My friend Bob Souer has written an excellent blog post on weaknesses and strengths in voice over.  I’m constantly evaluating myself and searching out my own strengths and weaknesses to try and help improve my work and I found it a very poignant read.  I think you might as well.

Bob starts off:

“There are lots of folks who think that voiceover work is all about the voice. Sure, there’s an element of truth in that idea. When we audition, many times the final choice the client makes is based on whose voice most closely matches what they’re looking for; but be careful how far you carry this idea.”  Read More.

I’m nearing completion on the new voiceover booth.  The walls are basically done, I’m just working on tuning the space now trying a few placment options and tricks and working on finding the optimum sound in the sweet spot of the room.  Here’s a 2 minute video tour of my new voice booth.  Enjoy:

Did you know Brian Hart produces demos for other voice talent?

It’s something I really enjoy doing and I am pretty good at it if I may say so myself.  If you would like to discuss producing your next demo please contact me.

Samples of Demos produced by Brian Hart

Russ McLamb Rock Imaging

Russ McLamb Country Imaging

Caryn Clark Radio Imaging

I produce all my own demos so you may listen to them also.  Read more after the jump if you are interested in learning about the demo production process. (more…)

photo credit: re_birf

How do you write good copy for voice over?

Writing for the spoken word can be dramatically different than composing a piece that is meant to be read.  Take a magazine article or newspaper and read it out loud and you will quickly see what I mean.  You have to think about the context, the target audience, the speaker’s point of view… and on and on.  A lot goes into good VO copy. (more…)

photo credit: Calil Souza

Dan O’Day emailed to let me know he is hosting a live teleseminar on how to develop a website for voice actors on February 24th at 9pm Eastern time.  It really caught my attention since I am currently creating Hart Voice Overs.  According to Dan the teleseminar will be 100 % Non-Technical and discuss why “your website isn’t working for you and how and why you need to fix it immediately.”  I subscribe to some of Dan’s newsletters and check his site often.  He is always full of great information.

Registration is $79 and a download of the teleseminar will be available to those who register.

For more information go to Web Sites For Voice Actors

photo by Brian Hart 2010

Ah, the weekend.  Time to practice  my sheetrocking skills.  This morning I’m sanding the first skimcoat of joint compound and applying the second coat in my new voice over booth.  Ultimately there will be three coats of joint compound before I’m ready to prime and paint.

The basic application of joint compound is the same in a studio as it is in a home and there’s plenty of information available on the web for you to read.  But there are some other considerations you need to keep in mind for a studio project. (more…)

This is so cool! Some of my fellow voice overs brought life to Axe Cop. Check it out:

If you don’t know the story: read the origins on the Axe Cop site.  Dave D’Andrea plays Axe Cop.  Lee Gordon and Bob Souer are also in it.  Leave a comment if I need to add someone’s name to the list.

Creative Commons License photo credit: myuibe

Dave Courvoisier made an interesting post on his blog the other day about how to record decent quality audio on your iPhone.  It’s a good read and short.  Check it out.

So now you can find auditions, record an audio sample and submit it all from an iPhone.  Pretty cool.  My biggest suggestion would be to find a nice quiet spot to record though.  One option?  Believe it or not – your car.  Automotive engineers work hard to make today’s car interiors quiet and acoustically pleasing.  So take advantage of their hard work and go record an audition on your lunch break behind the wheel, just don’t drive while you do it.