mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster
Rank Points: 5158
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged
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Audition: New Voice of Beethro (0)
When TCB was completed, Erik and I learned that we won't be able to get Sten Ryason back to help with recording the voice of Beethro in future games. That was a sad day, nevertheless it's not a serious problem: Beethro doesn't have to have the same voice in all games in the DROD franchise, just like James Bond and Batman have been played by many different actors.
Caravel is ready to start recording lines for the next Smitemaster's Selection, to be released soon after, and that means it's time to find a new voice for Beethro. I've heard forumites do good Beethro impersonations, so I'm opening up the audition to you on the Caravel Forum! Think of the prestige! Think of the glory!
What You Need
You don't need much to nab this glamorous role besides:
* having been a member of the forum for at least 3-4 months (we'd like to pick someone who would be willing to stick around to keep recording for Beethro in future game titles, like "The Second Sky")
* a decent quality mic
* a voice
More on these below...
What You Get
If you are chosen for the part, you'll need to record a few pages of lines for this SmS, and sign an agreement giving Caravel Games ownership of your recordings. So that's maybe an hour of work for you. In return, we'll add you to the credits for the upcoming SmS and send you a free CD when it's released. If you already have Smitemaster credits to your name, we'll send you a CD, plus find something else to send you from the Prize Pile. Also, you will be first in line to voice Beethro in future game titles, and we would contact you as new projects come up.
Recording Tips
The quality of your recording is just as important to me as your acting talent and voice. If the audition recording sounds bad, we can't use you, unfortunately. So here are some tips for getting a good recording to us.
* Experiment with different microphones if you've got them. I'm not going to suggest anyone go out and buy a microphone for this tiny little project. But if you are inclined towards future recording projects (not just with us) then even a relatively cheap $30 microphone can help sound quality a lot.
* Reduce noise as much as you can. Turn off fans, printers, and other noise-making devices in the room. Put a thick blanket, like a sleeping bag, over your computer. If you've got a laptop, then you can possibly walk into a low-noise room like a closet or bathroom and try recording there.
* Find the best distance between your mouth and the microphone. Too far away and your quiet voice will need to be amplified with software, which increases the noise level. Too close and your recording will sound distorted from clipping, which occurs when the volume of your voice exceeds what the microphone was designed to capture.
* Watch P's ("purple poppies") and S's ("suffering sucotash") since these tend to produce artifacts from the extra wind you are blowing into the microphone. Being slightly to the right or left of the microphone helps avoid artifacts. Also, a lot of mics have windscreens, which are usually just a foamy ball that covers the microphone head. In a pinch, you can place a sheet of paper between your mouth and the mic.
* Don't add any special effects or filters to the recording, including noise reduction. We prefer to do all that stuff ourselves and just want your raw voice.
* Use mono (not stereo), 44.1khz, 16bit lossless recording settings. For posting attachments for this audition, you may save your audio in MP3 or OGG format instead of WAV in order to keep attachments small, as long as you understand we will need lossless audio for actual game lines.
* You don't have to worry about editing your recordings (i.e. you don't have to record one line per file, chop up your lines into separate files, or anything tricky). Just record one file with all the lines you're going to speak. We'll be taking care of all the dirty work for you when we put you into the game, so you don't have to sweat over stuff like that.
Audition Lines
To audition, simply post some recordings of your voice as Beethro here. Choose some of your favorite Beethro lines from previous DROD games, or something similar that might sound like Beethro said it (be creative, and enjoy yourself!) as a sample. You may try to imitate Sten's voice as Beethro, or the Webfoot Beethro (remember that funky scream?), or voice Beethro in the way you have always envisioned him, like Larry Murk did in Odd Jobs.
Please, don't ask me how I want lines to be recorded. Just try it one or more ways that you like. In your recordings, try at least one natural-sounding voice along with other variants or weird ones, so I can get an idea what your unfunky voice sounds like. Also, I'll mention there are many more parts up for grabs than just Beethro. I might like a voice you use for a different part.
Participation/Time Limit
This isn't a contest, but people may comment on the voices posted here and give feedback. However, final decision on who gets selected for what parts is up to Caravel.
There's no set time limit for this, but we hope you can post here over the next week or so. You may post audition audio here at any time until I announce we've chosen someone for the part.
Have fun, and I hope to hear you soon!
____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.
[Last edited by mrimer at 05-28-2008 06:01 PM]
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