Dear Friends;
I have been busily preparing my next couple blogs, devoted to resources in Los Angeles for casting child voice talent. We are opening up some valuable avenues for casting MCKVT kids in LA, and I want to highlight the people that are making this happen. We will follow this with a series devoted to casting in India, China, Singapore, Taipei, Seoul, New York, and Canada. Los Angeles is an incredible place to cast Asia Pacific talent, but increasingly we are being asked to supplement this great base with new talent exclusive to a single brand within a market segment.
CiCi Lau casting 3 youthful VO talent: Tristan, Andy, and Sydney
The 3 to 10 year olds need extra coaching, as do all children, but we are getting some incredible performances with the help of voice coaches, like Actress/Director/Voice Talent Cici Lau pictured here. Vietnamese and Tagalog speaking kids are seldom scripted, but this is opening up as well. This all complements our efforts at The MIX to make LA a perfect hub for Asia Pacific Voice Casting and Recording. Lately we are being asked to obtain exclusive 1 year contracts for specific advertisers in our market, or to cast talent who are completely new for MCKVT in the US Asia Pacific Ad Market. Some agencies are looking to Seoul and Toronto as a single resource. We have a cost effective model now in place for making LA the hub and supplementing all of our LA talent resources with those of the rest of the world.
Source Connect Session links The Mix with a Toronto Studio
With the advent of new and cheaper technologies, casting and recording options are opening up in China, India, the Filipines, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Massachusettes, Vancouver, Pennsylvania, and New York. We are now negotiating one year exclusive contracts for the US with talent based in Shanghai, Toronto, and Singapore. Mix Solutions:
Source Connect ProTools Interface
MCKVT: We found a great studio in New York to help us cast and record for the modest fee of $250/hour. You will be amazed at some of their great MCKVT talent. Add $50/hr for them to ISDN dialup.
TAGALOG: Also in NY, I am now working with Melanie M, better known for her VO work in the general market, but available for Taglish and Tagalog from her home studio. She is an awesome VO talent. Add to this at least a dozen new LA based Tagalog actors, singers, and radio hosts available now for VO sessions. As impressive now as the new options for MCKV in LA.
MANDARIN: In China, an American has created a state of the art facility, and made available to The MIX the top neutral Mandarin commercial VO talent in China. ISDN, SKYPE, PHONE PATCH, SOURCE LIVE, SOURCE CONNECT SPOKEN HERE!
HINDI: Now available in various Canadian cities, New York, LA, and India. Many Hindi talent have home studios, or have access to professional facilities with Phone Patch and SKYPE.
KOREAN: We continue to get medium to poor sound quality files from the various casting and record resources in Seoul, but with the incredible old and new LA based Korean talent, I think that casting and recording locally is more than ever before a viable option. Here is a short primer on recording internationally; various technologies used together for facilitating client approvals and producer decisions.
Primer on the new methods of recording without boundries in Asia, Canada, and the United States:
Skype: We use skype mostly when we record in China and Toronto. Computer to computer, there are no charges incurred, and the signal is better than a phone patch. Preview quality.
Broadcast VO anywhere
Source Live: Pro Tools software that enables to stream the session to ITunes and Quicktime installed on any computer in the world. Clients and producers then can communicate to us via a Phone Patch. Sometimes we use this software even to get approvals from agency creative teams assembled in their conference room, and other remote language coaches
Shanghai
Source Connect: Any 2 Pro Tools studios can exchange files in real time anywhere in the world. For instance, talent in Shanghai records in real time right onto our armed Pro Tools track in Los Angeles. Over the internet. Was buggy, but now ready for Prime Time.
XSTREAM/APT
Digital Patch: In use since 1990, allows any 2 studios in the world to receive and send over dedicated phone lines. This is now an option for Canada, China, Singapore, and other international locations. It is the most tried and true solution, but it is not the cheapest, especially when used internationally.
Comrex DH20 Pro Phone Patch
Phone Patch: The old standby for gaining client and voice coach approvals. Together with the newer technologies, this remains a universally accepted method. Surprisingly, hardly any facilities in China and India make this available. At The MIX, we only work with facilities that allow constant communication with the engineer and talent.
Thanks for reading. Email or call me if you want to know more, or need help casting and recording your next gig. And the upcoming blogs about casting kids in LA are cute, as well as informative. Get ready to meet some amazingly diverse and creative, hard working talent in their own right, willing to mentor a whole new generation.
Warm Regards; Ted Lobinger
We Are The MIX; That’s What We Do!
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