Pro Tools vs Audition/Audacity for VOICE editing specifically (equipment also)

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Benmanu8189

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I saw a related topic while searching google speculating on the advantages/disadvantages of using Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, and Audacity but it hadn't answered my question. Instead of bringing alive an old topic for a new purpose I thought I'd keep it simple, register and ask for myself.

I would like to start doing voice acting and I'm starting to look for equipment. When it comes to audio editing software I already have BOTH Audacity AND Audition, and I've gotten to be okay with both of them thanks to youtube. My question is, (after hearing that Pro Tools is the industry standard) would I have the need to switch to Pro Tools for strictly voice editing when I already have both of the previously mentioned software? I did some research and found that Audition doesn't support something called MIDI which to my understanding is just a type of cable that allows audio interface boxes to be compatible with things such as a keyboard (which I would have no need for for my specific purposes).

Finally, (sorry for the length) I'm looking in to quality mics and I've heard a lot of good things about the snowball and the yeti but I'm not really versed in mics at this point in time. So, I would love opinions for high quality and (hopefully) inexpensive microphones that would suit my purposes.
 
Welcome to the forums. I also focus primarily on voiceover work for commercials and corporate videos, and I use a few different types of software.

To get started, I can simply say that you do NOT need to purchase Pro Tools to begin auditioning for voice jobs. In fact, I would strongly discourage it. 90% of what I send out are .mp3 or .wav files for clients to import into their software of choice, and Audacity will do this just fine. If you look at any of the forums on voices.com or voice123.com, you will see that Audacity and Audition are both very popular for dry voice reads. Forget about MIDI; for the most part, you won't ever encounter this in voice acting.

Where more powerful DAW software will make a difference is typically when you start doing larger-scale productions that involve layering audio beds and/or doing more advanced processing of the vocal tracks. Pro Tools and Logic both have extensive plugin (effect) libraries available and work with audio samples in ways that Audacity cannot. This separates voice actors from voice producers... Actors are expected to send good quality raw voice tracks; producers are expected to send good quality finished audio tracks.

The most important thing you can do to get started (IMO) is to set up the best quality mic -> preamp -> converter chain that you can afford, and to set it up in a space that is well-treated acoustically. The Blue Snowball is a fine mic for podcasting, however you will find that you are auditioning your tracks against professionals who are using Sennheiser 416's or RODE NTG's in treated vocal booths, and your tracks will stand out as poor quality. (Sorry to be direct here, but it's the truth) Personally, I use a RODE NTG-1 through a Focusrite preamp and Avid converters in a fully-treated booth.

Once you find and/or create a well-treated space, you'll need to find a mic and preamp that compliment your spoken voice. This is not always an easy task. I would suggest, if you have any sort of mic at home, that you record a few passages and either post them here on the forum or send them to me (my contact info can be found through my signature link). Based on vocal characteristics, I could send you a list of mic/preamp combos that you might want to try in a variety of price ranges.
 
Audition's niche in the market is audio editing, particularly voice. Protools may lay claim to "industry standard" in things like audio post and music creation, Audition has a major penetration in areas like radio production.

If you already have Audition, stick with it. Audacity is a bit too limiting and Protools won't give you anything extra that you need. Use Audition and stick with the likes of BBC Radio, CBS Radio and a whole bunch of others!
 
Bobbsy said:
Audacity is a bit too limiting and Protools won't give you anything extra that you need. Use Audition and stick with the likes of BBC Radio, CBS Radio and a whole bunch of others!
Click to expand...

This. Pro Tools main reason for being "industry standard" as far as I can tell lies with all their peripherals, namely in video production (I have my degree in audio engineering and have an Operator level certification in Avid Pro Tools 10HD, and I'm willing to admit it's overkill for nearly anyone).

Just stick with Audition. Like Bobbsy said, Audacity is a little limited, and since you already have Audition, that'll be plenty enough. =]
 
KineticSound said:
The Blue Snowball is a fine mic for podcasting, however you will find that you are auditioning your tracks against professionals who are using Sennheiser 416's or RODE NTG's in treated vocal booths, and your tracks will stand out as poor quality. (Sorry to be direct here, but it's the truth) Personally, I use a RODE NTG-1 through a Focusrite preamp and Avid converters in a fully-treated booth.

Once you find and/or create a well-treated space, you'll need to find a mic and preamp that compliment your spoken voice.
Click to expand...

Well I was talking about the Yeti moreover than the snowball. I don't know either of the Sennheiser 416's or RODE NTG but I've heard the quality of the yeti is amazing. So is it as big a difference in audio quality vs the other two?
 
Benmanu8189 said:
Well I was talking about the Yeti moreover than the snowball. I don't know either of the Sennheiser 416's or RODE NTG but I've heard the quality of the yeti is amazing. So is it as big a difference in audio quality vs the other two?
Click to expand...

Yes. Personally, I would steer clear of USB microphones if you can help it (unless you're just dead set on having the yeti). I would always opt for a separate mic and preamp/interface.

That said, if you want to start inexpensively and insist on a USB mic, the Yeti would be a big step above the Snowball.
 
If you could get high quality and and inexpensive in the same box, pro studios would spend tens of thousands of dollars on a collection of mics. The Blue Yeti Pro used with the XLR out and an interface is a good mic that suits a lot of voices...thing is, that's a key phrase. Different mics suit different voices. I'd second the advice to go for an XLR mic plus an interface--it'll sort out a lot of monitoring issues later on.

As for Protools vs. Audition vs. a host of others, MIDI is a lot more than just a cable. Basically it's an interface format that allows you to create electronic music--you assign a sound (say a trumpet) then use MIDI commands to define the note to be played, how long the note is, and all the parameters. Unless you're creating music, you don't need it. I should be honest here and say that I spent some years forced to use Protools at work but, despite training courses etc, always felt I was fighting the user interface rather than working with it. For voice recording and editing, Audition is genuinely a better choice, not just a "use it because you have it" situation.

Finally, put some thought--a LOT of thought--into acoustics. With plain voice, the sound of your room hangs out there for all to hear and is very unforgiving compared to music recording. That's a whole other topic--complete with a set of FAQs elsewhere on this board though.
 
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Alright well that being said. As low as you could possibly go (cost-wise, because I don't have a lot to work on with including the cost of voices.com OR Voice123.com to actually acquire the jobs that I'm buying the equipment for) what would be a good enough mic and preamp (not really sure what that is and it's purpose) to be able to put in clean sounding auditions to land some income to make up what I lose for cost?

Also, what kind of passages were you talking about Kinetic? I'm already training with a voice over company so I'm assuming one of the scripts they've sent me to practice would do well?

Thanks
 
I would suggest reading some of the FAQ's and stickies in the newbies forum here on HR before you go any further. You can find information on what preamps/interfaces are and what they do, as well as many varied opinions on different models. A USB mic is just a mic with a cheap preamp & USB interface built-in. It's a better plan to purchase a solid USB (or whatever connection you like) interface with a good preamp in it and then pair it with the mic that best suits your voice.

If you have a demo reel or any sample recordings, send them over and I'll see what guidance I can provide.

If you want to go find a shop and test them yourself, voiceover mics might include the following (this is by no means a complete list; just what I can think of at the moment):

Budget:
Shure SM58
Audio Technica AT2020
MXL 990 or V67

Mid-Range:
Shure SM-27 or KSM-32
Electro Voice RE-20
RODE NTG-1 or NT2a
Heil PR40

High-End/Pro:
Shure KSM-44
Shure SM-7b (needs a preamp with a lot of gain)
Neumann TLM-103 or TLM-67
Neumann U87ai
Sennheiser MKH-416

Preamps/Interfaces (in somewhat general order of low-to-high quality):
Blue Icicle (preamp and interface combo)
Lexicon U22 (preamp and interface combo)
Avid MBox (preamp and interface combo)
Apogee One / Duet (preamp and interface combo)
Focusrite Forte (preamp and interface combo)
FMR Audio RNP (preamp)
Grace 101 (preamp)
Focusrite ISA (preamp)
Avalon M-5 (preamp)
 
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