15 replies to this topic

[Kliban_Katz]

_{Kliban_Katz}

Actor Fast Stats:

Age: 21
Gender: Female
Race: Caucasian
Last Updated: March 6, 2012
Active Member: No.

Playable Races:
MW-style Altmer & Bosmer. Skyrim-style Nords, Bretons, Khajiits and Imperials. OB-style Bretons and Imperials. Available in child, adult, matronly, and elderly. If you need something else in particular, let me know. Sultry and Daedra Prince (F) also available.

Experience:
Oct. 2011: Elizabetha of Better Cities for Oblivion. (~50 lines)
Nov. 2011: Lady Trivelda of Better Cities for Oblivion. (~50 lines)

Skills:
I can record and/or convert into commonly used formats. I can add filters and otherwise enhance voice recordings. I can generate LIP files. I have knowledge of the TESCS (MW & OB), TES lore and history, and story writing. No experience in Skyrim CK thus far. I have experience in improv as well as memorizing scripts from my years in Drama. I am very concerned with what is “believable” and of “sound TES lore,” which counts for my characters as well. I am no stranger to whimsy, though.

About Me:
My hobbies include creative and persuasive writing, voice acting, singing, teaching children, blogging, modding, and nerding on Elder Scrolls lore. When I was in Middle School (about 8 years ago) I really wanted to be a voice actor. I have always loved theatre, music, and the written word. In my writing I am very concerned with character voice and making things “believable.” As such, I feel that the characters I lend my voice to must also have a unique voice and characterization. The most important thing though is that I think doing voice overs for TES and similar projects would be a great experience and a lot of fun.

F.A.Q.

• Can you take basic direction?
  Definitely.
  
• Do you have a functioning microphone and knowledge using audio software?
  I own a Unidirectional Dynamic Radio Shack microphone with stand. I record using Audacity and I am able to generate LIP files for Oblivion.
  
• Can you commit to finishing a project?
  Yes.
  
• Can you handle more than one character for the same project?
  That depends on the amount of dialogue needed for a particular combination of characters, but under normal circumstances, yes, that seems manageable.
  
• Are your characters more comedic, dramatic, or can you handle both styles?
  In my writing I prefer a more dramatic style, but vocally I can accommodate both, as well as various degrees in between.
  
• If a line does not meet the standards of the director, are you willing to do retakes?
  Of course, and in a timely manner.
  
• On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is very versatile, how versatile is your voice acting?
  I have a rather large vocal range, and I’ve had experience with many different characters through my years in Drama, so I think a 7 would be fair.
  
• What, if any, language accents can you imitate?
  Natively I speak American English (NJ), but I am also capable of various European accents, Japanese, and the Southern twang and the forgotten “Valley Girl” of the USA. If for any reason Japanese language is needed, I have an intermediate understanding of the language.

Voice Samples: Kliban_Katz ONMVOICE Samples updated using NEW audio card! (More to come!)


Additional Statement

I am officially on hiatus from VA and I may or may not return. Coursework, impending graduation, and other projects have left me with very little time to devote to voice acting, and I regret to say that I am unable to contribute to the modding community right now. I appreciate all of the help and the time I was able to spend with you all.

Edited by Kliban_Katz, 23 March 2012 - 02:32 AM.

[DarkRider]

Great job on your archive, and welcome to the group, I look forward to hearing your samples!

[Kliban_Katz]

The samples are coming along nicely, but I am having a bit of technical trouble. Both sound cards (desktop and laptop) are integrated and nothing to brag about. My card on my laptop produces pretty inferior recordings due to low volume and very noticible white noise even when distancing myself from the unit and otherwise taking steps to reduce noise. When I use audacity to filter the white noise (the beta) that terrible metallic chirping shows itself and gets worse when I raise the DBs. Ive tried another mic out to rule out that part of it. It's gotta be the card.
The desktop is better, but I still feel that the recording is rather quiet and still requires white noise filtering (lacks that metal sound though, luckily) and amplification even though Im speaking loud and clear in a "silent" room. Both run on XP and have the same version of audacity. Im using a unidirectional dynamic mic.

Recordings are rediculously awesome on my boyfriend's pc though, but his soundcard is awesome too.

Could it /possibly/ be acoustics?

The recordings I'm keeping I feel are fit for the archive and useable for projects when I'm done with them, but if theres a way to improve the purity of sound and volume from the get-go without buying anything extra, Id sure like to know.

Do you guys with condeser mics have to do the same kind of editing or are these the issues exclusive to inexpensive hardware?

Im sorry, Im just full of questions. Ill upload some clips tonight from the desktop so you guys can get a feel for things. Any help is appreciated.

Edited by Kliban_Katz, 16 October 2011 - 02:45 AM.

[Edouard]

Hi, K_Kat!

Welcome to the VAP.

First let me say that you are too good to have your efforts adulterated by poor equipment.

From your post I can assume that you are using a dynamic microphone plugged into the sound card or the laptop audio inputs. More than likely there is an impedance mismatch (among other things.) You are also relying on the card's digit/analog converter (DAC.)

One way to bypass your poor audio card is to get a USB mic. These plug into the USB port on your PC and contain their own DAC. Of course you won't be much better off if you get a cheap one. Expect to pay around $100. There are a half dozen acceptable ones.

If you are really serious about doing voice work you should consider the Shure PG42USB. it can be had for under $230. As a bonus it has a nice metal carrying case and a spider shock mount (which alone can cost upwards of $30.) It is specifically built as a vocal mic. It's a large diaphragm condenser type which operates off the power of the USB bus.

Condenser mics have a proximity effect that can lend a fuller, warmer quality to the voice; something that can be important to a female performer. Many mics can make the female voice sound shrill.

I'm sure that others will recommend their favorite mic. it's really a very personal thing. you can find some professional reviews on You Tube to help you decide. here's one for the PG42USB PG42USB Review . Sure also makes an analog version (PG42) without the USB. Remember it is not possible to compare analog and digital mics. The analogs are run through pre-processors that are adjustable and sometimes cost 10 times what the mics do. The digital mics have all that built in and preset.

[Kliban_Katz]

Thank you for your concern and suggestions, Edouard. I see you'e provided a lot of microphone alternatives. My mic is a good mic, though, as I've tested it on a PC with an aftermarket sound card, so I'm not really looking to replace it for the moment. I've determined the problem to be an inferior sound chip for both pcs, and the quickest/cheapest fix is probably replacing the desktop's sound card. I'm upgrading to an Audigy 2 zs, which is the card the other PC had and just within budget thanks to ebay, and I hope to be good to go by the second week of Nov.

Upon receipt there will be all new samples, promise!

[Aranas]

Audacity's Noise Removal device can probably get rid of that scratchy background noise. My suggestion is to do your voice work as far away from your computer as humanly possible to lessen background noises.

Wait... No, forget I said anything. Just read your last post... I should really start doing that before I post. <.<

Edited by Aranas, 28 October 2011 - 09:23 AM.

[Edouard]

Thank you for your concern and suggestions, Edouard. <snip> I'm upgrading to an Audigy 2 zs, which is the card the other PC had and just within budget thanks to ebay, and I hope to be good to go by the second week of Nov.

Upon receipt there will be all new samples, promise!

You're welcome. Whatever works best for youis certainly the way to go. Looking forward to hearing your new demos.

[TardisChan]

Looking forward to them!

(More female VA's are a good thing!)

[darkspace]

Hey Welcome Aboard!

I knew when I started voice acting here a few months ago, everyone was quite helpful and I much appreciated any extra advice I could get. Edouard is correct when he implies that it's preferable to bypass the soundcard completely by using an XLR mic with a USB preamp; you're sound processing BEFORE anything reaches the sound card. The new USB mics may be really good, but I haven't been convinced, since they must go to soundcard for processing still, albeit with much cleaner signals.

The total combo for xlr (analog/non-USB) mic (cheaper than USB mic alone) and attachable USB preamp can be around $150-$200. In other words, whether you go USB mic or Analog mic with USB preamp (usually little machine connected right to the mic) you're paying the same thing but probably getting the best sound out of the xlr/preamp combo since you can turn knobs on the preamp to adjust your voice before it gets into the PC - in other words, the preamp IS the soundcard, and it's designed JUST for voice, where soundcards obviously are designed for much less intensive applications (simple playback) than actually processing sound. I guess we're both trying to say soundcards alone are usually NOT at all well-equipped to handle intensive sound processing coming from the human voice with all its lows, mediums and highs. Down the road, if you find voice acting to be a serious endeavor, you will want to get a condenser mic since the quickest/cheapest fix can actually slow things down and cost more down the road.

HOWEVER, since apparently your voice has lucked out with the bf's rig, and you are going the soundcard replacement route, good news, it may just work out fine! Just make sure to update the drivers as soon as you get the card, http://tinyurl.com/5gvrdo and cross your fingers! You have an excellent voice judging by the demos, and the lore and dedication to character through dramatic training can only make you that much stronger. If the soundcard works out, then you are clearly blessed by your patron, Zenithar.

It's a lot to digest, and the learning curve is nothing to sneeze at, but then again, you have talent and drive, so I'll wrap with:

Break a Leg!

[Edouard]

Hey Welcome Aboard!

I knew when I started voice acting here a few months ago, everyone was quite helpful and I much appreciated any extra advice I could get. Edouard is correct when he implies that it's preferable to bypass the soundcard completely by using an XLR mic with a USB preamp; you're sound processing BEFORE anything reaches the sound card. The new USB mics may be really good, but I haven't been convinced, since they must go to soundcard for processing still, albeit with much cleaner signals.

Hi, Darkspace. Very well explained, but I'll tweak you on one thing. The signal that actually reaches the computer from either a USB mic or an analog one with outboard DAC and processing is exactly the same type of digital stream and does not use the sound card. The advantage to using an analog mic is the wide variety and price range and the ability to actually control the pre-processing (compression, EQ, effects and more.) In fact, this is usually mandatory for most analog mics. As a matter of fact, with USB mics that have headphone amps and jacks, you don't even need a sound card in your PC. Unless you want to listen through speakers.

All USB mics do this to some extent but the user has little control. MXL tried this and failed miserably. The main differences in USB mics are in the DAC. Most cheap mics usa the same off the shelf DAC and do little extra processing. Many do not have a headphone amp and jack for real-time monitoring. At the other end of the spectrum is the new Neumann USB system, which will set you back about two-and-a-half K.

[Vorians]

Kliban, thank you so much for the voice files you recorded for Better Cities, especially the second batch, you captured the mood and tone of the character perfectly. Listening to the sarcasm dripping from her voice as she insults the player, it makes me laugh imagining how the player character must react to that!

[Kliban_Katz]

My archive has been updated to host replacement samples made using the new audio card! So far I've replaced all but one of the samples that were there previously, and I intend to add more as I am able.

[Vorians]

Once again, thank you for so generously taking the time to voice another character for Better Cities. The noblewoman Lady Trivelda on board the Gilded Duckling in Bravil Docks now has a wonderfully snooty, posh voice, as she speaks disdainfully to the player. These voice files will be included in our next update to the resource archive.

[Vorians]

I have returned to thank you for voicing a third character in Better Cities. Elaine Breucombe, young, pregnant and unwed, will now be voiced in our next release, and your recordings perfectly match the character.

[Ismelda]

Indeed we thank you very much for your voice acting which give a real dimension to our characters.

[Dree]

Kilban Katz (Jess) voiced Helanu Arethan from Agent of Righteous Might (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/33766)

She was one of very few VA who turned in the contents in expected due date. Two thumbs up!

Also, she is a great writer and can be a great help with proof reading and editing lines.