I recorded a spot for the Kansas Lottery Friday morning over at Babble-On. In and out in 15 minutes - yes, I do believe my internal station was tuned to ROCK.

It was great, blah, blah, blah, the Babble On staff were awesome, blah, blah, blah (all true, just not interesting reading - keep reading for the cool and awkward part). The cool and awkward part was that I recorded via digi-patch (aka digital patch; aka ISDN voice-over session). Oh - you want English? The director, producer, writer, clients, etc. were in some other city, but I was still able to hear them and get direction through my headphones.

It was like a professional game of Marco Polo - I knew the principle mechanics of the thing - headphones, mic, music-stand for the script, sound booth, technician, etc., etc., etc.; but I found it tricky to not see the director's face - I couldn't get a feel for the room, for the mood. In past sessions I've been able to see through the glass into the control room and read the expressions on the director's and technician's faces to help guide my performance. It's easier to gauge if they're jazzed, frustrated, if I'm close or way off the mark. This time, it was a sea of faint voices and laughter that I couldn't confidently interpret.

All in all, I nailed it in twelve takes and my session was wrapped with a "that was it – perfect. Good work, kiddo," through the headphones. I'm still not sure who said it, but I thank them nonetheless for being my First.