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Voice Overs
An eight-year old girl from San Antonio recently came in to our studio to record some voice over  demos. She is hoping to be able to do some radio and TV commercials. One of the first steps in this process is to record some demos that she can provide to her agent, who, of course, will present them to potential producers of commercials.
When most people think of recording studios, they think only about recording music. However, there is a whole other industry out there doing voice overs. So what exactly is a voice over. Basically it is the vocal tracks for any off-camera or behind-the-scenes speaking parts, whether it be radio spots, cartoon voices, movie trailers, or TV commercials.
If you have ever thought about getting into voice over work, the first step (just like starting a band) is to record a demo. Once you have several good demos, you need to put them into a format that can be mailed off to agents, talent scouts, or producers. That used to mean recording a cassette. Today it generally means creating a CD, but with the ever-changing technology it could mean creating some MP3s that can be emailed out to people on your list.
You need to choose a studio with the proper equipment and skills to produce a good voice over demo. That generally  means a sound-conditioned vocal booth and a selection of high quality microphones that enhance the human voice. And if you are working with youngsters, you need an engineer with the patience and understanding needed to work with children. The eight-year old mentioned above was initially a little nervous. She had a tendency to speak very low. I quickly realized that she was hearing her own voice in the headphones, which made her think she was speaking louder than she actually was. We took her out of the vocal booth, removed her headphones, and placed the headphones on her mother next to her. With her mother beside her to coax her, she quickly produced several good demos. You can listen to samples by going to our voice over page.
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Other Demos
This time of year many high school students are planning to go off to college in the fall. Some college students are trying to get into music schools or applying for music scholarships. These students are sometimes requested to submit recordings that demonstrate their musical abilities. We are occasionally asked if we can record such demos. The answer is, "Yes, we can." 
Whether you need a recording of piccolo or a tuba, an instrument or a voice, we can accommodate you. You may be tempted to record your demo onto a cassette tape in your bedroom using the $15 microphone you bought at the discount store, but that is no way to impress the admissions office or the scholarship committee. What you really need is a well-recorded demo made in a sonically-treated room with high quality microphones using industry-recognized Pro Tools software.
So if you need to record a demo, please get in touch with us. If you know someone who needs a demo, please forward this newsletter to him or her. We can help them get one step closer to that scholarship or music school.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is mastering?
A. There is a lot of confusion about mastering. Some people think mixing and mastering are the same thing. Actually, mastering is the last step in the process of creating a CD and is done after mixing and just prior to sending your tracks off to a CD replicator. Part of the confusion comes from the days of vinyl records when you created a master--a steel plate used to stamp out the vinyl disks. This was also called mastering. Even today the process of replicating a CD requires a glass master, although most people avoid calling this mastering to alleviate the confusion. So what does a mastering engineer do? Basically he makes the final product sound better and more cohesive. That may involve making the various tracks more consistent, both in sound quality and volume. To do this he may add some EQ, some compression, some limiting, and other sound processing techniques. If there are any problems or noise, he will correct that. If necessary, he may send a track back to the mixing engineer if a problem cannot be corrected in the mastering stage. When the processing is finished, the engineer will add data such as track title, artist name, and ISRC codes (numbers embedded in the file to allow radio stations to track what songs are played and to whom they belong). Finally, the tracks will be put the order they will appear on the CD along with the appropriate spacing between tracks. The order of the tracks is something that is usually done in consultation with the artist.
Q. Can you do mastering or should I send my project to someone else?
A. We normally recommend that you send your tracks out someone who specializes in mastering. There are many good reasons for this. First they have equipment that most recording studios do not have. Second they will provide a second pair of ears to listen for potential problems. (The mixing engineer may have heard a track so many times that he may not even notice an anomaly.) Third the acoustics in every recording studio is different. Most mastering studios have been carefully tuned acoustically and can correct any deficiencies inherent in the mix. Now we realize that our clients are often on a tight budget and mastering by an outside studio can be very expensive. So if you cannot afford to send your project to a third party, we can do the mastering for you. We can make your tracks sound pretty good, just not as good as a mastering studio. However, if this is a demo or your first CD and you are only going run off a few hundred copies for sale at your gigs, then that may be good enough. That will have to be your decision.
Read questions and answers on our FAQ page.
Have a question we haven't answered? Email it to us and we will try to answer it in a future newsletter as well as add it to our FAQ page. Remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question, just stupid answers.
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Ads and Notices
Have something to buy, sell, or trade? Looking for a vocalist, a bass player, or some other musician? Whatever your needs, send the information to us and we will list it here for no charge (that's free) as space permits.
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Los Senderos Studio
Contact Information
If you would like to contact us, please email us at Larry@LosSenderos-
Studio.com. For a faster response, please call 512-565-0446. If we are in the studio working with a client or are otherwise unavailable, you may always leave a message. We will get back with you as soon as can. For directions please see the map at LosSenderosStudio.com
/map.php.
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Session Musicians
We are continuing to add names to our database of session musicians. So if you do studio session work and would like to be added to the list, please send us an email with your name and contact information, plus the instrument(s) you play, and your rates. We will add it to our database.
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for Our Newsletter
If you know a musician or a band who would enjoy receiving our newsletter, please send their names and email addresses to us. We will contact them and if they agree, we will add them to our newsletter list. Remember if you ever want to stop receiving the newsletter, just click on the Instant Removal link at the bottom.
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| Save $50 |
Present this coupon when you come in for a recording session and receive $50.00 off the regular rates when you book a session of 8 hours or more. This coupon is good for new clients only, can be used only one time (only one coupon per person or band), and cannot be combined with any other offers. If you pay by phone using a credit card, please use coupon code LSS-10-4. If you have any friends or relatives looking for a recording studio, please clip this coupon and pass it along to them.
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Coupon Expires: June 30, 2010
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Los Senderos Studio, LLC
A sound investment in your musical career.
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Copyright © 2009-2010
Los Senderos Studio, LLC | Los Senderos Ranch | 8409 North US 281 | Blanco | TX | 78606
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