VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Jax]

Hello, all! I've been lurking on this board for a couple of weeks now, just trying to get a sense of the place, and I'm both amazed and more than a little intimidated with the expertise of the posters on this website. I'm VERY new, just got my demo pressed and I'm looking to take the next step, so if I say anything unbearably n00b, please just bear with me.

So after a lot of encouragement from those around me, I took some VO classes and got a demo. Since I got a nice tax refund this year, I've decided to spend it on gear to get myself internet ready. My budget is roughly $1500, and I already own a Mac Power Book G4, but everything else I have to buy.

One of my main problems is that I live in an apartment in Los Angeles, meaning there is no room in the place without windows and no closet large enough to convert into a studio. I figured I would be doing recording in my bedroom, but again, I need something that can kill the sound coming in from a window. I don't live on an especially noisy block, but if anyone has advice on converting a larger room for sound quality, I'd appreciate it.

Beyond that, any advice on solid, affordable gear/software that is Mac compatible would be wonderful. I'm very excited about becoming a part of the VO community, so thanks in advance for your help!

[Yoda117]

[Rob Ellis]

Jax,

Being only two years into the freelance game, I still have fresh memories of all the decisions that have to be made.

For me, the Shure SM 57 was an economical first choice, but not a good one.
I wouldn't recommend it.

I have heard that the Marshall V69 is a good mic for the money, but it is a tube mic and some on this board feel that tubes present a potential disadvantage.

I have a Focusrite Voicemaster Pro pre-amp that I will be selling, probably for around $400 (it was $650 originally and has been used for only about 4 months--I upgraded to an Avalon 737)

Have fun, though. There's nothing quite like your first set of VO gear, even though you will probably upgrade it several times throughout the course of your career...so choose as wisely as possible so that you can go as long as possible without incurring the cost of those inevitable upgrades....

[SomeAudioGuy]

OK.
There's a LOT of ground to cover.
First off, keeping a strict budget is going to be vital. This end of the business, it's too easy to start collecting stuff you really wont use. You'll end up with a bad case of G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). Also your budget really isn't going to be big enough to make too many mistakes.

You are going to need an external sound card. A RECORDING soundcard (some people on boards like these get really antsy about calling them 'interfaces' or audio break out boxes, but universally the generic term is sound card).
A popular model here seems to be the Echo Audiofire, and I also like M-Audio cards (though their drivers can be a little twitchy). The MBox is an excellent card, but if you aren't going to use Pro Tools, then it might be over kill for what you want to do. Most M-Audio cards are compatible with a version of Pro Tools (called M-Powered) you can buy separately if you decide you need to have it. It'll help keep your initial expenditure low, but I don't really think that should be a main buying point.
Check out the specs, but you'll want at least stereo inputs (with +48v Phantom Power), 24 bit 96KHz recording quality, greater than 100db SNR, and greater than 45dB output gain. Specs should be easy to find on the manufacturer websites.

Where you're really going to get burned is on the mic. You'll get reports on every mic under the sun, and most will say that each mic is a good mic. What sucks is that most will be true. There are a LOT of good microphones out there. The problem isn't finding a good one, but finding one that accents the qualities of your voice well.
I can't recommend a microphone for you. I can only recommend that you take some of your budget, and hit a recording studio near you and book an hour or two of play time. Use every microphone they have. Make them set up the simplest recording chain they can, so you can hear JUST the mics. (preferably microphone right into "digitalaudioprosoundcardinterface") That as an investment will probably pay off much better than buying a microphone on word of mouth.

I will say that you should probably be considering a condenser over a dynamic. There is nothing wrong with using a dynamic for voice over (re20, sm7, sm57, sm58 all great mics) but I find to really get your money's worth, they tend to perform better when driven by a dedicated preamp, which will be an added expense and learning hurdle. If you're really as newb as you say you are, I'd recommend simplicity.

Depending on what you can try out before you buy, I would budget (loosely) $300-400 for a microphone and about $300 for the soundcard, add in about $100 in other accessories (cables, stands, etc), If your mac has garage band use it, or look into Audacity or Traverso (both free). Then maybe invest $100-200 in some monitoring headphones or speakers, and THEN SAVE THE REST. Having a little extra business budget for flexibility is ALWAYS a good thing.

For about $1000 you should have an easy to use, fairly portable, rig for knocking out killer auditions, and maybe even the odd job here or there.

As for your recording space, you always have options. I've written a lot about that already, so if you don't mind the blog spam you can go here:
http://someaudioguy.blogspot.com/2008/03/recording-booth-on-cheap.html
and here:
http://someaudioguy.blogspot.com/2007/11/audio-guy-mail-bag-booth-for-home.html

That second link also has some GREAT additional links on setting up recording spaces by NOT using tiny booths or closets.
Treating a space isn't that hard, but it might mean learning a little more about recording and reinforcement than your average bear.

Whew, that was a lot of typing. I gotta go lay down...
_________________
Hey! Whaddaya hear?
http://someaudioguy.blogspot.com

[billelder]

The Audio Technica AT 2020 is $99 at Musician's Friend. A great deal on a great mic.

[Bill Campbell]

Electro Voice RE-20 ($400) - great sounding and very forgiving of bad room acoustics.

DBX286A ($200) - mic preamp/compressor/expander/EQ. Plenty of gain. Matches up nicely with an RE-20.

Mic stand and good cables.

Add your skills to this rig and you can compete with anybody.

Are there better setups? Sure. But virtually no voice seeker will notice the difference.
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www.asapaudio.com

[louzucaro]

Another mic to consider if you're worried about noise in the room / area is the Cole's 4104 Commentator's Noise Cancelling Ribbon Microphone. I wrote about it here if you want to read more...

http://blog.voicehero.com/2008/03/08/close-encounters-of-the-audio-kind/
_________________
Lou Zucaro
http://www.voicehero.com

"Well, yeah, there's my favorite leaf!"

[Yoda117]

I'll toss another vote out for the AT2020 as a starter mic. I've found it to be great on folks, especially those new to the game because it has a habit of not accentuating many of the bad habits found in those new to the profession.

Jeff Kafer (who I wouldn't consider to be a n00b in front of the onion) uses one as his primary mic and his demos are pretty spot on.

Again, it's what works best for you though. Maybe as an aid you ought to snag a copy of Harlan Hogan's "The Voice Actor's Guide to Home Recording." It's a little dated, but still very useful.
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Voiceovers by Gregory Houser
Philadelphia based Voice Actor

Blog - A man, a martini, and a lot of microphones

[todd ellis]

yup - mics are like pizza - everybody likes something different - but i'll toss another vote in for the AT2020 in general. i use one with my travel rig and like it plenty.
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

[Deirdre]

Here's something spiffy from Broadcast Supply Worldwide:

http://www.bswusa.com/proditem.asp?item=PROTOOLSPERSONAL


I haven't had a chance to read thru all the responses in this thread, so please forgive me if this is redundant— The two most important things for recording voice are your MIC and your ROOM.
You choose your mic based of your VOICE and your ROOM.

A mic that sounds fabby in one environment may stink in another.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Jax]

Ah, back online again! Thanks, all. I appreciate the feedback.