If you intend to audition for a part in an Altered Vistas production, please read the following notes carefully.

1.) Please do not send any examples of your work as email attachments without first contacting me. Any unsolicited emails with attachments will be deleted unread. I have a computer full of Daleks to protect here!

2.) If you are asked to send an audition, make sure it is attached as an MP3 file. WAV files take up too much space in my inbox, stop other people getting in touch, take too long to download and generally annoy me. If I'm annoyed, I'll send the Daleks round to exterminate you and any household pets/partners that they come across. Now, you wouldn't want that, would you? If you can only make a WAV file, we can make special arrangements to send it via email or send it on disc or CD (assuming you have a CD burner, of course).

3.) Please record your audition to the highest quality that you can possibly manage. If I have a single part on offer and two people up for it who I consider equally good, I'm much more likely to go for the one who has sent a crisp, clear recording made at 44100 Mhz in 16 bits than the one who sounds like they recorded it on the hard shoulder of the M52. Below you will find a few simple tips to getting better sound quality out of even your standard desk microphone.

4.) Please do not add effects (echo, reverb, distortion etc) to your audition. For consistency, I need crisp, clear recordings that can be integrated seamlessly with other parts of the production.

5.) Please do not add noise reduction to your recordings. For consistency, it is much better for me to do it at this end.

6.) Please allow a reasonable length of time before contacting me to find out what's happening with your audition piece. If it's for a specific part, then I will need to judge your entry against others. This can all take time, but be assured that everyone will be contacted and informed of casting decisions.

7.) Enjoy it! And good luck too!

Even a standard desk microphone that plugs straight into your computer can produce quite respectable results when used correctly. Just follow these simple rules and you'll be producing crisp, clear recordings in next to no time. Obviously you will also need some audio software with which to record the sound, but even Windows' Sound Recorder can manage fairly decent results.

1.) Always position your microphone as far away from the computer as is physically possible. This reduces the amount of electrical noise picked up by the microphone.

2.) If the recording is fuzzy or very low quality, ensure the microphone is correctly plugged into the microphone socket. It's all too easy to plug it into the wrong hole.

3.) If your microphone is handheld, place it down somewhere or buy (or make) a stand for it. Creaking microphone leads and fumbling fingers can ruin otherwise excellent recordings.

4.) Get a good level on your microphone. To do this, if you're using Windows XP, open the advanced volume controls (START/CONTROL PANEL/SOUND, SPEECH AND AUDIO DEVICES/ADVANCED VOLUME CONTROLS) and select OPTIONS followed by PROPERTIES. Switch the radio button to RECORDING, make sure the microphone is ticked in the list at the bottom and then hit OK. Tick the SELECT box below the microphone. Make sure the balance on the microphone is central. On the ADVANCED button, ensure MICROPHONE BOOST is ticked. Click CLOSE to take you back to the volume controls. Now you need to experiment, recording samples of your voice and adjusting the volume slider on the Microphone control until your recorded voice is clear but not distorting.

5.) To cut down on electrical noise and the natural acoustic of the room, position cushions around the microphone (though obviously not covering the head). These will help produce a flatter sound that can then be treated to sound like it was recorded wherever we want. Even Skaro!

6.) Don't sit too close to the microphone or it will sound like you are recording the audition in a cupboard. Equally, don't sit too far away, or you will lose a lot of the sound and introduce more noise into the recording.

7.) To help eliminate pops on hard letters like "B" and "P", try placing a sock or a foam protector over the microphone head. Also, don't speak directly into the microphone head. Aim slightly above or below it.

8.) Take care to minimise background noise. Turn off televisions and radios in the room (obviously), close windows and doors, and don't sit on a creaky chair or wear jingly jewellery. I want a fantastic audition from you, not your rattan furniture!

9.) Record your lines at 44100 Mhz and a minimum of 16 bits. A mono recording is just fine as they can always be converted into stereo when the acoustic is added at this end.

10.) Don't get too hung up about it. A little bit of background hiss is fine - it can always be noise reduced or the offending frequencies removed at this end. Fantastic performances are paramount, so long as I can hear them! Many of our best actors were first timers when they auditioned, and some of their audition pieces were technically very poor, but we were able to help them improve.