13 Voices in 60 Seconds: Singing Impressions by Joe J Thomas
… and the LP Audio Version for those that want to hear more:
Joe_J_Thomas-Singing_Impressions(long)
More information at: JoeActor.com
Singer: Joe J Thomas
Audio Producer: Mike Finkel
Voice Coach: Charles Ion
Copyright Joe J Thomas (JoeActor.com) 2016
All Rights Reserved
Not a Quinn-Martin Production
How This Demo Came To Be…
As a bit of background, I’ve been singing for several decades. Musical theatre, choir, stage performances with bands… Even traveled with an Elvis impersonator. All of it laid a great foundation. However, it had been a while since my last public performance. Most of my singing now is in the car or for the occasional animation audition.
So, I’d decided to brush up on my singing early in the year, and sought out a new vocal coach. Turns out there is a great guy who teaches at a local college and also gives private lessons.
After getting some of the cobwebs off and learning some new techniques, it was time to put my training to work.
In early August, 2016, I started working with my voice coach and an audio producer on the tracks for the finished demo. The idea had been rattling around in my head for quite some time, and I was already adept at several singing impressions. My voice coach was crucial in getting me to find the right placement for each singer and song.
I recorded a full or partial take of each song (vocal only), and sent the voice track and backing track to the audio producer. We’d also worked together in the past, so he was familiar with my voice and able to give precise feedback on what needed to be tweaked.
Once the base tracks were in a rough edit phase, I enlisted the ears of my wife, and several of my good friends. Each of their feedback went into my decision on which tracks made the final cut.
The last step was for my audio producer to assemble the tracks into a balanced, finished demo.
As a side benefit, I also picked up a lot of new knowledge and techniques.
Now… On to the next challenge!
See you in the booth,
Joe
All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com
Singing offers a lot of tangible advantages to anyone in Voice Acting.
For those of you who sing, I know I’m preaching to the choir! (rim shot)
But how long has it been since you’ve had a refresher?
And if you’re in VO and don’t sing, why not?
Although I’ve been in many musicals, sung with choral groups, and even performed musical improv, it had been a few years since I really sang.
Time for a tune-up!
I recently started taking lessons with a new teacher, and it’s given me a renewed sense of confidence in my vocal abilities.
Here are just a few of the areas singing can help with:
Tone:
The pitch of your voice… high, medium, low (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone Bass)
Breathing:
Proper breathing allows you to better control your sound.
Timing:
Learning musical rhythm can help in setting your pace for both segments of the copy and for the overall read.
Vocal Placement:
Chest voice, Head voice, Throat, etc. Placement is especially useful in creating characters and accents.
Core Support and Strengthening:
A strong core is related to your breathing, and can give you more power and energy in your voice.
Volume Control:
Knowing when to sing soft is just as important as being able to belt out a tune. Having a solid control of your volume takes practice.
Conveying Emotion:
Even in a language you may not understand, songs can elicit a great deal of emotion. Learning how to deliver that to your audience is directly applicable to VO work.
Communication of Ideas:
Clear communication is another win for any voice work. Knowing how to form your words and phrases so that they convey ideas is the core of it all.
“Copy or text is musical. It has ebb and flow and different keys. It has sharps, flats, rests, words that are held, chopped off, high or low, soft or loud, all the same emphasis or wild ups and downs, with dynamics and crescendos. Copy reads (or plays) like a story/song, with a beginning, middle and end.”
We hear it all the time… It seems like a simple enough question, but in truth it may as well say “How do I build a house?”
The answer depends on many things, including:
Who’s asking the question?
What genre of VO are they pursuing?
Do they have prior skills?
Here’s three possible scenarios:
Scenario 1: Albert Background: Professional name screen actor in movies and tv. Would like to get into animated features. Advice: Ask your agent or manager to start focusing on VO. Take some classes in mic technique if needed.
Scenario 2: Betty Background: Was in radio for years, now retired. Wants to get into narration. Advice: Take some acting or improv classes, along with coaching for a more natural VO delivery. Get a VO demo made when ready, and find an agent to represent you.
Scenario 3: Charles Background: No prior acting experience, but can do some voices. Loves anime and would like to be an ADR VO. Advice: Start with the basics. Take acting, improv and singing. Learn to build fully-fleshed characters, not just voices. Then move on to VO classes and find a trusted coach. They can lead you from there.
Too often, we rush into answering the question “How Do I Get Into VO?” without considering who’s asking or what they mean. In order for the advice to be truly useful, it must be targeted to the person asking the question.
“If I’m paid to voice a job and it’s never used, does it make a sound?”
Well I’m here to answer “YES!”, and show you some Voice Mime gigs from my own personal forest.
The following are all jobs that I auditioned for, got cast, recorded, and got paid for – that have never been heard until now!
Celebrity Voices
These projects involve celebrity voice matching. Sometimes it is to replace a celebrity voice in a movie or trailer, other times they’re used as scratch tracks until the celebrity has time to record the final version. Continue reading →
Disclaimer: The following is a compilation of my historical recollections and opinions on two voice over Pay-to-Play sites. In addition, I give my view of likely outcomes based on current trends. All comments and opinions from readers are welcome below. In the end, it is up to the individual readers to come to their own conclusions of the value of these pay-to-play sites. Every business model has benefits and detriments. Your mileage may vary.
— *** The Fake Story ***
From July 19th, 2007 to March 12th, 2008, a little known Pay-To-Play Voice Casting site dominated the internet. Based in the Soviet Union, “V321.RU” was an instant sensation.
They were ready to take your rubles and give you much frustration in return.
True innovators who created famous features such as “SmartCossack”, “SpecialKeywords4U” and the “RatingsSystems” programs that guaranteed bad results, this company was destined to disrupt the industry like TNT in an outhouse!
Now, for the first time, hear the actual recordings from the actual savvy company whose owner was a legend in his own mind.
