Suggestions for VoiceOver mic for Radio ads

[serco]

Hi,

I need your help for a microphone in my home studio to record my male voice for Radio Commercials, narration, etc.

My 50 years old male voice, need to sound rich and warm.

Thanks for your suggestions
Serco

 

[pohaku]

Shure SM7, EV RE-20, Neumann U-87 are all very popular choices for VO mics. I've got all 3 of them and prefer the SM7 for my voice (male tenor). It's also the least expensive of the 3. The newer Heil mics have also become popular, but I haven't used any of them. Yet.

 

[Seafroggys]

I'd suggest the SM7b, it was literally designed for that purpose in mind.

 

[pezking]

All three of the mics suggested by pohaku are very good for pretty much anything. You can't go wrong with any of them

 

[KineticSound]

If you're going to buy one mic, I would strongly suggest you visit your local music store and ask to demo different models. Different mic's complement different voices.

I also do voiceover work from my home studio, and I have an unusual choice in mic's: the Shure KSM-27. This would not be on most folk's list for voice, but it just happens to be a nice match to my voice.

If you are not able to have a shootout with different mic's, I would default to the above recommended SM-7b. Keep in mind that the 7b needs a nice amount of gain, so do some homework on a good preamp as well.

 

[Weasel9992]

Shure SM7, EV RE-20, Neumann U-87 are all very popular choices for VO mics. I've got all 3 of them and prefer the SM7 for my voice (male tenor). It's also the least expensive of the 3. The newer Heil mics have also become popular, but I haven't used any of them. Yet.

+2 on the Sm7b. I track a bunch of VO work and that mic and the RE-20 are standards.

Frank

 

[wheelema]

Hi,

I need your help for a microphone in my home studio to record my male voice for Radio Commercials, narration, etc.

My 50 years old male voice, need to sound rich and warm.

Thanks for your suggestions
Serco

I'm a 52 year old male and tried to break in to VO work using a SM7B. I like very much the sound of my voice with it, and have heard many people tell me that the RE-20 and SM7B are essentially identical. But sound is not the only consideration. Many clients want to see a selection of mics, so my advice to you is to find a store that rents a selection of mics, and advertise those on your web site as if you own them. If a client wants to use one of those mics, then you go and rent it.
I hope you experience more success than I did... which was zero, zip, zilch. If you have any tips in THAT regard... how to find work, etc... I'd be all ears.

 

[serco]

Thanks for your comments. You help me to shorten my list. I just just need to go to a retailer near my home to test theses jewels.

Thanks again!
Serco

 

[serco]

Double posting, sorry

 

[wheelema]

I've also seen short shotguns aimed at the chest used professionally.

 

[LP2006]

I'm a 52 year old male and tried to break in to VO work using a SM7B. I like very much the sound of my voice with it, and have heard many people tell me that the RE-20 and SM7B are essentially identical. But sound is not the only consideration. Many clients want to see a selection of mics, so my advice to you is to find a store that rents a selection of mics, and advertise those on your web site as if you own them. If a client wants to use one of those mics, then you go and rent it.
I hope you experience more success than I did... which was zero, zip, zilch. If you have any tips in THAT regard... how to find work, etc... I'd be all ears.

Assuming he is strictly voice talent, which it sounds like he is, he would really only need one microphone to get "his sound."

Being one who has worked in post production, I can tell you that the post houses are going to be more interested in how easy it is to work with you than how many microphones you have. Due to this, I would strongly consider getting an ISDN and/or Source Connect setup, then focus on a single microphone/preamp combination that sounds good.

Another thing to consider: A common problem in "Home Studios" are the room acoustics. I've definitely seen some talent get dropped from the project because the room in their home-studio was untreated.

 

[Windy Mountain]

related querie

Hi Clever People,

I'm just learning the ropes with voiceovers and realise that I need a cheap set-up for my home with which I can practice my microphone technique.

Ideally I'd like to spend less than $150 and just plug a microphone into a minidisc recorder or something. My laptop has a Yamaha AC-XG sound card (I think).

As you can probably tell I am not very technical so a the set-up should be easy to use. It doesn't have to be brilliant though - I will continue to go to a proper studio when I record anything for other people to listern to.

Would be very very very grateful for any help or advice

 

[KineticSound]

I'm just learning the ropes with voiceovers and realise that I need a cheap set-up for my home with which I can practice my microphone technique.

Ideally I'd like to spend less than $150 and just plug a microphone into a minidisc recorder or something. My laptop has a Yamaha AC-XG sound card (I think).

Not really possible to go mic -> MD deck. It would need a preamp to get some signal going. A better bet - if this is just to practice technique - would be to get something like a USB condenser (Audio Technica makes a decent one for around $150) and download something like Audacity software to do it on your laptop.

 

[BudgetMC]

The Kel HM2-D looks cool, and the sound samples are promising. I've heard very good things about Modded MCA SP-1's for VO work. Some interesting information here:

http://www.vocalimpactmedia.com/SoundStorage.html

As for breaking into VO work, my own experience is that if you've got a good technique, it's still one of those fields you have to break into... and then things get a lot easier. I wound up doing a bit of VO work in Boston in the early '90s. I got invited to do a public radio spot by somebody who had heard me lecture, and got a fair number of follow-up gigs as a result. Didn't keep it up after I moved a couple of years later. Kinda miss the work now... hmmm.