Question for December 13th-19th, 2011

[Seishiro17]

I've heard from more than a few people recently that they don't feel like they can get cast unless they have a nice shiny mic, so I put it to you:

Have you ever felt the need to get better equipment, just to increase your chances of being cast?

Do you feel the deciding factor in a casting decision is mic quality instead of acting? Have you ever been the victim of mic-ism? I'm hungry for your stories this week, so go wild!


--
As always, please continue to send some new question ideas via PM over to to Seishiro17 (http://voiceactingalliance.com/board/member.php?1271-Seishiro17), Cydonia (http://voiceactingalliance.com/board/member.php?11232-Cydonia) or Sukisho (http://voiceactingalliance.com/board/member.php?50-Sukisho). Make sure the subject is "Question of the Week" so we know what it's for :D

[VoiceVSP]

Yes and no. Mostly no though, when considering the Voice Acting Alliance community. A lot of the people in this community don't have the time or money to really invest in high-end hardware, so they make do with what they can. Regardless of the price or brand you use, this is my personal opinion on what it comes down to:
1. Voice Types. You could be one of the best, but if your character voices aren't the voices they're looking for to portray the characters in the project, you're not going to get the part(s).
2. Experience. Knowing what you're doing and how to do it with minimal questions asked is desirable, especially if it's a VAA producer doing everything themselves. The last thing they'd want is having to coach somebody on how to do everything.
3. Minimum quality standards. Low background noise and a clear voice is usually standard. It doesn't have to be perfect, but nobody wants to hear your voice mixed under static and internal computer noises/fans.

[Haruhost]

For me personally I've never had a problem getting a role due to mic quality. I was getting a few roles with a headset, then I moved to a rockband and started getting more roles and scouts.

The only time I feel the need to upgrade is when I find that I'm doing my best acting but my voice isn't being heard as well as it could be.
*crosses fingers for a CO3U for xmas*

[Sukisho]

I never really had that problem myself since when I had lower quality mics in the past I'd get quite a lot of parts. I do however see people now a days put a lot of focus into the quality of the mic rather than the acting in the project. It can make for a better project in sound quality but I've always thought acting should be something that comes first and then worry about how the mic sounds.

[Refi-chan]

I didn't seem to have a problem with my mic until my laptop wore out and I got a new one--then the quality of my recordings seemed to have gone way down and most critiques on my auditions were on my mic quality. So I got a new mic and it seemed I got a higher percentage of roles I tried out for, then too my frustration I'd still have critiques about the mic quality. So when I was looking into getting a desktop, I tried to look for one with a nice sound card but the sales people said that all the sound cards in the desktops were pretty standard *sigh* they just don't make things like they use to huh? (considering how the quality never seemed to be a problem with my dinky little mic that I would pin to my shirt and it worked just fine on the laptop I had when I started when I didn't even know about applying effects like "noise reduction" at the time)

Now I got a kinect to help with movements in an animation program called MikuMikuDance and although it took me days and then some to get it to work with the program, I found out I could use it for a mic and I think that the 'mic-ism' has gone down since I've been using it--I just need to remember to distance myself from it XD

So having been in the 'bad mic' side of things, I still want to have great productions but am more patient with people that have bad quality. If I can think of any of the tricks I've picked up in my VA experience (ie use noise reduction, input mic level, don't talk directly into the mic, blankets/clothes/etc. to absorb echo reverb, etc.) that may help those who audition for me I'll let them know to see if we can get something more workable ^^

[ScottStoked]

. . . I've always thought acting should be something that comes first and then worry about how the mic sounds.

I agree, but would like to hear what producers think of this scenario:

Say you have two people trying out for the same role. Actor A is a "little" better at the character but Actor B's mic quality is significantly better. Who do you pick?

Personally, I'd pick Actor B. You can't coach/direct a microphone to sound better.

Anyway, I'm a little obsessive about my own mic quality, so I bought decent gear and built a little vocal enclosure. It has definitely helped me get gigs outside VAA and VAC where the quality of your audio really does matter.

So I guess, the answer is yes. I did feel the need to get better equipment to increase my overall chances.

[Ovarku]

I do, but I wouldn't know what to get due to my lack of knowledge on tech, plus I have to really deal with what I got so far, living within my means.

[Monotori]

I used my brother's desktop mic at first. That thing sounded like a tin can. I started using his USB headset when he moved away and as it slowly deteriorated I ordered the mic I currently have. To be honest, when I got it I thought it would give me more serious roles, but I still don't know the best configuration for it. I've moved it from the closet to on top of a dresser to below a dresser (... it was crazy) to a shelf to another closet. I will say the mic quality hasn't gone in the way of gaining roles so far- that would be all my doing, haha- but I could definitely do better if I wanted to get more notable roles. Recently I started looking for foam so my louder lines don't sound so echo-y, although I really should know more about acoustics before I invest in that kind of thing.

[StarYoshi14]

Have I ever felt that I -needed- to get better equipment? No.

Do I ever look back and wonder how I ever got cast when I had such shitty equipment? Too many times.

[Sukisho]

I agree, but would like to hear what producers think of this scenario:

Say you have two people trying out for the same role. Actor A is a "little" better at the character but Actor B's mic quality is significantly better. Who do you pick?

Personally, I'd pick Actor B. You can't coach/direct a microphone to sound better..

We had that scenario come up in the Pet Peeves thread once for the same reasons, and well yeah while you can't "direct" a microphone, you can however try to improve the quality with audio editing programs, or depending on how well you mix you may be able to hide it (Though if it's really bad, i.e. ear bleeding high static, then there's not too much that can be done).

[~ChibiSammii]

My mic used to be a problem. For some reason, I had a crappy mic, bu was cast a lot. Then, someone completely ignored my audition because the quality of it wasn't the greatest. I sounded very tinny and echoey. Once it stopped working with my computer, I knew it was time to get a better mic. With my new mic (which isn't so new anymore), I find I'm getting cast even more frequently than in the past.

[Midnightmoonproductions]

When I first started? Yes to be honest. There were at least on 5 different occasions where it was between me and someone else for a role however the other person was cast because my mic quality was bad. They praised my acting but said the deciding factor was the quality. When I got my current mic I did end up getting better roles and less spread out [like I was cast constantly rather than once a month or so].

I would say that in an acting point of few it's not necessary to have good mic quality but it's always a plus on your side.