VocalBoothToGo to Showcase Voice Over Products at Voice 2014

For the second time, VocalBoothToGo will travel to Anaheim, Ca.,to participate and showcase its innovative voice over and audio recording acoustic products during Voice 2014 Voice Convention, held August 27-30, at the Anaheim Hilton.

voice 2014 voice over event

As one of the largest voice over conferences in the world, Voice 2104, the international creative experience, brings together coaches, voice actors, entrepreneurs and other audio recording professionals for Education, Technology and Community. Voice talent at all levels of experience will be attending this event.

VocalBoothToGo will be hosting an exhibit that will showcase its Carry-on Vocal Booth Pro, its portable vocal booth. Also, at its exhibit, VocalBoothToGo will also have its popular Producer’s Choice Acoustic Blankets, which have been used by voice actors to create home audio recording studio spaces in any size rooms.

VocalBoothToGo attended Voice 2012, where it premiered many of its walk-in sound booths — all utilizing Producer’s Choice Sound Blankets, which are tested at 80% of noise (NRC 0.8) and exceeds any other competitors’ products in sound absorption quality and value.

 

voice acting portable vocal booth

 

 

 

 

Building a Home Studio-Focus on Soundproofing and Acoustics

From http://www.voiceoverherald.com/focus-acoustics-soundproofing-building-home-studio/

It goes without question that in today’s competitive world of voiceover, you will need to invest in a home studio of some kind. Your home studio will be essential for auditions, practice, and paid projects as they flow in. However, the cost of equipping a home studio may vary anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on your individual needs.

When considering planning out your home recording studio, two important aspects must be addressed: soundproofing and acoustic room treatment. It’s quite obvious that your recordings should not have any sounds that do not belong such as traffic, barking dogs, noisy neighbors or a lawn mower passing by. Nonetheless, your recordings should not make you sound as if you are recording in a fish bowl either. Where do you start

Soundproofing vs. Acoustic Room Treatment

Before jumping into purchasing products, take time to learn the difference between acoustic room treatment and soundproofing. Acoustic room treatment for audio recording means that your microphone should only pick up your voice and not the echo bouncing around the room. Acoustic treatment is intended to create an “acoustically dead space”, but not necessarily a soundproof isolated space. External sounds will be minimized, but not completely eliminated. So, if the neighbor’s dog is barking, you might need to stop your recording temporarily.

 

VocalBoothToGo.com donated Producer’s Choice acoustic blankets to OSA so they could create a recording studio for U.S. soldiers and their families.

Soundproofing is expensive and complicated. A “soundproof” room will be completely isolated from all external sounds. Most soundproof studios are essentially a room within a room. If you are just starting-up in voice acting and don’t have a big budget, it may be easier to find a quiet spot or time where you can record without noisy interruptions. However, if you have constant external noise, such as living near busy and loud traffic, you will need to focus on soundproofing.

Acoustic Room Treatment Will Benefit Your Recordings

Even if you have properly soundproofed your space, you still need to treat the room acoustically. Creating an acoustically dead space is beneficial for your audio recordings and can be done relatively quickly using things like blankets, such as acoustic blankets. You can also invest in an acoustic vocal booth from sources such as VocalBoothToGo.com or build your own.

If you decide to go with the DYI project, you need to consider a few things. These items include room size and shape, building materials used to build the room, objects within the room/studio, position of the microphone, position of the source of sound, and other considerations.

Acoustic room treatment is a science, and the more research you conduct before designing a recording space, the happier you and your client will be with the end result — a professional clear recording every time.

Skype Interviews/Conference Calls Using a Portable Vocal Booth

Skype calling has become common because working remotely has become common. The Carry-on Vocal Booth Pro, a portable vocal booth, allows users to not only have an acoustically sound conversation or recording, without that annoying echo, but also plenty of privacy too. Now, not everyone will hear your business.

Voice Over Work on the Road is Possible But You Need the Right Equipment

You can be a road warrior this summer while voice acting! In fact, this field is so flexible that you don’t have to schedule vacations around your work — just take the right voice over equipment along with you.

Voice Actor Michael Johnston uses the Carry-on Vocal Booth Pro in a hotel room. He actually propped it on a luggage stand.

Today, voice actors and others in voice recording can easily take their audio recording gear, even a vocal booth, with them anywhere and continue to audition and work with clients — stress free. Traveling and working in the recording industry has gotten easier.

Key to Success

The key to successful audio recording while traveling is to make sure you take the right type of equipment with you. These things include a laptop, microphone and also a portable vocal booth – something that can be easily assembled and dissembled without needing tools. It is important to test these items before leaving your studio or home and also pack them carefully.

Some of the things you should consider when working on the road is to make sure you can obtain Internet access during intermediate stops or at the final destination. You may need to invest in an Air Card or Hot Spot in case some areas do not offer WiFi or Internet access.

Investing in the Right Equipment Will Save You Headaches Later

We’ve all done this before. Using the hotel comforter to create a soundproof or acoustic treated area for you to record. Normally, you cover you head and mic while recording but it is hot and can cause issues with you voice. These days are over. To get the best sound absorption and to create the best audio recordings, consider purchasing a portable vocal booth you can easily set up and use anywhere. The Carry-On Vocal Booth can easily be set up in seconds anywhere (even at the airport) plus serve as a convenient carrying case to store your gear. Also, the Carry-On Vocal Booth has 80% sound absorption.

Carry on Vocal Booth actually is a part of a bag that can fit other items for audio recording on-the-go.

 

With the right equipment, like a good portable vocal booth, voice over talent can virtually work anywhere. And, that means you can extend your vacation at the beach a little longer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating a Home Studio for the Start-up Voice Actor

Creating a Home Studio for the Start-up Voice Actor

Maybe you are just getting into voice acting and need a place to practice or get your demos done. Or, maybe you are tired of traveling into a home studio and want or need to work from your home or office. This article will help the budding or the professional voice actor get an idea of how to create a home studio recording space without breaking the bank and achieving the best acoustic treatment to make your demos sound as good as you.

 

Using Producer’s Choice Acoustic Blankets During Live Gigs – A Musician’s Story

My background is in performing, recording and mastering, but over the last 2 years I’ve been doing more live sound due to my mixer beta testing.

One issue that I have encountered as well as many other sound engineers and musicians is bad venue and stage acoustics. I have played gigs that moving one foot on stage resulted in not being able to hear oneself. I started thinking what could live performers do to alleviate these acoustical problems considering that one could not alter the physical structure of the venues or stages. After much research, I discovered VocalBoothToGo’s Producer’s Choice acoustic blankets.

I decided to purchase one blanket to test, I had no experience in acoustic blankets but I did have experience in studio acoustical foam usage. After a few test in my recording studio I decided to try the one blanket in a live situation. Hanging the 6′ x 8′ acoustic blanket behind my drummer in an extremely bad acoustical sounding venue produced good results. The early reflections from the drums, amps and monitors were reduced resulting in a cleaner stage and PA sound. Two sound engineers were attending my gig that was familiar with the venue and its acoustical problems also heard a noticeable improvement.

Perfect for acoustical issues — such as on-stage performances in bars and other in-door settings.

I decided to purchase a 2nd blanket and try it on a stage which had a back wall made of brick and glass. The side walls were also brick and the physical stage was made of plywood with no carpet and stood four feet tall. It was an acoustical nightmare. So, I hung the two blankets behind my drummer which resulted in a 12′ wide by 8′ tall section of the back wall being covered. The back wall was close to 18′ wide. The results were amazing — there were hardly any reflections on stage. This resulted in an improved PA sound, no feedback and a better performance for me and fellow musicians.  I was running sound from the stage on that gig, the blankets made my job much easier which allowed me to focus more on playing then sound. The owner of the venue and routine customers heard the difference in my band’s sound quality which resulted in getting booked again.

Byron Santo’s Band utilized the Producer’s Choice Acoustic Blankets to help with reflection issues at a bar they played at often.

My goal is to continue to test the Producers Choice acoustic blankets in a variety of live performance scenarios. I would love to be able to wrap a stage one gig — the entire back wall and two side walls.

Considering the cost of a single blanket, one could easily create an entire mobile acoustic treatment system that could be used in numerous live performance scenarios and not break the bank.

Byron Santo, Bassist, Producer, Author & Beta Tester

 

 

Do You Need a Special Voice for Voiceover Work?

Maybe you are thinking about getting into voiceover work but worried that you just don’t have the voice for it. But, in today’s world of voiceover, you don’t have to have a “golden voice.” In fact, most people with a decent speaking voice and with the right acoustics for recording a winning demo can get into this field —and be quite successful.

You don’t need a special voice to be successful in voice acting.

The people getting into voice acting work or currently in this line of work are not all full-time actors. Voiceover work can be an ideal opportunity for someone working pa rt-time, for example a homemaker who is not working a 9-5 job and wants to do something creative, or for a retired person with good performing skills, or for the self-employed individual who has a flexible schedule.

Most people usually think of voiceover for radio and television commercials and, perhaps, audio books. But there are actually about three dozen different genres, or niche areas of voiceover work ranging from documentary narration to on-line training to telephone messaging to movie trailers to cartoons to in-store announcements to feature animation to talking toys and even more. And, each of these genres could have a half-dozen specialized niche areas within it. For example, the area of voiceover  for television includes promo, programming, news, imaging, commercials, and sales/marketing among others.

People who leap into voiceover without proper research often discover that there is a great deal they should have learned before taking that first workshop. The biggest mistake most beginning voice actors make is spending a lot of money on their demo before they are ready. Money on wrong type of home studio gear or too expensive than needed. Money not understanding acoustics or soundproofing.

Read. Read. Read. There are excellent books that will give you a lot of information about how the business works, performing techniques, “tricks of the trade,” and scripts to work on as you develop your skills. What you will get from reading books about the voice over and acoustic room treatment, is the critical information in order to make an educated decision as to whether voiceover is right for you.

Carry on with Voice Overs During Your Travels with the Portable Carry-on Vocal Booth

The Carry-on Vocal Booth is mobile, portable and can carry almost all of your recording gear in one bag. It is constructed from washable Producer’s Choice Sound Blankets and does not create a boxy recordings like many other foam-based booths do. No echo. So, carry on with the Carry-on Vocal Booth Pro or the starter kit.

Moving from Moving Blankets to the Acoustic Treatment and Soundproofing World

Adil Aliev knew the moving industry inside and out. His company, Moverssupplies.com, supplied all things related to the moving industry including furniture protection blankets and pads.

But something intrigued him with his company that had nothing to do with moving. There were certain customers on a routine basis who were ordering moving blankets not for protecting furniture but for the purpose of sound absorption — like in a home studio. After investigating, he learned that customers, who were mainly voice over actors, musicians and movie producers, used the blankets for acoustic room treatment and soundproofing their home and professional studio spaces. They liked the sound blankets so much they suggested Aliev to redesign the blankets for their specific use.

 With the motivation and inspiration to create a better product for an entirely different audience, Aliev created VocalBoothToGo.com, an online company that concentrates on products for acoustic room treatment and soundproofing. He took suggestions from industry experts in music, voice over and audio production and customized the design of the blankets such as adding thicker filling and options such as grommets for easy hanging. He wanted to do it right and even had the sound blankets and products lab tested for sound absorption.

“Thicker filler is one of the main changes we made in the blankets as well as the stitching,” said Aliev. “Sound blankets are not the same as moving blankets.”

Producer’s Choice Sound Blankets were created for home studio use in acoustic room treatment and NOT the same as moving blankets.

Today, VocalBoothToGo.com not only offers the blankets, now called Producer’s Choice Sound Blankets, but also other products such as portable and full-size vocal booths and sound booths. The company’s main mission is to provide high quality products in acoustic room treatment and soundproofing for use in the home and professional studio settings — but also be mobile and portable.

The company has caught the eye of celebrity voice over talents and others in the music, movie and production industries.

“I have tried a bunch of vocal booths. Nothing compares to this,” said Dean Wendt, a producer and voice talent. He is the voice of Barney the dinosaur, the children’s television show. “I am VERY picky. Great company and great people. HIGHLY recommend.”

One of the vocalboothtogo.com’s products, vocal booth on tracks.

Improving the Acoustics During Skype and Phone Conference Calls Using a Portable Vocal Booth

We’ve all been there. A business related conference call that not only is boring but comes with annoying echoes, beeps, buzzes and high pitch noises. You develop a strong desire to throw the phone across the room from the poor acoustics but you need to stay on because it is related to your work — your job.

All businesses hold conference calls via phone system or training virtually via Skype. Although we live in a time blessed with modern high-tech devices due to the ability to work virtually or remotely, we still have issues with conference calls that are not clear and downright inaudible.

Conference calls or Skype meetings can be a nuisance if acoustics are not considered.

The main reason for the horrible noise is not the device but the lack of handling the acoustics properly when using them. Setting your laptop, mic or phone inside an acoustically treated area will help control the echoes or boominess when you speak into it. This is especially important if you are virtually training people via Skype meetings or through a phone system. You, as the main presenter, need to make sure your audience can hear you just as clear as if you were standing in front of them or the entire presentation is worthless.

Business professionals can benefit from a portable vocal booth like the Carry-on Vocal Booth Pro if they hold Skype meetings or conference calls often. It controls the annoying noise and makes the speaker sound clearer and more professional.

Portable vocal booths are used by voice actors and singers but can also be used by corporations and business professionals during during these type of virtual speaking and meeting engagements. The Carry on Vocal Booth Pro, from VocalBoothToGo.com, is lightweight and can sit on a table or desk and has enough room for a large laptop to sit inside of it. Other features include-

• Great Acoustic Quality. Carry-On Vocal Booth Pro is constructed with highly sound absorbent material Producer’s Choice Acoustic Blankets. (NRC 0.8 or 80% sound absorption), cutting down reverberation and echo to create a flat audio recordings and audible speaking engagements.
• Quick set up. The lightweight Carry-On Vocal Booth Pro can be assembled and dissembled in less than 20 seconds. Just unzip and set up — which makes it a truly portable vocal booth and an easy choice for business professionals, speakers and voice-over talents who travel often.
• Spacious. With usable space at 22€W x 22D base and 20H, the Carry-On Vocal Booth Pro is the most spacious portable booth on the market — capable of fitting most of the components for recording in the bag. Plus, the use of acoustic blanket material instead of acoustic foam makes it possible to create a vocal booth that is small when folded but opens into a large enclosure in its operational state.

We’ve all had issues with hearing someone speak on the phone during a conference call and sounding as if they were in a fish bowl. It may not be a big deal if it is a casual conversation but if you are holding an important meeting such as a Board of Director’s Meeting, or one that people paid for in advance, you have to make sure that you sound clear. Investing in acoustical solutions will help get that peace of mind … and maybe your listener will actually be listening to you.