As voice actors, we often get caught up in the process, and forget the impact that our voices can have on a production.
I’ve been seeing a new commercial for United Health Care and AARP with people navigating a hedge maze aptly named “Navigate the Medicare Maze with UnitedHealthcare”.
I wondered how much the feel of the commercial could be changed just by adding some background voices (aka. “Walla”). Aside from the new Walla, everything else (video, music) is the same.
Here’s my take on the commercial: “Beware! The Medicare Maze!”
… and for your reference, the original is here:
What other ways could you interpret this spot? How can your voice breath life into the productions you’re involved in?
Stay creative, my friends!
Joe
P.S. Here’s the first commercial I altered “Olivia’s Evil Wish”
Is it possible to build a silent, portable DAW that’s powerful enough for gaming?
That was my quest… and I’m up and running on that impossible system!
Requirements:
Light Weight
Portable
Silent
Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
Powerful Enough for Gaming
Selecting the Components
I decided to start with silent and portable. For that, I’d need a fanless laptop with enough power to record and edit audio without getting bogged down. That narrowed the field quite a bit. Aside from Chromebooks and tablets, there were only a few machines that met my specs.
I chose the “Dell XPS 13 2 in 1” for the base system. Please note: only the 2 in 1 model is fanless and truly silent when running. Very important when I’m in the booth. It also has 2 USB-C Thunderbolt ports, which will come into play for the next parts of the “Impossible VO Machine”.
To handle the demands of a true gaming box, I’d need a higher power graphics card than any silent laptop could offer. For this, I researched External Graphics Processing Units (aka: eGPU). They’re basically a high-end graphics card with a power supply and fans in a separate box. Most also require a high-speed interface. This is where the Thunderbolt ports come into play.
I chose the “Gigabyte AORUS Gaming Box 1070” with an included Nvidia graphics card built in. It works best with machines where the Thunderbolt port runs directly to the main processor (as opposed to thru the chooser). The laptop I picked is just such a machine.
With all the essential components in place, I still needed some additional ones to round out the system.
The “Plugable USB-C Triple Display Docking Station” works through the Thunderbolt port to provide power and adds usb ports and external monitor interfaces for daily use.
I already had an external HDMI display, USB hub, wireless mouse and keyboard.
Add to that the audio components (Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 interface, microphone, monitors) and the total package was complete.
Using The Impossible VO Machine
For my daily use as a DAW, I’ve got the USB hub connected to the USB-C port, with connections to the mouse/keyboard, Focusrite, etc. The USB-C Thunderbolt port is connected to the Plugable docking stations, which provides power and access to the external monitor. When recording, I use Sony Sound Forge and Sony Music Studio. Video editing is done with Sony Movie Studio. The system runs like a champ. Silent and powerful.
When I want to do some gaming, I disconnect the Plugable docking station, and plug the Aorus Gaming Box into the Thunderbolt port. It also provides power to the system and connects to the larger external monitor for gaming. The fans are not bad, although too loud for recording. But the eGPU has more than enough power to run all the games I’ve tried so far without lagging behind. Truly awesome!
I’ve also used the eGPU when editing video and rendering animation. It really cuts down on the time needed by taking the load off of the laptop cpu for any graphics operations.
To switch back to DAW mode, I need to select “Disconnect GPU” from the tray app, then swap the Aorus out and plug the Plugable dock back in. Very easy to do.
Issues
No system, especially one with this number of components, is without problems. Early on, the Dell Laptop had 2 issues that I’ve found work-arounds for. The first has to do with using Hibernation mode. Dell was initially not happy with it, and would periodically shut down without notice when in Hibernation. I managed to find a fix for that online that involves clearing out the old Hibernation data.
The second issue was more problematic for recording. The laptop internal speakers would sometimes make burbling noises even when nothing was playing. I suspect this has to do with a driver or design issue. Since first purchasing the system, there have been several driver updates. This seems to have corrected the problem. Should it re-occur, I did find a work-around: just disable the internal speakers. (I wasn’t using them anyway – just my monitors and headphones).
Conclusion
So… “The Impossible VO Machine” proved to be quite possible. There are some compromises, but that is always the case. The pricing for all the components is also higher than a normal DAW. Overall, I’m very happy with the end result. It allows me to record, travel, and game… all on one system.
All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com
Those of you who know me probably aren’t used to hearing anything positive about Trump.
However, there is something that he seems to do better than anyone else. His “Genius” trait.
Trump never explains anything he says or does. He lets others do it for him.
Can it be that simple? Is this the key to his success?
Republicans in government and his supporters constantly “explain” what he means when he does or says something stupid, ignorant, racist, weak, etc.
His detractors “explain” what is wrong with him. Mentally. Strategically. They even try to figure out if he’s “playing 3-dimensional chess”… and in doing so, freely give him his next move to make.
His lawyers “explain” away his legal problems.
His accountants “explain” away his money problem.
And behind it all, Trump explains nothing. Ever. No apologies. No explanations. No reason for his insane, bizarre, mental meltdowns and verbal diatribes. Nada.
And why should he explain anything he does or says? He’s got all of us doing it for him.
He is, in essence, the Schrödinger’s cat of politicians: simultaneously a “Stable Genius” and a “Babbling Imbecile”.
And so he shall remain until the box is flung open…
All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com
I’ve decided this will be my new greeting to fellow Americans. I really hope I don’t need to use it for very long…
But to be honest, both sides of this horror story are losing so much. But the difference is that one side knows what it’s losing. And the other remains terribly clueless.
It would be easy to call names. Stupid. Conned. Racist. But many are just ignorant. And the cure for that is education. Another thing sadly lacking in our country.
And those who refuse to listen? Who don’t want to know?
“Willful Ignorance” is far worse than any amount of stupidity.
Time to get out of our bubbles. See ourselves and “the other”. Mend the wounds. Heal the divide.
But I’m not holding my breath.
Stay sane out there.
Joe
All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com
