TALENT MANAGEMENT

At the heart of every spoken voice product is a distinctive human voice. But, to speech industry clients, the quality of the speaker’s voice is only the beginning. Voice talent must not only speak well, but must receive custom training for TTS voice-capture, and PRP and IVR voice recording.  Importantly, the same talent must be consistently available to supplement a client’s needs even after initial market implementation. VFI’s comprehensive talent management services ensure that clients can concentrate on their core business, resting easy in the knowledge that their corporate image is accurately and favorably represented through their speech-enabled products and services.

On occasion long-standing talent used by a client becomes unavailable due to circumstances beyond the client’s control.  In such cases, VFI can quickly find an ideal replacement with voice attributes that are so similar to the former talent’s, that clients can incorporate the new voice without any appreciable perceptual difference.  This unique service translates into considerable savings and uninterrupted corporate image.

Talent Selection

VFI’s New York City location, America’s “melting pot,” ensures access to the world’s largest and most diverse talent pool.  VFI is uniquely qualified to tap into this unparalleled resource.

VFI’s proprietary talent selection and retention processes ensure the shortest time to market from audition, submission of samples to the client, voice database set (voice set) capture, through delivery.  VFI has selected hundreds of voices, in dozens of languages and dialects, suitable for speech applications. VFI can provide hundreds of samples to help clients determine the voice(s) they would like to deploy in their applications. Following an initial consultation, VFI will work with each client to create objective criteria for talent selection. Within three weeks, an initial submission of twenty-five (25) voice samples will be presented. VFI’s proprietary processes for talent selection are designed to create a high likelihood that clients will find ideal voices from the first set of samples submitted for any project.  In the event more samples are requested, VFI will promptly submit as many as the client requests.  

Within three weeks of the initial consultation, clients will be able to choose the voice, or voices they want to represent their enterprise. This process shortens time to market and saves costs for everybody.

Alternatively, VFI will work with pre-existing talent to ensure the highest quality voice capture and voice recording available.

Contract Negotiations 

Depending on the client’s objectives, VFI can provide exclusive or non-exclusive rights to voice talent. By policy, VFI contracts directly with talent. In the majority of cases there are no agents to deal with, and union issues are always handled by VFI, thereby ensuring that all talent is delivered on a fee-simple basis. The end result is the most favorable commercial rate for voice talent.

Additionally, because VFI is acutely aware of the need for talent availability after the initial implementation of any voice solution, VFI will custom-tailor individual contracts with voice talent to ensure their timely availability for supplemental work. This guarantees that clients will never be left in the lurch when mission-critical voice application updates are necessary. Individual arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis, with each client’s objectives paramount.

In cases where a client has pre-existing talent under contract, VFI can ensure the seamless integration of any supplemental voice capture, ensuring a hassle-free experience for both the client and the client’s voice talent.

Talent Direction

Recording for TTS requires assiduous attention to the technical requirements of voice capture. Equally important is the human element. In practice, different speech synthesis engines work best with voices specifically suited to their design. Following the initial choice of talent candidates, VFI works with TTS engineers for the synthesis platform of choice to ensure that the specified voice(s) will provide application-compatible material.

Subsequently, VFI’s experts work with talent every step of the way to enhance vocal performance, with the target synthesis engine specifically in mind. Variables such as meter, consistency, and accuracy of pronunciation are constantly monitored during and after production. If any corrections are needed, they are made prior to delivery.  This optimization process produces the best possible end results, and streamlines the entire process.

Delivery Time

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