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| FAQ / Help |
 Speedy Answers to Get You Going:
Recuts & Revisions:
Hispanic:
Billing:
Tips for Better Production:
Web Site Issues:Speedy Answers to Get You GoingWhat are your hours of business?We're located in Chelsea, Michigan which is in the Eastern Time Zone. Monday thru Friday you'll find us here by at least 6AM thru 7PM. We are currently closed on the weekend, but orders placed on Friday by 7PM can be delivered to you by Saturday morning if requested. We are also closed on all major holidays. Who is Speedy Spots and what can you do for me?Speedy Spots specializes in providing over 30 World class voice talents with high quality, low cost, fast, same-day audio production for TV, radio, on-hold messaging, talking web sites, industrial projects, political ads, imaging, talking books, CD ROMS, IVR, and anything that requires a human voice. From male, female, characters, accents, Hispanic & children talent to full production with multiple voices, sfx, music and more. All for an incredibly low price. What does Speedy Spots need from me when I request audio for a script?When you e-mail spots@speedyspots.com your first script please include the following information: Please send your physical address (no PO Box #s) and any phone numbers we can use to contact you for any questions. We prefer e-mail for sending scripts to us, but will gladly accept your fax request at (734) 475-4645. Please also include an e-mail address we can use for billing. Please also include (with each order), the name of the company you represent along with your phone number and e-mail address, cell, or page number where we we can reach you. After listening to our talent demos, select a talent for your production and let us know when you need the production returned to you. If you like, we can choose the talent for you. Also, include the length, style, tempo, and type of read you're looking for. Bolded or underlined words let us know you would like more emphasis placed on that area of the script. Any unusual pronunciations should be phonetically spelled or call us with the proper pronunciation. For more information please read our Production Tips. How will I get my finished audio back from you?We will create your own password protected download page. You will simply log in and click on the link and download the MP3 to your computer. Windows/IE users have the option to download and install a multi-file upload/download function. How will I know when my production is finished?We now have the ability to automatically send you an e-mail with every production completed. Once you're signed into your account you'll notice "My Profile" in the upper right sign-in area. You can at any time go there and change or add e-mail addresses to the auto notify list. If your e-mail address is not on the auto notify list you will not receive confirmation that your production has been completed. Just how fast can you get my finished audio back to me?VERY FAST! You just have to let us know if you need your audio back right away from a talent who is currently in their studio. On our website you will find the Our Voice Talent page. This page will show links to a list of our talents. Select a link and you'll see the talents who are available to cut copy for a same-day turn-around. In fact, you can have your audio back in as little as 10 minutes. The rest of our talent will have your production back to you by 9AM the next morning. NOTE: Child talent may take between 1 & 2 days to complete, but you can usually expect production by the next morning. Can Speedy Spots add music or SFX to my audio?With our extensive music & sfx library we can add just about anything you can imagine to your audio production. Please call us at (734) 475-9327 for a quote or for ideas about what we can do for your next production. We're creating a CD ROM for our business. Can your talent record the audio for us?Yes! If you're producing anything that requires a human voice, chances are we can do it. We're producing a video that will require over 30 minutes of narration. Can your talent record the audio and send it to us via MP3?Yes! We can produce just about any voice-over you can imagine and send it to you via MP3. We can send your audio (using the Internet) in 1 to 2 minute MP3 files. A 30 minute MP3 narration is rather large which may require you to have some type of fast Internet connection for quicker downloads. If you don't have a fast Internet connection, we can also deliver your finished production via FedEx on CD or cassette (additional charges apply). Is there a limit to where and how long I can use audio I purchase from Speedy Spots?No! Your purchase is a buyout from us. Use it for as long as you like & air it wherever you wish. Will you give us a sample read of a talent to make sure we like the voice before we place our order?We ask that you first listen to the talent's demo and choose based on what you hear there. Sometimes, (especially with character voices) you may not find what you're looking for in which case we'd be happy to have the talent cut a short demo for you. What if we need the talent to hear how we want a spot to be read?We would be happy to forward an audio file you may have to the talent. There is an additional $20 charge for this service. If the audio file was produced by Speedy Spots, then there would be no charge. NOTE: Audio files must be 1mb or less. My client wants a couple of different reads on this spot. Can I get two or three takes of the script and be billed for just one spot?That depends on the length of the script. If your copy is :10 or less the talent will provide you with at least two versions of your script. It is the talents discretion as to whether you receive multiple versions with each spot over :10. Some of the talents will send two or more reads regardless. If we request one talent to read part of a script with his/her regular voice and the other part of the script in a character or accented voice will we be billed for just a character read?Yes, but if the talent is requested to do two or more characters in one script then there would be an additional character charge for each character. I still can't seem to download and play MP3s on my MAC/PC. Now what do I do?Give us a call at (734) 475-9327 and we'd be happy to walk you through any problems you may have. We have yet to be stumped!!! Can I get a phone-patch with your voice talent or talk to your talent in person?No, sorry. In order to keep costs to a minimum, we do not offer phone patches or phone calls directly to talents. We would be happy to pass along all of the information you deem necessary to each talent in order to get you the high quality audio you expect. If I can't talk to the talent then who should I talk to about my spot?Our staff is always here to address any concern you may have about your production needs. It is rare that you will call during regular business hours and get an answering machine at Speedy Spots. Even if for some reason a recorded message answers, your call will be returned within seconds. I have a 30 minute narration for you to produce. Can you assure me that I'll get what I want?Yes, rather than produce the entire narration and ship it off to you we can first produce a short demo for you to approve. Once you approve, we can (if you wish) produce your narration in increments and continue to get your approval along the way to completion. Do you have any other suggestions that will help me understand what you will need to process our voiceover?Yes, please see our Tips For Better Production section for lots of information regarding making our service easier to use. Recuts & Revisions:The read I got from Speedy Spots wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Can you recut it for free?Probably! If for some reason we do not follow your instructions for the type of read you're looking for we will recut at no additional cost. It's always a good idea to include as much information as possible so we can get it right for you the first time. If after a few attempts, you are still not satisfied with the recuts there will be no charge for the production. I've changed one word on a script you voiced for me earlier in the day. Will I be billed again?Yes! You will be billed again if there is any kind of copy or instruction change after the talent has produced the original spot. I gave you the wrong phonetic for "Richlands". I told you that it should be (RICH'-landz) and you produced it that way. Now I just found out that it should be pronounced as (RICH'-luhndz). Will I be rebilled.Yes, anytime your instructions or the copy changes you will be rebilled if the talent has already produced the read. If we have you choose the talent for us and we don't like the talent you selected can we change the talent for no extra charge?No, If you request us to choose the talent, we will do our best to select appropriately for the type of production you are looking for. This talent of course will recut the audio if for some reason your directions were not followed. One of your talents cut a spot for me, but I'm not crazy about his/her voice for this particular script. Can another talent cut the spot at no additional cost to me?Sorry, we can have the original talent recut it for you if you find your instructions were not followed. It's important to listen carefully to the talent demos. Each demo contains a variety of read styles in order for you to make a selection based on your individual needs. One of your talents voiced a spot for me and I asked for a soft sell. Now I would like to see what it sounds like as a hard sell. Will I be billed again?Yes! Anytime you change the copy or the original instructions, you will be billed again. When we get our production back from you and we notice the talent said (DAY'-duh) instead of (DA'-duh) for the word "data" will you recut for no additional charge?No, with words that may have two pronunciations it is important to let us know which you prefer. Route (root or rowt) is another example. If you don't give us a preference with words like these the decision will then be left up to the talent. Our talents have been asked to attempt give you an extra wild line with the second pronunciation. I've just discovered an error in the script I sent you earlier. Can I stop production?Yes! As long as our talent hasn't finished the production we will stop your order and there will be no charge. If our talent has completed voicing your script then we would bill you again for the new read. We sent you a script and I just discovered a mistake I made. Can I call you and have you make the change on the script?If it is a very simple one word change, chances are we can make the change for you. If it begins to get lengthy then we may ask you to make your needed adjustments and resend the script to us. Call us right away if you need us to stop production. If the talent has already produced the read then we would need to bill again for the revision. If you fully produce a spot for us with music & SFX on one day and then a week later we need to make a small change to the read, will we be billed for a full production again?Probably not. If there are no SFX needed for the actual revised VO then we can just insert the revision into the old production for a $15 production fee along with the cost of the revised VO. We'd be happy to give you a quote for any of these changes. You produced a spot for us a few months ago and we no longer have it in our system. Can you repost it for us?We keep production on your download page for 60 days. We then archive everything we produce . We will gladly repost any past production to your download page. Any production over 60 days old requiring a repost will have a $10 repost fee. Hispanic:Do you have Hispanic talent?Yes, we have a growing pool of Hispanic talent, both male & female. We anticipate adding more Spanish talent as we find them. Do you translate from English to Spanish or Spanish to English?Yes, we can translate your voiceovers, graphics or whatever you may need. If I have a :30 script in English and need you to translate it to Spanish, will the translated script be longer than :30?Yes, a :30 script in English needs to be shortened by :05 in order for the voiceover to be completed in the :30 time frame. I have software that will translate English words to Spanish. Can I use this software and send you the translation to use in a voiceover?No, software translators currently are not capable of quality translations. Proper grammar and slang words are usually replaced with a sentence that may make no sense. Billing:What are your rates?If you're interested in our services, and curious about what we charge, just send us an email! Include your name, address, the company you represent, and a valid phone number, and we will get the necessary information to you right away. We do value your privacy, and will not distribute your contact information to any other party. How do you bill for tags?Tags are always billed individually. Our tag rate starts at :15 or less for each individual tag. Talents are required to give at least two reads for any script :10 or less. We do offer up to a 20% discount for multiple tags sent to us in the same order (3 or more at :05 or less). Please contact us for a price quote with each order. The discount depends on the chosen talent, number of tags, and length of tags. When can I expect a bill from Speedy Spots?We'll send your invoice & statement (by e-mail) after the first of each month. Prompt payment is expected 30 days after the billing date on your invoice. Please let us know of any e-mail address changes for your Accounts Payable Dept. Can Speedy Spots bill to a third party for me?Sorry, no. Third party billing takes away from our efficiency and ability to keep costs as low as we do. Please call us at (734) 475-9327 if you need more information regarding this policy. Can you send our invoice & statements to me in the Production Department as well as one to our Accounting Department?Yes, let us know the e-mail address of each party you would like your invoice & statement sent to. Our company won't allow us to accept invoices sent by e-mail. Can you snail mail our invoice & statement to us?Yes, just let us know and we'd be happy to send your invoice & statement via the U.S Postal Service. NOTE: Sending your invoice & statement via e-mail helps us keep our costs at a minimum enabling us to keep our rates as low as they are. When I attempt to view my Speedy Spots invoice, I click on the "View Invoice" link but I get an error message stating "Unauthorized access to this page. If you are accessing the page by way of a bookmark, please return to the original e-mailed link.".The configuration of your web browser causes this problem. A "cookie" must be stored on your computer to view the invoice, but your web browser is configured to refuse cookies. Please see our Cookies Problem instructions to enable cookies on your browser. Tips For Better Production:Tip #1 - PhoneticsPhacoemulsification. Did you say that right when you first read it? We didn't either. Its always best to give us a phonetic pronunciation on people, places, and things that may be local and obvious to you, but completely foreign to us. For instance, the above word would be pronounced like this - (FAY'-koh-ee-MUL'-sih-fuh-KAY'-shin). Now you've got it. Try to use everyday words in your pronunciation. For instance, the city of Ocala contains "oh", "cal" as in California, and "uh", and is pronounced (oh-KAL'-uh). Also, don't forget to let us know which syllable is stressed. Additionally, most dictionaries have a fairly helpful pronunciation guide included in them. Phonetics can be extremely tricky, so don't hesitate to call us and confirm a word. Tip #2 - Talent Availability & SelectionOur talent pages are loaded with demos from every one of our talents. Take a listen to them, and let us know which talent you'd like to use. If there's a part of someone's demo that sounds like what you need, let us know! Telling Brenda that you liked the "3rd cut on her demo" is a great way for her to know what kind of read you need. Also, underneath the name of each of our talents, you will find their daily availability. We have quite a few talents that can have a spot back to you the same day - click here to check Male talent availability, and here to check Female talent availability. Availability can change often, so we update the information throughout the day. Tip #3 - TimingBefore you send a script, it's important to double check the timing, and make sure it is noted on the script. We always proofread the script before we send it to the requested talent, in order to insure that it fits into the time specified. Long copy may delay the return of the finished audio to you. Tip #4 - PunctuationProper Punctuation is a must. Leaving out periods, commas, and other grammatical marks will inevitably confuse the talent, and may result in a finished product that isn't quite what you were looking for. It can also be helpful to bold and underline words that you wish to have punched or emphasized. Tip #5 - Contact InfoIt's important that you always include your name, phone number, and company you represent whenever you send us a script. If you're going to be away, a cell phone or pager number can also help us. This way, we can immediately alert you with any questions, problems, or concerns. Web Site IssuesSupported BrowsersProblem: Some Speedy Spots web pages do not display correctly or display errors. Solution: The display of Speedy Spots pages may vary depending on your computer, operating system, and web browser. Speedy Spots makes every effort to ensure compatibility with the latest major operating systems and browsers. To ensure that your computer and software is compatible, please use the latest version of one of these browsers:
Cookie ProblemsProblem: Cannot sign in to Speedy Spots or view invoices because web browser cookies are disabled. Solution: Web browser cookies provide a way for the web sites to identify users and keep track of their preferences. A cookie is a very small file stored on your computer that contains information that the web browser can send to the web site. Speedy Spots uses cookies to when you sign in or access an electronic invoice. Cookies are considered by some to be a privacy or security risk, however, Speedy Spots stores no personal or confidential information in the cookie. In order to sign in or view invoices, you must enable the storage of cookies for Speedyspots.com and Quickbooks.com. Speedy Spots is sensitive to concerns about safety and privacy. For this reason, we created instructions that enable the use of cookies on our site, while retaining your existing settings. Please ensure you have a supported web browser and configure your browser with these instructions: Firefox 1.0
Internet Explorer 6.0 (Windows)
Internet Explorer 5 (Mac OS)
Netscape 8
Mozilla 1.7
Opera 8.0
Safari 1.2.4
Javascript / Scripting ProblemsProblem: Some Speedy Spots pages do not display correctly due to the disabling of scripting in your browser. Solution: Please ensure that you are using the most updated version of a supported web browser, then follow these instructions for the browser you are using: For Internet Explorer 4: Click View | Internet Options
Internet Explorer (MacOS)
Netscape
Mozilla
Opera
Safari (MacOS X)
ActiveX ProblemsProblem: Some Speedy Spots pages do not display correctly due to security settings in your Internet Explorer browser for Windows operating systems. If you cannot upload or download, or you see a message box like the one below, then your security settings should be changed. Solution: Speedy Spots uses ActiveX browser objects to allow users to upload or download multiple files at one time. These objects are small in size, safe to use, and more information about them can be found by clicking here. Only users with Internet Explorer browsers running on Microsoft Windows operating systems will be prompted to install these objects. While installation of these objects is not required, we recommend their use to simplify your file uploads and downloads. To ensure that these object are installed, please configure your browser using these steps:
If you continue to have problems with ActiveX pages, please contact us. Browser ObjectsThe FileUp objects execute within the browser only, and do not compromise the security of your computer in any way. These objects are the leading standard for file transfers on other popular web sites, and more information about them can be found by clicking here. Only users with Internet Explorer browsers running on Microsoft Windows operating systems will be prompted to install these objects. While installation of these objects is not required, we recommend their use to simplify your file uploads and downloads. The objects are downloaded in a single file that is 1 MB in size. The download completes in approximately 4 minutes for dial-up and 30 seconds for high-speed internet service. To ensure that these object are installed, please configure your browser using these steps:
If you continue to have problems with ActiveX pages, please contact us. |
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