Introduction
Hello mga kapitVAHay! My name is Dave Soltura, and I’m the founder of Voice Actors at Home PH.
In this channel, we hope to give away tons of free, quality content to help Filipino voice actors go full-time and grow their voice acting businesses.
Ngayon, let’s answer the question, “Kailangan ko ba ng Source-Connect?” or “Do I need Source-Connect?”
Heads up lang that this is not a sponsored video, so lahat ng sasabihin ko is my full and honest opinion.
Two Ways to Work as a Voice Actors
So normally, there are two ways to work as a voice actor.
First is on-site sa studio. Here, you get the advantage of working with the director who gives you live feedback.
So pag nagkamali ka, they can instantly tell you what to correct, and you can revise in real-time.
You also get to work with a recording engineer (got to love them!) who takes care of the recording software para hindi ka na nagmo-multi-task and voice acting na lang iintindihin mo.
But please, wag kayong mag-record sa beach kasi ang ingay doon!
Dito, typically mag-isa ka lang, and you record your script on your own.
When you’re done recording, ide-delete mo yung bad takes mo, tapos ise-send mo yung recording sa client.
Then after a few hours or days, bibigyan ka nila ng feedback, then you send your revisions, and this goes on and on until matapos yung project.
Ngayon, okay yun if you know exactly what your client wants or hindi sya masyadong particular sa details.
But if you don’t know what your client wants, baka abutin kayo ng ilang buwan kaka-back and forth.
What is Source-Connect
Diyan pumapasok yung Source-Connect.
Isa syang tool na nagfa-facilitate ng remote audio collaboration or live recording session. So di ba when we are called into our recording software, kung Reaper man yan, Pro Tools or Adobe Audition, yung recordings na se-save sa mga hard drive or local storage ng computer natin.
But if you and your client have Source-Connect, when you record, your recordings will end up not sa hard drive mo pero lalabas sila dun sa recording software ng client mo, in real-time without any quality loss.
Makikita nila yung waveforms na nabubuo sa screen nila across the globe.
That means, even when you’re from home, you get the advantages of an on-site recording session, such as getting real-time feedback from your client and director and working with our beloved audio engineers.
Rule of thumb lang din, that while recording through Source-Connect, it’s good practice to record simultaneously into your own recording software as well para meron kayong back-up.
Pero, going back to the question…
Kailangan ko ba ng Source-Connect
Kailangan nga ba natin ang Source-Connect?
For absolute beginners, no. For more advanced voice actors who have been doing this for maybe a year or two, it’s a very viable professional tool to consider.
If you want to record some big commercials and projects, especially overseas, many of them are recorded via Source-Connect.
Three Versions of Source-Connect
Ngayon, when we’re asking if we need Source-Connect, we usually mean “Kailangan ba natin ng Source-Connect Standard?”
Kasi there are three general versions of Source-Connect: Source-Connect Now, Source-Connect Standard, and Source-Connect Pro and Pro X.
Pero medyo overkill na yung pangatlo for voice actors, kasi it’s aimed at high-end studios, so let’s skip that.
Dun sa dalawa, we have Source-Connect Now and Source-Connect Standard.
Source-Connect Now is free and browser-based. Ang disadvantage niya is hindi siya kasing stable ng Source-Connect Standard, and minsan may maririnig kang pops and click sa audio.
According to an engineer na nakausap ko, minsan parang ma-fast forward or “chipmunk” yung boses mo out of nowhere, so syempre ayaw ni client yun.
As for Source-Connect Standard, ito yung may bayad and dina-download siya and you have to install it into your computer.
Magkano ang Source-Connect
You can go to the Source-Connect website for the latest payment models. Pero as of today in 2023, meron silang subscription plan na $35 per month na merong $75 installation fee, same cost as three years ago.
Pero kung sa tingin mong madalas mo siyang gagamitin, you can buy the lifetime license for the present version of Source-Connect Standard for $650.
Thoughts ko sa Source-Connect
Yung ginawa ko nung simula ay only subscribed to the monthly plan when I needed to use it, so medyo $5 to $7k yun up front.
Pero I was willing to do this kasi ginamit ko siya for my first professionally produced demo reel with a studio in Los Angeles.
After that, for months di na ako nag-subscribe. Eventually, pinag-ipunan ko na yung lifetime license for Source-Connect Standard.
Did I have clients that needed Source-Connect Standard at that time? Honestly, wala.
But now, since I had it, I could add Source-Connect to my marketing copy, LinkedIn, website, etc., so that I could attract clients who look for Source-Connect ready voice actors.
But you know what? After na-record yung demo ko, it took three years before I actually used it in a paid session.
Though, disclaimer lang na hindi ako actively nagma-market nung time na yun, so I don’t think it has to take that long bago mo siya magamit.
Now, this was for an agency based in LA, and they chose me out of dozens of talents.
One contributing factor was that I was Source-Connect ready.
They were actually willing to work with talents na gamit lang yung Source-Connect Now, but Standard gave me an edge, and the TF from that project paid for the lifetime license several times over.
So, bawing-bawi yung investment.
But honestly, maraming projects na magaganda that don’t need it. Around 99.5% of my projects today don’t use it, and minsan okay na yung Zoom or other meeting tools for clients.
Meron ding emerging free alternatives tulad ng CleanFeed. Catch lang is hindi siya kasing kilala.
Bottomline
Bottom line is, you do not need Source-Connect Standard, but it will give you a competitive edge and the chance to work on projects that do require it.
Hope you guys got value from this video, and please make sure to subscribe to this channel and hit that notification bell so that you don’t miss our free voice acting education. See you guys next time!
What? San nanggaling yun?
See you in this next video.
Introduction
Hello my kapitVAHays! My name is Dave Soltura, and I’m the founder of Voice Actors at Home PH.
On this channel, we hope to provide tons of free, quality content to help Filipino voice actors transition to full-time and grow their voice acting businesses.
Now, let’s answer the question, “Do I need Source-Connect?”
Heads up that this is not a sponsored video, so everything I’m going to say is my full and honest opinion.
Two Ways to Work as Voice Actors
Normally, there are two ways to work as a voice actor.
First is on-site at the studio. Here, you get the advantage of working with a director who gives you live feedback.
So if you make a mistake, they can instantly tell you what to correct, and you can revise in real-time.
You also get to work with a recording engineer (got to love them!) who takes care of the recording software, so you don’t have to multitask and can focus on voice acting.
But please, don’t record at the beach because it’s too noisy!
In this case, you typically work alone and record your script on your own.
When you’re done recording, you delete your bad takes and send the recording to the client.
Then after a few hours or days, they provide feedback, and you send your revisions. This goes on until the project is finished.
Now, that’s fine if you know exactly what your client wants or if they aren’t too particular about details.
But if you don’t know what your client wants, you may spend months going back and forth.
What is Source-Connect
This is where Source-Connect comes in.
It’s a tool that facilitates remote audio collaboration or live recording sessions. So when we’re recording using our recording software, whether it’s Reaper, Pro Tools, or Adobe Audition, the recordings are saved on our computer’s hard drive or local storage.
But if you and your client have Source-Connect, when you record, your recordings will end up not on your hard drive but in your client’s recording software, in real-time without any quality loss.
They can see the waveforms being created on their screen across the globe.
That means, even when you’re working from home, you get the advantages of an on-site recording session, such as getting real-time feedback from your client and director and working with our beloved audio engineers.
As a rule of thumb, while recording through Source-Connect, it’s good practice to record simultaneously into your own recording software as well, so you have a backup.
But, going back to the question…
Do I Need Source-Connect
Do we need Source-Connect?
For absolute beginners, no. For more advanced voice actors who have been doing this for maybe a year or two, it’s a very viable professional tool to consider.
If you want to record some big commercials and projects, especially overseas, many of them are recorded via Source-Connect.
Three Versions of Source-Connect
Now, when we’re asking if we need Source-Connect, we usually mean “Do we need Source-Connect Standard?”
There are three general versions of Source-Connect: Source-Connect Now, Source-Connect Standard, and Source-Connect Pro and Pro X.
The third one is overkill for voice actors because it’s aimed at high-end studios, so let’s skip that.
Among the two, we have Source-Connect Now and Source-Connect Standard.
Source-Connect Now is free and browser-based. Its disadvantage is that it’s not as stable as Source-Connect Standard, and sometimes you may hear pops and clicks in the audio.
According to an engineer I spoke with, sometimes it seems like your voice is fast-forwarded or sounds “chipmunked” out of nowhere, so of course, clients don’t like that.
As for Source-Connect Standard, it’s the paid version, which you need to download and install on your computer.
How Much is Source-Connect
You can visit the Source-Connect website for the latest payment models. But as of today in 2023, they have a subscription plan of $35 per month with a $75 installation fee, the same cost as three years ago.
However, if you think you’ll use it frequently, you can buy the lifetime license for the present version of Source-Connect Standard for $650.
My Thoughts on Source-Connect
Initially, I only subscribed to the monthly plan when I needed to use it, which cost around $5 to $7k upfront.
But I was willing to do this because I used it for my first professionally produced demo reel with a studio in Los Angeles.
After that, I didn’t subscribe for months. Eventually, I saved up for the lifetime license for Source-Connect Standard.
Did I have clients who needed Source-Connect Standard at that time? Honestly, no.
But now, since I had it, I could add Source-Connect to my marketing copy, LinkedIn, website, etc., so that I could attract clients who look for Source-Connect-ready voice actors.
But you know what? After recording my demo, it took three years before I actually used it in a paid session.
Though, I must note that I wasn’t actively marketing myself at the time, so I don’t think it has to take that long before you can use it.
Now, this was for an agency based in LA, and they chose me out of dozens of talents.
One contributing factor was that I was Source-Connect ready.
They were actually willing to work with talents who only used Source-Connect Now, but Standard gave me an edge, and the TF from that project paid for the lifetime license several times over.
So, the investment was more than worth it.
But honestly, many great projects don’t need it. Around 99.5% of my projects today don’t use it, and sometimes Zoom or other meeting tools are enough for clients.
There are also emerging free alternatives like CleanFeed. The catch is they aren’t as well-known.
Bottomline
The bottom line is, you do not need Source-Connect Standard, but it will give you a competitive edge and the chance to work on projects that do require it.
I hope you guys got value from this video, and please make sure to subscribe to this channel and hit that notification bell so that you don’t miss our free voice acting education. See you guys next time!
What? Where did that come from?
See you in the next video.