Barron B. Bass (BBass) is a graduate of Rutgers MGSA, Shakespeare's Globe, and The Flea (The Bats). Originally from Greenburgh, NY, he spent his childhood playing in band, performing with Reader's Theatre, singing in church (8 days a week), hamming his way through musicals, and having entirely too much fun with science projects.
(No houses were burned down, but we came close - several times.)
As a life-long vocalist and fan of cartoons, the transition into voice over felt natural for Barron. About two weeks after graduating undergrad, B. voiced his first McDonald's commercial. Since then, he's gone on to carve out his own path in family oriented voice over content. His most notable recent appearances are in Crayola's Scribble Scrubbies, Red Dead Redemption II, ABC's original Richard Pryor documentary, “Pryor Convictions”, and Pokémon Journeys, voicing Chairman Rose and few others.
BBass is also a regular contributor to The Skeleton Rep. Aside from sound designing past shows and assisting with tech, he can be seen in their three-part series, The Great Vanishing - filmed by 60 artists, all remotely.
When not working in voice over, on stage, or on camera, B. is probably working on music (as BBass), sketch comedy, or gallivanting outside. Most recently, B. began building his production company, B3KET Legendary, with fellow artist/rapper Napoleon Da Legend. B3KET's mission is to do more with less, facilitate quality collaborations, and provide inspiration to all, with an emphasis on narrative and community.
Some of My Past / Current Clients
WHY SHOULD I HIRE AN EXPERIENCED VOICE TALENT??
I get it. In a world of digital content, everyone can do everything & anything. And if you can't DIY,
I think you should at least try.
To be fair, that's exactly how I got started. With a borrowed dynamic mic and a cheap used interface from eBay. I already knew how to record because I had recorded music on my own, quite often. BUT: in retrospect, I wasn't good at voice over (or music for that matter), simply because I hadn't put in enough time.
I now admit: I didn't become good until I surrounded myself and learned from experts.
For your purposes, here are the top 4 scenarios I think you can relate to:
* You could hire someone cheaply, and yet, I've heard too many stories where making the cheap choice cost a project time and money in the long run. Or the project became way less special. Or the session was painful, because whoever was hired couldn't match the directors expectations of energy and/or delivery.
You don't have unlimited time. You work too hard for your project to not be special. And you definitely don't
need more pain!
Hiring experienced voice talent will decrease the amount of time spent in session and get you what you need, when you need it. We're worth it.
* You could hire someone who doesn't have a professional studio, including the best mics, the best recording interfaces, and the best connectivity solutions for remote sessions. But this will unsure vibes to the working relationship, and can cost your production more.
I literally have most of the things major studios have. Also, people can feel the difference between mediocre and great sound, whether they know it or not.
* You could even go without a voice over, which some folks opt for "because its too expensive".
Yet, the value of video is never debated, because "seeing is believing" - 80% of the content we ingest is video now! But did you know: your campaign is 5x more likely to convert when your message is edified with a voice over? Humans are sensory, and the power of listening is often underrated. So, no, voice over is not too expensive - mistakes & omission of valuable pieces of your production / time ARE the MOST expensive!
Besides, I (and my reps) have and can work with most budgets within reason.
* You could pay for an AI voice, to which I say, well at least its something. At least you didn't put out a text only ad or something with just music (both often forgettable). One could argue that AI voice will replace human voice in 10 - 15 years - and yet, that's a conversation for tomorrow. As it stands today, AI voice is fascinating for its potential, but the available options are still largely robotic, lifeless, and lacking nuance. (Here's a random AI company proving my point - they mention a bunch about human connection, and yet... want you to hire their robot. Weird) Directing pro voice talent will GIVE your project life and nuance that will connect with your audience!
You can also direct someone in way less time than it takes you to manipulate the beep bop boop of it all and have it sound better.
Here's my point: Why wouldn't you hire a trusted, proven voice for your brand? With a lifelong career as an entertainer, ten years as a voice actor, several years as a producer of content, events, and more, even a few years in social media marketing, and 10 years as a full time voice over professional?
I know what you need, how to do it, and what to do when challenges arise. You don't know what you don't
know - but I probably do!
And I do not take being a master collaborator and top notch problem solver lightly.
Let's get to work!
Home Studio Specs & More
1. Microphones - Sennheiser MKH416 (primary), Neumann U87, Neumann TLM103, and more.
2. Audio Interface/Equipment - Antelope Audio Orion Studio (primary), Apogee One (if mobile), ART Studio V3 Tube Pre w/ PC, Yamaha HS8 monitors, beyerdynamic dt770 Pro/Sony MD7506/Beats Solo HD/and more
3. Audio Software - Audacity (preferred), access to other DAWs (Fl Studio, etc.)
4. Booth/space treatment - Dedicated room/home studio, Floor rug with insulation, thick curtains (2 layers both windows), Indow Noise Blocking Inserts, moderate treatment to room - Booth from CompleteISOBooth with monitor, Audimute Vinyl Sheet, thick noise isolation panels, and regular foam sound dampening panels) - huge bass traps (ceiling/floor), in booth
5. Remote connecting programs - Source Connect, ipDTL, ISDN, Zoom - FTP and Dropbox for file transfer
6. Camera equipment -
- Logitech c615 & Lumina webcam
- Sony FX30 & Sony A7IV
- DJI Ronin/Zhiyun Gimbal Stabilizer
- Full Prime Lens (AF) Kit - 24mm, 50mm, 85mm lenses, and more
- Sigma MC-11 adapter (E Mount to Canon EF)
- Full Apeture Light Storm and Amaran Lighting Kits (120D, 300x, etc.)
- Lights, sound, etc. available. Full filmmaking kits - request the list for my full kit here.
GVAA RATE GUIDE (an industry standard guide for rates)
Please note: The GVAA rate guide exists as a starting point to conversations
between voice talent and producers, especially for talent who work
full-time (like myself). These rates are not set in stone, but are a
viable alternative when discussing various voice over work, when
Union is not an option.
Being open to a simple & honest conversation with prospective
talent about budget will also ensure that you get the best voices possible.
