Hello!
It has been a week since my last update and there is a reason for it: I have been really busy testing features and tasting Chinese Dim Sum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_sum).
First of all, I want to clarify something: Although I write “I” many times, “I” couldn’t do much if it wasn’t for the help of many people at Voice123 and Torrenegra MarketLabs. Whatever I report to you in this blog is the result of more than 10 people working full-time on this project, plus many other helping every now and then. THANK YOU!
Where are we now with the New Voice123? I was supposed to test three systems over the previous weekend that were already checked by the QA team. Unfortunately, Saturday afternoon I found a roadblock: Windows Vista started to freeze every 20 minutes or so. Why? I guess it has to do with the fact that I installed Vista on my new Mac Book Pro. I know, I know, shame on me for installing an OS not yet supported by BootCamp (http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/). It took me around 10 hours before I completed removing the Vista install and I had XP and Mac OS working again using Parallels. The 10 hours included moving all my docs and toys to XP back from Vista. It has worked pretty well since then. Why do I want XP running on a Mac? Easy: that way I can randomly test the new features of Voice123 in both systems.
I took Sunday off to enjoy the Chinese New Year celebrations at Chinatown in Manhattan. (They had fireworks this year!) I restarted QA on Monday. Almost all the new features and systems tested this week passed my QA with no issues at all. There was only one system with problems: the new project management system for voice seekers. It failed some major requirements. MarketLabs is currently working on fixing them. There is another system, which I cannot mention yet, that has been delayed more than expected and that I haven’t been able to test yet. If everything goes well, I will be able to test it early next week.
All these updates mean that the alpha milestone should be reached sometime next week . Once we get there, and as a gift to our blog readers, we will publish all of the new features of the New Voice123 here before we send an email to all of the users of Voice123. Stay tuned!
The Voice123 team blog for our community of talents and voice seekers.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
The First Voice123 Newsletter for Voice Seekers
Welcome to the first version of our newsletter I Hear Voices This periodic newsletter will bring you useful information about the voice industry and about Voice123. Please note that we will have two newsletters. One newsletter for users looking for voices (voice seekers) called I hear voices, and one for voice talents and voice producers called Check 1, 2, 3.
We will always be open to receive your critiques and suggestions about this newsletter. We have opened a thread in VoiceOverSavvy.com for your feedback. click here to read the thread.
View our
online version.
We will always be open to receive your critiques and suggestions about this newsletter. We have opened a thread in VoiceOverSavvy.com for your feedback. click here to read the thread.
View our
online version.
A New Voice123 Is Coming!
If you think that the current Voice123 is a useful tool, wait until you see all of the new and improved features that will be released within weeks. Here is one of them: You will be able to use Voice123’s new state-of-the-art online casting tool to cast any project inviting any talent or voice producer, even they are not part of Voice123! In other words, you will be able to use Voice123 for ALL of your voice casting needs FREE of charge.
In a few days we will send you a message that will inform you about more of the upcoming Voice123. Stay tuned!
By the way, if you haven’t seen the trailer of the Version of Voice123, click here to check it out.
In a few days we will send you a message that will inform you about more of the upcoming Voice123. Stay tuned!
By the way, if you haven’t seen the trailer of the Version of Voice123, click here to check it out.
Check Out These Topics On The Voice Over Savvy Forum
The Voice Over Savvy Forum (http:// voiceoversavvy.com) has become the best communication tool for the Voice Over community as well as a great resource of information and industry tips. The Forums were conceived with the idea of having a meeting place where we could all gather and share information related to the field, but we never expected such an amazing response from the community. Since its creation, more than 4,500 postings have been placed on The Voice Over Savvy Forum. Thank you for all your support and participation.
The following are a few of the most interesting and fun topics and discussions on the Voice Over Savvy Forum. Check them out and enjoy:
Need advice on what typical turnaround times when hiring
“I need to get some advice on what one should expect when dealing with voice talent on a daily volume basis and with quick turn-arounds...”
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=742
Update on the New Version of V123
"Where are we right now in the development and execution of this new version of Voice 123? Well, in order to understand where we are, you first need to understand our development process. Are you ready for some technical talk?..."
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=760
Let us hear your best LaFontaine!
“Okay, so every third post here talks about the god, the king, the pinnacle of voices, Don LaFontaine...”
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=582
The following are a few of the most interesting and fun topics and discussions on the Voice Over Savvy Forum. Check them out and enjoy:
Need advice on what typical turnaround times when hiring
“I need to get some advice on what one should expect when dealing with voice talent on a daily volume basis and with quick turn-arounds...”
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=742
Update on the New Version of V123
"Where are we right now in the development and execution of this new version of Voice 123? Well, in order to understand where we are, you first need to understand our development process. Are you ready for some technical talk?..."
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=760
Let us hear your best LaFontaine!
“Okay, so every third post here talks about the god, the king, the pinnacle of voices, Don LaFontaine...”
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=582
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Updates in reference to the New Voice123!
Hello Everybody!
Because you asked for it, here is the second of many short updates in reference to the New Voice123.
This is the first time I am going to be blogging on a frequent basis. So please bear with me and give your feedback so that I can improve my blogging techniques.
So far, we have successfully alpha-tested around 13 out of the 20 major NEW systems that are part of the New Voice123. Two systems are almost done in terms of alpha-testing. Three more are currently being tested and will be finished within a few days. The two other, hopefully, will finish alpha-testing early next week.
Once we complete all alpha-testing, we would have reached the alpha milestone. It is then that we will be announcing all of the new features of the New Voice123.
PS. Keep an eye on this blog and I promise you will learn about all of the new features of the New Voice123 before everybody else does – You can automatically subscribe to the Voice123 blog using this RSS feed: http://voice123.com/blog/feed/
Alex Torrenegra
Voice123 Leader & Co-Founder
Questions? Please feel free to ask them on the Voice Over Savvy Forums at http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=760
Because you asked for it, here is the second of many short updates in reference to the New Voice123.
This is the first time I am going to be blogging on a frequent basis. So please bear with me and give your feedback so that I can improve my blogging techniques.
So far, we have successfully alpha-tested around 13 out of the 20 major NEW systems that are part of the New Voice123. Two systems are almost done in terms of alpha-testing. Three more are currently being tested and will be finished within a few days. The two other, hopefully, will finish alpha-testing early next week.
Once we complete all alpha-testing, we would have reached the alpha milestone. It is then that we will be announcing all of the new features of the New Voice123.
PS. Keep an eye on this blog and I promise you will learn about all of the new features of the New Voice123 before everybody else does – You can automatically subscribe to the Voice123 blog using this RSS feed: http://voice123.com/blog/feed/
Alex Torrenegra
Voice123 Leader & Co-Founder
Questions? Please feel free to ask them on the Voice Over Savvy Forums at http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=760
Update on the New Version of V123
Published on Thu Feb 08 2007 03:54 pm
By now, most of you are probably aware that we are working on a new version of Voice123. There are many changes coming! We will be releasing the list of new and updated features soon.
Where are we right now in the development and execution of this new version of Voice 123? Well, in order to understand where we are, you first need to understand our development process. Are you ready for some technical talk? Then keep reading!
The development process of the new Voice123 has three major stages or areas:
The first stage is the documentation stage. This stage is approximately one third of the entire process. We worked on this back in the first and second quarter of 2006. During this stage, we put in writing everything that we wanted for the new Voice123. We also added some highly technical information, just to make sure that we, the development team, are all on the same page. Yes, we have added some new documentation since finishing this stage, but most of what we’re creating now was decided on back then.
The second stage is the coding stage. It also takes one third of the total time devoted to develop the new version of Voice123. During the coding stage, all the designers, web architects, and developers wrote the code that makes the service work. This part of the process is really complex. It is like building a tall building; tons of project management skills are required. The new version of Voice123 is being developed with three times as many people as the original version. It has been quite an exciting and difficult process, as we have been exposed to the challenges of having everybody on the same page. The good news is that we already finished with this stage!
The third stage is quality assurance (QA). Here goes the final third of the amount of time needed for the entire process. Given that almost all of the new features that the new Voice123 will have work intrinsically with all the others, this makes the Q&A process very difficult. We have chosen to go with several Q&A milestones. Each milestone represents a pre-version of the new Voice123:
:arrow: The first milestone is version Alpha. It is going to be reached when we have successfully tested all of the new important features. Alpha is a version of the new Voice123 where almost all the features work, but with rough edges.
:arrow: The second milestone is version Beta. Version Beta is reached when we have successfully tested ALL of the new features, (big and small) as they were documented on the documentation stage. This version should be ready enough to be used. However, since we want to make sure everything works as we envisioned and there are no user problems, we will invite many of you to test the Beta version so that your feedback will help us find flaws that we may have not detected.
:arrow: The third milestone is Going Live. Once we have received all of your feedback, and we have applied to it as many program improvements as possible, we will then be ready to release the new version of Voice123 to the public. We will, of course, do a lot of testing of the system once we are live with the new Voice123, but we expect to find only minor errors.
So…where are we right now? We are very close to reaching Alpha version. (Within two or three weeks?) – We started testing the new features at the end of 2006, and we will soon be able to say that we have achieved the Alpha milestone! Once we are there, we will make public all of the new features that are being implemented.
The good news is that getting from Alpha to Beta takes only a few weeks, and getting from Beta to Going Live takes only a few additional weeks. As such, I am happy to say that we are almost there!
Thank you all for your patience and support! A lot of the energy that drives us comes from the great feedback we obtain from you on these forums. You may only see Freddie most of the time, but almost all of us take the time to read what you have to say.
By the way, I’ve been thinking of using the Voice123 blogs and Voice Over Savvy forums to post frequent updates (daily?) of our progress as we reach the Going Live milestone. Would you be interested in reading it? If there are a significant amount of people interested, I would make it part of my daily routine ;)
Alex Torrenegra
http://voice123.com Leader & Co-Founder
Questions? Please feel free to ask them on the Voice Over Savvy Forums at http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=760
Taken from http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=760
By now, most of you are probably aware that we are working on a new version of Voice123. There are many changes coming! We will be releasing the list of new and updated features soon.
Where are we right now in the development and execution of this new version of Voice 123? Well, in order to understand where we are, you first need to understand our development process. Are you ready for some technical talk? Then keep reading!
The development process of the new Voice123 has three major stages or areas:
The first stage is the documentation stage. This stage is approximately one third of the entire process. We worked on this back in the first and second quarter of 2006. During this stage, we put in writing everything that we wanted for the new Voice123. We also added some highly technical information, just to make sure that we, the development team, are all on the same page. Yes, we have added some new documentation since finishing this stage, but most of what we’re creating now was decided on back then.
The second stage is the coding stage. It also takes one third of the total time devoted to develop the new version of Voice123. During the coding stage, all the designers, web architects, and developers wrote the code that makes the service work. This part of the process is really complex. It is like building a tall building; tons of project management skills are required. The new version of Voice123 is being developed with three times as many people as the original version. It has been quite an exciting and difficult process, as we have been exposed to the challenges of having everybody on the same page. The good news is that we already finished with this stage!
The third stage is quality assurance (QA). Here goes the final third of the amount of time needed for the entire process. Given that almost all of the new features that the new Voice123 will have work intrinsically with all the others, this makes the Q&A process very difficult. We have chosen to go with several Q&A milestones. Each milestone represents a pre-version of the new Voice123:
:arrow: The first milestone is version Alpha. It is going to be reached when we have successfully tested all of the new important features. Alpha is a version of the new Voice123 where almost all the features work, but with rough edges.
:arrow: The second milestone is version Beta. Version Beta is reached when we have successfully tested ALL of the new features, (big and small) as they were documented on the documentation stage. This version should be ready enough to be used. However, since we want to make sure everything works as we envisioned and there are no user problems, we will invite many of you to test the Beta version so that your feedback will help us find flaws that we may have not detected.
:arrow: The third milestone is Going Live. Once we have received all of your feedback, and we have applied to it as many program improvements as possible, we will then be ready to release the new version of Voice123 to the public. We will, of course, do a lot of testing of the system once we are live with the new Voice123, but we expect to find only minor errors.
So…where are we right now? We are very close to reaching Alpha version. (Within two or three weeks?) – We started testing the new features at the end of 2006, and we will soon be able to say that we have achieved the Alpha milestone! Once we are there, we will make public all of the new features that are being implemented.
The good news is that getting from Alpha to Beta takes only a few weeks, and getting from Beta to Going Live takes only a few additional weeks. As such, I am happy to say that we are almost there!
Thank you all for your patience and support! A lot of the energy that drives us comes from the great feedback we obtain from you on these forums. You may only see Freddie most of the time, but almost all of us take the time to read what you have to say.
By the way, I’ve been thinking of using the Voice123 blogs and Voice Over Savvy forums to post frequent updates (daily?) of our progress as we reach the Going Live milestone. Would you be interested in reading it? If there are a significant amount of people interested, I would make it part of my daily routine ;)
Alex Torrenegra
http://voice123.com Leader & Co-Founder
Questions? Please feel free to ask them on the Voice Over Savvy Forums at http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=760
Taken from http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=760
Monday, February 05, 2007
Say “Hi!” to the First Voice123 Newsletter!
Welcome to the first version of our newsletter Check 1, 2, 3!
This periodic newsletter will bring you useful information about the voice industry and about http://voice123.com. Please note that we will have two newsletters. One newsletter for voice talents and voice producers called Check 1, 2, 3, and one newsletter for voice seekers called I hear voices. If you are registered as both voice talent or voice producer, and voice seeker, you will get both newsletters.
We will always be open to receive your critiques and suggestions about this newsletter. We have opened a thread in VoiceOverSavvy.com to get your feedback. Click here to read the thread.
View our online version
This periodic newsletter will bring you useful information about the voice industry and about http://voice123.com. Please note that we will have two newsletters. One newsletter for voice talents and voice producers called Check 1, 2, 3, and one newsletter for voice seekers called I hear voices. If you are registered as both voice talent or voice producer, and voice seeker, you will get both newsletters.
We will always be open to receive your critiques and suggestions about this newsletter. We have opened a thread in VoiceOverSavvy.com to get your feedback. Click here to read the thread.
View our online version
Voice123 and VOICE 2007 in Las Vegas
By now you should be fully aware of (VOICE 2007) coming to Las Vegas at the end of March (if you didn’t know about it, you should be living on an isolated island without access to your email). At Voice123 we are very excited to know that James Alburger, Penny Abshire, and Frank Frederick have created an event that will increase (in such a large scale) the knowledge level and sense of community in our industry. Is this a huge undertaking? Absolutely! But so was Voice123 when we began it years ago! That is why Voice123 has become the Premiere Sponsor of this event. Several members of the Voice123 Team will be there as well so that we can finally meet many of you in person.
Are you attending? We have opened a thread in VoiceOverSavvy.com so you can share your thoughts about this event, let us know if you are attending, and find where other talents may be staying. Click here to read the thread.
Are you attending? We have opened a thread in VoiceOverSavvy.com so you can share your thoughts about this event, let us know if you are attending, and find where other talents may be staying. Click here to read the thread.
The Voice Over Savvy Forum
The Voice Over Savvy Forum (http://voiceoversavvy.com/) has become the best communication tool for the Voice Over community as well as a great resource of information and industry tips. The Forums were conceived with the idea of having a meeting place where we could all gather and share information related to the field, but we never expected such an amazing response from the community. Since its creation, more than 4,500 postings have been placed on The Voice Over Savvy Forum. Thank you for all your support and participation.
The following are a few of the most interesting and fun topics and discussions on the Voice Over Savvy Forum. Check them out and enjoy:
Studio Pictures
"This I prefer picking up my own panty hose Cameron. I usually add it to the list while I am getting my lipstick and eyeliner..."
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=589
Voice Over Tips
"Here's something that surprised me. I've been out of radio a long time, but did an old friend a favor the other night and did a shift at a Clear Channel station. I could not believe how LOUD the studio was! The floor must have been -30db..."
- Read more and comment at http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=632
Demo of the Day
"How about we all upload our favorite audition of the day?
It'd allow us to hear what our peers are up to and - sometimes - even compare takes of the same text..."
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=462
The best VO books and DVDs
"There are hundreds of books and DVDs on the market that claim to teach you everything you need to know about the VO industry..."
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=597
Be aware of possible check fraud
“This check was made for a higher amount and the client was expecting the talent to return the extra money to an overseas account...” - Read more and comment athttp://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=680
The following are a few of the most interesting and fun topics and discussions on the Voice Over Savvy Forum. Check them out and enjoy:
Studio Pictures
"This I prefer picking up my own panty hose Cameron. I usually add it to the list while I am getting my lipstick and eyeliner..."
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=589
Voice Over Tips
"Here's something that surprised me. I've been out of radio a long time, but did an old friend a favor the other night and did a shift at a Clear Channel station. I could not believe how LOUD the studio was! The floor must have been -30db..."
- Read more and comment at http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=632
Demo of the Day
"How about we all upload our favorite audition of the day?
It'd allow us to hear what our peers are up to and - sometimes - even compare takes of the same text..."
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=462
The best VO books and DVDs
"There are hundreds of books and DVDs on the market that claim to teach you everything you need to know about the VO industry..."
- Read more and comment at
http://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=597
Be aware of possible check fraud
“This check was made for a higher amount and the client was expecting the talent to return the extra money to an overseas account...” - Read more and comment athttp://voiceoversavvy.com/viewtopic.php?t=680
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