Posts

Bonnie's hand holding a Singing Straw in front of her DAW software

What do you keep in your utility belt?

For anyone interested in voice acting, you’ll need to pay extra attention to your daily vocal care routine. You want to be prepared for when your voice gets strained and take note of any symptoms. And when that happens, you’ll need an important tool to help ease the strain on your voice. But what if you could do that and add that extra ‘oomph’ to your vocal warmups?

This is where a Singing/Straw comes in handy.

Now you might be wondering, “What is a singing straw and how does it work?”

I first heard about them when I bought a competitor’s product in early 2021… and then lost it on my move back to Los Angeles. Sigh.

Enter the Singing/Straw. I believe it was a targeted ad on social media that got me. It looked pretty comparable to what I got last time, so I thought I’d give it a try. I had a big recording session in Washington, DC and brought it with me. Unloaded my stuff after arrival in the hotel room, came back, and it was gone. Pretty sure it was stolen. And it was still in the packaging. Double sigh.

I got an email from the folks at Singing/Straw asking me how I enjoyed my purchase and I told them I wish I could’ve given a testimonial but it was gone, and I would buy another. You know what they did? They sent me another one for free. Out of the kindness of their hearts. How amazing, right?

You know what they say, the third time’s the charm, right?

So I got my new one and oh WOW, what a difference it makes! I do a lot of vocally taxing work and even after long sessions, my voice is less tired when I use the Singing Straw versus when I don’t.

When they asked if I wanted to be an affiliate, I jumped at the chance.

So all that is great but what exactly is a singing straw? A singing straw is just that – it’s an eco-friendly singing straw that helps you warm your vocals up. Not just for voice acting, but also for speaking and for singing as well. It can also build flexibility and stamina, reinforce a healthy resonance, reduce unnecessary strain and tension, and heal your voice for when you’re tired or sick. The best part about it is that it was designed based on the latest in voice science.

I personally use this tool every day, since my voice is my biggest asset and I want to help take care of it as much as I can. And in true VO Superhero style, I think it also gives my vocal range a good powerup whenever I need it.

Want to get your own Singing Straw? Just use the code VOSuperhero at checkout to take 15% off of your next purchase!

Happy singing!

Bonnie's hand holding a Singing Straw in front of her DAW software
Here’s a picture of me… well, my left hand, in my home studio with my Singing Straw!

/by
The Voiceover Superhero with her Sennheiser MKH 416 microphone

everyone loves a happy ending

After a friend pointed this out, I realized I never updated you on the microphone situation here on the blog! I’m happy to report that the case with eBay was resolved in our favor, we got refunded, and I reached out to my rep at Sweetwater who hooked me up with my new (really really FOR REAL THIS TIME) Sennheiser MKH 416 and I LOVE IT SO MUCH 😍⁣
⁣
I’m not getting rid of my Neumann TLM 103 though. That’s been my baby for years, and has voiced hundreds of projects. But it’s become best buddies with my new one and we’ll all be a happy little VO family ❤⁣
⁣
Wanna hear my Sennheiser in action for your next project? Send me an email and we’ll get to work 🦸🏼‍♀️💥⁣
⁣

/by

if it seems too good to be true…

I failed 😬

Instead of pretending it didn’t happen, we’re gonna talk about it because I think there’s a lesson to be learned here.

I recently shared a picture on my Instagram of my booth with my new mic. It got a lot of engagement and really hyped me up, and I was so excited to use it. Cool, right?

Well… as some of my eagle-eyed friends noticed, it wasn’t actually a 416. I didn’t even really notice as I was putting it together. I thought it looked a little funny, but since I’ve never used a shotgun mic before, how would I have known? Bingo.

It wasn’t until my friend and all-around rockstar VO genius Mike DeLay at Real Voice LA sent me a kind DM pointing out that it looked like a different mic – the ME 66 for those who are curious – and to make sure I didn’t get scammed. (Big thanks again, Mike! And if you’re not following him and Real Voice LA, you totally should).

Turns out we got scammed.

My husband, who does not work in our industry, knew I wanted a 416 for a long time, so he went on eBay to get one for me. Found a seller with great reviews and the picture in the listing was a legit 416. As soon as it arrived, it was wrapped up and ready for the holidays. It was at a significant price cut, great seller, what’s there to lose?

After Mike reached out to me and I confirmed that the mic we got was NOT the one in the listing, we opened up a case with eBay. The seller fought us on it and said we were wrong, so we had to escalate the situation. I’m sure it’s a good mic – but the price difference between a $150 mic and a $1200 mic is noticeable – and when you’re paying money for a mic, you want to make sure you’re getting the right one.

It’s been sent back, our refund is pending, and I’m on the hunt for a new one.


Moral of the story?

– Have a support team. I’m not in any way bashing my husband’s efforts in getting me this new mic and that isn’t my intent by sharing this. He’s a really good egg, and if I’m grateful to have someone who believes in me as much as he does. He did a good thing. I’d like to give the seller the benefit of the doubt as well, that maybe they made a mistake and didn’t try to scam us. Optimism, I guess.


– Piggybacking off the first point of having a good support team. Build relationships with people in your industry. If Mike hadn’t reached out to me, I’m sure it would have taken me a long time to figure it out, or it would have been pointed out to me in a way that would have been maybe more embarrassing, like with a client. Yikes. 

– Be someone that can take feedback with your career (and life). If I had told Mike he was wrong, being the expert that he is, and went along my merry way, that would make me look like a total ding-dong, right?

– Share your wins and your losses. Maybe they can show some reality to an otherwise perfectly curated feed and be a teachable moment. 

– NOT EVERYTHING YOU SEE AND READ ON THE INTERNET IS TRUE. 

– You can still be a pro and make mistakes. It happens. Move on.

– Know your gear 😉

– Be careful about who you purchase your equipment from. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Whew! I already feel better just sharing that. Did I miss anything or did you feel better after reading that? Let me know in the comments.

/by