Hello

[Jay Thompson]

HI,
My name is Jay Thompson and I am new to this forum. I have limited experience in VO and would appreciate any feedback on my demo. I am not sure how to upload it to this site so I will give you my website www.jtvoices.com. Thanks for your help. I look forward to hearing from you and to make some contributions soon.
Jay

[Clintonnobles]

Jay;

Let me be the first (at least here on this thread) to say hello and welcome. Now as far as your site and demo are concerned here is my take.

(note I am new to the business as well)

The site looks fun and entertaining. It also looks like a little leagues. I actually really like the base ball theme (even though I am not a fan of watching the game), I think it adds uniqueness to your site. Unfortunately, the uniqueness isn't met by your voice. Please do not think I am saying you don't have a good voice. Not at all. I think you have good talent. It is just when I looked at the page I assumed there would be some fun sounding demos and instead it was more slow and somber. ***IMPORTANT: This is just my opinion. If you ask 10 people a question you will most likely get 10 different responses.*** Your voice sounds to me as if it would be best suited for the "Wife's clothes" piece instead of the Bank one. You need to stay with happy, fun loving. I would image you have a great personality and are the life of the party. That needs to be let to show in your voice as well.

An important thing to remember is that not every script requires you to forget who you are. A very necessary element of voice acting is the ability to be real. If you cannot learn to be real with who you really are, you will never be able to make a fictional character sound believable.

Learn to pace your reads. Like stealing a base, you just have to get a feel of how fast you need to get off that base in order to make the next. I would suggest poetry. The rhythm and timing are key to any good script.

As for the site, once again I would avoid the geocities look. A solid textured background, large block colors, and centered logos. I really like the talking baseball; just tap into that fun. As for the email, you want people to know you, not your slogan. Have your email as jaythompson@ or jay@. If you are only allowed one email (like me on my site) then make your one email a "Catchall." This means that as long as they are sending the email to @jtvoices.com it doesn't matter what the first part says it will come to your account. It's a great little trick.

I highly encourage you to keep up the good work in the voice over industry. You have a good voice, but like mine it just needs practice and training.
That is my $0.02

[Jay Thompson]

Hi Clinton,
Thanks for taking all that time and going so in depth with me. I am considering updating the site but as they say "the funds are low but the debts are high" and I probably will change the address to Jay when I get the money to change my business cards too. I look forward to "talking" with you again.
Jay

[Clintonnobles]

I know what you mean about the money. I'm in the boat with you there. Check out vistaprint.com Great prices, awesome templates, can even load your own images. Click to it through couponcabin.com and you get better prices. I got 500 cards for $30 and I think they look pretty good (can take a look here http://www.voice-overs.com/forum/gen...nyone-lol.html).

As far as updating the site there are tons of free software and templates out there. Just put some finger muscle into it and to the Google-mobile. lol

I read over your stuff, but what is your set up?

[Jay Thompson]

I have an M Box with Pro Tools and a GT50 Mic. I really only know the basics.

[Clintonnobles]

I am not sure if you already had some of this stuff or if you got some good deals on them then that is awesome. However, if you paid regular retail price you need to curb your buying standards. Honestly, unless you have a bunch of money not doing anything, you do not need business cards, you don't need a $350 mic, and a $300 audio production program.

I know how hard it is to not get the "Good" stuff, but the fact is, if you are new in the biz you are not ready for a $350 mic. You can learn great on a Stuidoprojects B-1 (which I have) or something along that line. I would wager you do not have a ISO booth and with a mic of that caliber you are going to have issues with bright recordings.

Now maybe I am totally off here, but I would say you are just getting into this and have not had training for voice acting or anything like that. I would also say you spent well over $800 on the three things you just listed off not to mention the other stuff you probably didn't list.

I am not getting onto you, please don't think that. I am just giving my two cents and imparting a little wisdom that was hard for me to learn. I just got business cards because I have been asked for some lately by people that have heard me or I have sent my information to. I understand the website, because that is very important (By the way, Godaddy.com is who I use and they are awesome and I got a website with 10 pages and all kinds of bandwidth and storage for 100 a year. That includes a website builder and assistance in producing a good site.) The Fact is you should hold off on business cards because you don't want your memory to be left with a bad taste in the mouth of those you've contacted.

There is a lot to learn about microphones. To me the #1 thing is that no mic is perfect for everyone. That is why I am against the expensive stuff for starting out. The mic I baught isn't perfect for me, but it does good. I want one that picks up the warmth a bit more, but I do not have a room conducive to that type of recording. So I am learning to control my voice, to bring the warmth by talent and not equipment.

One day I will get a Great mic and all the equipment to go along with it, but not yet. I know my limitations. Since you have these things, make sure to make good use of them. Practice often. Learn Pro Tools inside and out it is a great tool.

Anyway, I hope you the best and if you ever need anything give me a holler. My email is clinton@clintonnobles.com and am always up to make new friends.

[Scott Pollak]

Time to chime in, I reckon.
Jay, be aware there's a reason this forum is called "the hotseat". It may get a bit warm here.

Let's start with your site since that's what you directed us to, and it's our first impression of you. It's not a strong one. I take that back. It IS strong, but not in a professionally positive way. You're going to get a double hit here because I actually ran a web design company from my home for many years. Your site is quite obviously done either by you or an amateur and as such, it screams "amateur!". Not what you want it to say. Take a look at some of these sites of professional v/o talent:

- michaelrhys
- Thom Wilkins professional voice over talent - Voice Actor. ThomWilkins Thom's Voice A well traveled storyteller, Mid-Atlantic to smoky Southern"
- Voice Talent Productions :: Home :: Professional Voice Over Actors and Voice Talent for your Voice Overs
- Michael Stuart Productions - Radio, TV, Print, Web, Image
- Accredited Voice Over Talent, Nikki Saco • SofaLips Voice Production, That Stylish Comfort Voice(SM) • Female Voiceover • Home
- Amy Snively VO | Professional voice over talent | Female voiceover
- Robert Jadah • Voice Over Actor • English, Norwegian • Majestic, Warm, Authority
and I'll throw mine in just cuz:
- Professional narration, voice-overs, audio production, e-learning narration, e-books, and commercial voicework

Look at the difference. Subtlety, professionalism, tastefulness, class.
I understand you need to watch the wallet, but be aware you have to spend money to make money. Find an affordable web designer to redo your site. Trust me, this is important.

Now, on to the audio...
- What I'm hearing on your commercials demo isn't really BAD... but it's not what I'd call competitive or professional. It sounds like passable production for some very small town radio station. It's hard to put my finger on, but I think part of it is that the delivery sounds forced and not very believable in most of the spots. Plus, the commercial demo just sort of drags. It kind of plods along. It's too long, there's not much variety and rather than being sad that a short snippet ended, I was wanting to move on to the next piece. The snippets themselves are too long.

- The narration demo sounded much the same. You sound like you have a fun and friendly personality, and your "Fluffy" piece would be very well-suited to a children's audience. If that's what you're going for, then you might be able to do something there. But when you moved into the Batman thing it reminded me more of someone who sat down in front of their computer to create a demo piece.

My guess here is that you really haven't had any training and not a lot of experience. That's okay. That's where we ALL started out. The good news is that there are a lot of elements of your voice that will work for you. You obviously have a youthful sound on your side, very much in demand nowdays. You have an exceedingly friendly voice. Again, a plus. And a huge plus: you sound NOTHING like an announcer.

But you need to be taught how to breathe, how to pull resonance out of your diaphragm, how to turn a piece of copy into something that draws a listener in and makes them not want to turn away. Here's a good assignment for you: This weekend, find "The Prairie Home Companion" on your local NPR station and just listen to Garrison Keillor spin a tale! My oh my! Notice that his voice, while loaded with character, isn't what one would necessarily call a 'good' voice. But the man tells stories in a way that makes you absolutely NOT want to turn the dial away!

Even in commercials this is what we need to strive for.
Seek out some GOOD coaching. Read some books for beginners on voice acting. Take some acting classes or lessons. Get involved in local theater. Practice, practice, practice, practice, PRACTICE!

THEN........ when it's time - AND NOT BEFORE! - get a pro to help you produce a competitive demo. This guy is good and affordable:

Colin Campbell, Voice Over Talent

Hope this helps. Onward and upward my friend!

[Jay Thompson]

Hi Scott,
Thank you so much for taking the time to review my site and my demos. I am happy to hear all the good and bad that comes my way. I will say the one thing that irritates me is when people say it sounds like I did not have any training and not because it is harsh on me, but because I spent good money on that demo and training and it makes me wonder how to differentiate between the good and the bad as far as training.
The site was built by a friend of mine and built according to my suggestions. I have had good and bad feedback about that as well. I think this is the most difficult thing that I have run into thus far in the short time I have been doing this. Who do you believe.
I guess the results speak for themselves as you suggested to look at sites of people who are getting work and that's the bottom line. Did you have this kind of difficulty starting out and who do you believe?
Again, thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
Jay

[Robert Jadah]

As a devout baseball fan, Jay, I have far fewer fruits to throw at your web site. It does, however, aim at a very specific "Ooooh; that's clever; look at all the baseball references" audience, which hugely limits its appeal. It is primordial to note that a seeker is interested ONLY IN YOUR VOICE, and could care not a whit about how clever, funny, or basebally you are.
Which brings us to your demos...

They're both too long. They're both too similar.

Don't rush into Demo-land, Jay. It's a bustling, teeming , zippy, steamy place where these do not yet belong. And, anyways, in this time and place, demos are not as important as they used to be.
Take Scotty's advice.
And audition well.
Keep the ones that are well-received and feature exciting variations on your delivery.
Then - four or five months from now - ship them off to Colin, or some other affordable, caring professional producer.

On the very plus side, you have an engaging tone and delivery. You just may have that elusive gift of a voice that is also a character in itself.

But, in the almost words of the immortal Orson: we will serve no demo before its time.

HotSeatingly Yours,