Listen to me!

Mike Kuhlman · **Voice Talent** Joined: 21 Nov 2006 Posts: 27

I think my demo is pretty tight, entertaining and shows a lot of my range and characters, but I'd like you guys' critique as well.

Amy Snively · **Voice Talent** Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 1028

Hi Mike! You're clearly a very talented guy!

Just so you know, though, it's customary to have a straight commercial demo and a separate character demo. If you just want a sampler for V123, this would be ok I suppose.

But if you're submitting in the real world, I recommend separate <:60 tracks for commercial, character, narration, promo, and animation.

Scott Pollak · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007, 15:17 (GMT) Post subject:

Good Morning, Mike!

Looks like, as usual, I'll get the response thread rolling here. Probably because I don't have a life....

My initial impression is ho-hum. Here's the thing: It sounds like you have a really nice voice. GREAT tonal quality, nice range, good feel. But the demo sounds too much like a cut-rate, home-grown demo.

Let me try to itemize things I don't like about it while re-listening, and offer suggestions, as well as any positives:

- I DO like your read on the United Airlines piece but can't stand the mega-heavy compression. If you have a clean version of that WITHOUT the compressed read, I'd re-mix it AND add about 5 more seconds of it. It's a good read, but it's actually too brief, something we seldom say on this forum. But again, the compression is too much.
- Ditch the Bowl Week spot. You don't do the powerful, in-your-face announcer well at all. It ain't you, buddy.
- Springfield cinemas.... I like it and I don't like it. I don't like the fact that you're doing both voices. You could take a script like that and turn it into something really nice. First I'd re-write it and drop the opening "I'm here to tell you about..." and just get right into talking, nice and conversationally, about the cinemas. But if you do that, work on being more real, friendly and conversational than you currently are in that spot.
- As a Sean Connery impersonator myself, I LIKE your Bond impersonation. What I don't recommend, though, is mixing IMPERSONATIONS with a narrative demo. That's not to say you can't put CHARACTER voices on the demo (like your private eye). But impersonations, to me, weaken what should be a professional narrative or commercial demo. That's my opinion and others here may take valid issue with it.
- Don't like the Toys R Us spot at all. Just don't care for the voice. It's weak IMHO.
- Your private eye clip is so far the best on your demo. Good read, good voice quality. I like it a lot.
- The surround sound spot should be dumped. It's flat and weak. You're giving a weak read on a boring script.
- Ditch the Dura Sears? Sealers? spot. Not only could I not understand the word, it's another weak read.
- Your closing UAL spot is a good one, too. Nice read on that.

The total demo length is good. Your variety is good. But about half of your demo is bad. Go back and work on creating, or adding, spots that are AT LEAST up to snuff with the United Airlines and private eye pieces.

It sounds like you have a lot of potential, but right now are in that nether-world between still being wet behind the voiceover ears and being confident and trained enough to do battle with the big boys. My bet is some time, training and practice will wear well on you.

Peace!

George Karnes · **Voice Talent** Joined: 26 Dec 2006 Posts: 905

Mike-
My one comment is that I don't know if I have heard a demo start and end with the same piece like you do with UAL.

I guess I will leave that as an open question. Is that a common thing

Scott Pollak · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007, 16:53 (GMT) Post subject:

Robert Jadah · **Voice Talent** Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 2627

Mike:
The fact that you seem extremely satisfied with your demo might be your weakness, since it's all right but not quite ready for prime time; sort of a 6.5.
To me, the Bowl Week and Dura-shears are kind'a weak, and the ToysRUs character is run-of-the-mill.
That don't leave much.
Might you be a little overconfident; submitting stuff which you are not being sufficiently self-critical about?
You obviously have the chops and range, but we've all learned that voice alone don't carry the load any more.
Aim higher, Mike. Be tougher on yourself.
You've got the stuff.
Voice On!
Robert Jadah

Mike Kuhlman · **Voice Talent** Joined: 21 Nov 2006 Posts: 27

Thanks for the great replies, guys. That demo was mostly made in a time when my only work was from local-schmokel and regional clients; thus, it's not the kind of international exposure I get here. I can't choose the scripts I get, but I CAN write my own, as I did with the Toys 'R Us spot. OR...

Now that I've been doing CUSTOM demos for various client auditions on Voice123, I've been saving a lot of them that I feel really show off my strengths and will use them to replace the "weaker" bits on my current demo. I'm sure we all do that: Even if we haven't been PAID for the read, if it's a good creative sample of our craft, we use it for our own demos.

Thanks for the comment on the "foreceful salesguy" type--you're absolutely right, it ain't me and I shouldn't try to do it--I should stick to the more relaxed announcer type that IS me. Interesting that the one poster thought the "private-eye" was the best read on my demo--it was the easiest to do and the closest to my real character.

But, you're right--I should have separate demos for various types of reads (narrative, commercial, character, etc.). I guess my thinking was that clients don't have a lot of time and I don't want to waste it. But I will "itemize" my demo into types as you said.

With regard to the heavy compression on the UAL spot, no, I don't have access to the original element, but I CAN simply re-read the thing and re-record it, updated to correct standards!

Much as feedback from other voice talents is great, I would love to see a "forum" board on this site where CLIENTS can tell us what they want, likes and dislikes, etc., but they're obviously too busy to do that, so we have to play this ridiculous "guessing-game" of auditioning...

Thanks again, guys.