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enunciator

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Everything posted by enunciator

  1. Why did you ever agree to work again with someone who demanded a refund from a previous completed order?
  2. There are sellers who freak out if their impressions dip into the triple digits and then there are sellers who are ecstatic if impressions ever break one hundred. Impressions are vanity. Clicks are sanity. Orders are the real prize.
  3. I’m pretty sure sticking my ugly mug on all my gig pages hasn’t helped me at all in getting orders, but at least it conveys that I am who I claim to be. 😆
  4. Wait, all this in depth technical discussion of voice over gear, and a critical piece of equipment has been neglected to be mentioned! 😲 The humble but ever important microphone stand! 🎙️ Without one, simply holding a mic that is never intended to be held will result in absolutely terrible sound. With a weak, cruddy, wobbly one, you risk damaging your precious mic from falling down. It would be an absolute tragedy to have a multi-thousand dollar microphone destroyed due to being mounted on a $30 mic stand, but I am absolutely certain that this has happened on more than one occasion.
  5. Absolutely not going to argue against what english_voice recommends. If you are just testing the waters, there’s absolutely no need to invest an immense amount of money and DIY effort to create a “professional grade” setup. Truthfully, many “professionals” simply choose the same equipment that they see other “professionals” use, and that eventually creates the “professional standard.” Now, if you ever happen to work with “professionals,” they very likely WILL be particular because they are so accustomed to hearing audio generated in meticulously treated booths with Sennheiser’s, Neumann’s, Manley’s and Rode’s. A closet full of clothing, a small portable Zoom recorder, and a mic of your choosing may be all you really need to start off. Yes, USB mics have a bit of a bad reputation behind them, but they have indeed made improvements especially over the last decade. The biggest advantage of USB mics are their price point, no need for an amp or DAC, or XLR cables. There is a definite difference in quality, but a serviceable mic is better than having no mic at all. Oh, if you do plan to go the XLR microphone route, do not cheap out on the XLR cables. An audio chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and if you have cheapo depot cables, they have a bad habit of introducing interference, hiss, crackling, pops, and other unpleasantness into the final product. —This thread is basically becoming a “So you want to be a voice actor” information pamphlet.
  6. cubittaudio has offered you a lot of great advice. I’ll just reemphasize some points that are already made or highlight ones not mentioned. Acoustic room treatment is absolutely the most important step before doing any VO work. Having a $3000 microphone and $2000 fancy tube Amp/Digital audio converter won’t save you and will actually makes things worse if in an untreated room. The more sensitive the microphone, the more it will pick up any room imperfections, so this is actually a case where a cheaper, less sensitive mic would be preferable. For VO, you want as dead a room as possible, which is the exact opposite of what singers want! The audio interface is the piece of equipment that most people don’t know or fully understand. It converts the analog waveform picked up by the microphone into digital zeros and ones for the computer and digital audio workstation to accept. I would say, stay away from tubes. There are people who love tube amp/DACS for bringing warmth and character to sound, but unfortunately, tubes degrade over time and must be replaced or else recordings made several months apart can sound quite different. Choice of microphone is as divisive as it gets in the audio world. I concur with staying away from USB mics. Large diaphragm condenser microphones are commonly used in VO, but shotgun mics and dynamic mics are also common. Shotgun mics have an advantage of having a highly focused hypercardioid pickup pattern, meaning that sounds not directly in front of it are negated quite well, useful if in a less than perfect recording space, but setting up a shotgun mic properly is trickier to do. Don’t cheap out on the microphone, but also don’t sell a kidney in order to afford a top of the line Neumann or Manley unless you are absolutely sure voice over is a serious long-term career in the making. For headphones, if you do wish to hear yourself live whilst recording, make sure the headphones worn are closed-back, or else the playback sound will leak into the live recording. For software, people pay a premium for features, gizmos, and add-ons. For voice over, one really doesn’t need too much processing unless intentionally going for a crunchy compressed digital sound. The whole process of editing, cleaning up, and mastering audio is incredibly varied and too much to describe here. Natural talent and a “good sounding voice” are great to have, but training, and most of all experience have a bigger impact. Boy, this post was long.
  7. What an oddly very specific goal you have in terms of how much money you’d like to make in one month! I guess the answer could also be determined by what generation iPhone you are looking to purchase. 🧐
  8. Through Fiverr, so far, I’ve voiced almost two dozen Youtube videos. I’ve done the same thing you’ve done and check the comments of videos I’ve voiced. Many times, the video up-loaders don’t know how to properly format and mix the audio and that makes the VO sound far worse compared to what was originally delivered. I’ve read humorous comments, complimentary comments, and harsh comments, and of course, it is the harsh comments that people remember and focus upon. Don’t second-guess yourself and feel down simply because of Youtube comments. Comment sections are regularly cesspools full of spam, bots, and arm chair critics. If the video target audience is accustomed to “BBC British” style vocal delivery and enunciation, I can see why there would be some detractors. A number of words are not fully or natively pronounced, like “over” and “debacle” in the first sentence, but the overall message is still comprehensible. As an ESL, you are doing very well, but it makes me question as to why the video creator didn’t select a native British voice for their predominantly British video viewing audience. -Oh, and it’s probably a better idea overall to not respond to those negative commentators. They might become apologetic for being rude, or they might double down and make an even harsher comment since they now know they’ve got your attention and have affected you…
  9. but if they’ve only given it to TRS they won’t be able to obtain a new, higher level . edit: my mistake, it’s been given to both level 2 and TRS. edit2: maybe it takes level and number of reviews, ratings, stats etc. into account before it sends the invite. I am “barely” a level 2 seller and happened to qualify to enroll. There are many level 1 sellers with more reviews under their belt than I do, so who knows how much each individual criteria is weighed.
  10. I have another question. The coach assigned to sellers who join the Plus program are stated as being an “expert in your industry,” but what if a seller provides services in multiple very different categories? How would a coach be assigned for such a seller? Well, got my answer. Sellers select with whom they think is most fitting as a coach.
  11. I don’t think there are those objecting the coaching/mentoring part of the program, but the biggest hang-up is the program influencing Fiverr promotional listings… I have a number of reservations currently, but am interested (and curious if Fiverr would even consider me eligible in the first place).
  12. I guess the free customer success program that was possible to be eligible for for level 2 and TRS is shuttering its doors and being replaced with a pay system? Pay for preferential treatment to receive Fiverr’s Choice, Rising Talent, and Promoted gig means all these listings will be dominated by a small group of sellers willing to shell out as much money as possible for as much on-site exposure as possible. Hooray… And don’t tell me it’s just 29 bucks. Once these types of pay to play programs start up, they have a nasty tendency to grow into multiple “tiers” or “levels” that require more and more money to access.
  13. I would have excepted more cynicism from the cynical king!
  14. Sounds sort of like those payday-in-advance businesses that seem to be conveniently located next to tobacco and liquor stores…
  15. CS doesn’t/shouldn’t issue warnings simply because a seller doesn’t agree to cancelling an order. There must have been other mitigating circumstances in such an instance. If the seller provided what the gig entails will be delivered and according to the buyer’s original instructions, then the seller should be paid.
  16. Is the money for the order more important to you or is the high probability of getting a negative review on your profile more important? You can either accept the cancellation and have worked for no pay, or challenge the cancellation for the possibility (not guaranteed) of getting paid and negative feedback. Both courses of action are far from ideal, but unfortunately are the circumstances.
  17. I wouldn’t call any client who wants a refund of half an order payment and received double the amount of work as originally agreed upon as “amazing.”
  18. Congratz on becoming a TRS in such a fast pace! Personally, I’ll stick to hot showers in the winter and cold showers in the summer. 😀
  19. Demos and samples are vastly different things. Fiverr does not place an audio watermark on voice over gig demos nor on samples.
  20. Slating your work with your name can very easily be edited out. Some users have mentioned of possibly leaving an audio watermark on samples such as an intermittent or continuous sound effect so that the audio cannot be used as a final product, but can adequately demonstrate as a sample.
  21. That wasn’t the big mistake you committed. The biggest mistake was not having a clue about Fiverr’s terms of service, which was the origin of your current troubles.
  22. Beware of buyers who request samples. There are numerous trickster buyers who ask voice actors to record a “sample” for them before placing an order, but the “sample” is actually the entirety of the audio they want recorded, and once they have the recording, you never hear from them again. Fiverr notifies you if an order has been placed. No order, no audio is the safest policy, but that’s your decision to make.
  23. I have no problem if they disabled my account, but the problem is that they ask me to cancel Paypal dispute, and now they are not responding. There is no Fiverr policy that saying if you will have disabled account we cannot pay you refund for your cancelled order… I have found seller also in Facebook and seller clearly said that i didn’t get paid for your order. if you pay me in direct half price advance, i will complete your work and you can pay the rest after completion of work. I hope they suspend the seller as well.
  24. I wouldn’t be so quick to downplay the chaos and economic turmoil that has occurred in 2020. Have there been global pandemics and economic recessions in the past? Without a doubt, but such major events have generational impact, and we are only at the starting point of realizing the lingering effects 2020 will leave behind. A plethora of brick-and-mortar businesses will simply not be coming back, and entire industries like food services, hospitality, and tourism will be reeling, trying to crawl back to pre-2020 levels for possibly the rest of the decade. For us online freelancers; yes, expect a continual flood of newcomers in 2021, whether driven by desire, desperation, or something in between. I just hope their heads are not filled with the foolish musings of get-rich-quick gurus that litter the video and blogosphere. As for a tip for sellers in 2021, please keep a skeptical mind on what you read in the forum (and hopefully in other places too). :thinking:
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