good friend and commercial voice over casting director, Juan Carlos Bagnell. Juan is perfectly positioned to give some amazing insight on what it takes to be successful as a voice actor in commercials. He started working at Abrams Artists, one of the top voice over agencies in Los Angeles, and then became a casting director at one of the top voice over casting offices in LA, the Voicecaster in Burbank. Juan has worked with some of the most talented voice actors in the business and he’s fantastic at articulating his ideas and advice on voice acting. I’m honored to have him on the podcast, and I hope you enjoy hearing from him too!

One of the best things you can do to improve your chances of booking a voice over job is to understand the mindset of the people producing and casting a project. Juan has been part of that process thousands of times and has learned his lessons in the trenches. His knowledge of the current trends in commercials comes from hands-on experience. He also runs a fantastic blog on voice over at www.someaudioguy.com. You should definitely check it out! In the next interview, Juan and I will address some common misconceptions about commercial voice over, and we’ll discuss some important ideas to keep in mind as you approach commercials.

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #41 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 40 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode, I continue answering questions that my listeners have been leaving me on the podcast voicemail number. I’ve been getting so many good questions lately, that it seemed appropriate to go through a number of them. For those who don’t know, in past episodes,  I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question as a voicemail. From time to time, I’ll pick the most relevant questions I receive and answer them here on the podcast.

For this round of Q & A, I answer questions from Jelle Derckx of the Netherlands and Zach from Huntington Beach, CA.

Jelle wants to know what to do when things get awkward during a recording session. Sometimes a director will give a voice actor a note, the voice actor will do their best to incorporate that note into their next take and yet the director still seems to be unsatisfied. Worse yet, the director may seem to want the opposite of what they originally asked for. This is a common occurrence during a recording session so I share some helpful hints about how to get back on track. The secret is giving the director what they want, not what they ask for!

Zach wonders what’s the best way to approach producers as an aspiring voice actor. Should you try to contact them directly via phone or e-mail? What kind of credits do you need on your resume before you approach producers? How do you maintain a professional demeanor when approaching potential employers for voice over work? I answer his question by explaining the professional mindset of a producer. Then, I explain how to make yourself indispensable to a producer so that they’ll search you out for your unique talents and abilities!

I think you’ll find this episode very helpful for developing a truly professional mindset.

As a reminder, the number where you can call in and ask your question is:

323-696-2655.

Please don’t forget to include your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #40 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 39 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode, I’m going to continue answering the questions that my listeners have been leaving me on the podcast voicemail number. I’ve been getting so many good questions lately, that it seemed appropriate to go through a number of them. For those who don’t know, in past episodes,  I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question as a voicemail. From time to time, I’ll pick the most relevant questions I receive and answer them here on the podcast.

For this round of Q & A, I answer questions from Christian of Glendale, AZ and Leigh of the Washington D.C. area.

Christian is having some challenges with the recording levels with his Blue Yeti USB microphone. I give him some suggestions on how to avoid peaking when recording more extreme sounds.

Leigh is not only a voice actress, but also works full time. She’s looking for a high quality recording solution so she can submit auditions to pay to play sites like Voices.com and Voice123.com even when she doesn’t have access to her home recording equipment. I give her some suggestions on what she can do to get the best possible recording quality while on the go.

In the podcast I recommend a number of different pieces of equipment and software. Below is a list of them with links where you can purchase them. You can also find them in the Toolbox Section of the website. I hope you find them useful!

For Christian’s Question:
Shure PG-42USB Microphone – A more professional microphone than the Blue Yeti. The PG-42USB is a true large diaphragm microphone with a Pad Switch to allow you to have more control over the gain levels in your microphone.

For Leigh’s Question:
Solution #1 – Laptop Recording:
Sennheiser MD 421 Dynamic Microphone – A broadcast standard and my personal travel microphone. Very rugged and great at rejecting room noise. Unfortunately the signal it produces requires a lot of preamplification. In order to drive the MD 421, I use a…

Avid ProTools MBox Mini USB Interface with ProTools Software – I’ve been using MBoxes as my portable recording solution for years. However, it does require you to use a laptop in order to record.

You will also need a small portable microphone stand. I like the Konig Meyer 231/1 Tripod Table Top Mic Stand.

You will also need an XLR cable to connect the microphone to the MBox Mini.

Solution #2 – iPad Recording:
Shure PG-42USB Microphone
+
Pluggable’s Mini Powered USB Hub
+
Apple’s Camera Connection Kit for Dock connectors or Apple’s Lightning to USB Camera adapter

Here’s the formula, I plug the PG-42USB into Pluggable’s Powered USB Hub, connect the hub to either the Camera Connection Kit for older iPads or the Lightning to USB Camera adapter for newer iPads and then plug into the iPad.

You can then use any of these 3 recording apps: WavePad, GarageBand or TwistedWave.

If you absolutely must record without having access to an electrical outlet, the Apogee Mic or the Blue Spark Digital iPad microphones will also work, but they lack the low end warmth of the PG-42USB.

I hope you find my recommendations useful!

As a reminder, the number where you can call in and ask your question is:

323-696-2655.

Please don’t forget to include your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #39 Here (MP3)