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Donald James voice-overs (New York & Los Angeles)
I have always had the
same answer to that one common question; “So how did
you get into the business? My answer is simple;
“Three days prior to my conception I already knew
what I wanted to do, and here I am doing just that …
voice-overs”!
It’s already 22 years
that I’ve been making my living doing “v/o’s” and
today I enjoy being a double nester living and
working on both coasts, which gives me maximum
exposure to the industry. I’m heard daily across
America and around
the world on Promos, Commercials, Industrials
and Documentaries for the likes of PBS, Pepsi,
Publishers Clearing House and many more … but that's
not all, there's also the Internet, audio prompts
for equipment used in Medicine as well as countless
devices that make up the growing world of new
technologies. Even if you think you know my work
it’s quite likely that you’ve heard me and didn’t
even know it! The logos on my web site home page
represent just a fraction of my notable credits.
There are featured demos that are on the homepage
that will give you an idea of my range and sound.
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Supervised sessions are done via
ISDN or phone patch. Phone patch sessions are convenient and
easy, saving you time and money, so weather you’re in an
office in Montana or in
your car on the way to the cottage, you can easily direct
the session from anywhere. What’s clearly become the norm
now is delivering uncompressed, native audio files (i.e., .AIF,
.WAV, etc.) via FTP, which allows you to access right away
and download wherever you want. Then there’s ISDN –
admittedly my favorite! Live, real-time ISDN digital
connections to studios anywhere in the world which are
facilitated via our Telos Zephyr Xstream Audio Codec. Same
day digital delivery is also available.
With the
vast improvements in broadcast audio and the advent of
surround sound, broadcasters have become more demanding and
audiences have become more sophisticated in that they expect
more from the sound of what they're watching and so have
producers. So delivering a high-resolution, professional
voice track is that much more critical.
The equipment I use would make a
great addition to an engineers dream list, utilizing the
virtues of both digital and analogue technologies,
keeping the signal path as clean, simple and short as
possible. My
studio consistently meet the uncompromising demands of
agency and network clients.
As for what I refer to
as my “Toyz”, though I do have a beautiful 1951,
nicely restored Neumann U47, it’s the Sennheiser
MKH-416 that I use for everything since overall it
sounds the best, with the least amount of EQ in
Post. Very simply my signal chain is as such;
Sennheiser MKH-416 mic, D.W. Fear VT-1 Mic Pre, SPL
De-esser (the best of all that I’ve tried – and I
have tried them ALLLLL), and the Empirical Labs
Distressor Compressor, which is set to just oh-so
subtly catch those odd peaks … and that’s it! As for
my recording space, I’m a fan of VocalBooth.com. I
use their Platinum Series Vocal Booth and it’s a
dream. I have it stuffed with four inch Aurolex and
eight inch base traps to cancel out any standing
waves. For editing, I use the latest version of Wave
Lab. It’s fast and is what I consider to be the
perfect editor. By the way, when I travel I bring
along a spare MKH-416 to use at other studios so
that if pickups or a continuation of the project
comes up later when I’m back at my own place, the
sound will be pretty close and easier to match. By
the way,
having always had an
interest in the recording process and having worked
as a swing production engineer in the eighties, the
studio is not a novelty but a second home.
I can’t help but mention that a big
part of the way I work and what I would attribute to
my success is the importance I put on relationships!
I commit to doing my very best to make your project
sound as good as it can through my interpretation of
your direction and your copy. I realize that in the
process I am
your messenger, and that job means a lot
to me. I believe that this philosophy – if I may put
it that way – is responsible for my long term
relationships with companies like PBS, where the
NOVA team has kept me as the programs packaging
voice for the past 11 years. Or Publishers Clearing
House, which I have been the voice of their spots
for the past 8 years, and Wall Street Journal Radio
Network, where I have voiced many of their spots for
the past 14 years. |
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Hey, since I’m dropping names here, other Ad Campaigns,
Promos and Narrations that I’ve had the pleasure of being a
part of have been: Dateline NBC, CourtTV, The Weather
Channel, NFL Experience on Tour, Heineken USA, Kodak, AOL,
Time Warner Communications and MERK to name a few.
Please visit my website (which
will be completely updated soon) and hear the demo samples
that I mentioned earlier. Go to
http://www.voice-overs.net
Give me a listen, then give me a
call, and let me voice the success of your ideas! |