... has been cooking up some helpful tips, tricks, and links!
Captain Charisma's Latest Innovations
Brad’s Read Time Calculator
Greetings, fellow heroes of Vox City! Captain Charisma here, broadcasting directly from the depths of the Charisma Cave. Down in my secret sub-suburban lab (OK, basement!), I’ve been tinkering with some tools to help us all in our VO pursuits! I’m finally ready to reveal Brad’s Read Time Calculator —a Chrome extension designed to slash your quote time and streamline your workflow!
“What does this strange new instrument do?”
In the all versions of the VO Multi-verse, every second counts! Simple feats like highlighting, copying, and pasting can add up, leading to what I call ‘death by a thousand clicks!’ That’s why I’ve developed a tool that calculates reading time right on your current page and allows you to customize it to fit your pace!
How to Harness the Power of the Calculator
Here’s how to unleash the full power of this tool:
- Install the Tool:
Fly over to the Chrome Web Store and search for “Brad’s Read Time Calculator,” or simply click HERE to be teleported instantly, and install the tool! This is a very simple tool with no tracking. So your secret identity is safe! The only thing it remembers is any custom rate of words per minute, which is saved in your chrome profile.
- Set Your Pace:
The calculator defaults to 155 wpm. For different speeds, click the extension icon in your browser’s toolbar to adjust the words per minute to your desired pace, and click “save.”
- Calculate and Conquer:
Highlight your script, or if you already have a word count, just highlight the number. Then, right-click, and select “Brad’s Read Time Calculator” from the context menu. You’ll instantly see both the word count and the estimated reading time!
Pro Tips from the Charisma Cave
Adjust for Nuance: Dramatic pauses and emotive bursts can affect reading time. Use the calculated time as a starting point and tweak as needed.
Watch out for Booby Traps!: The calculator treats acronyms and numerical values like simple words. For example, while “$777,777,777.77” counts as one word, it might take several seconds to read aloud. Adjust your estimates for scripts heavy with numbers or acronyms.
Closing Thoughts from Captain Charisma
Embrace your new sidekick on the quest for quicker quoting! Try Brad’s Read Time Calculator today and let a little Charisma Cave magic revolutionize your quoting process! Stay tuned for more ingenious tools designed to empower you, my fellow voice heroes!
OH! And one more thing!
I ain’t in this for the money, kiddo! (Well… the nice lady’s lasso around my waist is making me say that that’s not ENTIRELY true.) But I’m not charging a cent for this tool and I don’t ever plan on it. I’ve found it useful in my own work, and I hope you do too! Feel free to share it with friends and clients who you think could use a little boost to their productivity!
Keep your mind ready and your voices steady!
-Captain Charisma AKA Brad Huffman
And while we’re at it…
Another similar tool, although a bit more of a work in progress…
Brad’s Timestamp Estimator!
“How many times has this happened to you?”
You record a long project, only to get a revision request from the client with no timestamps!
(Hopefully we’ve learned our lesson for next time and will give the client a revision request template that includes a section for timestamp!)
Never fear!
Simply copy and paste the script of your job, then either highlight the text you’re looking for, or type a word or phrase in the box below, and click the “Calculate Timestamp” button! You can adjust for pacing with the “Words per Minute” slider, and even check off boxes if your file includes spoken chapter numbers, titles, and subheaders!
But be on the lookout!
This is still mostly a proof-of concept. And every script and performance is different. But hopefully this will give you a good idea of where in the recording timeline you need to look for whatever revisions you need to do!