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A Nightmare On Dell Street- My Open Letter To Dell

audio, Studio, Technology & Voiceover, The Studio, Travel

When I looked for the right laptop for myself in 2018, I searched far and wide. I know a little bit about tech, so I thought it would be an easy process. I needed something that was portable and could fit inside my small Tumi backpack. I needed something with at least 15 inches in screen real estate with a bright touch screen. And I needed a laptop that could handle audio editing and would be great with the audio interface that I planned on buying (so it had to have Thunderbolt 3). Aside from that, I wanted a laptop that just looked Great. I found all of that and more when I purchased the $2000.00 Dell XPS 15 2 in 1.

It was the perfect machine. I did the research on it. Dave2D (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvXBl063ixk) said it was a “Kick Ass” machine. The Best Buy salesman raved about it. I was impressed that it could handle video renders in 4K and had a 4K screen. This seemed more impressive to me than other options. For me, it was worth spending more money on this machine than any computer I had ever owned. I pondered the decision for months. Should I spend this much on a computer? The answer was “Yes”. It’s for work. Spend the money. On September 1, 2018 I walked into Best Buy and purchased the XPS 9575. That was when the Nightmare on Dell Street began.

Excited I went home, unboxed it and starting using it. But it wasn’t long, minutes, before I noticed that the computer sounded like a jet taking off. It was loud and the fans kept going off. I thought it would stop, but it didn’t. Immediately I also noticed that the trackpad had issues. I did the recommended updates out of the box in hopes that this would resolve the issues. It didn’t. The next day I called Dell support.

Dell support helped me with further updates that kept the machine from making noise but the trackpad issue continued. It wasn’t constant but it was noticeable. I decided fairly early to return it to Best Buy within the 14 day return window and get a replacement unit.

Excited as I was the first time, I unboxed the machine, set it up the way that I like and started using it. It required me to do some out of the box updates which I decided not to do. All was well. I had the machine for 12 days when I took it on a business trip to Seattle and onward to New York. On the plane, the machine began to give problems again with the trackpad. It was the same left side of the computer freezing that the other unit suffered from. I was frustrated and now had a dilemma. I needed to return this machine, but the box and the receipt for it was back in Atlanta. I was stuck with it. From here, I had no choice but to work with Dell to resolve this trackpad issue.

Upon returning to Atlanta I contacted Dell’s Customer Support once again. I told them the issue and they work with me by remotely controlling my machine and troubleshooting it. The agent was confident that after more than an hour, he had resolved the problem. Moments after getting off the call, it was clear that the problem was indeed not solved. After posting on Facebook about the issues, a friend who repairs computers advised me to never buy a (H)Dell.

Dell XPS 9575 Trackpad Problems

But I was stuck with this computer and it’s problems with the lid closing, which I mentioned in the video and it’s trackpad problem and I was left to the mercy of Dell trying to fix the issue remotely. After speaking with the Dell representative who advised me to send the computer to them to fix, I instead took it to Micro Center, a Dell Authorized repair place.

Micro Center ran test on my Dell for more than a week and was unable to duplicate the problem. But finally, they decided to manually test it and saw the issue. Still their best idea for a fix was to uninstall Dell’s version of Windows 10 and install a factory version. I took my machine home after weeks of not having it, and on the first night, the problem came back. I called Dell and requested the box to send it to them.

I sent my machine to Dell who had it for weeks. They did not know the problem. Finally after pressuring them to figure it out, they sent it back to me with a new backscreen panel and said that that was the problem. It wasn’t long before I figured out that a new screen fixed the ghost touches, but not the trackpad issues. This was unacceptable. Still, Dell reps insisted that the problem was fixed.

More time went by as Dell did more remote take overs of my computer. The process became monotonous as each time the attempted the EXACT SAME things to repair the issue. So I began researching the problem myself and found that on Reddit and even Dells own website that hundreds of people had the same issue. Most notably I found this video which ironically was posted around the time I bought my computer. And the issue wasn’t issolated to the 9575. I began to realize that this was a problem with other Dell Laptops.

I spent hours in the meantime with Dell Serive Reps before I finally demanded that they issue me a new laptop. They agreed. Dell sent me a new laptop. I spent more time setting up the new machine, and weeks observing it before I finally sent back the 2nd unit that I had had.

The new machine was a joy. It worked great. From there I began using it and editing video and finally audio. From January 2019 until late March, it was fine. Then came the problems again. It started with the same trackpad issues. Then the ghost touches which went haywire. Finally in April, the frequent reboots, blue screens and ultimately, the computer crashed. I had to reload the OS. Everything I had was lost. I searched Dells site for the newest drivers. I tested the machine to be sure that it was functional. But, another few days went by, and the problems with ghost touches and trackpad problems returned.

I started to give up. I posted my issuess about my  Dell on twitter and they responded to me privately, asking me to give them another shot at troubleshooting the issues. This was a waste of more hours, multiple times on the phone and through remote take overs of my computer. The process went on for weeks. I posted more videos of my woes to document Dell’s failures. Finally, I gave up. Dell issued me a “fix” that made the computer less buggy. As long as I no longer had the ghost touches, I could operate the computer using a mouse, which is what I do. That’s hardly what you want to do after buying a $2100 machine that had so much promise.

I seldom use the Dell. I bought the extended warranty in case the ghost touches come back and Dell refuses to honor their committment. But what a shame! My limited time makes it that I can’t fight with them anymore. I was initially enamored with the bright screen and the aluminum back but that all turned into a nighmare. I am presently looking for another computer at a decent price. There are great Windows laptops that will be coming out in 2020 so I will wait until then. But one thing is for sure, “Dude I’m Never Getting A Dell”. And I will advise that my friends don’t either.

Filed Under: audio, Studio, Technology & Voiceover, The Studio, Travel Tagged With: dell, dell trackpad freeze, dell xps, trackpad problems, travel mobile studio, voiceover studio, warranty issue, windows drivers, xps 15 2 in 1

Building A Mobile Voiceover Studio – Unboxing UA Arrow

audio, Studio, Technology & Voiceover, The Studio, Travel, voiceover

I started working on a plan to create a full-service, professional mobile voiceover and production studio comparable to my home studio about a year ago. It began when I purchased my Universal Audio Apollo Twin and began tweaking it to get the best sound of my career. Once I realized that Universal also made the UA Arrow, I began planning how to get the best sounding commercials out of a mobile voiceover studio.

Voiceover and audio professionals are very particular about their sound. While it’s the talent that gets you the VO gig, a persons sound can quickly ruin for them. Throughout my career I’ve had moments of sound issues. There have been times when there was noise from the background, or reflection from the room. But in all those moments I was able to fix those issues, except when it came to my mobile voiceover studio. Those issues are much harder to fix.

Because I travel for both business and frequent adventures around the world, it’s important to be able to record wherever I go. I have been caught off guard and had to even record a radio imaging voiceover in the bathroom of IAH moments before I boarded a 10 hour flight to Brazil. I had no other options. It was me, my cell phone and an echoey bathroom and a job that had to be turned in before I landed. I also once recorded in the parking lot at the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica with my mobile voiceover rig. When I listen back on the sound of those recordings, they all sound bad. There are various problems with a mobile studio. The first of which is that you can’t control your environment.

Most talent aren’t recording in the bathroom of an airport. They are recording in a hotel room when on vacation. And mostly these environments are out of the control of and unknown to the voiceover talent before entering the situation. We use things like pillow forts and kaotica eyeballs to get the best sound but I’ve never been able to get the same sound that I get at home. I think part of the reason is that the home studio isn’t mimicked by the mobile studio.

Even though I have a better environment at home, I also have better equipment that filters the environment. At home for example, I have a DBX 166 exclusively to gate noise. As you can imagine, carrying that around “on holiday” would be quite awkward. So instead, whatever hardware I have for the mobile voiceover studio has to do the same as the home studio, but in a much more compact form.

I’ve tried the iRig Mic Studio, the Steinberg UR 22 and most recently the Focusrite 2i2 recording bundle, but none of them gave me the same warm compressed sound that I get at home. And none of them offer the same plug-ins. So when I found out that Universal Audio created a thunderbolt compatible smaller version of the Apollo, I was super excited. The only problem is that my PC was not thunderbolt compatible. So in September of 2018 I bought a Dell XPS 15 (9575). I loved the big bright screen and the portability of it.

I then purchased a gently used Rode NTG3. At home I have a Sennheiser 416 but didn’t want to carry that around with me everywhere I go. It’s a tough piece of gear but it’s also expensive. I was able to get the Rode NTG3 from eBay  for only $300. Additionally I purchased several plug ins by Izotope like RX 6 and another Plug-in which cleans up audio that my good friend and colleague Jean Francois Donaldson swore me to secrecy about. Now all I needed was the same interface.

The UA Apollo has grown in popularity among voiceover talent over the past few years. I purchased mine in 2016 at the recommendation of an old High School friend who is now a world class engineer. The plug-ins that come with this thing are incredible and duplicate the sound of some of the greatest analog hardware in the history of gear. Plus the dedicated DSP chip processes the audio on the Apollo itself, relieving your computer of the strain.

The UA Arrow does the same but with one less DSP chip for slightly less power out the box. It offers the same on screen interface to allow you to control your studio like a pro studio. None of the other audio interfaces that I’ve tried had the same level of control. And out of the box, the UA Arrow has the same plug-ins that I mix with like the Precison Rack Strip. The Arrow also has the DBX 160 plug-in and the UA 610 which both recreate the effects of hardware that I use in my home studio. In fact included in both the Arrow and the Apollo are the:

UA 610-B
UA 1176LN Legacy
UA 1176SE Legacy
Ampeg SVT-VR Classic
Marshall Plexi Classic
Precision Channel Strip (Precision Mix Rack Collection)
Precision Reflection Engine (Precision Mix Rack Collection)
Precision Delay Mod (Precision Mix Rack Collection)
Precision Delay Mod L (Precision Mix Rack Collection)
Pultec EQP-1A Legacy
Pultec-Pro Legacy
Teletronix LA-2A Legacy
Raw Distortion
RealVerb Pro

It’s still early. I haven’t fully tested the system with all of the components in an uncontrolled environments. But the elements are there and this is the best hope I have for having a mobile voiceover studio that sounds like my home studio. If you’re an established voiceover talent, please share your experience with the Universal Audio Arrow or with the mobile gear you use. I am always keeping my eye open for new audio tech.

Filed Under: audio, Studio, Technology & Voiceover, The Studio, Travel, voiceover Tagged With: Audio Interfaces, Home voice over studio, Izotope, Plug-Ins, recording booth, recording studio, Sennheiser, UA Apollo Twin, UA Arrow, Universal Audio

Vacation & Voiceover In Australia- The Movie

About Voice Over, Blog, Interviews & Insight, Travel

I had met Australians in various parts of the world; China, Thailand, Hawaii and even in South Beach. And my experience with them has always been the same…. Excellent! I had found them to be intelligent, friendly and laid back people who were relatable and worldly. And this was the conclusion that I reached long before I made the plans to actually visit. But when I arrived even I wasn’t prepared for just how hospitable they are on their own soil.

I met Marion Just, a fellow voiceover artist on LinkedIn after she saw a posting of my Vacation & Voiceover Video In Hong Kong. We messaged with one another for months as I was planning to visit Down Under. Her spirit shone even through her online presence as she reminded me of the open invitation to visit her and her husbands studio in Sydney. And I accepted.

It was a 15 hour ride from L.A. straight with no layover. American Airlines had the best direct flight but for a deal, check out China Eastern. Upon arrival, we were picked up by my cousin and his best friend and taken to the hotel where we freshened up. From there they took us to a large Aussie lunch gathering of friends and family who refused to let us pay for our own meals. I wasn’t used to this. But this was the start of Down Under hospitality that didn’t stop till we boarded the plane to go back to the States. Everyone was so friendly and so conversational and happy. I felt at home in a place I had never been.

BlackBox Voice Productions

Blackbox Voice ProductionsAnd that spirit continued when I met Marion Just and Mark Kennedy of Blackbox Voice Productions in person. The internet is powerful but not so powerful as the connection I felt with my new friends across the Pacific. Upon arrival and the beginning of the interview, everything was just so natural. We talked about a wide range of topics in the voiceover industry including the demand for Australian voices in the marketplace, the importance of their work in helping fellow voices from around the world find work and my personal favorite, the value of educating and training in this field of voiceover.

Aside from that Mark and Marion provided great insights on the country they call home. Sydney has so much to offer and so they drove us around for a while before settling in for lunch at an area cafe in Kirribilli Village near the Sydney Harbor Bridge. We talked about everything it seemed. They gave us some good advice on where to visit when we got to Melbourne too. Mark was the one who told me about the trolley system there.  We spent hours chatting and had it not been for the fact that my cousin and friend came to pick us up, it might have been hours more. By the time I left their company, I had bonded with two new great friends.

New Year’s Eve In Sydney- The Greatest Party On Earth

While the best thing about Australia is definitely the people, the New Years Eve fireworks surrounding the Sydney Harbor Bridge were also truly impressive. Growing up in New York I’d grown accustomed to great 4th of July fireworks, but it was nothing compared to how the Australians used the Bridge in their celebration. Thousands of people lined the shoreline to see what I call the best fireworks display I had ever witnessed. Even before the big show there were aerial shows and pre fireworks that kept us busy aboard the boat ride. And when the fireworks at midnight hit, it was a display that would’ve made the original Chinese fireworks inventors proud.New Years Eve In Sydney

Great Barrier Reef

If you want to see the Reef you should probably plan for it. Don’t be like Dane. Dane is a procrastinator who flew from Sydney to Cairns without a plan. Upon arrival we scrambled to find a tour in Port Douglas that would book us for the next day. And luckily, after calling almost every tour company there, weI found one that had just a few seats available. The tour company picked us up from our not so impressive hotel in Cairns the day after arrival and drove us one hour north to to Port Douglas to catch a boat 2 hours out to the Reef. I had snorkeled before but was still overwhelmed once I hopped in the water. I’m not a strong swimmer and the water in intimidatingly deep to me. But once I overcame my fear, ie received a life jacket, there was no stopping me. Armed with my Gopro I dipped into swim along the largest living structure on earth. Underneath I saw huge turtles exotic fish and of course the reef itself. Unfortunately according to our guides, the Reef is dying due to pollution and global warming.

Melbourne

I felt very familiar with Melbourne once we arrived. It was if I had been there before. The extensive tram system reminded me of my time in San Francisco while aspects of the city like the layout took me back to Chicago and New York. It’s a big city with great food and alleyways aligned with various places to dine. Melbourne also boast a great shopping district downtown, which I resisted my natural urges to browse and of course buy from. I couldn’t resist the souvenirs there, also I passed on the Kangaroo testicle key chain.

We strolled around the city via the free city circle tram which mostly serves tourist like us in the downtown area. In every large city I have to visit the tallest building to look down. For Melbourne, this is the Eureka building which has a retractable skydeck with a glass floor so you can look down. It’s very cool. It’s also the tallest building in Australia (to rooftop) and was the 3rd tallest residential building in the world at the time of our visit.The Twelve Apostles- Dane Reid Voiceovers

From Melbourne there is the highly recommended Great Ocean Road Tour. The US has great road trips like Route 66. Australia has it’s version which starts in Melbourne and takes you down the coast to see some of the most beautiful sites the country has to offer. This full day tour takes you from the Port Campbell Park with some of the biggest and interesting trees to the famed and well photographed 12 Apostles rock formation which I had seen many times on screen savers. The views were great and short of the pesky and overwhelming flies, I loved it. I highly recommend it for those who want to get out of the city.

I’ll Be Back Australia

Was it all worth it? Definitely! The bragging rights alone of being among the first in the world to celebrate the New Year was worth the trip. But this country has so much to offer. The fireworks show alone was worth every penny and every hour sitting uncomfortably in 3rd class on the plane there. I’ve been many places in the world but only a few make me want to definitely go back to. And what attracts me to Australia the most are the people. The people are the friendliest that I have met in the world.Dane Reid Voiceovers Australia

To Book My Professional Voiceover Services

Jeffrey Umberger
Voiceover Agent
404-372-1680
jeffrey@umbergeragency.com

Or please go to my contact page at https://danereidmedia.com/contact/

twitter.com/danereid

linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/danereid/

 

Filed Under: About Voice Over, Blog, Interviews & Insight, Travel

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