Do My Auditions Suck?

In the modern voiceover world, we send auditions as mp3s.  That makes things wonderfully convenient:  simply record using your good home equipment, turn the audio file into an mp3 and then ship it off.  Done!  Then all you have to do is wait for your agent or the voiceover audition web site to call you and tell you that you got the job!  Woo-hoo!

Which can happen...  very infrequently.  Sometimes never (or it feels that way). 

Which makes you wonder...  Do my auditions suck?  Is there something I'm doing wrong?  And how can I find out?

There ARE things you could be doing wrong:
  • Your read -- your interpretation of the copy -- could be wrong.
  • Your approach might not be what's called for.  You might be doing too much or too little vocally or with your overall energy.
  • You might not be giving enough smile.
  • You might have too much smile, and sound false and cheesy.
  • You're too far from the microphone and we hear too much space, "room."
  • You're too close to the microphone and you sound way too intimate for the product.
  • You're making a mouth noise you're not noticing.
  • You're making a microphone noise you're not noticing (a P-pop, for example)
  • Your gain is too high and we're hearing clipping -- or too low, and we have to turn up the volume way too much.
Since most of us are alone out here doing auditions in our home studios ["Hello?! -lo-lo-lo...?!"]  and shipping them out, we have no way of knowing whether or not our auditions suck.  You could wait for a long time and see if you ever get work.  You could ask your agent, but you don't want to annoy them by asking too often.  If you're auditioning for a voiceover casting web site, there might be a way of getting your auditions rated, but it's pretty basic, without detailed feedback -- or you get no feedback at all.

But... now there is a way to find out if your auditions suck!  TA-DAAA!  You ask ME, and I tell you!  Well, you pay me, and then send me one to five auditions, and I give you a detailed critique! 

"Do My Auditions Suck?" Critique-O-Matic

$25.00
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Darren, please let me know if I'm in the ballpark on these damn voiceover auditions or if I completely suck.  I have sent up to five separate .mp3 files to [email protected] for your opinion.  When you see a PayPal transaction from the same email address, you'll email me back a detailed critique covering these areas:

* Recording Quality       *Microphone Technique    *Interpretation  
*Overall Impression -- Are you and your voice right for this job?

Darren, in a world gone mad, I thank the stars that there are incredibly experienced, brutally honest people like you.
Home Studio and Audio Recording Assistance — $75 hour
plus travel and parking, two-hour minimum
Do you have a recording program set up, but it's driving you crazy trying to get good results?  I can help with Audacity, Sound Forge, Pro Tools, Garage Band and other programs.  Learn how to get a good recording, convert it into an mp3, and ship it off for an audition.  Tips and tricks to make sure you're doing things right and putting your best voice forward.