EWABS Episode 166 November 17, 2014 with Zurek and Doug Turkel!

Episode 166, November 17, 2014

Guest: Zurek, https://soundcloud.com/zurek, founder of Voice Over Universe

George is at Doug Turkel’s in Florida, Dan is farther west in Buffalo!

Tip of the Week: Overthinking it.

0:01:52  They begin…reversed.  And both are remoting!

0:04:00  Zurek comes on.

0:05:03  Zurek catches us up on what he’s been doing since his last EWABS appearance two years ago.

0:06:44  Dan asks how VO may have changed Zurek’s perspective on doing radio.  He explains and George talks about John Taylor’s similar experience.

0:08:00  Zurek talks about being a morning show person on radio.

0:08:35  They talk about the Randy Thomas Voice Mastery event in Ft. Myers, Fla.

0:10:09   The event included a children’s reading.  Name dropping ensues.  The program came together in two months.  It was a professional, intimate crowd.  

0:14:16  Dan asks about Voice Over Universe, which Zurek founded.http://www.voiceoveruniverse.com/.  It was early in the VO social media explosion over the last six years.

0:17:55  Break.  HomeStudioMaster.  

0:18:55  SpongeBob!

0:19:18  They’re back.  Questions: What’s your studio set up these days?  A: 416 and the MBox 3 mini, and MacBook Pro and a bunch of plugins.  He takes it all to the radio station.  

0:21:58  Q: Do you do any improv and has it helped?  A: He hasn’t but, he’s had an acting coach.

0:22:50  Q from Paul Strikwerda: How do you see the role of VoiceOver Universe in light of Facebook and other social media?  A: It gives you your own webpage.  They talk about people who got their start at VO Universe.  

0:26:15  Q: What are you favorite plugins for Pro Tools?  A: Waves.  It’s got it all.  L2 Maximizer and C1 are good.  George asked about multiband compressors.  

0:27:16  Q What iOS interface are you using on the iPhone?  A: He uses the iRig into the iPhone with his 416.  iTrack Solo is also a good iPhone device, though they have to be plugged into a power source.

0:28:21  Q: When did you decide it was time to uproot to follow the work?  A: Chicago is his home.   He recounts his early career in radio and voice-over.   

0:30:13  Zurek introduces his fiancee, Georgia (AKA Zsa Zsa).  He proposed on the air.  She is an attorney, originally from Haiti.  She speaks French and Creole.

0:31:59  Zurek talks about recording videos in the car.  George talks about doing that while picking up people at the airport and will post.  Zurek uses iMovie on his iPhone.

0:32:57  Dan asks Zurek about his interview with President Obama.  He tells the story.

0:35:00  Zurek signs off.  

0:35:10  Break.  VO Studio Tech.

0:36:35  The celestial brothers clip from The Grand Budapest Hotel movie.

0:36:59  A couple of show bumpers.

0:37:56  EWABS News.  (Jack de Golia voice)

0:38:40  Studio Suit is about gone!  Order now!  Dan may custom make them once he moves to California.

0:40:04  Q: thoughts on new virtual recording tool for  (Voice Meter Banana?).  A: Dan’s view: the best substitute for a phone patch is a phone.  George shies away from software mixers.  He needs to check it out.

0:42:09  Dan gives a tour of the theater where he just did The Music Man.  He talks about stage acting compared to voice-over, lines and breaths.

0:45:48  They get letters.  

0:45:58  Q about pasting in room tone in TwistedWave.  A: Generally you don’t master room tone.  George goes on to explain possible exceptions.  

0:48:40  Q: How do you properly store equipment in different seasons?  How do you travel with gear?  A: If you’re always using your stuff, it’s just there.  Dan elaborates.

0:05:32  George the only thing to watch are humidity changes with condensation on the capsule.  Keeping mics dry, clean and not dropped are key.

0:51:46  Mic cozies are discussed.  

0:52:10  Time for the Tip of the Week on OVERTHINKING!

0:52:30  Tip of the Week: Overthinking.

0:56:14  They’re back.  

0:57:30  Break.  VoiceZam.  VoiceOver Xtra.

0:59:02  They’re back, with Doug Turkel, host for George tonight.  http://dougturkel.com/

0:59:30  Doug talks about observing “Apollo 13” moments before the show began!  George said it’s called “show prep.”  

1:00:25  George talks about going to the Banjo Emporium and wasting time in trying to solve a problem.

1:01:30  Harlan Hogan time: go to VoiceOverEssentials.com!  Harlan has what VO actors need!  

1:04:58  Go to ewabs.com, and click on Harlan’s logo at the bottom of the page to reach VoiceOver Essentials.

1:05:21  Dan shows his adapter collection.  

1:06:02  Doug Turkel tells about his recent work with car and casino spots and mixed martial arts (MMA).  Lots of screaming.

1:08:00  Doug talks about his goal with auditioning—he’d rather market to people and get on short lists for gigs rather than audition on play-to-play sites.  He gets a better return on his investment.  You can make it up in volume, but it’s hard to make a living that way.  

1:10:10  Dan asks Doug about his view of pay-to-play sites.  

1:10:43  Doug tells his opinion.  

1:12:12  George joins the discussion with thoughts about the role of pay-to-play sites.  Doug comments about VO talent selling themselves short.  He sees a gradual erosion of pay rates and quality.

1:14:25  Dan feels it’s like an auction.  Doug says it’s a reverse auction.  They end the debate by mentioning the WoVO site that will be coming soon.

1:17:26  Thanks to Doug.  Thanks to donors.  Show addiction discussed.  

1:18:55   How to donate: go to EWABS.com.

1:20:15  Subscribe to the YouTube Channel!  

1:21:39  NarratorHelper.com, where you can get help with long-form work.  

1:22:14  Movember.  Donate to George’s MO-VO team at us.movember.com/team/1579149

1:23:25  November 24: Harlan Hogan will be the guest.

1:23:41  Another roundtable is in the works.  Let them know what topic you’d like to see: audio masters, marketing, social media, acting, demo.  Send a message to [email protected] with your thoughts.

1:24:29  Thanks to sponsors, Harlan Hogan, Edge Studio, VoiceOverXtra, and VoiceZam!

1:24:55  Thanks to the wives and to the staff.  See the show logs via EWABS.com, click on SHOW LOG.

1:26:50  End of show.