Do you have ipDTL or Source-Connect?

ipDTL and Source-Connect are pieces of software that allow high-quality audio connection via the internet. You need either of these as a requirement for us to work together with you on your demo (Standard or Pro Bundle). We'll connect to you via this to record high-quality audio from your home studio set up and run the session remotely.

ipDTL is subscription based at $25 a month (or $160 annually) for the voiceover package. Please read our article on 'I keep hearing about ipDTL, what are they talking about?' for more details.

Source-Connect have several options: 

• Source-Connect Now - Free (if other user has Standard or Pro account). Requires Google Chrome
• Source-Connect Standard - $650 (or rent-to-buy at $250)
• Source-Connect Standard (subscription) - $35 Monthly

Please read our article on 'Is Source-Connect worth buying?' for more details.

Is Source-Connect worth buying?

Firstly, if you don't know what Source-Connect is, we'll briefly explain...

Source-Connect is a high quality application (or plug-in) to record audio remotely over the internet. For example if I'm the voice over in Australia and the studio is in New York, assuming we both have Source-Connect, we can call each other. It's just like a high-quality Skype call. This is becoming a more common alternative to the pricey ISDN connection.

The standard version (which will suffice for a VO recording) is currently priced at $650 USD or a monthly subscription of $35 is now available. If this plug-in is trending the way other plug-ins are then they will inevitably get rid of the one time payment and insist you pay a monthly subscription forevermore!

Another option is rent-to-buy. This means that if you don't want to commit to the $650, you can rent the plug-in for $250 for 7 days and that money will be taken off the full price if you decide to purchase it in full later. This is a good option if you are unsure about the full purchase or need Source-Connect for a specific job.

A further option may be Source-Connect Now which is a free version that is run through your Chrome browser. However, this is only a possibility if somebody else (usually the studio that is recording) already has a full Source-Connect account. The user with the full account sends an access code to you to login online and connects with you that way. You just require headphones, a mic and a good internet connection.

NOTE: All of these options require a fast upload speed as well as download speed. We recommend plugging your internet in directly via an Ethernet cable (that's the network cable that looks a bit like a phone cable that goes into your router) for best performance.  

Do I need it?

Some of the jobs we get in won't even consider talent that don't have a home set up. They sometimes specify Source-Connect but usually studios can be flexible with how they connect. We recommend trying Source-Connect Now with another VO friend that owns it (if possible) and seeing how easy it is to use. Or even getting the 14 day free trial of the standard version. If a job specifically wants you to get it, and the money is good then we would say yes to at least renting it.

More info:

http://source-elements.com/source-connect/

What is ISDN?

ISDN stands for Integrated Services for Digital Network and is basically a way for two parties to connect to each other over phone lines but at a much better quality than a phone.

It uses technology that requires each party to have an 'ISDN Box' in order to code and decode (a codec) the signal to and from a studio (i.e. someone's microphone). These boxes can extremely expensive and have to be installed by specialists. It's also not always available in the area which can be a serious down side.

In the voice over industry they are used frequently to connect to voice over talent that may not be present at the studio recording them. For example, if the studio that is producing an advert is in New York but the client wants a voice that is based in LA, they will usually connect via ISDN. Depending on the codec this will use two telephone lines to spread the bandwidth over them both resulting in a high quality connection. This comes at a price of around $1 per minute per line. So an hour session would cost whoever dialled out around $120 in line charges alone! 

Whilst this technology has been around since the 80's, it is still used often. However, with internet speeds getting quicker it is getting forced out by products such as ipDTL and Source-Connect. These are far cheaper to initially buy and only requires a fairly decent internet connection.