Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Shortcomings of the DIY'er

The Earful – October 2010
By Tim Underwood
www.thewebvoice.com
 
The following is in response to another blog at articulate.com.

The original post and subsequent comments were discussing how amateurs could improve the quality of home recordings for the purpose of incorporating self-narration into e-Learning software that they or their company were planning to take to market.

Hello Tom-

Well-written and some good pointers for those getting their feet wet in the world of "do-it-yourself" recording! Your four basic tips are indeed crucial to improving the quality of an audio recording.

In reading your article, I'm reminded of a "do-it-yourself" project I embarked on several years ago.

As a way to save money (or so I thought), I was determined to try my hand at remodeling the back section of a small home I was living in. Nothing major mind you; no load-bearing walls to deal with or concrete to pour, just a little framing and Sheetrock work I thought...easy, right?

I pulled out my trusty, mid-70s era "do-it-yourself" manual from Reader's Digest and headed down to the neighborhood hardware store for mud, tape, nails and some friendly, hometown advice.

Later that month, still immersed in measuring, sawing, cursing, mudding, taping and cursing more, I was nearing the finishing point and mostly fed-up with the experience.

I'd made somewhat of a mess of things. The new door/frame assembly was cockeyed in the framed area I'd installed it into, the seam lines at the join points in the Sheetrock were far from unnoticeable and my sense of pride was shattered when my then fiancée was less than overwhelmed with my handy-work.

Without much debate, we relinquished ourselves to hire a professional carpenter to come in and finish the job.

The man was a true diplomat in his critique of my work, though his underlying message was abundantly clear: kid, you're in over your head.

I was indeed.

Had I finished the job, would I have been proud enough to bring my friends back to the room and boast about my “weekend warrior” carpentry skills?

Heck no.

As I recall, the bill to make things right was about $1200 for three days' work. The end result was not only professional, it was “boast-worthy”.

Hopefully, this little story should underscore something of larger importance: even if you have the best of intentions and think you have the right tools, a professional performing their craft will produce markedly better results.

I know when to check my ego at the door. I know the difference between well-done and wannabe and I wish more people did.

I'd NEVER present this work to neighbors or friends (let alone potential consumers) as a representation of my "skills" and no way would I ever think to take a product to market that reflected such.

Voice talent "warriors" go into recording with the best of intentions. They think, "hey, I've got a good voice, a computer and a USB microphone - how hard can it be, right?"

Hmm.

I had a book, tool belt, saw and a hammer.

What I lacked was skill, experience and an undying passion for the work I was attempting.

As my left foot returns to the ground from the soapbox:

If you want to have fun with consumer-grade equipment and an untrained voice, go wild on YouTube or make your significant other an audio greeting card.

If you’re a company taking an e-Learning course to market, hire a professional voice talent with professional equipment. The reasonable investment you make will pay you back many times over and save you a mountain of frustration, money (yes, time is money) and embarrassment in the process.

The professionals are waiting at www.thewebvoice.com

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