The Zap Cap

I knew that moving to the lightning capital of the country, FL, would be interesting on many levels. First, I am very afraid of lightning. Having grown up in West Texas, where the storms can be pretty bad, left me with a great respect for Mother Nature. Second, I was very worried about my expensive studio equipment. Should we be hit by lightning, or affected by a bad power surge- I could lose a lot!

We initially invested in very good surge protectors for my studio. This made me feel a little better. Then, my neighbor told me about something interesting. It turns out our local electric company offers a contraption known as a Zap Cap. I had never heard of such a thing, so I looked it up.

It's a meter based system that offers protection from high-voltage surges. Is it foolproof? No. But I figure it's better than nothing! For about $7 a month we rent the unit that attaches to our meter. For about $12-$50 per strip we buy the plug in protectors that we plug all our electronics and appliances into.

Our Zap Cap was installed yesterday, and I am in the process of converting all of my electronics to the approved power strips. It will be interesting to see how it works, but hopefully we'll never have to!

Every section of the country has their own 'natural disasters' to consider, and as voice actors and producers we have to take every step we can to protect our equipment and file archives. If you have a special system you use, I'd love to hear about it!

Kara Edwards Voice Over

Taking Your Surroundings Into Account

In 2001 I moved to North Carolina to take a job as a morning show producer for a local radio station. Part of my job was to do 'live' announcements from various locations (for example, car dealers, malls, etc). These 'live' breaks were always pre-recorded- and for the first year, I would write out my entire script and read enthusiastically for 60 seconds or so.

However, one awful day I was at a remote (and getting paid to be there) and was delayed from writing out my little script. As I was trying to gather my thoughts to jot something down, a call came. It was the on-air guy telling me there had been a mix- up and I needed to go 'for real' live in 10 seconds. "NO!" I screamed, but he was gone...and I heard the commercial currently airing come to an end as my time began. I sputtered and stammered...holding my mic as I flailed around in circles trying to remember where I was, why I was there, and what I was supposed to say. Yup, it was a disaster...and one of my more embarrassing moments on-air.

So, what did I do wrong? I was relying so heavily on the written word that I hadn't taken the time to absorb my surroundings. If I had been less concerned about having a script, and more concerned with knowing my purpose, I would have been able to work my way through the break. Instead of being in panic mode, I would have been just fine.

After that day I always made sure to answer the important questions (who, what, when, why, where) prior to worrying about copy points and scripts.

Now, as a full-time voice actor, I often think back to that day. Especially when a challenging script lands in my lap with no obvious plot or direction. I like to take the time to answer those important questions and center myself. Once I know the writer's intention, it becomes easier to 'perform' the script instead of just 'reading' it. Who am I, where am I, what is my intention, etc.

Knowing where you are headed as you navigate through the words will raise your confidence, which also leads to a better performance. I am also never afraid to ask the client or producer if there is something I am unsure about. It's our job, as actors, to bring the words to life and make them believable. Knowing your path will allow you to follow your instincts.

Happy Earth Day 2009!

Earth Day is always a special day in my home. It was 3 years ago today that my husband and I were married. We always find it funny that a meteorologist and a nature lover were forever joined on Earth Day (which was actually a coincidence, we didn't realize it was Earth Day until shortly before the wedding).


My love of nature began at birth I'm told. I recently came across some old photos from my childhood, and I don't believe there was a single photo of me without an animal of some sort. Yup, I was- and still am- a tom boy. (In the above photo is a famous Texas 'horned toad'- I was told recently that they are now endangered, which just breaks my heart.)

That's why no one is more thrilled than me to see how 'Being Green' is becoming more the norm. It's easier and easier to make environmentally conscious choices that will benefit generations to come.

Two years ago I wrote a blog about how we, as voice actors, can make 'green' choices with our business. I know when I relocated my studio recently, re-using and re-purposing was top of mind. I re-used all the same Auralex and sound dampening materials in my new studio. I also re-purposed several of my furniture pieces to make them work in the new studio. When I had to buy new equipment, I turned to Ebay for many items (and saved money too!).

For those that are new to my blog, I thought you might enjoy reading my 'Voice Actors Are Green People Too' list from 2007.

Several items on this list came from the book "1001 Little Ways to Save Our Planet" by Esme Floyd.

1. Add a potted plant to your studio for each piece of electric equipment you own. It will help counter the negative effects of radiation while freshening the air you breathe.

2. Use a fan. Our equipment is hot, so add an energy conserving fan to your studio to avoid having to crank up the AC.

3. Add a fresh bowl of warm water to your studio each morning...this will help maintain humidity that is depleted by electronic equipment.

3. Set up near a window if possible. This way you can use natural light during the day instead of turning on a light. It is good for your eyes and your spirits to look outside!

4. Power down. Turn off your mic and pre-amp when not in use. Shut down your computer at night. If possible, unplug as well. Even when items are turned off, 5% of electricity is still being consumed.

5. Use envelopes from junk mail as scrap paper for your notes. Conserve paper.

6. Dust and vacuum! Keeping your equipment and vents clean will increase their overall efficiency.

7. When possible, buy used equipment. Just make sure it is in proper working condition!

8. Don't throw out old equipment. Sell it or find a place that will recycle it.

9. Did you know it can take hundreds of years for a compact disc to degrade? By sending audio through e-mail, you are saving our planet!

There you go, a few simple steps to help better this beautiful planet we call home! Thank you for reading, and feel free to leave a comment about the many ways you help the environment every day at work!

Happy Earth Day! (And to my husband, Happy Anniversary!)