Search Results for: travel

The Travel Rig Low Down

June 27, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

Our Clubhouse Panel

Every Friday at 2 PM Diana Birdsall and I co-host a Clubhouse in our room “Ask the VO Coaches.” I am always excited about our awesome panels, and every week I might say it’s “the best one ever,” but holy smokes was this an awesome panel! This week, just in time for your summer get-away, we talked about travel rigs and what gear you need and what you don’t need to bring with you on that much needed trip. Whether you’re going to the beach, to the mountains, or just to see family you missed during covid, we talked about it all, and we talked about it with some of the best in the field! We had George- the-tech Whittam, Dan Leonard, Dave Scott, and Rick Wasserman. So, here’s a review of some of what we chatted about in case you missed our beyond awesome chat!

What’s the Point

The point of a travel rig is to be able to provide continual service to your clients. If you are booking work daily and earn your income from VO, you likely have or need a travel rig. If you are earning your income from voice over, odds are you provide your clients with good quality audio. The goal is to continue to do that on the road. Can you match your home studio? The consensus was probably not, but you can do your best. Dave Scott, video producer with All Systems Go AV, explained that when they cast a voice talent, they need good quality audio. If they are doing an explainer, and there is likely minimal music behind it, there is not a lof of wiggle room to mask reflections. If they are doing a commercial, at least there is a music bed behind it that gives some additional flexibility. It is always important to be transparent with the client and let them know you’ll be out of the studio, and work from there.

The Gear

So you’re probably wondering what mic and what pre-amp you need? You’ll hate me for saying this, but it depends. It depends on how much you travel and what your budget is. Rick Wasserman also brought up the important distinction between what sounds the best and the “in a pinch or in a pickle” scenario. Ideally, you have time to test your gear and determine what compliments your voice, and you are not recording in a pinch, but rather in a planned and controlled scenario.

There are some great travel mics for your travel rig, including but not limited to:

Apogee 96K
Apogee Mic Plus
Apogee Hype
Sure MV51 USB
Rode NTUSB

For travel Preamps, Dan and George were clear to point out that all tested well in their shoot outs, but that they like the:

Steinberg UR12
Scarlett Focusrite Solo
Mixerface
Rode Ai1

Portable Booth Vs. Pillow Fort

Most traveling voice actors start with the pillow fort. At conferences, we typically all post photos of our pillow forts on social media. So, how do you know if it’s time to make the investment in a portable booth like George and Rick’s Tri Booth or the Vocal Booth to Go? Again, the answer is it depends on how much you plan to work while you travel, how much you travel, and how much you book. If you are just doing it to audition, you would not want to spend the money. If you are, however, booking substantial work daily, one of these booths will come in very handy.

https://youtu.be/lvdIGgVXb9Y tri booth video

During our panel professional voice actor Dave Braxton also joined to talk about recording in a car. He explained that it not only provided the ideal sound proofing, but also offered an escape from his family. While chatting about this, George shared this video from Rode which talks about how to do just that.

https://youtu.be/C6gE2_VdImU

My Rig

My own rig has evolved a lot over the years. I know use:

a Vocal Booth to Go
a Sennheiser MKE 660 Microphone
a UAD Apollo MK II Thunderbolt Preamp
a Ninja clamp (essential to good positioning of the mic)

My thoughts as a Coach

We talked a lot about on the panel how having good mic technique matters. You have to set yourself up for success and going out and buying expensive gear doesn’t not mean that you will start booking. Once you are booking, then upgrade. Once you have steady clients, give them the curtesy of letting them know when you’ll be our of the studio. Don’t start new projects on home gear before a trip. Always let them know, and plan ahead,

Tips of a Well-Seasoned Traveler

October 24, 2018 by Laura Schreiber

When Working Mom’s Leave Home, Let’s Do it Right!

Remember, It’s Not a Vacation
As a 24 year old newly wed, I think I actually packed every single pair of shoes I owned on my honeymoon! We were going away for a week, and I knew that I wanted a different dress for every single night of our trip to Bermuda. Fast forward 15 years, and without my strong and handsome husband to carry and haul all of my stuff around, and it was A LOT of stuff, I had to figure out how to have confidence in what I was wearing, look adorable, and manage all my belongings on my own. I am quite intellectually self sufficient, but this realm of physical management was something that had to be learned I boy did I conquer it. So, as I set out for Dev Learn this week, I though I would share some of my favorite tips and tricks to help other working moms best prepare for their business trips too!

Dos and Dos (who needs Donts?):

Here are some of the highlights that get me through conference packing

DO Pack light.
DO Ship conference materials like brochures and swag in advance. I also ship my travel rig in this package.
DO Be sure to call your hotel and make sure they will hold the above package until your arrival!
DO Stick to one color palate.
DO Wear/Pack shoes you can actually function in ALL day and night! I love my chanel ballet flats. They look chic and are very supportive. I always pack black and gold for such trips. Sometimes, in summer, I also bring pink ones. https://www.chanel.com/us/fashion/search/?text=ballerinas&page=0&suggestion=false&cat=True&axis=fashion
DO Use travel size toiletries. I keep mine packed always and replenish as soon as I run out so that bag is always ready. I use this bag from Tumi that is TSA approved and you do not have to take anything out at security: https://www.tumi.com/p/split-travel-kit-022193D2/

Today as I work on this blog I am in the midst of packing for a trip myself. In addition to actual work, I have to pack a weeks worth of school lunches and snacks. I have to do all of the laundry. And sadly, my sweet dog who is always by my side is already at my mom’s house. I try to plan as much as I can in advance not just to make my departure easy, but to make my return easy.

There are a few details that always help me. I keep toiletries that I need in flight in the same cosmetic case and check that I have what I need the day before departure. For cross country and international flights, which I often have, I would hate to be without anti-nausea medicine. I always brink a cozy scarf. I love the ones from J. McGlaughlin: . I also make sure that I not only have m computer, but that I have a cosmetic cased filled with my charger and a Mophie so that I can recharge when I land or if I have a long day at the conference. I always, always travel with my Bose noise canceling headphones. I am a little bit nervous when I fly, not about the actual plane, but about all the details that I can’t control like whether or not we’ll land on time and who will be in my row, and just removing the extra noise helps a lot! So, I always make certain to have these travel essentials!

A Little Pampering Never Hurt

Everyone has different goals on their work trips. When I am going and I will be meeting potential clients or seeing current clients, I want to look and feel my best. This is not the time to cut corners! I make sure to bring what I will sleep well in and will be most like home. This is not the day to try new mascara, nor is it the day to let your hair air dry. If you are a solopreneur investing in flying across the country to connect with clients, spend what is likely between $30-50 and have your hair blown out if you cannot do a decent job on your own. People come from all over the world for these conferences. Once you have actually gotten yourself there, you might as well but your best foot forward.

You can Always Buy It There

I find that it is far better to arrive organized and shop of you need to than to overpack and overwhelm yourself. Unless you are going somewhere very remote, if you forget something it is just a great reason to shop!

In the end, you can figure out what works for you! With lots of business travel under my belt, I have quite an efficient system. If you have tricks that work for you I’d love to hear about them! Wishing you safe travels and an enjoyable trip! Now, don’t forget souvenirs for your kids! 🙂

What is a Travel Rig? Why Should Clients Should ask about it?

January 15, 2018 by Laura Schreiber

So you are about to cast a delightful and pleasant voiceover actress who you have worked with before. Or maybe you have never worked with them before but you are finally ready to start your project and now you need the recording TODAY, or tomorrow, but either way it is now a rush job. You email the talent and they are out of the studio for four days. What do you do? Well, if the talent is really a pro, they likely have a travel rig and that travel rig is likely to be almost as good as their studio set up. In some cases you will not notice a difference AT ALL between the booth and the travel rig, it just depends on what they have at home and what they have on the road.

My travel rig is quite good and as I do a lot of work for Pandora, I have worked with their engineers to perfect its sound and I am quite comfortable with it. There are, however, some key differences between my commercial grade booth and the rig I take on the road. On the road I use an apogee which is a USB mic. At home I have a Neumann that goes through my high-end RME interface. On the road I use a sound treated Kaotica eye-ball for sound proofing surrounded by a pillow fort. At home I have an entire custom built booth. Can I give a quality sound on the road? Yes. Is it the same as the Neumann in my booth? No, but nothing will every be as good as the Neumann. So why not travel with the Neumann? Well, for one, it’s kind of like why a lot of women have travel jewelry. It’s way too expensive. Next, it’s heavy and requires a huge set up. It just isn’t practical.

This is what my travel rig looks like, inside a “pillow fort” at a hotel to ensure great quality recordings!

What other considerations are there when using a talent on a travel rig? What if the voiceover actor has recorded the job at their home studio, they are now on the road, and you need a pickup. It’s up to you to decide if the recording is a close enough match. I’ve had clients decide to wait and I’ve had clients happily use the recoding on my rig without issue. It depends on the usage and how much processing is going with the piece.

Don’t be afraid of travel rigs. Just ask the voiceover actor what their recording chain is and what kind of work they have successfully done on it. If the voiceover actor has made the investment in this, they want to make you happy so that you will work with them again so you are more likely to be safe than sorry.

Mine includes the items below. If you have questions about my abilities to record when I’m traveling, I’d love to talk to you about it.

Fiction Audiobook Narrator Award: Readers Favorite: We Won!!

November 25, 2024 by Laura Schreiber

Winning Silver

While I am still glowing from an incredible weekend at the Readers Favorite awards event celebrating our win of the Silver for the best Fiction Audiobook for the Girl in the Toile Wallpaper by Mary K. Savarese, I figured I would put pen to paper and try to capture the joy of the experience because it really was truly special! When Mary let me know that she had submitted our audiobook and that we won, I was simply elated. We work so hard on these books and put so much of ourselves into them. When you have a passion for what you do, there is simply no other way. Then, to have someone you work with submit is thrilling and to actually have your work recognized and honored amongst such other great talents is extremely meaningful and is not something I take lightly or for granted.

Sharing the Win with Mary

When Mary, the author, informed me that we won for our audiobook I was so excited! She actually lives in Florida and invited me to come down and stay with her to share the win at the Readers Favorite awards ceremony in Miami. I thought about it for about 30 seconds before logging into United Airlines and buying a ticket! As Mary put it, we could attend the weekend festivities together and celebrate as a team. What could be better?

Why it was Meaningful: A Great Collaboration

As I reflect on my experience not just this weekend but in working as the audiobook narrator on the Girl in the Toile Wallpaper in general, this acknowledgment was so meaningful because of the relationship that Mary and I built as professionals collaborating together. Each step of the way we listened to each other, made time for each other, and were responsive to the other’s meaningful feedback. It was the picture of what collaboration should be and the work that resulted was something that we are both so proud of!

The Riders Favorite Experience:

Upon my arrival in Florida, Mary drove us down to Miami for the Book Fair. Readers Favorite had their own tent where all the winning author’s books were for sale for ten dollars and the money was a contribution to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital! The tent also served as a central gathering place for the Readers Favorite community to stop by and get to know one another and see our books on display. It also happened to be a glorious, sunny day and we all enjoyed our time there.

Mary and I met many of the other authors both at the tent and at the evening “Meet and Greet.” Everyone was so lovely and down to earth. It was thrilling to hear people’s stories and learn about what motivated them to write their stories. Honestly, it was refreshing to not talk politics and that not a single person mentioned AI the entire time! I was thrilled.

A common theme that came up repeatedly over the weekend was not to wait to share or write. If you have something that you want to say or do, do it. It is amazing how many different people said this in different ways. I also was delighted to see how many working moms were inspired to make a difference and set an example for their children. One woman even had her medal put on her son’s neck and shared she would not have had the strength to write without him. It was one of the many touching and poignant moments of the weekend.

Gratitude

In life I always have an attitude of gratitude, but this whole weekend there were so many moments big and small that I appreciate! I was so thankful just to be there. I was so thankful that I recorded the book in the first place. I was so thankful for Mary and her husband Vinny’s hospitality and warmth. I was so thankful to meet so many kind and interesting people. I was so thankful I was able to arrange to go and that my husband could watch our dogs. I was so thankful that in a world with so many super talented narrators our audiobook won!!! I was so thankful that my flights were on time and there was no travel drama. The list goes on and on, but the sum total of all of these little moments is an overall experience that left me filled with joy and with memories to hold onto for years to come!

Next, Mary and I will be collaborating on the next booking her trilogy, the Starwriters Club, in the spring of 2025, so do look out for that!

Case Study in Good Customer Service: Trader Joe’s and What Can Be Learned

February 13, 2024 by Laura Schreiber

The Text

Yesterday morning my husband and I woke up to a text from our daughter Emma. Emma is a sophomore in college a small liberal arts school in central Pennsylvania called Elizabthethtown College. She texted us this photo of gluten free donut holes. She said she urgently needed us to go to Trader Joe’s right away to get them for her. She was concerned that they would sell out immediately. Even though Emma has a car, there is no Trader Joes near her school so she was very much hoping we could help her out with this.

Our Mission

Harlan had to travel for work yesterday, so tasked with our highly sensitive and urgent message, as soon as the store opened I went to Trader Joe’s, armed with my iPhone so that if need be I had the photo. First, I did two laps myself, looking in the logical places I thought they would be. No dice, the donut holes were no where to be found.

The Rescue Team

Not wanting to disappoint me super sweet kid, both because she is super sweet and because I am totally Type A and could not leave without the donut holes, I sought assistance. The first guy was working on oranges. He went to where he thought they’d be. They were not there. He pulled in another gal who then pulled in a third woman from the bakery who then pulled in a fourth woman, a manager. So yes, I had FOUR people helping me look for the donut holes. We worked hard and were thorough. Two of them were positive they had been in the store.

Ultimately, the manager took to the computer. She discovered that the highly coveted donut holes needed to be special ordered. They placed an order and told me to call tomorrow morning and that they would set some aside for us. I felt so valued and was so appreciative of the help. Then, as if that was not enough, they let me take a lollipop even though I had not located the stuffed turtle hidden somewhere in the store. I’m not kidding.

Customer Service Takeaways

If Trader Joe’s was being ranked as a business or a super marked or for what kind of human beings they were, basically on every single lever, they deserve an A plus plus. As voice actors, we can all learn a lot from their behavior and over all mentality so let’s take a moment to dissect what happened at Trader Joes:

They were a shining example of team work. One person did not need to steal the show. They worked together to accomplish a common goal. In voice over some of us have the opportunity to work as a team. Whether we are demo producers and have partners, or work on a multi-talent cast, or are at a conference and are on a panel with industry friends, sometimes we are fortunate enough to work with others. This is our moment to take a note and lift everyone up. It goes back to the old falcon saying, “the rising tide lifts all the ships in the harbor.” This has always been my experience in VO, and it was for sure my experience at Trader Joe’s. I am quite sure this is why the store is packed as soon as the doors open on a Monday morning, and if you want your voice over business to be booming, this is a great lesson to learn!
In this incidence, the price tag didn’t matter. I did not go in saying I needed 100 boxes of donut holes. I was not some prized Trader Joe’s client. Yet each member of the team treated me like I was the most important sale of the day. I will confess that this is an area where even I need to do some re-thinking. I do not treat all of my clients the same. I certainly will treat a national spot differently than a $200 one-off gig. Perhaps this needs to be re-thought. It made me feel really good to be helped and values, period.
At Trader Joe’s the employees bent over backwards to help. I do always try to do this. Whether I have a voice over client, a demo client, or a coaching client, I want their experience working with me to leave them feeling exceedingly happy. In a business like VO where clients have an abundance of choice on all fronts, I am extremely appreciative of their trust in me and in return I ben over backwards to work as hard as I can to do a good job.
At Trader Joe’s the entire experience, from beginning to end, with the lolly pop, was extra. I try to do this! I am always reachable. I have helped get students on rosters of clients and agents. I have redone their resumes. I audit their auditions. But being extra is typically not something that is asked of you, it’s just something you bring. So my friends, bring it!!
Most importantly, my recent shopping experience left me, the, client feeling valued. When it comes time to go back… where will I go? That’s right. And that is how we want each and every one of our voice over clients to feel.

We want to do our very best in voice over always. Well often times being and doing our best has nothing to do with our sound and our audio. A lot of the time it has to do with who we are, how we treat others, and the services we provide that go beyond our voice.

Often the voice over is the last piece of the puzzle. Video producers and others who are casting may come to you very close to the deadline and need help to make their project incredible. We have an opportunity to take their time of stress, take them by the hand, and turn it into something wonderful. As someone who also coaches and does demos, it’s the same thing. I can use this as a defining moment in someone career to help make it memorable. My experience in Trader Joe’s can only be described as excellent. I only want to leave my clients feeling this way.

End of Year Reflections in 2023

December 22, 2023 by Laura Schreiber

On Conferences:

This year I had the great joy of attending several conferences. I presented at OneVoice USA and at MAVO and I was an attendee of Johny Heller’s New England Narrator’s retreat. As a presenter at OneVoice, I sat on a Demos panel with some of the people I OVC Demos Panel look up to most in the industry, including Anne Ganguzza, Clif Zellman, and J. Michael Collins. In addition with being in such good company, I try to pick up public speaking tips as well. At MAVO, I attended sessions of other industry greats like Michael Scott, and I took note of his presentation style. I also spent a lot of time talking to Joe Cipriano, who I have looked up to for many years, and learned a tremendous amount from him.

At Johnny Heller’s workshop, as an attendee, I was able to spend all my time honing my narration skills. It was nice to be able to just participate and be amongst my peers. While I did also want to network with the publishers in attendance, my primary focus was learning about the different genres and developing my skill set. The time away from my booth felt like such an indulgence and I came away feeling inspired and like I did, indeed, learn a lot.

On Awards Nominations:

This year I was nominated for a Signal award for an ensemble podcast cast that I have been part of for several years for PJ library. I also personally only submitted to the OneVoice Awards. My demo partner, All Systems GO AV, and I were elated to snag a OVC Awards night nomination for one of the demos we did, an eLearning demo for the super talented Dallas based John Guccion. I also earned a nomination in the bloopers category which was good fun. While we didn’t take home any statues this year, I will say it really meant a lot to be in such good company and it was for sure a highlight of the year.

On Coaching:

My coaching business has continued to thrive. As a former teacher, I really love helping people work on the voice over skills and grow their businesses. I am very passionate about my coaching and often I wake up super early in the morning with enthusiasm for my lesson plans. A lot of the people I coach have met me at conferences, and it means a lot to get to work with them afterwards. I genuinely want to help each and every coaching student, so this aspect of my 2023 work has been very meaningful.

On Travel with VO Friends:

With Diana Birdsall, Michelle Blenker, me, Kim Handysides, and Dearbhla Trainor in Montreal This summer I got to go on a trip to Canada with the gals in my VO accountability group! We had been talking about going away together since before Covid. We had so many ideas, but really, the most important detail was that we were all included and beyond that everything else was secondary. To have this time together to bond and to reflect was so meaningful. We are all exceptionally close, and this trip was as wonderful as can be.

On Getting Sick and Working Through It:

Immediately after the Canada get away I got a really, really bad stomach bug. It started in late July and lasted until late October. I was profoundly ill and they did not realize that it was a food born bacterial infection until I had been suffering for several months. I was so sick when I went to OneVoice that I had to bring my son with me to help, and he was immensely helpful. I was frankly thankful I could get through my sessions. I missed uncle Roy’s BBQ which was so upsetting. I was a mess. By the time they figured out what it was I was beginning to worry I would never get better. Never was a girl so thankful for antibiotics!

On Working While Kids are in College

2023 marks the second year of working while my twins are away. While you would think I have unlimited time and could simply do as I please, having the twins in college presents new challenges. When they call I feel that I need to drop everything to tend to their immediate needs. I also certainly block days from my calendar to visit, whether it is a Friday print to parent’s weekend or a Monday post-conference. This time is precious and my fear is that it is fleeting. So while the day to day life may be freer, they certainly take up large chunks of time still. Also, when they are home, I do try to black my schedule and limit my coaching so that they have my undivided attention. I have also noticed I need to remind them of the “rules” when there are live sessions, as if they never new them. They seem to have forgotten about staying quiet or keeping away from the space over my studio. It’s funny how these things can be un-learned.

Over-all Reflections

I always to people thinking about voice over that it is a marathon not a sprint, and 2023 felt like I jus kept marching along, doing my thing. Do you remember the children’s board game Candyland? I lot of times I feel like that is my life, I’m just on this sweet ride, winding around the board, wondering where I’ll land next, trying to take a deep breath and actually enjoy the people I meet along the way and the ride that I am on!