Akumaryu's First Demo

[Akumaryu]

Well, I've been around these parts for about 3 years, and I've never had a demo reel before. But with a little help from a friend, I finally have something I can call a demo. This is a character demo, showcasing pretty much everything I can do. There were a few things I did that were cut for time's sake or because they didn't fit well, but here it is.

Special thanks to Luke for all the help scripting, recording, and mixing. :)

http://www.divshare.com/download/7854704-d66

Please leave me some feedback!

[TylerDanielz]

Very nicely done u did great ^_^

[Akumaryu]

Thank you, Tyler. Glad you liked it. :)

[CrossFire]

Nyaa...
>_>
Too many voices...
But I liked it :3

[Akumaryu]

What do you mean, too many voices? o.0

It's a character demo! It's SUPPOSED to have a lot of voices! XD

[xSPADEofHEART]

Nice demo reel Aku!

It was a very solid reel with a variety of voices, but it seriously lacked direction. It was kinda like a short little play which made it hard to follow. Also, music would have been nice, but emotions were good. Yeah, next time just try to have a bit more focus at one voice at a time to make it less confusing the listener. Also, try not to add in the little 'ad' at the end, we know that you're trying to appeal to potential scouters so no need to shout it out. Great reel~;D

[Akumaryu]

I'm trying to figure out which part lacked direction. It was all very deliberate, and was very much SUPPOSED to play out like a scene. That was what we were aiming for.

As to the "shout out," I can't say whether it was a bad idea or a good one. Luke has been taking classes on voice acting and preparing yourself for actually submitting a demo and stuff, so I trusted him to help me with writing the script. I personally like it and think it fits a character demo. Since it's not an animation demo (or just a basic demo), I think it's better that it be there. If I were just do a basic demo reel, then you're right; putting a section like that in there isn't necessary. But I do intend to send this one off to a few places, so... yeah.

But thank you for listening. I'll consider everything you've said for anything I do in the future. :)

[ichigo_m]

Some music would be nice.
Amazing range of voices!
A few more SFX would be nice too. But over all it was really great. I loved the Minny story in it =D
The add at the end was a little cheesy though XD

[Akumaryu]

Epic bump is epic!! :)

[LittleStar]

I really liked the originality of your demo! The format was unique and it kept me interested throughout (it kind of reminds me of Kirby Morrow's demo format, and that's cool~). And your range of voices is amazing as usual XD Maybe around the end, add some kind of SFX/abrupt noise to show that the skit is done, and that you're doing the little ad? You can make white noises in audacity, and they sound exactly like the switching of a TV channel. I didn't realize at first that the skit was over, since the voice you used for the ad is the same as the main character in the skit. But I like this a lot, great work~! =)

[Akumaryu]

I really liked the originality of your demo! The format was unique and it kept me interested throughout (it kind of reminds me of Kirby Morrow's demo format, and that's cool~). And your range of voices is amazing as usual XD Maybe around the end, add some kind of SFX/abrupt noise to show that the skit is done, and that you're doing the little ad? You can make white noises in audacity, and they sound exactly like the switching of a TV channel. I didn't realize at first that the skit was over, since the voice you used for the ad is the same as the main character in the skit. But I like this a lot, great work~! =)
Thanks so much! Yeah, I got the help of a friend to help me write and mix this, and we really just kind of went with what worked at the end of the night. I'll do my best to include some more SFX in my future reels. Thanks for the listen! :D

[majia]

Absolutely loved this! You have quite a range Akumaryu and I really enjoyed listening to this! The ending was a bit abrupt, kind just came out of no where and hit me (probably because i wanted to hear more of the skit). Nice job on the mixing as well, the sfx and background music didn't seem to over power the voices. I heard just about ever emotion from you so no complaints there. All in all nice job and I definitely can't wait to hear more from you!

[Akumaryu]

Absolutely loved this! You have quite a range Akumaryu and I really enjoyed listening to this! The ending was a bit abrupt, kind just came out of no where and hit me (probably because i wanted to hear more of the skit). Nice job on the mixing as well, the sfx and background music didn't seem to over power the voices. I heard just about ever emotion from you so no complaints there. All in all nice job and I definitely can't wait to hear more from you!
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, I'm sorry about the abrupt end, but it is just a demo. I can't make it too long. >_< Thank you very much for the compliments! I hope I don't disappoint. ^_^;

[BladeBlur]

Aku I want to listen to it but it doesn't work :\

[Akumaryu]

For some reason, the file was deleted! o.0

Well, re-uploaded and new link. Should work now.

[Balachandra]

I have got to say that is one of the most original demos I have heard in a long while. I loved it! I usually don't hear demo's with an actual storyline (which is why I was gonna do one <.< You beat me to it <.< XD), and I have to say, it was very funny.

I have to say, the 'Chili Cook Off' voice sounded natural for the most part, until you got down to the "Thanks" It just sounded a bit fake to me. However, I completely LOL'd in my chair because it reminded me of a hilarious e-mail I once got about a chili cook off <.<

The evil henchmen voice was excellent... Gave me shivers <.< And if I have a nightmare because of Mr. Evil, I am so coming after you. All in all, though, I have to say my favorite part was the hopeful actor-to-be. Pure gold.

The range of amazing, as well. It really blew my mind away. In fact, the whole thing blew my mind away. It's really refreshing when that happens ;3~ I can't wait to hear more of you in the future, you're definitely someone to keep a look out for ;3

[Akumaryu]

I have got to say that is one of the most original demos I have heard in a long while. I loved it! I usually don't hear demo's with an actual storyline (which is why I was gonna do one <.< You beat me to it <.< XD), and I have to say, it was very funny.

I have to say, the 'Chili Cook Off' voice sounded natural for the most part, until you got down to the "Thanks" It just sounded a bit fake to me. However, I completely LOL'd in my chair because it reminded me of a hilarious e-mail I once got about a chili cook off <.<

The evil henchmen voice was excellent... Gave me shivers <.< And if I have a nightmare because of Mr. Evil, I am so coming after you. All in all, though, I have to say my favorite part was the hopeful actor-to-be. Pure gold.

The range of amazing, as well. It really blew my mind away. In fact, the whole thing blew my mind away. It's really refreshing when that happens ;3~ I can't wait to hear more of you in the future, you're definitely someone to keep a look out for ;3
Wow! This was a wonderful comment, and it REALLY brightened my day. I'm very glad you enjoyed it, and I'm also glad that you appreciated the creativity of it. I don't think a lot of people realized how much work went into this, so I really appreciate the comment. :D

I really did work hard on the "Chili Cook Off Guy" (Or Ernie, as I like to call him XD)! And yeah, the last line was a bit hard. One-word lines always kill me. >_<

And I'm glad you liked Mr. Evil. I don't often get to use my lower register, but I wanted to show people that I could. So we stuck him in there. XD

Thank you again for that WONDERFUL comment. My day is looking a lot sunnier. :)

[midnightillusion7]

Woaho! Haha very nice!

[Kabukiyasha]

Just sitting down to listen to people's demos again and give critique this time! :D I do like the storyline format, it must have taken ages to mix and script. I thought the main voice reminded me a lot of Goku in Japanese XD...

I did find the kiddish voice a bit fake compared to your other voices. The villain voice (EVIL~) was especially nice XD I wish I could do a male voice that deep... since I'm a girl that might just be pushing my luck.

Good luck with future demos ^_^/

[Akumaryu]

Woaho! Haha very nice!
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. ^_^


Just sitting down to listen to people's demos again and give critique this time! :D I do like the storyline format, it must have taken ages to mix and script. I thought the main voice reminded me a lot of Goku in Japanese XD...

I did find the kiddish voice a bit fake compared to your other voices. The villain voice (EVIL~) was especially nice XD I wish I could do a male voice that deep... since I'm a girl that might just be pushing my luck.

Good luck with future demos ^_^/
Well, the kid voice IS a bit fake. It was kind of the point. I wanted the extremes in there, because it should be a little more obvious to people that if I can do the extremes, I can do what's in between. But thanks for taking the time to listen to this and give me your feedback!

And yeah, doing a deep voice for you might be a bit... challenging. XD Thanks for the view! :)

[Katydid]

First off, I loved the script format! I wish I was creative enough to come up with something that worked like that. I especially liked the "Yes, of course..." voice. It reminded me of Peter Lorre! I also think you have a fantastic range.

The only thing I can think of to critique is the mini-ad at the end. It was a good idea to include your real voice, definitely, but the self-promotion might come across as a little too forward to some scouters.

Other than that, great job!

[Ramune]

Hey Aku! Finally getting a chance to listen to your demo and man, nice work putting this together with your friend. Well first of all, you sure do have an impressive range of voices that could run the gambit of cartoons and anime. Not that one is better than the other, but I felt this was leaning more towards cartoons given the large range of "cartoony" voices combined with your linear-style demo. Either way, upon listening, you surprised me with some of those voices.

Though this was a nicely paced demo, I feel that it is lacking in the "showcasing" department. Yes, you are showing that you can do a multitude of voices, but after two listens, I can only remember about 3 or 4 of your voices without thinking too hard about it. This might be due to blowing through so many voices with not enough time to really make them every one of them stand on their own. Distinction is a key aspect in my book.

Also, though the ending line was poignant, I can't remember how your demo began, which isn't a good thing. What could be of help for your next one is to ensure that you're doing a strong voice from the start that's going to not only immediately grab the ear of the listener, but also cue that it is ending like you sort of did with announcing your name. I say "sort of" because it felt like the demo could continue after that rather than end.

For the record, it has been stated by different pros that going for a storyline character demo could be considered cliche/frowned upon OR recommended to do. I'm no pro, but is this something you yourself can listen to over and over again and be repeatedly proud of it? If your answer is "yes" then awesome! Use it and make it work for you because you're in a good place. If it's no or somewhat, then for each demo after this, I recommend make sure that the production of your demo isn't just saying "hey look at all the voices I can do" but rather leave the listener saying "wow each of these voices are great! I can't get enough of them!" It's a hard and uncertain thing when you're producing yourself, but it's possible to pull together. As long as you are happy with the final product, then you're good. =]

You and so many others have great potential. Hope this critique was helpful and not harmful. I really hope to do more work with you in the future, Aku!

[Akumaryu]

First off, I loved the script format! I wish I was creative enough to come up with something that worked like that. I especially liked the "Yes, of course..." voice. It reminded me of Peter Lorre! I also think you have a fantastic range.

The only thing I can think of to critique is the mini-ad at the end. It was a good idea to include your real voice, definitely, but the self-promotion might come across as a little too forward to some scouters.

Other than that, great job!
Well, I've learned a lot in the few months it's been since I made this clip. The first is that actually, that isn't that bad. Because chances are that most people won't listen to the demo reel all the way through anyway. However, I've had a few pros listen to the demo in full, and I've yet to hear anything negative about that part, so for now, I'm going to have to disagree. But I do appreciate the comments nonetheless. :)


Hey Aku! Finally getting a chance to listen to your demo and man, nice work putting this together with your friend. Well first of all, you sure do have an impressive range of voices that could run the gambit of cartoons and anime. Not that one is better than the other, but I felt this was leaning more towards cartoons given the large range of "cartoony" voices combined with your linear-style demo. Either way, upon listening, you surprised me with some of those voices.

Though this was a nicely paced demo, I feel that it is lacking in the "showcasing" department. Yes, you are showing that you can do a multitude of voices, but after two listens, I can only remember about 3 or 4 of your voices without thinking too hard about it. This might be due to blowing through so many voices with not enough time to really make them every one of them stand on their own. Distinction is a key aspect in my book.

Also, though the ending line was poignant, I can't remember how your demo began, which isn't a good thing. What could be of help for your next one is to ensure that you're doing a strong voice from the start that's going to not only immediately grab the ear of the listener, but also cue that it is ending like you sort of did with announcing your name. I say "sort of" because it felt like the demo could continue after that rather than end.

For the record, it has been stated by different pros that going for a storyline character demo could be considered cliche/frowned upon OR recommended to do. I'm no pro, but is this something you yourself can listen to over and over again and be repeatedly proud of it? If your answer is "yes" then awesome! Use it and make it work for you because you're in a good place. If it's no or somewhat, then for each demo after this, I recommend make sure that the production of your demo isn't just saying "hey look at all the voices I can do" but rather leave the listener saying "wow each of these voices are great! I can't get enough of them!" It's a hard and uncertain thing when you're producing yourself, but it's possible to pull together. As long as you are happy with the final product, then you're good. =]

You and so many others have great potential. Hope this critique was helpful and not harmful. I really hope to do more work with you in the future, Aku!
Hey, Ramune! Thanks for the critique (a.k.a. WALL OF TEXT)!! This is indeed leaning more towards cartoon voices, as it is a Character demo reel, and therefore is meant to show off the characters I can portray.

In regards to the voices not seeming very memorable, there's some reason behind that as well. Hopefully, the ones that you remember are my strongest voices. Those are the ones that I wanted to stick out, and they probably got more time than the others. And besides that, what sticks out for you might not stick out for someone else. Obviously I'm still an amateur. As a result, this came out sounding very much like an amateur demo. It's obviously not quite what would be suitable for professional purposes (as has been mentioned to me by several pros), but it is along the lines of where a professional reel should be. Since I included a lot more voices, each voice got less time, and therefore may not seem as memorable to a particular listener. Again, this was my first demo reel, and very much a learning experience. :)

As for not remembering how the demo started, that's something I'll definitely keep in mind. I'm not quite sure what could help alleviate that issue, but I'll do my best on my next reel.

Thanks for taking the time to leaving such an in-depth critique! I really appreciate that AND the wonderful comments you've left. Thanks so much! ^_^

[Rahne]

Pretty unique demo reel here, Akumaryu! Very well done. This was quite unconventional for a demo reel, but I think it worked, nonetheless. You still showcased a brilliant range of voices. :)

[Gonax]

hehehe it was like listening to a story x3