Need advice on project studio for Voiceover

[reactr04]

Hello board!

I've been doing TV and radio voiceover for the better part of 10 years but I've always relied on the use of studios at the stations for which I've worked to get stuff done. Now with the dough from some extra gigs I've secured (and a reason to stay home more often in the form of my 3 month old daughter!) I'm finally going to set something up in my apartment. This is strictly voice stuff I'm recording - no bands, no music.

At this point I have a pair of Mackie active monitors which I love, a Focusrite Platinum Penta (sounds OK) and a Neumann TLM 103. Things on my wishlist: an audio interface, some soundproofing and maybe an upgraded channel strip. Will probably drop most of my cash on the latter.

My computer is an issue: I have a new HP dual-core that runs MEDIA CENTER XP. When I picked it up I had no idea how many problems Media Center would cause...but before you tell me to install a friends copy of XP on this machine, please give me any advice you can on a MusicXPC laptop. I think this would be better for me since I'll be shuttling lots of projects to and from work. BTW, they run Adobe Audition here, so I'll be getting a copy of that to install on whatever machine I end up using for the studio.

Lastly: the room I'm setting up in is a bit large with high ceilings. I'd really like to construct some kind of makeshift vocal booth. I saw a product on another website called a "Mic-thing Microphone Isolator" that I might pick up. Any thoughts?

I know this is a lot of info and thus a lot of questions. I'm a forum newbie but I've finally decided to post because over the years I've made a lot of bad, costly mistakes and this time I'm determined to get it right. That's why I'm here at Sweetwater!

[Audioholic]

you have to take into consideration how you are going to connect to your clients and other studios if need be. Most pro Voice over artists have the ability to connect to outside studios for live, interaction recording between the VO's home studio and the producing studio. If you rely soley on recording at home and then sending the files, this will be a big issue when you get to the higher levels of VO production. Not sure where you are at but you need to think about getting some sort of connectablity, whether its ISDN (used alot still), or something cheaper as source connect, which works with pro tools and will work with others.

ISDN is very expensive to get into, but any voice over talent agencies, post studios usually worth a salt will have some sort of ISDN cabability. It is required to have this usually to work with outside studios from home.

Source connect is an IP protocol program that will allow other studios to connect to your computer and send high qualilty streaming through the internet. THis initially only worked with PRo tools, but they are expanding to allow VST use and what not. Not a ton of studios are up with this, but its growing everyday and this is by far a cheaper alternative to ISDN, the future I believe since ISDN is so costly.


Let me know if any of that makes sence or if you need further explanations.

Room acoustics, very very important. Slap echo is easy to take care of, but the big truck driving down your road in the middle of a VO is not, or other outside noise and low frequency stuff. I know talent who work at home who have set up a succesful sound out of their closet, not perfect, but usually workable. What you want is a clean sound, not to hear the room, isolation is best. If you are working out of a bigger room, pick a corner and position yourself there, and use alot of abosption materail around that corner, facing the mic so as it won't be picking up much reflections in the room. That thing you metioned would be ok, but it won't solve too much.

If you start working with a pro studio, they most likely will do a line test, or file test to see how your room sounds. What they don't want to hear is computer noise, traffic, baby crying in the next room, etc etc. Quite is key.


mic is ok, I am not a huge fan for 103, but it is not bad. Alot of people push the 103 for VO, as they market it as an affordable nueman, the U87 being a very popular VO Mic. But the 103 sounds nothing like the U87. But, it is good enough for sure.

Pre amp is also important, yours is fine, but I find the platinum series a little on the noisy side as compared to thier other preamps. It is not bad, but a higher end pre may do your voice more justice, add more character to your mic choice.

once again, your room sound is VERY important!!!!!


ok, enough for now, let me know if you want me to expand on any of this.

[reactr04]

Audioholic-

Thanks for responding - my first reply!

ISDN is very important to me but I see that being an issue a little further down the road. Probably once I have my other ducks in a row.

Right now I'm more focused on just being able to record, edit and send to my existing clients (all MP3 right now) as well as doing some light radio promo work. Thus I'm focused on 1) computer, 2) interface, 3) soundproofing and 4) channel strip. Have any advice on that last one? I was thinking about a Universal Audio 610 but I've also heard good things about Avalons and Manleys.

As for interfacing I was considering the Mackie Onyx 400.

Thoughts??

Thanks again for responding!

[Audioholic]

For recording your voice into the computer, and or ISDN, you will want to keep it clean, so you probally actually don't need a channel strip. Those people who compress and EQ thier voice going into the ISDN line or computer will problaly be told to turn off ALL processing before recording or sending by a decent engineer. Plus if you record with processing, there is no going back, keep the compressing and EQing till after you record, then apply processing.
There are many great pre's to consider, UA is a good one, Manley is fine, Mellinia, higher end focusrite, the list can go on and on. Just something clean and quite is what you need, some character isn't a bad thing either, don't worry about compression and eq in your pre, that is something old radio DJ's who go vo do, compress and eq the snot out of their voice pre sending.

As far as recording and editing, if you have adobe audition, I am sure that will work fine, is it multi track? Interface, I am sure the mackie will work fine, RME and Motu make decent stuff as well. Or you could go the pro tools route, lots of post studios use PT.

[reactr04]

Great feedback - thank you!

[Ed Gambill]

I too am working on upgrading my Voice Over rig and was look for information when I saw you posting. I have a few thought that might just get you to where you want to be and still save a lot of money.

My background is eclectic in the media business. I taught production sound recording for film and television , was a broadcast engineer, on air announcer (DJ), Studio Engineer, QC engineer with AT&T (Western Electric) . But the important thing is I have never relied on “The Standard of The Industry” for any thing. I soon realized that “The Standards of The Industry” while good usually cost much more that other good things.

My thoughts on the gear you need.

Computer) The one you mentioned cost nearly $2,000. I just purchases a Gateway, Dual Core, 1.6 Gig, really quite, Firewire, USB2, ever thing I need for, under $600.00. That is a $1,200 saving over a dedicated machine. Now mine you I had to go in and deleat every bit of soft ware that was not necessary and cut off some thing that were not needed. Still Yet I have $1,200 left over. That said there are several machines out their that have the capability to do the work you need done and won’t burn a hole in you budget.

There is a very economical alternative to stand alone ISDN boxes. AudioTX, is a software based program that will run on your lap top. Its about 1/3 the cost of typical box. I had a friend that used it all the time to do sessions from his home studio to the production house.

Interface) There are several out there that will work well with your software. I’ve got and Ediol U-25 it is use by many for the start up to the heavy hitters.

Sound Proofing) What a misnomer! You can’t get it unless you have serious money, and you don’t really need it. You need a space either existing or constructed that will defend against unwanted noise. You NEED to control the quality of the sound inside that space and you want it on a reasonable budget. The microphone device you mentioned will help prevent unwanted coloration for being recorded but noise for outside or inside (ie the little one) will get into the Mic. With the money you save on the computer you could either buy a VO boot, make it, or have it made.

Channel Strip) Not sure it’s needed. My advice to all my students was never pre-emphases any recording. If you take it out before its recorded you will never get it back. However if there is a distinctive sound you can get from processing and you want that you want to always represent your VO work then maybe you need to make sure each project goes out that way.

Look at this web site: http://digitalprosound.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=89503

The topic was put by Harlan Hogan a Heavy Hitter in this Biz. Notice that he is using a stock Sony laptop (a little more expensive that the Gateway I own), Edirol UA-25 IO, and his own invention. Porta Booth.

I will be glad to send you an mp3 recoded with the Gateway that I mentioned earlier. Just let me know.