Equipment for New VO Actors (if I could do it all over again I would get...)

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Permalink Reply by J S Gilbert on March 9, 2009 at 2:00pm

Hmmmm. I have heard of several talents using a Rode Podcaster dynamic microphone that are doing quite well. Knowing that there are people out there who are capable of creating a quality sound recording with those Rodes or SM58's ad the like, while others with TLM103's or even U 87's that have recordings with high noise floor, are overcompressed, have ground hum or other artifiacts, makes me think thatneither price nor type of gear can always be held accountable for the quality of the recording. Knowing a bit about audio engineering - not just how to do something, but why one does it, certainly contributes greatly to delivering a quality recording. Additionally, top gear that's receiving dirty electricity or has a single defective cable or a little ground loop, a bad chip or a screwy tube can make the sound crappy and often determining the culprit can be tricky.

There are advantages and disadvantages to recording at home. If the overall goal is to create a voice recording with the quality of that created in a professional studio, one usually needs to invest quite a bit of tme, energy and perhaps money at evaluating the unique charecteristics of the recording space, integrating your auditions and sessions into his space and consistently producing a quality product.

For some, this may be a relatively easy task and they should consider themselves lucky, but for many it can be quite arduous. As I have mentioned online before, I have used online casting services as a hirer of talent and as many as 1/3 of all the auditions had to be discarded simply because of the poor recording quality. Unfortunately, man talent may not even know they don't have the best quality or think what they are doing (5:1 compression, normalizing to 0db, running a noise gate) or other things are helping them.

Some microphones pick up considerable amounts of mouth noise. Other mics pick up lots of room. Some mics require the talent to work in a very precise spot. There are many considerations that one can use for setting up their studios. I do however think that most talent tend to shortcut this process.

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Permalink Reply by Dennis McGeady on March 19, 2009 at 3:08pm

Hi, J.S. Points (all good) taken! I guess the reason I recommend the best condenser mic that the "newbie" can afford is related to the mouth noise issue. Typically, they are not prepared to edit takes and clip out mouth noises, normalize, EQ, or anything else for that matter. Nor are they equipped with pop filters that would help minimize these noises in the first place. I also have an SM58, but still prefer my AT 3035 for any voice work. Best regards, Dennis

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Permalink Reply by J S Gilbert on March 20, 2009 at 3:46pm

running at $20 - $30, there really is no excuse for a talent to not have a pop filter and use it correctly. BY that I mean that the pop filter needs to have a few inches between it and the microphone in order to work properly. I have seen talent push the pop filter up against the mic and this does little if anything to help.

duct tape, a $2 embroidery hoop from a crafts stor and the leg from a torn pair of nylons can also make a pop filter for someone on a budget.

And just for the record, I wasn't disagreeing with the "buy the best condenser mic you can" theory. I was simply pointing out a giant pitfall that many talent have when recording from home. If the environment isn't pristine, then I'm going to get a recording at -16db with a noise floor that explodes when the audio is normalized. Recordings with computer fan hum, t.v.'s in the background, the sound of people walking above head, vibrational noise, and all kinds of other issues are going to keep you from being included in the party even if you own a Neumann U87.

Alternatively, a cheaper microphone in the hands of the right person and used under good accoustical conditions could work indefinitely for that talent. I personally think (from my own experience and that of some other talents) is that we often buy expensive gear because we can and not because we "need" it.

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Permalink Reply by Ed Cowden on March 27, 2009 at 10:41pm

Well, if the new VO actor is buying equipment, I'd say they're spending money in the wrong place. Put the money in training, get good, practice and get better, and learn about equipment on the way.

Chances are good that the first mic you buy will be your first mistake, simply because you were eager, you bought it blind and didn't test it first. That was me, anyway. My first mic was the Sennheiser MXL 2006 ... it was a simple cheapie on eBay and I bought it before I was knowledgeable enough to know not to buy it. Still, it proved its value for auditions at home and booked me a few jobs a few years ago, but I would never recommend it to anyone.

That is, of course, unless you sound amazing on it. In which case, I'd recommend you buy it.

The thing about mics and pres, editing programs, and on and on, is that it'll come down to what works best for you.

I did an extensive mic showdown at Guitar Center last year, special ordering a few mics simply to get them in the same room (you have to deposit 1/2 the cost of the mic if they don't have it, but are under no obligation to purchase). I brought extra ears with me (that is, people to listen), recorded each mic at as close to the same performance level and recording level as I could, and had the Guitar Center engineer do blind playback. Half the mics were eliminated quickly, even those some people swore by, and we listened again and again...until finally, there was an actual consensus on ONE mic. (I also didn't offer my opinion to influence anyone's; I had chosen the same mic.)

Same thing goes on the pre-amp front ... some people swear by the Mic Port, but for my voice and my set up, the John Hardy M-2, with bells and whistles, does an amazing deed. But for you, perhaps a Tube pre-amp is best, perhaps a solid-state pre, or perhaps something in the middle, like the Avalon 710TF, which has a dedicated solid-state pre AND a tube pre in the same unit, allowing you to go full solid-state, full tube, or somewhere in the middle.

Editing software is another personally preference. I started with Audio Suite II back on the Amiga! When I started VO, I used ProTools ... got quickly lost using it and switched to Audacity ... then to GarageBand, back to Audacity, and then finally back to ProTools, where I'm actually comfortable now. Haven't tried Logic or TwistedWave yet, but I will.

Ultimately, the best recommendation is to try stuff out. Mics, pre-amps, software...some sound better than others, some are more intuitive to use.

I've heard the Studio Projects C-1 mic can be a close approximation of the Neumann U87, but haven't tested it yet myself. For around $200, it's a great price for a very well reviewed mic ... but again, it may not be right for you. So test, test, test, and find a retailer, online or b&m, that'll let you return things or test in-store.

Also, a quick note about testing mics in the store -- if you do a mic shootout and you pic a winner, BUY THE MIC FROM THE SHOOTOUT. Don't let them get you a "new" one from the back, NOT without testing it, because often times the construction quality is slightly different, meaning you won't sound the same on the "new" mic as you did on the floor model. Buy the one you sound good on.

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Permalink Reply by steve hammill on July 31, 2009 at 4:19pm

Ed, the CEntrance MicPort is not to be compared to a high-end, studio mic preamp. It is a USB interface with a preamp and phantom power for pros working on the road. I'm sure some people use them in their studios, but in my book, they're for recording on the road. ...as for budget mics sounding like a U87, I'm sure they don't to people with good ears. (http://www.centrance.com/products/mp/)

If you listen to the sound tests George did, you'll hear very little difference in the sound between mic preamps when he's running the Rode NT3a (I think that's the shotgun mic).

The newbie has to spend a little money on equipment to get into the game and to practice on; then they can spend money on training. ...but you're correct that to go out and spend $20k to setup a V/O studio would be foolish until they've got a hold on their craft.

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