PLEASE WELCOME TODAY'S GUEST, DAVE GIORGIO

I was thrilled when Dave agreed to produce the audio book version of my novel, Ring of Lies.  It's taken a little persuading, but Dave finally agreed to take some time out of his busy schedule to talk to me about his career and love of music.

1.     In the past, you’ve worked as a web developer, in video production and as musician.  How did you become involved in audiobook production?

I had actually started doing voice acting and audio recording before I became a serious musician. When I was six years old, I was doing John Wayne and Richard Nixon impersonations (thanks, Rich Little!) By the time I got to high school, I had added Rodney Dangerfield, Archie Bunker and Jackie Mason. I even performed a Rodney Dangerfield impersonation routine during a talent show in high school. But having already developed significantly as a musician, I stopped doing live comedy performances because I thought it was "more cool" to be recognized as a musician.

I later did voiceover work and comedy recordings, such as an interview with Woody Allen, Sean Connery, Rodney Dangerfield, Peter Faulk and William Shatner. All the while, I had been working professionally as a musician and (having built several audio recording studios) had been producing talent in studios.

Being a writer, I'd had a love of the written word and co-founded a book-publishing firm. We had decided to move into audio book publishing and recording. It was a natural fit for me being that I had already built half dozen studios, had been working producing talent, and was experienced with voice recording. So there at last was the merging of my experience with both the written and spoken word.

 2.     Audiobook production is time consuming and I believe it requires a great deal of patience and skill.  Did you undertake any specific training?

Training-wise, I developed my audio engineering and producing chops with years of work and experience. More specific to audio book recording, I already had a background in engineering and producing, plus I had great ears. So from there it was a feasible move towards specializing in audio books. However, there was nothing that could have prepared me for the patience, stamina and unflappability needed for audio book production! There is simply no art form in the world that tests your will like audio book recording does. No training can prepare for that. The only way to harden yourself to the rigors of audio book recording is to do lots of long hours of audio book work. Only then does it become a manageable practice. 

 3.     Can you give my readers and listeners a brief idea of what is entailed in making the perfect audiobook recording?

The easiest parts of this answer are: Acoustically tight room, Great Mic, Great Mic Preamp and Analogue-to-Digital Converter; plus a reader with a nice voice. That's that part that people can easily see on the surface. And it makes up only about 10% of the answer! The real keys are ears, talent and know-how. Unfortunately, these are 90% of the answer yet are the hardest of all aspects to acquire.

Audio editing is so important. But if you listen to many of the books these days, really carefully, you can hear so much noise, bad breathing and cracks, pops and whistles, that it's obvious that the producers and editors of those books have no idea they are doing. Again, it all comes down to having the ears and the know-how. That's one of the things I have made a high priority with davebooks.com

 4.     What kind of books do you enjoy reading?

Do you mean reading as in recording audio books or pleasure reading? As far as recording books as a narrator, I like to read fiction books. The more interesting the plot, the better. I also like it when there are characters with specific dialects such as British, Russian, New York, Southern U.S., etc., though I tend in general to not alter my voice too much because listeners prefer a more straight read. As for pleasure reading, I am reading Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (and the other 2 books of the Karla trilogy) for about the 5th time, because I love LeCarre's work!

5.     Do you have your own studio?  You’ve recorded books for a variety of publishers, is there any particular genre you enjoy most?

Yes, I've got a great studio with top grade tools. My studio is the perfect blending of workability for both audio books and music, because I've got the high resolution that music demands, yet the desired room sound and layout for audio books.

 6.     How do you feel when you hear your own voice on a recording?

Like everyone else, years ago I hated it. I spent about 10 years trying to get my voice to sound good (vocally). Different mics, positions, styles, etc. It finally came together around 15 years ago while recording a hard rock song. Voice over was the same. I listen to my early recordings and cringe. But I've gotten to a point where I can accept the sound of my voice most of the time :-)

 7.     You are also a talented musician. What type of music do you like to play/sing?  Do you have a regular fan base, and what is the largest venue you have played in?

The music I like most to work on is my original singer/songwriter material. That's the most fun. I've got a small fan base, though one of my deficiencies is that, with my own music at least, I am almost introverted when it comes to putting it out there. With other people's music it's totally different. I've got two Gold records so far for my recording work, and I have some new material that is unreleased that I think can be pretty huge. The largest venue I've played was the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, about 20, 000 people. Lots of fun, that was!

For more information about Dave Giorgio and Dave Books, visit his website at:  http://davebooks.com

HELP ME CELEBRATE....

The audiobook version of my novel, Ring of Lies, is now complete.  Produced by Dave Giorgio and narrated by Michelle Ford, it will be available shortly from Audible, Amazon and iTunes.  

You can listen to a sample here:  Ring of Lies Audiobook  

I recently interviewed Michelle and asked her, among other questions, whether she made the conscious decision to become a voiceover artist or did she have another career path in mind as a teenager. 

I was always focused on working in the media.  My first job was with the BBC in London as a secretary and then as a production assistant for Radio 1.  I spent the next several years working in public relations for Disney theme parks - can't tell you how much fun it was introducing cynical journalists to Mickey Mouse and seeing them love Disney despite themselves!  When life took me overseas to live in America someone told me I had a 'cute accent' and suggested I think about voiceovers.  A ton of training later..... and I couldn't choose a more perfect job!

Did you attend a stage or drama school? Have you undertaken any voice training?

I didn't go to drama school but I've been involved in amateur dramatics for a long time.  Once I decided to pursue voiceovers I really went for it and I've been lucky enough to train with amazing teachers in Philadelphia and New York.  From an audiobook point of view I honestly think reading daily with my three children when they were young and doing all the characters and voices made me love telling stories.

Do you schedule a specific time each day to record?

That's so hard to do.  Working from home has huge benefits but family comes first and often my kids don't think my 'job' is a real one - in as much as they think how hard can it be to narrate stories all day!  So I'm still doing multiple school runs, involved in community groups and cooking dinner.  However working from home does mean I can be very flexible.  Often I'll work all morning, stop to get kids and have a cup of tea with them after school then start again as soon as dinner is over, recording until midnight (or until my voice gets tired and croaky, whichever is the sooner!).

I note that you have your own studio.  Are there any distractions with working from a home studio? 

Yes!  Although my studio is acoustically treated and as soundproofed as possible, I can't tell you how my heart sinks when I see landscape gardeners pull up on our street to blow leaves or see a sign up nearby saying a new house is to be built.  I know nearly everyone with home studios has these issues.  But again, as I'm flexible with my hours, I just adjust.  When I can hear a chainsaw I just go and do laundry or get started on dinner then pick up later when it stops.
After Superstorm Sandy (I live in New Jersey), every single day the noise was unbelievable for weeks - and that was once we finally got power again after 10 days.

When reading for an audiobook how do you achieve the author and character’s voice?

Well to start with I read the entire book and make notes about each character as I go.  Your book Ring of Lies is a good case in point.  It was not until the last five pages of the book that Salazar was revealed to be Eurasian with Chinese/Portuguese parents!  If I hadn't read through to the end undoubtedly I would probably have given him more of a Spanish accent.  As it was I tried to mix it up a bit so he just sounded unplaceable European.
Once I have a more rounded idea of the characters I can give them their voice which I really think comes from the author.  I try to always 'tag' the character with a certain pitch, tone, speed of talking and be consistent.  Of course, for a female narrator, the men are the hardest but I try to avoid going too deep and pantomime with them.  Sometimes its enough to drop my voice just a little to distinguish from others in the scene.

How do you feel when you hear your own voice on a recording?

Eek!  It sounds so different from how I think I sound.  There's magic in that microphone - talk to me on the phone and I sound about 12 years old!

You’ve recorded books for a variety of publishers, is there any one book or genre that stands out?  Do you have a favourite?

I must admit I really enjoy a good thriller with a bit of romance thrown in.  My voice suits Regency romances but I spend half the time recording with a permanent blush when there's more 'plundering' than I feel totally comfortable with!
I was privileged to narrate Fay Weldon's book The Hearts and Lives of Men earlier this year and, as part of my research, I got to Skype with her and talk about characters.  Such a great author.
Also narrated a Bridget Jones/Sophie Kinsella-style book recently called Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan.  That character would totally be me if I weren't happily married!

What kind of books do you like to read for pleasure? 

I'm in a local book club so I'll read whatever is on the menu for that.  Recently I read What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty and that really resonated with me.  Literally sat on my sofa at the end and bawled (but not because it was sad - my friends had a similar reaction). Unfortunately it was all based in Australia and my Ozzie accent just wouldn't cut it otherwise I'd be banging on the door of that publisher desperate to record it.

Since June though I just haven't had the time to read almost anything for pleasure.  Definitely time to schedule some reading.

Do you have a regular fan base?

I wish!  Not really sure.  I occasionally (nervously) dip into the reviews of books I've narrated and fortunately there seem to be readers who seek me out.  My fragile actor ego gets hurt sometimes (Carolyn from Newark, you know who you are!! and btw I did my best with a Scottish accent).  Its really only in the last 18 months that I've been doing audiobooks nonstop.  Prior to this and in between, I record lots of e-learning material, commercials, corporate work, websites and so on.

Thank you, Michelle, for taking time out of your busy day to talk to me.

You can find out more about Michelle by clicking on the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/BritishVoiceovers

http://www.michelleford.net

To celebrate the release of the audiobook, I am giving away a Kobo Mini ereader.  All you have to do is sign up to this blog or my website http://www.victoriahoward.co.uk to enter.  The draw will take place on the 20th December.