Website help

Heather Cooper · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007, 00:29 (GMT) Post subject: Website help

I am just starting to work on my web site. I am open to suggestions about colors and content.

Right now I am looking for some free stock photos or clip art of mouths, lips or microphones. I have been searching Google for the last 2 hours without much luck.

I would really appreciate any tips anyone can offer!

Thank you!!

Jon Robbins · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007, 00:33 (GMT) Post subject:

Colin Campbell has made a suggestion over at the at Buying & Selling.

Heather Cooper · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007, 02:45 (GMT) Post subject:

Thanks for the tip Jon!

I did check out Colins note.

I need to do this on my own. So if anyone else has put there own site together I would still like some advice and or links to great clip art.

Thanks.

Philip Banks · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007, 10:00 (GMT) Post subject:

Single page. Not visually busy. Do not include anything on the page simply because you can, it has to earn a place.

Say only - What you do
Who you are
Why hire you
How to contact you

You need nothing else.

Grant Holmes · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007, 22:28 (GMT) Post subject:

Heather, in another life-time, I was a professional web designer.

Do NOT just google images and use them. Most if not all of them are likely protected by copyright. You don't want your work stolen. Don't steal others.

However, google "Free stock photography" and you'll see a gaggle of sites. Some images you can use for free, some you must purchase, but you get certain rights for usage.

For instance on some sites you can use the image for "X", but you may not be able to use it in a logo.

Hope this helps.

Heather Cooper · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007, 06:42 (GMT) Post subject:

Philip,

Thank you for your suggestions! I was thinking way to hard about what I needed. Short and sweet seems perfect!

Grant, I was looking for FREE clip art/photo's. Trying to avoid the whole copyright problem. I would never use art that was copyright protected. I design jewelry so I know what it's like to have your ideas snagged.
I was spending a lot of time going through page after page of clip art/photos that were no were near what I was looking for. So, now I am just not going to concern myself with it and keep it simple like Philip suggested.

Thanks guys!!

Grant Holmes · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007, 13:11 (GMT) Post subject:

Heather,

My comments were just colored a bit by a conversation with a guy a bit before this that thought all the pictures on google images were up for grabs. He somehow didn't get that they WERE from somebodies web site.

Anyhow...One last point, FREE (no cost) doesn't mean royalty-free (free to use or free to use without limits/payment based on usage). Just make sure ya know what you're getting rights to.

Heather Cooper · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007, 14:32 (GMT) Post subject:

Ed Gambill · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007, 15:02 (GMT) Post subject:

Heather

First good luck on building your new website. This crowd of folks is multi talented and they tend to be might helpful. I listened to your demo and what I am going to say next is offered as a friendly evaluation not a criticism.

The first thing I noticed is your demo is distorted. The demo is perfectly understandable, but a trained producer, not the yahoo low-ballers that infect voice123, will hear that distortion right away and not go any father. If you can down load some other demo files from folks that you admire you can see the differences. Load their demos into you DAW, then download your demo from the site. Now look at the wave form of each and listen real close to them and your demo. I think you can see and hear the difference. This an easy fix, maybe you already know how, if not just let the forum know, there are a bunch of multi talented folks here that are right knowable. Like Grand, Web Designer, Construction, VO. Me I’m just a carpenter.

Heather Cooper · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007, 15:51 (GMT) Post subject:

Ed,

Thanks! I know about the demo....I have not know how to fix it. Someone is supposed to be doing that for me. But so far they have not been able to get to it.
Someone else pointed that out a few months back. It is irritating because it was a professionally done demo. I didn't know if it was my demo or if it was the voice123 web site.
Thanks for the advice! It is very much appreciated.

Ed Gambill · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007, 16:20 (GMT) Post subject:

Heather

Do you have the original file that the "Professional Studio" provided to you when they finished your project? If you do, load that into you DAW and save it as an MP6 at 64kb level. Then post it here so we can look at that in comparison to what you demo in on Voice 123. That might give us a clue.

Amy Snively · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007, 16:43 (GMT) Post subject:

Heather-- Despite what they told you, I don't think that was a professional studio. Rescue the original files and get someone else to help you. I fear you're going to have to re-record. I'm going to disagree with my esteemed colleague, Ed. I think even the low-ball yahoos will shudder at the distortion. As I was playing it, my teenaged son came in and said "Uh oh. What happened there?" (You're awesome and you deserve a demo that shows that.)

Heather Cooper · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007, 17:00 (GMT) Post subject:

Amy Thank you! I am so pissed!!! I am not in a position at this point to rerecord anything! I need to make what I have work.
Plus thank you for the compliment!! I really needed that today!! After all this fartcast stuff I was getting discouraged.

I do have the original small tape (not sure what the tech., name is) can I take that to a studio and just have it burned to a new CD?

Amy Snively · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007, 17:20 (GMT) Post subject:

It's not the duplication, I'm afraid. It's how they processed your voice. If they mucked you up during the mastering process, then your original recording might be fine. What do you have it on, DAT? But my guess is that the distortion was introduced before the CD was mastered. It was in the production, either as you were recording or in post.

Follow Ed's advice and post the audio you have and that will answer the question of what needs to be done next. I'm so sorry, Honey. Sad

I'd be furious. In fact, I would march my butt over to that studio and ask them why the sound is so distorted and what they're going to do about it.

Heather Cooper · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007, 17:31 (GMT) Post subject:

Ok, I am making a copy from the orginal CD put out by my old talent agency.

Ed, What is DAW? I don't seem to have the option of saving as an MP6 only an MP3. Would it be referred to as something else? So, if I save it as an MP3 should I save it at the highest quality kb level?