Sound Design and Audio Wizardry @holographicva - Tumblr Blog

as a child i assumed that martha’s vineyard was a fancy private vineyard owned by martha stewart and the reason rich people vacationed there was because they were friends with martha

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I see we're back to "Using AI voice cloning tech for my podcast doesn't count as using genAI" discourse.

#for the record #it super fucking does #and I will blacklist you in a heartbeat for it

sidequestingpod

Hey! Thanks for listening to my little show!

patheticperipatetic

Im gonna take my N64 and go live in the woods

mollyjames

There are a lot of people who start creative projects with no business or financial plan, because "who cares, it isn't important, we'll figure that out later". And you can't let yourself become that person. Not because I'm a sneering finance bro who thinks your woke animated youtube series wont make money, but because if you don't you'll wind up financially exploiting your friends for years

mollyjames

Look, it's none of my business if you wanna work yourself to the bone for no money so you can make your dream project a reality. I think you shouldn't, but also let's be real that's basically a rite of passage for young creatives. But as soon as you start involving other people? You need a plan. You need to be able to compensate them for their time, and you need to have it in writing

song-of-the-spheres

head in my hands, as someone who does extensive freelance TTRPG work - an industry in which the vast majority of those involved are doing it as a passion project/side hustle, and in which many people are friends with those they work for and with:

if you are doing any creative project with someone else in which money will be involved, make a contract. Doesn't need to be super formal. Get something laid out in writing that very clearly indicates what the person you are asking to do something is responsible for, the timeline in which they're expected to complete it, and the compensation they'll get for doing so.

"oh but we've been best friends since eighth grade" make a fucking contract.

"oh but this probably won't make much money anyway" make a fucking contract.

"oh but I don't know all that legalese" there are tons of pretty accessible templates available online if you research, just make sure it's one that suits your needs and you understand what's in it (it can be written in normal language without legalese, as long as it's clear), and make a fucking contract.

I've heard horror stories about this shit destroying projects, friendships, livelihoods, and in most cases the fallout could have been avoided (or at least mitigated) by having a clear legally binding document about everyone's responsibilities and compensation from the get-go. Do not assign someone work without a contract or some form of written agreement; do not work without a contract or some form of written agreement. please for the love of god.

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noadventurespod

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It's apparently International Cat Day! In honor of Oliver, ANA's resident talking cat, I thought it would be fun to share a sneak preview of episode one of the new season which premieres October 14!

Continually baffled by how many crowdfunding campaigns have a decent pitch and then out of nowhere throw in some variation of "all other audiodrama sucks, we're making one of the few, dare I say the first good one!" Not only does it scream that they don't listen to audiodrama, but why would anyone give money to them? Unless you're trying to pivot an existing audience the people likely to give you money probably like audiodrama and don't want to be told everything they've listened to is garbage. Bare minimum of respect to the medium.

#this has been a years long trend #I was just reminded of a fairly recent one #audio drama #what a way to shoot yourself in the foot

the-sassy-composer

For podcast/audio drama creators- does anyone have any recommendations for waveform generators that can make and export videos that I could use on YouTube for a podcast? Free is preferred but paid recs are ok too.

holographicva

Let me introduce you Astrofox, which is free and open source.

It gives you full control over positioning, frequency response, amplitude sensitivity, color palettes, with some funky 3d effects if that's something you're looking for. The UI can be a little frustrating if you're trying to do something really complex with multiple layers, but it's straightforward if all you need is a waveform over a thumbnail.

#love hate relationship with this software #my personal demo got run through this once for every show because it was faster to comp them in a video editor #than to try and finagle the scenes natively

itmeblog

Actually the transcript should probably be its own thing.

If you are thinking about making an AD you gotta have them.

It helps disabled folks

It helps reviewers review your shit

It'll help you find sound bites once you get a backlog. It's not likely you will remember which episode a certain line was in. This can be good for trailers or entering competitions or applying for awards!!

It helps the all mighty algorithm have your website (yes you need a website. If you want to enter competitions and stuff get a website (and make a press kit). It can be free, it can be a carrd, it can be wordpress, I would not suggest wix as it's Israeli owned) pop up in searches.

It helps when/if you upload to youtube

And I say this as someone who hates writing transcripts. It is the one thing I would completely and utterly offload if I could (and if you know me, that's saying a lot). I do not find them fun, I do not find them enjoyable, I find them, in some ways, to be quite painful (this is where dopamine goes to die). So if there's anyone in this world who should be making excuses about why not to include transcripts it should be me! But it really is just that important.

#I'm 100% pro transcripts for all shows #but the flipside is that you can NOT #under any circumstances #put load bearing additional information in them #If a plot point does not make sense without the transcript that's bad writing #If your assumption is that every listener will have the transcript in front of them to see all of the extra scaffolding holding up the stor #I'll argue that's not audio fiction but an audio first multimedia project

itmeblog

Actually the transcript should probably be its own thing.

If you are thinking about making an AD you gotta have them.

It helps disabled folks

It helps reviewers review your shit

It'll help you find sound bites once you get a backlog. It's not likely you will remember which episode a certain line was in. This can be good for trailers or entering competitions or applying for awards!!

It helps the all mighty algorithm have your website (yes you need a website. If you want to enter competitions and stuff get a website (and make a press kit). It can be free, it can be a carrd, it can be wordpress, I would not suggest wix as it's Israeli owned) pop up in searches.

It helps when/if you upload to youtube

And I say this as someone who hates writing transcripts. It is the one thing I would completely and utterly offload if I could (and if you know me, that's saying a lot). I do not find them fun, I do not find them enjoyable, I find them, in some ways, to be quite painful (this is where dopamine goes to die). So if there's anyone in this world who should be making excuses about why not to include transcripts it should be me! But it really is just that important.

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Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.

✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions

Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming

chimaerakitten

It’s wild how pan bundles can get away with calling something a “5-piece set” when two of the “pieces” are lids. Motherfucker that’s a three piece set. Stop lying.

holographicva

Audio drama is a weird industry to work in because one person's low budget means "We have $100 ever. Maybe $105 but only if we really need that extra 5 bucks." And then another's "We cannot justify the $30,000 console and $10,000 worth of mics we wanted to use, so we're making do with the $1200 mixer/recorder combo and $1500 worth of mics in Steve's basement studio." And then every once in a while you'll run into a guy from a Hollywood background whose low budget is "we're really only willing to spend $100k on this unless it blows up."

But the really insane thing is that these people will interact and think they all have the same version of low budget, leading to a "budget" mic recommendation where the shock mount alone is more than the person is willing to spend on their entire season.

Anyway, if you're asking for budget audio recommendations, it really helps if you throw out a number rather than "not too much."

snappingsquids

Live audio is this way too!! My daily driver console runs like $60-80k depending on configs and that’s not including mics and the like, but my industry is pretty heavily built on the humble X32, which runs about $2k. Still a recommendation for an X32 for venues can be more than they budget for their whole system, so we grab an older analog console.

And sometimes it’s a coffee shop doesn’t need much reinforcement so you grab a $20 58 knock off and a tiny older powered speaker and an xlr for the singer songwriter at open mic night.

When I used to sell equipment or make recommendations I was super broke and always imposed my own budget on other people, and underserved what they needed. A budget audio system could be any of the above systems and giving your needs and budget is a key part in figuring it out

holographicva

#sorry to piggyback and pivot to live audio#but this industry can suck so much money out of a person

No, no you get it. The Bedroom Recording Revolution did legitimately make a whole chunk of audio production way more accessible to the masses. A Scarlett Solo and an SM58 will certainly give you something a hell of a lot better than a smartphone, and DAWs are cheaper and smaller than tape machines.

But audio has never exactly been a cheap industry, and the behemoth that is Audio As A Job & Industry got a little cheaper with the transition to digital but not by much. Pro interfaces with with inputs for a whole band run thousands of dollars, and you might need an expansion device that runs another $2k on top of that depending on how many mics you have. Podcast branded hardware tends to be on the cheap side because it's effectively the consumer line; the company knows you're going to buy this product and maybe a few accessories, use it for a few years and then move on to something else. Most of it was never designed for daily use on everything from vocals to drums to grand piano, just getting your voice with as short a chain as possible.

Audio drama is a weird industry to work in because one person's low budget means "We have $100 ever. Maybe $105 but only if we really need that extra 5 bucks." And then another's "We cannot justify the $30,000 console and $10,000 worth of mics we wanted to use, so we're making do with the $1200 mixer/recorder combo and $1500 worth of mics in Steve's basement studio." And then every once in a while you'll run into a guy from a Hollywood background whose low budget is "we're really only willing to spend $100k on this unless it blows up."

But the really insane thing is that these people will interact and think they all have the same version of low budget, leading to a "budget" mic recommendation where the shock mount alone is more than the person is willing to spend on their entire season.

Anyway, if you're asking for budget audio recommendations, it really helps if you throw out a number rather than "not too much."

kadharonon

Every time I go to Costco now I think about [redacted because that season of @noadventurespod hasn’t even started airing] and I start giggling.

noadventurespod

#Costco was admittedly a surprise

luvnotpercival

Alright guys its happening - im putting together a life plan before i become a fully fledge adult (if that word is even real). I have a question for all you voice actors and audio drama people:

What microphone would recommend to use for recording?

See, i am starting out and i would eventually like to try my hand at voice acting at some point in the future (even though that isn't my true passion) but i realise that even if i don't act at some point i might like to do introductions and/or qna episodes where i might possibly need a mic.

Since i dont have a job, im not looking for anything too expensive, but then again i am willing to save up for a few years in order buy something good quality.

I also would want to look for something beginner friendly as well - I'm not sure what the entails but im sure i could make a wrong turn somewhere.

If there is any software/mic setup stuff anyone wants to recommend (all hail wardrobes, closets and duvets) as well that would be super!

Over and out!!

holographicva

The Razer Seiren Mini has been considered the minimum VA entry spec for a few years now - alongside the Neat Bumblebee it's one of the only sub-$100 mics that gets consistent recommendations without brand shenanigans, and both have come down pretty drastically in price over the last few years. Buy one of these to make sure you like voice acting before investing in a more permanent setup.

The next step up is probably going to be the Rode NT USB Mini, which is also plug-and-play but is actually built for podcasters over gamers.

If you're willing to spend more than $100 you'll probably want to go with an entry level interface and XLR mic. The dirt cheap option that won't crap out on you is likely a Minifuse One and an XM8500; if you can drop a few hundred and skip the upgrade tree I'll recommend interfaces from SSL and mics like the AT2035, SM58, or LCT 240 if you want a brighter sound.

Skip the Blue Yeti; it's overpriced for its use case unless you're planning to do a bunch of ASMR (and frankly there's better options for that as well). Its abominable little cousin the Snowball is also not worth your time unless you plan to do an insane amount of room treatment for a USB mic.

•18+ Adults Only

Watch Anya Live on Cam

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.

✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions

Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming

toroidalearthtruther

there seems to be a fundamental disagreement between microwave oven manufacturers and the producers of microwave meals over whether the customer should know the wattage of their microwave or if such details should be abstracted away from them

tpwrtrmnky

The least useful online space to hang out in is the type that's designated for "aspiring [creative skill]" with no users in them who actually make a living doing that skill. Someone who's been aspiring to create something without actually making anything for significant amounts of time has no useful advice for you if you actually want to do it.

tpwrtrmnky

Don't get stuck preparing to make something forever. Start making something, finish it quickly and move on. The first thing you make will suck, and then in the process of making it you'll have learned a whole bunch of stuff, which will make the next thing better.

#This is so weird in my job #Because there's a steady stream of podcast discord server du jours #and the sound design advice is like.#use reverb. run noise reduction. Did you know you can use [insert industry standard plugin] for [the thing it is marketed for]?#meanwhile I'm in another group with honest to god authorities in the space that have Oscars #and the advice that gets thrown around there is 1) Extremely context specific and fixes The Problem Being Addressed #2) cover 1-10 different alternatives and how well they work #3) just covers years old best practices that don't get picked up by new folks if they don't ever interact with professionals #A group of newbies might be good for getting a handle on what sea-legs are #But that little rowboat will not prepare you for the ocean

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