Best set up for VOICE ACTING recording

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billy_meathead

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Hi there,

I am trying to economically set up a simple "mini" studio to record voice but mainly for the purpose of VOICE ACTING and general voice over work. I basically want to create a decent professional voicereel from home to send out to agents etc.

I have a decent microphone but was wondering if it is worth looking into a USB mic and basic software, then all I have to worry about is some acoustic issues at home.

Any suggestions of the best equipment and way to go about this would be most appreciated.

And apologies for being a "noob" but I've got to start somewhere!

cheers,

billym
 
Hi there Billy
There are too many variables here, and the "best" setup/equipment would involve you buying a warehouse and creating a proper recording facility :)

So here's some items you'll probably need as a basic home setup:
*treated recording space so the only thing that is recorded is the vocals without all that pinging/echo that normally happens with untreated rooms - do not build a vocal cupboard as the speech will end up sounding boxy and horrible (search the forums for ideas on how to deaden a room or part of a room enough for tracking vocals)

*condender mic for best clarity or good quality dynamic (beta58 or the like) if your room can't be deadened sufficiently to remove the sound of the room from the recording. Steer clear of USB mics if you already have a decent mic. They are good for podcasts but may not be suited for a high quality show reel (I could be wrong here so if others have had good results using USB mics for high quality audio, please step in)

*pop screen to tame plosives

*some kind of baffle behind the mic to further reduce the sound of the room being imprinted on the audio (related to room treatment)

*audio interface with a decent mic preamp on it (or even better, a dedicated channel strip unit going into an interface so you can have some dynamic control when tracking)

*computer with audio recording & editing software (or hardware recorder). Audacity is free, or you could take the leap into Logic (mac only), ProTools, Cubase or Reaper

*oh, and a good voice will help as well :) :)

Best wishes!
Dags
 
Billy,
You received some good input on the basic equipment and acoustic treatment needed to get started. If you are just starting out, keep it simple and practice, practice, practice; before you send out any demos. Think about taking some acting lessons at the local theater. You only get ONE chance to make a first impression as a viable VO talent.

Treat your recording space, use a decent mic, interface, and freebie recording software like Audacity to practice. My starter gear was a Rode NT1-A> Fast Track Pro> Audacity. I bought the Rode from Guitar Center new, FTP off Craigslist ($60) and Audacity for free. Try to avoid getting G.A.S. (gear acqui$ition $yndrome) until you know that you are ready to take it to the next level. Meanwhile, save your money for reading material on VO, acting lessons, and learning all you can about voice acting. I will be happy to share some good book titles, if you care.

Record every day... read OUT LOUD every day, even if it's just the newspaper. Now get out there and practice! I hope to hear you doing some Mercedes commercials or narrating a BBC documentary one day.
 
Hi there,

thanks for all your info and responses. Sorry for my late reply, I've been away!

Ok, I've studied acting and had vocal training - there is always more you can do, but this aspect of the game I'm satisfied with. I know techniques I need to use and how to manipulate the voice for certain purposes.

What I'm trying to achieve is a cost effective way to record to a laptop or some form of recording unit to make demos that have a clear and crisp sound rather than that cheap "I did it at home with a tapedeck" effect.

I've bought books and tune "my instrument" so to speak (no pun intended). My intention is to record two professional sounding demos - one of my natural reading/speaking voice and another of voices - I would like to try and get into the voice acting for computer games and animation market. Can these be mixed though - as in one demo for all? Or should it be tailored for specifics?

In terms of what I have so far - I own a Roland MV8800 drum machine production centre - however as high-tech and expensive as this is, its more for beat creation than recording voice.

I have a condenser mic - a Sontronics STC2 - its on the Sontronics website (i'm unable to post URLs as I haven't made enough posts yet) - this cost around £130 a couple of years ago. I also have a stand and pop shield for it. I presume owning this will be superior to a usb mic? Instead should I look for a "middle man" unit to connect this mic to the laptop - I think M-audio do some ok units like this, unless you have any suggestions?

I've used Audacity in the past and will look into that again. A friend owns logic, pro tools and a bunch of high-end Mac software.

I guess other than my voice (which is my problem!) the only thing I haven't got much for (nor can afford to do much about) is acoustic treatment, however are there ways around this - I've been told in the past that using a mattress to block the sound can have a really good effect?

BTW, I'm intending of selling the Roland MV unit, so this may free a bit of capital to buy decent software or other recommendations you may have.

Once again, really appreciate your responses, very kind,

cheers,
Billy
 
I don't know your mic but just did some Googling and it's had some good reviews so let's assume it'll do the job.

The first thing you need is an interface to get it into your laptop. There are lots of simple ones with one or two inputs out there. I can recommend the M AUDIO FAST TRACK MK II but there are lots of others.

Second, to sound professional you need to worry about room acoustics--that is perhaps the biggest difference between pro studios and home recordings. Ideally, you'll completely treat your room but (in the real world) that's probably not likely. I've had almost as good results using an SE PROJECT STUDIO REFLEXION FILTER, particularly if you couple it with something soft behind you when you record--thick curtains, a duvet hung up, that sort of thing.

Finally, software. For simple voice, Audacity might be enough but if yo want something with more flexibility, try Reaper. It's free to try, the trial doesn't expire and (when your conscience tells you to pay for it) only $65 to buy. It'll do everything you need and a lot more.
 
Billy,
Sounds like you have the background for VO. I cannot add to the suggestions that Bobbsy made. That will get you started.

To answer these questions:
billy_meathead said:
I've bought books and tune "my instrument" so to speak (no pun intended). My intention is to record two professional sounding demos - one of my natural reading/speaking voice and another of voices - I would like to try and get into the voice acting for computer games and animation market. Can these be mixed though - as in one demo for all? Or should it be tailored for specifics?
Click to expand...

Typically, demos will highlight your various talents, independently. If you have a repertoire of character voices, you will record a demo of those alone, and not cross-discipline those with your e-learning or audiobook demos.
Visit Bob Bergen Official Web Site , or Joe J. Thomas - Voice Acting Portfolio
for some great examples, or sites like Voice123.com or Voices.com for more.
Dale
 
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billy_meathead said:
Hi there,

I am trying to economically set up a simple "mini" studio to record voice but mainly for the purpose of VOICE ACTING and general voice over work. I basically want to create a decent professional voicereel from home to send out to agents etc.

I have a decent microphone but was wondering if it is worth looking into a USB mic and basic software, then all I have to worry about is some acoustic issues at home.

Any suggestions of the best equipment and way to go about this would be most appreciated.

And apologies for being a "noob" but I've got to start somewhere!

cheers,

billym
Click to expand...

Sorry to be late to the party.

Check out RadioDaddy for v.o. specific information. I recommend Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio for the recording/mastering app. Strictly two channels. Personally I'd stay away from LDC microphones for V.O. work (though I do have a Sennheiser MK3) in favor of a Shure SM7B or a ElectroVoice RE20. Pop for decent monitors. Look into a CircuitWerkes MicTel or the pricier JK Audio telephone couplers for remote direction. I use a Sound Devices USBPre 2 for preamp/ADA interface.

A large properly treated closet makes a decent recording space.

Luck.
 
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One quick comment on Wheelma's mic recommendations: there's a bit of a cultural difference between American and British tastes in voice recording. The American "radio voice" is super warm and bass heavy for which those mics are perfect. The British taste is crisper and with more upper mid bite and clarity. You'll find a lot more big ondensers in London studios. I"d try things with your existing mic and only change if you're unhappy.
 
Bobbsy said:
One quick comment on Wheelma's mic recommendations: there's a bit of a cultural difference between American and British tastes in voice recording. The American "radio voice" is super warm and bass heavy for which those mics are perfect. The British taste is crisper and with more upper mid bite and clarity. You'll find a lot more big ondensers in London studios.
Click to expand...

I hadn't considered that before - awesome insight Bobbsy!
...and what the hell were you doing online at 2am!? :)

Dags
 
Dags said:
...and what the hell were you doing online at 2am!? :)

Dags
Click to expand...

Being mostly retired means I can adopt vampire hours!

Two AM is more natural to me than your post before 9AM....shiver...is there life that early in the morning?
 
Hi again,

thanks a lot for all your info and responses, very helpful. Gives me a lot of options.

For now, I'll stick with the mic I've got (this may change once I can get (and afford) the other equip) and see what I can do with it.

I still need to do things really cheaply but with a view to getting the most professional recording I can out of very little. At my acting school we managed to build together crash mats with puzzle piece endings into a sort of "punch & judy" house and record from in there, it basically worked. But now I've finished the school and want to record from home I may well look into a mix of old fashioned curtains, duvets mixed with a piece of kit like the SE Reflexion Filter.

Sounds as though software wise Audacity or Reaper is all I'll need? I only really want to tinker a bit afterwards with the sound more than the voice itself, just so I can clear any b/ground noise and edit the sample lengths etc - any other major programs I presume would be overkill.

And in terms of connecting my mic via USB, will the M-Audio be enough, I looked at the other bits of kit (thanks to Wheelema for those) but they are out of my budget for now.

I am serious about this, however, I'm pretty poor and for now just want to get a decent demo to hawk around to studios, agents etc - the key is to make that sound professional enough for them to see potential, then with a bit of wishful thinking I can use their studio instead!!

Thanks again for all your posts!

Billy
 
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