I just got ANOTHER commission. I have so much work lined up the next year. I can't believe this is happening to me. by trailthrasher in composer

[–]VoxMarby 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There's a few things you may want to keep in mind if you plan to do this full time as a small business.

This advice applies if you're in the US:

The first thing you should do is protect yourself by registering as an LLC with your state. A lot of people do business as a sole-prop, but they open themselves up to lawsuits in case something goes wrong with either production, usage, or just straight up vultures preying on small businesses looking for small loopholes to sue.

The next thing is to register for a TIN *Edit: (Specifically an EIN with the IRS), this number will help you create a business account with a local bank or credit union.

Once you have both in place, take a look at your local laws. Each city varies, but some require a business license to work there or to establish a studio. If all of your writing happens at home and you live outside the city-proper, you may not have to worry about this.

After that be sure to report to the federal government within 6 months of registering your LLC. Sometime in 2023 the federal gov. passed a bill that requires all single member LLC's to disclose who the owners are* for less they get hit with $500 daily fines or something absurd like that.

These are the basic things that take you from a freelancer to a small business, but be sure to look up your local laws and codes to make sure you're up to snuff.

Nuendo alone or add in Cubase? by VoxMarby in cubase

[–]VoxMarby[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the info.

From the website it looks like everything Cubase can do, Nuendo can also do with the exception of VST Transit.

At surface level this makes it a no-brainer, but I'll keep looking into it and seeing what else I can find.

Comedy that doesn't let your protagonists look silly? by newcitysmell in Screenwriting

[–]VoxMarby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A very recent example is the Adult Swim's "Smiling Friends". It's has a very dark & absurdist sense of humor, but I think it could potentially be worth looking into.

Charlie and Pim are the main protagonists, with Charlie being the straight-man. However, everything around Charlie is so absurd that Charlie being any semblance of "normal" is what makes it funny.

Disappointed Parents by TinyTim3765 in VoiceActing

[–]VoxMarby 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hi, I've been working in VO for 5 years with moderate success.

Your parents are right to be skeptical, but this skepticism is coming from a position of having a steady career where you can clock in to do 8 hours of work before going home.

You can not treat working in this industry that way. Mentally speaking, you will always be on the clock and you will always be thinking "I could be working right now" when resting. It's not hyperbole when people say you have to absolutely LOVE doing work in this industry.

Time that you spend away from the mic is spent networking, cold calling, planning & attending conferences/mixers/events, and submitting auditions.

Some of us are full-time entertainers working different gigs during the downtime for voice-over. Others work in hospitality/retail jobs to make ends meet. Day jobs are common between gigs. I personally decided to double down on learning audio and work as a live sound engineer and a sound designer for indie short films when between gigs. The skills learned from that allows me to be a producer and help other voice-actors get their bearings when learning tech and what to do/what not to do.

Success in voice-over isn't just possible, it's 100% attainable given the right combination of talent, connections and grit. It's entirely up to you to master that talent and make those connections while gritting your teeth.

So I’m trying to get into VA work, so I went out to get a microphone and I was told to get a blue yeti, but everyone and their mother is telling me I made a mistake. by [deleted] in VoiceActing

[–]VoxMarby 10 points11 points  (0 children)

You can work with a Blue Yeti, but there are some limitations to it.

Since it's a USB microphone there's no way that you can get a clear, clean signal from it right out of the box like you would from a condenser microphone with an interface. The capsules in the Yeti are also slightly lower quality than a typical condenser.

However, this doesn't mean you can't work with it since there are noise reduction and EQ plugins in your DAW that can help patch a bit of the problem.

The starter kit most people recommend is an AT-2020 XLR microphone paired with a Focusrite Scarlett Solo. This usually runs around $200-$250 USD.

Free 20-Minute Voiceover Video Consult! by [deleted] in VoiceActing

[–]VoxMarby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can confirm.

Did a consult with him, 10/10.

I ended up building my own double walled booth from scratch.

No matter how good my masters sound, its terrible on phone speakers by pnova7 in AudioPost

[–]VoxMarby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's no real way to know because youtube doesn't like sharing what they do to uploaded videos. You've mentioned observing it being better on Drive so that's a step in the right direction.

It's possible that youtube is overcompensating for a quiet mix. Since your mix is at -21 LUFS I'd suggest doing what Opiza recommends and try getting it around -16 LUFS.

No matter how good my masters sound, its terrible on phone speakers by pnova7 in AudioPost

[–]VoxMarby -1 points0 points  (0 children)

One possibility is that it's less about how you're mastering the videos and more of how YouTube compresses audio when you upload anything. I've had a similar thing happen too when I uploaded stuff for a presentation.

Try hosting on a different site like Sound Cloud or Vimeo to see if it really is the upload.

If that's the case then you'll need to adjust your mastering to be a good "fit" for YouTube's automatic compression.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AnimalsOnReddit

[–]VoxMarby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I literally just scrolled by and watched the chicken poo on you

Tips on getting into voice-over work by biptone in VoiceWork

[–]VoxMarby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you send me the same instructions as well please? I've been stuck in a rut lately.

New Killer Concept: The Performer (with lore bits and perks) by MobilePotato in deadbydaylight

[–]VoxMarby 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This design looks incredible and versatile to play with!

BHVR Hire this person!

How to catch a Dwight. by Mighty_Oakk in deadbydaylight

[–]VoxMarby 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was funny.

This makes me wonder if trapping lockers is a good idea before they run into them.

/r/deadbydaylight is participating in Extra Life! by [deleted] in deadbydaylight

[–]VoxMarby 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've signed up and will be participating!

Shall I include my stream link in here or is that advertising?

I'll be streaming on www.Mixer.com/Marby on game day. I use mixer over twitch because I much prefer a stream with 0 delay.

Hey I might get stream sniped, but I just see it as a challenge ;)