Just Getting Started: Voice Acting Gear

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chrissb

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Hey there everyone,

This is my first post on this forum, and I'm hoping that someone will be able to help me out.

I'm currently trying to get a set up together to allow both myself and a few friends to voice act for an online video series. None of us have ever done any voice acting before, but it's something that we want to play around with in our spare time.

I'm trying to figure out what gear I should buy so that we can get the best sounding recording for the money we're willing to spend. The work we're doing is mostly dialogue work, similar to what you'd do for character voices for an animation, I guess.

I've currently got two different options in mind, and I'd appreciate any opinions on these options.

Option 1:
Shure PG42-USB Microphone - $250
VoxGuard Nearfield Absorber - $100
Stand, Pop Filter and Cables - $80

Total: ~$430

This was what I was first thinking of going with. Most of the guides I've read have said that USB microphones are great for beginners who are on a budget and don't have too much experience with the technical side of things. While I don't mind having to get a bit technical with any of the gear I buy (currently half way into an electrical engineering degree) I do like the plug-and-play simplicity of having the computer-audio interface built into the mic.

However, I then got to thinking that perhaps I was backing myself into a corner by buying a USB microphone now, seeing as if I were ever to upgrade I'd probably have to grab an XLR mic. With that in mind, I tried to figure out a second option.

Option 2:
AKG C1000S Microphone - $150
Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface - $160
VoxGuard Nearfield Absorber - $100
Stand, Pop Filter and Cables - $80

Total: ~ $490

This second option works out to be dearer than the first, and that's with a cheaper mic. However, I've seen many people online saying that having a dedicated audio interface/mic-preamp (which I'm assuming the Audio Interface is/does) will give you a much better audio quality.

I've also seen a lot of negative feedback for the AKG C1000S Microphone online too. Honestly, I've only picked that microphone at this stage because I know someone who uses one and I've always been impressed with the quality of their recordings. That said, I'd definitely like to look at alternatives if this microphone is bad in comparison to others out there.


I guess, in the end, my question boils down to this: Am I better off getting an expensive (for me, anyway) USB microphone and letting it do its thing on its own or a cheaper microphone backed by a pre-amp audio interface?

I'd also love to hear anyone's personal experiences on either of the microphones I've mentioned, or even any similarly priced microphones that you think would be good for the job.


Thanks to all,
-Chris
 
Is this into a PC or Mac?

I would just use a usb mic for this since its not for actual studio recording and ust dialog. What DAW is going to be used to edit the dialogue?

If Mac based, Apogee Mic

PC, The Blue Yeti
and a pop filter thas it you can get a vox gaurd but if you use a DAW even a limited one you can Hp all the back ground noise

So yea jus $200 or $150 total
 
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jaynm26 said:
1st no USB mic's they do not process the best quality.
Also the 1st thing you want to look at is interface but before I give advice on interfaces I have to ask what is it that you will be recording that is the most important. Band, singers, just a solo artist with vocals, guitar, bass, ext?

Once I know what you are recording again I can give advice on the mic's that would be best suited for the job along with all the other pieces of equipment in your price range.
Click to expand...

Hey there,

Thanks for your response. As I mentioned in my post, I'll be recording voice acting work (so dialogue, people talking to one another, mostly just at conversational volume) for character voices. No instruments, probably not even any singing.

EDIT: Sorry, when I said people talking to one another, I meant in the final edited product. In terms of recording, it will just be one person at a time in front of the mic, talking as if they were talking to someone else. I was just trying to provide an example of what it should sound like.

EDIT 2: Just saw your updated post.
Will be using a PC for all recording/editing work. I'll largely be using Audacity, but I've also got access to Adobe Audition if I need to do something a little more complex. Using Sony Vegas and occasionally Adobe Premiere for syncing audio with video.

I've had a look at the Blue Yeti before, and while it looks like a good microphone for the money, I'm just a bit worried that the sound might be a bit basic. Don't get me wrong - I'd love to save the extra cash - but I just worry that if I cheap out now in a month I'll find myself back in the same place having to spend more anyway.

Still, I'll go and read a few more reviews for the Yeti and I'll add it to my ever growing list.


Thanks,
-Chris
 
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Hi Chris,

Ideally I personally would suggest that you run two Shure SM58 mics into the Scarlet ($310 total) allowing two voices to interact with each other simultaneously. B&H sells the Auralex MudGuard Shield With Tripod Mic Stand Isolation Kit for $119 each ($240).

Mind you the advantage over the USB mic as I see it is being able to expand to two mics if/when you are able to do so. I don't believe that you can run two USB mics into one computer.
 
wheelema said:
Hi Chris,

Ideally I personally would suggest that you run two Shure SM58 mics into the Scarlet ($310 total) allowing two voices to interact with each other simultaneously. B&H sells the Auralex MudGuard Shield With Tripod Mic Stand Isolation Kit for $119 each ($240).

Mind you the advantage over the USB mic as I see it is being able to expand to two mics if/when you are able to do so. I don't believe that you can run two USB mics into one computer.
Click to expand...

Hey there,

Thanks for your input. First off, I think you're probably right about only being able to use one USB mic at a time. However, I'm not really too worried about doing this in the foreseeable future, as the space I have access to is limited (perhaps a bit too limited for two people to use at the same time). So, for now I'm more focused on one good quality microphone that we can take turns reading our dialogue to.

Do you have a recommendation for a decent microphone within my budget, besides the Shure M58 (which does still look quite decent, just trying to get the best bang for my buck)? From what research I've done (and, not having a background in audio, been driving myself crazy over reading), I've got the impression that a condenser microphone might be better for the sort of stuff I'll be doing than a dynamic mic, provided I can work in a quiet environment. Is this the case, or am I looking at it wrongly?

I'm also still undecided on the USB vs Analogue route. From Jaynm26's posts, I've had a look at the Blue Yeti microphone (which was the very first USB microphone I looked at originally) and while I can't really fault it for the price, I just feel that I'd like to go for something a step up from that. That's what led me to my first short-listed microphone, the Shure PG42-USB.

I guess my question USB vs pre-amp/interface is less about upgradability/future-proofing, and more about what's going to get me the best quality around the $400 mark (and that's including for example the MudGuard you mentioned, or the VoxGuard I initially listed). I feel that adding in the Scarlett, for example, takes away a lot of the playing room I have with the microphone budget. I get that having an audio-interface is an important deal, but seeing as I might never buy another microphone again (meaning lets forget about XLR connectivity with other mics for the moment), does the pre-amp in a budget audio interface like that do such a better job than the one built into a USB mic that there will be a noticeable difference? Assuming I'm only ever to use the microphone that I purchase now, will a cheaper mic with such a separate pre-amp do a better job than a dearer USB one?

Apologies if I've fired too much back at you, or if I've used the wrong term somewhere. As I said before, I'm a complete novice when it comes to this stuff, so at this point I'm just trying to investigate as many options as possible before jumping in and spending my money.

Thanks for your time,
-Chris
 
chrissb said:
Do you have a recommendation for a decent microphone within my budget, besides the Shure M58 (which does still look quite decent, just trying to get the best bang for my buck)? From what research I've done (and, not having a background in audio, been driving myself crazy over reading), I've got the impression that a condenser microphone might be better for the sort of stuff I'll be doing than a dynamic mic, provided I can work in a quiet environment. Is this the case, or am I looking at it wrongly?
Click to expand...

Well first of all, you are correct, on the fact that a condenser microphone MAY be better than a dynamic microphone if you have a good control of background noises and events that may occur. HOWEVER, you have to know, a condenser microphone has two kinds of diaphragm, a small diaphragm condenser microphone and a large diaphragm condenser microphone. A large diaphragm condenser microphone is much louder and sensitive itself ( So you do not need to turn up the gain alot ), because of its larger exposure to air than the small diaphragm, BUT, it is LESS accurate than the small diaphragm condenser, so make your choice wisely. A small diaphragm condenser microphone's volume is similar to that of a dynamic one, just that it has a different pickup pattern.

chrissb said:
I guess my question USB vs pre-amp/interface is less about upgradability/future-proofing, and more about what's going to get me the best quality around the $400 mark (and that's including for example the MudGuard you mentioned, or the VoxGuard I initially listed). I feel that adding in the Scarlett, for example, takes away a lot of the playing room I have with the microphone budget. I get that having an audio-interface is an important deal, but seeing as I might never buy another microphone again (meaning lets forget about XLR connectivity with other mics for the moment), does the pre-amp in a budget audio interface like that do such a better job than the one built into a USB mic that there will be a noticeable difference? Assuming I'm only ever to use the microphone that I purchase now, will a cheaper mic with such a separate pre-amp do a better job than a dearer USB one?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily will the cheaper mic with a seperate pre-amp do a better job. Besides, you should buy an audio interface if you are going to do recording, because more and more audio interfaces now have a built-in pre-amp in it, saving you the trouble of buying individual items. Using a USB microphone allows you to only use that microphone if you should ever want, but, an audio interface lets you use any microphone you want, that is, if phantom power is also included. ( For Condenser Microphones )

Now, how does a USB microphone work? It has a built-in audio interface in it to convert the analog sound to digital sound, therefore you can say if a USB microphone costs $400 ( example ) , 1/2 of it should be used on the built-in mini audio interface itself. So you are actually paying for a $200 microphone, but it becomes $400 because of its built-in mini audio interface. So.. You decide, if you are eventually going to upgrade for a better microphone, its a better investment to get an audio interface, which allows you to hook up the microphone you choose in it then it will have a USB cable to connect to the computer.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

Cheers,
Darren.
 
Hi Chris,
What you propose is speech recording and there are several problems you will face.

Noise, both electronic and external will be a big one. You will need a VERY low noise system and usb mics do not begin to get close (they are all 16 bit for starters). The mic with the lowest self noise on the market is the Rode NT1-A. It is large, side address capacitor mic, you will need a pop screen and some form of room filter behind the mic AND behind yourself!

Next you need an AI with quiet preamps but they won't need a great deal of gain with a big cap' mic. Top of my list would be the NI Komplete Audio 6 but AIs from Focusrite, Presonus and others should be fine, even the long-in-tooth M-A fast track pro would be ok. (note. If you could duplicate my system, A&H ZED10 mixer into an internal soundcard, M-A 2496 you would be on a winner)

Then external noise, primarily from the PC/laptop. My HP desktop is very quiet for music recording. not sure it would be quite good enough for speech. Ultra quiet computers are very expensive but with a bit of thought you can usually put some distance, even a whole room twixt mic and 'puter?

Lastly for now. Editing, you will do a lot of it! No matter how quiet things are generally you wil get intrusions, dog barks, cars, birds (birds are a flaming nuisance, buy a rifle!). You will cough, fluff, corpse and generally mess up...All gotta be fixed!

Bright side! You have Audition? Study it well, VERY powerful audio software.

Dave.
 
I'd like to thank everyone for the wealth of information that you've provided. Very appreciated.

I'm going to spend a few more days looking into the options and researching what's been mentioned here, and if I have any more questions I'll definitely be back to ask you guys.

Thanks again,
-Chris
 
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