Episode 166, November 17, 2014
Guest: Zurek, https://soundcloud.com/zurek, founder of Voice Over Universe
George is at Doug Turkel’s in Florida, Dan is farther west in Buffalo!
Tip of the Week: Overthinking it.
0:01:52 They begin…reversed. And both are remoting!
0:04:00 Zurek comes on.
0:05:03 Zurek catches us up on what he’s been doing since his last EWABS appearance two years ago.
0:06:44 Dan asks how VO may have changed Zurek’s perspective on doing radio. He explains and George talks about John Taylor’s similar experience.
0:08:00 Zurek talks about being a morning show person on radio.
0:08:35 They talk about the Randy Thomas Voice Mastery event in Ft. Myers, Fla.
0:10:09 The event included a children’s reading. Name dropping ensues. The program came together in two months. It was a professional, intimate crowd.
0:14:16 Dan asks about Voice Over Universe, which Zurek founded.http://www.voiceoveruniverse.com/. It was early in the VO social media explosion over the last six years.
0:17:55 Break. HomeStudioMaster.
0:18:55 SpongeBob!
0:19:18 They’re back. Questions: What’s your studio set up these days? A: 416 and the MBox 3 mini, and MacBook Pro and a bunch of plugins. He takes it all to the radio station.
0:21:58 Q: Do you do any improv and has it helped? A: He hasn’t but, he’s had an acting coach.
0:22:50 Q from Paul Strikwerda: How do you see the role of VoiceOver Universe in light of Facebook and other social media? A: It gives you your own webpage. They talk about people who got their start at VO Universe.
0:26:15 Q: What are you favorite plugins for Pro Tools? A: Waves. It’s got it all. L2 Maximizer and C1 are good. George asked about multiband compressors.
0:27:16 Q What iOS interface are you using on the iPhone? A: He uses the iRig into the iPhone with his 416. iTrack Solo is also a good iPhone device, though they have to be plugged into a power source.
0:28:21 Q: When did you decide it was time to uproot to follow the work? A: Chicago is his home. He recounts his early career in radio and voice-over.
0:30:13 Zurek introduces his fiancee, Georgia (AKA Zsa Zsa). He proposed on the air. She is an attorney, originally from Haiti. She speaks French and Creole.
0:31:59 Zurek talks about recording videos in the car. George talks about doing that while picking up people at the airport and will post. Zurek uses iMovie on his iPhone.
0:32:57 Dan asks Zurek about his interview with President Obama. He tells the story.
0:35:00 Zurek signs off.
0:35:10 Break. VO Studio Tech.
0:36:35 The celestial brothers clip from The Grand Budapest Hotel movie.
0:36:59 A couple of show bumpers.
0:37:56 EWABS News. (Jack de Golia voice)
0:38:40 Studio Suit is about gone! Order now! Dan may custom make them once he moves to California.
0:40:04 Q: thoughts on new virtual recording tool for (Voice Meter Banana?). A: Dan’s view: the best substitute for a phone patch is a phone. George shies away from software mixers. He needs to check it out.
0:42:09 Dan gives a tour of the theater where he just did The Music Man. He talks about stage acting compared to voice-over, lines and breaths.
0:45:48 They get letters.
0:45:58 Q about pasting in room tone in TwistedWave. A: Generally you don’t master room tone. George goes on to explain possible exceptions.
0:48:40 Q: How do you properly store equipment in different seasons? How do you travel with gear? A: If you’re always using your stuff, it’s just there. Dan elaborates.
0:05:32 George the only thing to watch are humidity changes with condensation on the capsule. Keeping mics dry, clean and not dropped are key.
0:51:46 Mic cozies are discussed.
0:52:10 Time for the Tip of the Week on OVERTHINKING!
0:52:30 Tip of the Week: Overthinking.
0:56:14 They’re back.
0:57:30 Break. VoiceZam. VoiceOver Xtra.
0:59:02 They’re back, with Doug Turkel, host for George tonight. http://dougturkel.com/
0:59:30 Doug talks about observing “Apollo 13” moments before the show began! George said it’s called “show prep.”
1:00:25 George talks about going to the Banjo Emporium and wasting time in trying to solve a problem.
1:01:30 Harlan Hogan time: go to VoiceOverEssentials.com! Harlan has what VO actors need!
1:04:58 Go to ewabs.com, and click on Harlan’s logo at the bottom of the page to reach VoiceOver Essentials.
1:05:21 Dan shows his adapter collection.
1:06:02 Doug Turkel tells about his recent work with car and casino spots and mixed martial arts (MMA). Lots of screaming.
1:08:00 Doug talks about his goal with auditioning—he’d rather market to people and get on short lists for gigs rather than audition on play-to-play sites. He gets a better return on his investment. You can make it up in volume, but it’s hard to make a living that way.
1:10:10 Dan asks Doug about his view of pay-to-play sites.
1:10:43 Doug tells his opinion.
1:12:12 George joins the discussion with thoughts about the role of pay-to-play sites. Doug comments about VO talent selling themselves short. He sees a gradual erosion of pay rates and quality.
1:14:25 Dan feels it’s like an auction. Doug says it’s a reverse auction. They end the debate by mentioning the WoVO site that will be coming soon.
1:17:26 Thanks to Doug. Thanks to donors. Show addiction discussed.
1:18:55 How to donate: go to EWABS.com.
1:20:15 Subscribe to the YouTube Channel!
1:21:39 NarratorHelper.com, where you can get help with long-form work.
1:22:14 Movember. Donate to George’s MO-VO team at us.movember.com/team/1579149
1:23:25 November 24: Harlan Hogan will be the guest.
1:23:41 Another roundtable is in the works. Let them know what topic you’d like to see: audio masters, marketing, social media, acting, demo. Send a message to ewabshop@gmail.com with your thoughts.
1:24:29 Thanks to sponsors, Harlan Hogan, Edge Studio, VoiceOverXtra, and VoiceZam!
1:24:55 Thanks to the wives and to the staff. See the show logs via EWABS.com, click on SHOW LOG.
1:26:50 End of show.
