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)

Welcome to episode 38 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 thought I would play another of the voicemail questions that I’ve been getting from my listeners and do my best to answer it. 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 a question from Charles of Reno, NV. Charles wants to know how to find reputable coaches and classes who can help him develop both his voice acting craft and his knowledge of the business, including information about demos.

Charles may not have realized it, but his question speaks to the emotional core of why I created this blog and podcast in the first place. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a number of amazing teachers in my life to whom I am eternally grateful, and as a teacher myself, I take the student-teacher relationship very seriously. If an earnest, sincere student comes to a teacher for guidance and training, then I believe it is vitally important for the teacher to do their very best, using whatever skills they have, to help that student grow as much as possible. So I spend this episode answering Charles’ question in detail. I hope you and the many others I have encountered who have asked this same question will find my response useful.

In this podcast, I not only explain how to find coaches and classes, I also outline 4 criteria for evaluating them:

1. Does the coach work in the field you’re pursuing?
2. Does the coach’s teaching style appeal to you?
3. Do other people recommend that coach?
4. Be wary of all-in-one courses that offer you a demo at the end of the course.

I think you’ll find my in-depth explanation of these criteria very helpful.

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!

I also reference a number of websites in my podcast. I’ll list those websites here:

Voice Over Resource Guide (VORG): http://www.voiceoverresourceguide.com
Internet Movie Database (IMDB): http://www.imdb.com
Voice Acting Alliance (VAA): http://www.voiceactingalliance.com
UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that the Voice Acting Alliance is no longer functional. However there is a new message board called:
VoiceActing.Space: http://voiceacting.space
Voice Acting Club (VAC): http://www.voiceactingclub.com
Voiceover Universe (VU): http://www.voiceoveruniverse.com

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #38 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 37 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 the last episode, I shared some helpful tips on playing villains in voice acting. I outlined 3 misconceptions about villains and then gave 3 guidelines for how to play them effectively. For this episode, I thought I would use the same format to show how to approach playing heroes in voice acting.

I’ve played a number of heroes in animation and video games, including the noble and sincere Superman in the Justice League: Heroes video game, the cocky and self-assured Iron Man in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and even the brooding and distant Red Arrow in the animated series, Young Justice. So what does it take to play heroes well? Let’s find out!

There are 3 common misconceptions about Heroes:

• Misconception #1: One must adopt a heroic sounding voice in order to play a hero.
• Misconception #2: Heroes are boring to play from an acting perspective because they lack sub-text or a complicated psychology.
• Misconception #3: Heroes are so idealistic that they are hard to relate to emotionally. Also known as the Goody Two-Shoes syndrome.

I go into great detail on each of these topics. I hope you enjoy the second half of the hero/villain equation!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #37 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 36 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 episode of Voice Acting Mastery just happens to fall on Halloween, 2012. So in honor of my favorite holiday, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share my thoughts on how to play villains in voice acting effectively. The villain is one of the most popular types of characters that beginning voice actors tend to want to play, and I often get asked how best to portray larger than life villainous characters or psychotic out of control antagonists.

I’ve played a number of villains, such as the dark and powerful Duskmon in Digimon, the impetuous and unstable Electro in the Spectacular Spider-Man, the brooding and methodical Itachi in Naruto, and the maniacal and demonic Alucard in Hellsing. While these villains are definitely fun to play, they can also be challenging, because it takes a certain understanding of their mindset in order to portray them with depth and believability and to avoid sounding flat and one-sided in your performance.

There are 3 common misconceptions about Villains:

• Misconception #1: You need to have a deep or powerful voice in order to play a villain.
• Misconception #2: Villains are easier to play because they’re so melodramatic.
• Misconception #3: Villains do what they do because they’re just evil for evil’s sake.

I go into great detail on each of these topics. I hope you enjoy my special Halloween treat, an exploration of the psychology of the villain!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #36 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 35 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 third and final installment of my interview with my former students, Kimlinh Tran and Edward Bosco, about their experiences working on the popular independent game, Dust: An Elysian Tail. You can find it on the Xbox Live Arcade. If you haven’t already, I suggest you listen to episodes 33 and 34 before listening to this episode.

I wrap up our discussion by asking them what advice they would give to other voice actors like themselves who are just starting their professional careers. It’s wonderful to get a recent, up-to-date take on what it’s like out there for aspiring voice actors. They give fantastic tips on what you need to do to truly improve your craft as a performer. Enjoy!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #35 Here (MP3)