Meteo Xavier Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I figure the guy I really want to ask is Joe Z., but I also figure I might get even more useful advice broadcasting my question out as well. I am buying a laptop from Shaggy and I want to count it as a business expense for 2015. Apart from using it at work, I also want to use it to finally try my hand in amateur/semi-professional voice over gigs. 2014 was a weird year where I made virtually no money and my ambitions continue to soar out of control - I figure finally trying my hand at this might be a reasonably good way to satisfy the two. I currently lack equipment to actually record my voice in a half-decent manner. I don't have a space in my house that I could partition as a vocal booth (closest I come to is the 3rd room closet and I don't think it would work to really transform it into a recording booth), so I wanted to ask some questions from some of you guys that have some experience and success in DIY recording. I know there's a lot out there on the subject and I remember some of it, but I still think asking like this is the best way for a focused response. 1. What kind of cheap/free software might there be that would be recommended? Audacity seems obvious, but I'd like to hear some other recommendations. I also haven't decided yet if I want this laptop to run a Linux OS or keep it on Windows 7. 2. What sort of equipment WOULD I need to record on a laptop? Condenser mic, something to connect it to the computer, what else? I'd love to avoid having to mix my own vocals, but I'm probably thinking that out of my own naivete. 3. What sort of things do you do to rig up a DIY voice recording station in your corner of the house? My house is mostly made up of bigger, square rooms that don't partition well. I think cancelling out the noise in a 100% professional setting wouldn't be realistic (and I can't find a proper recording studio around here either), but I'd at least like to make it as good as I can get it. I don't have very lofty goals for something like this, I'm mostly just hoping to make $10-$20 at a time. I'd love to make more, but being brand new, it's just not realistic. One should work his way up. So hopefully that should give a well-detailed account of my goals and what I should look for to achieve them. Thank you OCR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) I don't have much to say on this, but last week I tried going around my room clapping loudly a few times. I could hear that in the corners of my room, the reflections were more "sproingy" than in the center of my room (which is surprisingly dry, considering it has nothing that is explicitly suggested that should improve room acoustics, except maybe the bed sheets). Maybe that's a test you could do to check whether your room diffuses sound evenly. If not, it might be worth it to get some acoustic diffusers to even out those reflections (they might be rather expensive though). What's a little more worth doing is just waiting for a moment when you have some decent silence in the house, and just test the reverb in your room. Maybe make a few "t" and "s" sounds to see how the room reverberates the treble, just to get a better idea of your acoustics. You'd be surprised how few people actually do that (or at least, I've only done it a few times). You are going to have to mix your own vocals though. Last time I mixed vocals was two weeks ago, and while I thought my friend recorded some pretty darn dry and clear vocals, I still had to filter out the low end bumps, thumps, etc. below about 80 Hz, tone down the sibilances and fricatives, and automate the volume (not all of it would have fit at a flat volume in that case). Edited January 12, 2015 by timaeus222 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Ok so you can get fairly decent USB mic's for like, $150 or less. I have one that I just graduated from and it seriously has done me so much good. I used it as my mic for all of my work for the past 3 years. What I've got is an Audio-Technica AT2020 USB condenser mic. It's honestly got really great quality, even flat with no EQ or compressor. However, if you do get a "real" mic (one with an XLR input), you'll need to get an audio interface. There are plenty of good ones for sub $150. I have the M-Audio M-Track and it's working great. I got mine for only $75. I think it was cheaper because they have the newer model, the M-Track Plus, but they still sell the older model new and the older one only lacks like two things that the newer one has. However, I bet there might be XLR-to-USB cables out there, but I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Hey MX, I'll do my best here. I would probably want to start with about $500 investment capital, but you can do less. You'll need a mic, a DAW, an IO interface, and, ideally, a good place to record and a way to block room reflections. You can skip the IO interface and just use a USB mic for now if you'd like. I know people that have success with that. You also need the startup capital to "pay to play" if you want to audition for jobs outside of a place like eLance or Fiverr, both of which are bottom feeding and not worth it IMO. I recommend Voices.com; I can probably get you a free month or a discount if you'd like, but the going rate is $40 per month, which gives you access to 20-50 auditions a day. DO ALL OF THEM. If you book ONE gig a month on Voices.com it pays for the membership; no job on Voices.com is worth less than $100. They also handle payment for you in an escrow system, so it's much friendlier than some of the other sites I use to generate business. As for room reflections, when I was starting out I would do most of my recording under a blanket. You can get high tech and buy some stuff - I would say you could isolate yourself for less than another $500 - but you can start with a thick blanket and sweat until you raise enough money. I'd be willing to give you some feedback on your audition takes (or I can coach you for $200 an hour ) and we can work on getting your auditions good enough for low end jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexstyle Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I just wanna pop in here and say that the Shure SM7B is a fantastic mic for voiceover purposes, especially since it tends to be MUUUUUCH better about rejecting background noise than any condenser mic, yet still has a great "deep" sound to it. I've used it to record in a noisy room with several computers going, etc., and couldn't tell that they were there at all when I listened again on headphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I just wanna pop in here and say that the Shure SM7B is a fantastic mic for voiceover purposes, especially since it tends to be MUUUUUCH better about rejecting background noise than any condenser mic, yet still has a great "deep" sound to it. I've used it to record in a noisy room with several computers going, etc., and couldn't tell that they were there at all when I listened again on headphones. SM7B was my mid-range mic; I moved from the MXL 990 to the SM7B, then hung out on that for a long time before I made my next purchase which was expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteo Xavier Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Worthy stuff here, gents. I'll have a proper look and response later today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgar2225 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hello there, to address your questions 1 Software/DAW As far as software goes, the obvious free choice is audacity. For $60 dollars you can get Reaper http://www.reaper.fm/purchase.php this was my very first DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) i started using it in middleschool and only just recently stopped because the lack of MIDI capabilities, but for audio recording it is PERFECT! (If you'd rather try Reaper first it does have an unlimited free trial, sot theres that. It comes with most standard plugins like EQ's and Compressors and such.) Most of the other DAW's i've seen are basically $100+ for the lite edition, $250+ for the extended edition and $400+ for the full edition (this is of course a generalization, but prices tend to follow that trend.) I'd go with Reaper 2 Microphone. There's 2 ways you can approach this A. Buy an entry level USB condenser microphone like the AT2020 they trend from $50-$90 on ebay or this http://www.samash.com/c01u-usb-studio-condenser-microphone-(b-stock)-sc01ucwbx?cm_mmc=GoogleShopping-_-Microphones-_-Channeladvisor-_-Samson+C01U+USB+Studio+Condenser+Microphone+(B-Stock)&utm_source=GSH&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=Channeladvisor&CAWELAID=500002510000033787&CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=500002510000028166&cadevice=c&gclid=CjwKEAiA8_KlBRD9z_jl_fKBhQkSJABDKqiXpg6Rrh4JkQuhhiWJn6lSHShuG7qnB07OyFRZOd2r3hoC3Obw_wcB B. Buy an audio interface (Like this http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ScarlettSolo?adpos=1o1&creative=55225946401&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKEAiA8_KlBRD9z_jl_fKBhQkSJABDKqiXVgxPehNPrzFRQIqZr-K_wauBorhC5VQL66IhrYTbIBoC7rXw_wcB) and a standard XLR Condenser Microphone to connect to the audio interface. 3 Location. The closet is your best option here, i know singers and instrumentalists who record in their closets because they cant afford studio time or don't have a soundproofed home. A microphone stand and a pop filter will be your best friend, It also helps to advise the people in your home to quiet down while you record your VO's. 3A. Learning about the basics of mixing and mastering is also a good idea I'd personally pick up a Samson CO1U (Mic), Reaper(Daw), a $15 stand, and a $10 pop filter. (This is from a college dude thats been working with audio since middle school.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshaggyfreak Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) I do some minor VA work and this is the equipment I use in my setup. Rode NT2000 - Rode makes some great mics for the price. If the NT2000 is too expensive for you, check out the NT1A. One great thing about Rode is that they have a 10 year warranty on their mics. ART Voice Channel - This is a tube channel strip in a 2 space rack unit. One nice thing about it is that it has a ton of ways you can connect it to other equipment and it even includes a USB interface. I have it connected to my main interface via lightpipe, though, which is a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40. For $400, you get a lot out of the Voice Channel. If this is out of your budget, consider one of the Focusrite interfaces. Their preamps are generally very quiet and you can get an interfaces for as low as $100. Clearsonic Sorbers - While I have a vocal booth built into a closet in my studio, I also have a couple of these Sorbers. They come in various sizes and they're really easy to move around or store out of the way. If you don't have room for something like this, consider getting one of the Reflexion filters. These are the things I purchased when I started doing some VA work and it work will for my purposes until (if ever) the time comes where I'm doing more of this sort of thing. If you're thinking of putting together a package like this, talk to a rep at Sweetwater. They'll often give you a deal if you call and talk to them about putting something like this together. Their store credit card also has a lot of offers where you can get 12 months no interest. I don't work for them or anything but I've purchased a number of things from them in the past years. Edited January 21, 2015 by theshaggyfreak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshaggyfreak Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Oh, another thing that helped me quite a bit with vocal processing is Nectar Elements. I was able to pick it up for free at some point at http://www.xlnaudio.com/ . I'm not sure if that offer is still available but I'd say go and see. I found it pretty easy to get that broadcast quality sound with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yasae Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Software: Reaper. Free to try and fully featured during the trial. A commercial license is very inexpensive otherwise ($60). Equipment: - A mic - An XLR cable - A mic stand - A pop filter - Monitoring headphones (typically closed back or semi closed back for proper elimination of bleed) - An audio interface (provides preamp for mic gain and converts analog to digital and vice-versa along with monitoring I/O) - A makeshift booth For anything serious, that's about the minimum. Mic recommendations by price: - $99 Audio Technica 2020. Good budget contender. AT mics are no frills, well constructed; most are a bit heavy on the high end but otherwise "boring". No pizzazz but no extreme coloration or character. Of the cheaper varieties you could do much worse. - $299 Blue Bluebird. A lot engineers are down on this one, but they're nuts. It's a one, maybe two trick pony mic - acoustic guitar and vocals. For everything else I never made it work. It has a supercardioidish polar pattern with good room rejection so you won't pick up a lot of stray noise, and the proximity effect can get really OTT if you need that kind of thing. A little EQ'ed sounding, especially the high end boost. - $700 Neumann TLM 102. Most of my knowledge of this mic has been through the grapevine, but it's supposedly a less harsh TLM 103. If you've played the Mass Effect games then you know what a TLM 103 sounds like on voice overs. - $(No Object) Vintage Neumann U87. A de facto standard in a lot of voice over work. 2nd, 3rd, 4th+ options tier - $349 Shure SM7b. Very good for the price, but still a dynamic mic and doesn't lend itself to more delicate performances. It also sounds EQed at any switch position. I like it way more in music and broadcast. Subjective/I'd stay away tier - $230 Rode NT1-A. No. Sizzly, cheap-sounding. Way overpriced. Not useful in most applications. - $1000 Sennheiser MKH 416. Shows up in too much VO work. Hate the sound (very distinctive when it pops up), doesn't work on enough performers. Good rejection though due to being a shotgun mic. Moving on.. Audio interfaces Knowledge on these is a bit outdated, but I'll throw out some recommendations for companies whose products I've used. - $150 Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. If it's anything like the now-defunct Saffire I still use, it's worth the money. Their drivers can be hit or miss (mostly miss on Mac) but I haven't heard about any significant driver-related problems with this one. - $150 Steinberg UR22. Supposedly good software functionality and nice preamps for the money. This is the smaller version of the well-reviewed UR824. Meh/stay away tier Lower end M-Audio and Presonus. I've heard too many and boy, I don't like them one bit. Maybe things have changed? Recording booth: Packing blankets are an old audio engineering standby. They work very well for taming reflections, which is most of what you're doing with untreated spaces. I'd stay a bit off from room corners where bass nodes build up and you get weird resonances, then find some way to hang/prop up a 4-walled booth of packing blankets. I'd avoid closets as they're notorious for nodes and resonances unless very heavily (unrealistically) dampened and trapped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteo Xavier Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 Oh yeah, I never responded in this topic. Best do that then. The setup suggestions and such look choice, and I thank you for worthwhile items, gentlemen. One idea I had, which might be pretty daft but it has some merit to how I operate these days... do you think I could set it up to do voice recording in my CAR? Nothing permanently physically installed, just set it up with the right stuff when I'm to record. That's where I feel like I have the closest thing to a "booth" around me. I'd be willing to give you some feedback on your audition takes (or I can coach you for $200 an hour ) and we can work on getting your auditions good enough for low end jobs. Much though I'm hesitant to pay $200 an hour for ANYTHING ($200 ain't chump change where I come from), that probably would be something I need as I fucking hate auditioning in general. I hate it enough in just doing music, I have zero concept how to apply myself to that in acting. The skill to at least start with I've got, but we all know I'm lacking in the charisma qualities and social graces that are typically required for getting a lot of work. I'm a working type, not a star. So we'll see about that. I've had fantasies of wanting to do something with Funimation as I've heard they are a "right to work" company that, for the forsaking of higher payment makes it easier to actually work for them. Anime and/or games I'd love to do if I could figure out how to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 OMuch though I'm hesitant to pay $200 an hour for ANYTHING ($200 ain't chump change where I come from), that probably would be something I need as I fucking hate auditioning in general. I hate it enough in just doing music, I have zero concept how to apply myself to that in acting. Don't go there yet. Do yourself a favor and go to Voices.com, get a free guest membership that allows you to browse jobs, and just start reading copy out loud to yourself. Go to the top favorites and listen to demos of the top booking talent. Just listen and read and eventually you'll pick up a rhythm. Then when you're confident, buy yourself a month for $40 and audition for every single job every single day....see if you book. If you want to test out some reads before you start paying for membership, email me some mock auditions and I'll let you know how you're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexstyle Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 One idea I had, which might be pretty daft but it has some merit to how I operate these days... do you think I could set it up to do voice recording in my CAR? Nothing permanently physically installed, just set it up with the right stuff when I'm to record. That's where I feel like I have the closest thing to a "booth" around me. I've recorded voices for an open-source game in a car before. Makes theoretical sense at least, since you're... _blocking out sound _recording in an area that doesn't have many right angles _in a well-padded area Seems legit to me. Maybe I'm way off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anorax Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I've recorded voices for an open-source game in a car before. Makes theoretical sense at least, since you're... [*]blocking out sound [*]recording in an area that doesn't have many right angles [*]in a well-padded area Seems legit to me. Maybe I'm way off. I'd say you're spot on; I've done recordings inside of a car before (although, it was more for music intents than VO). The only problem I had with this was that the car in question wasn't exactly the greatest at blocking out sounds. Now, being in a car limits you somewhat. Why? Sitting down restricts your diaphragm ever so slightly, and that can affect your vocal performance. This would probably have a more apparent effect on singing though (especially if you're going for a more operatic style), so I don't know if there would be any effect on vocal performance as far as voice acting goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I'd say you're spot on; I've done recordings inside of a car before (although, it was more for music intents than VO). The only problem I had with this was that the car in question wasn't exactly the greatest at blocking out sounds.Now, being in a car limits you somewhat. Why? Sitting down restricts your diaphragm ever so slightly, and that can affect your vocal performance. This would probably have a more apparent effect on singing though (especially if you're going for a more operatic style), so I don't know if there would be any effect on vocal performance as far as voice acting goes. Just sit up straight, breathe in, leave your chest up when you breathe out, and you should be able to sing or talk pretty sufficiently as if you were standing up. I did that in choir all the time 4 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshaggyfreak Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 The biggest challenge that I faced when I started was learning to speak in such a way that I made less mouth noise. Some of it came from not drinking enough water but there were other aspects involved that dealt with where my tongue was during certain syllables. It took quite a bit of practice to learn how to minimize that sort of thing. I really found doing VA to be like a lot of things...practice, practice, practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yasae Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Cars are notorious for odd resonances. Again, they're a small enclosed space made of varying types of materials (most of which either reflect or slightly dampen vibrations - note the lack of diffusion). Maybe that would work for a scratch track but I don't see it panning out for anything higher tier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteo Xavier Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 I guess that leaves me with a bathroom or closet. Same issues there? I know Weird Al recorded his first album in a bathroom - can't be too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) I would suggest the closet more than the bathroom. Bathroom tiles (or otherwise hard, non-absorbent surfaces in the bathroom) reflect quite a bit of sound, creating a fairly high amount of early reflections that blur together, so you sound a little louder than usual, and seem a little less pitchy, but quite reverbed. Something I would look out for is the amplified resonances. You might have to EQ more in the midrange to adjust for that. Also, I found this weird website talking about this. https://sciencemia.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/why-does-my-singing-sound-better-in-the-shower/ Edited February 17, 2015 by timaeus222 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshaggyfreak Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 This is my closet booth setup that has been doing pretty well for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteo Xavier Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 Looks nice. I wouldn't be able to get mine looking that good, my house has not enough closet space, so what we have is quite well used up. I would hope that wouldn't be a huge problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yasae Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 So NT2000 and, again, K240s. Do I have that pegged right? I haven't heard that mic, though I do feel a lot of Rode designs sound harsh - NT1A, NT5, NTK, K2. High end reflections are not the really the thing in closets. It's everything below the midrange. When you have small spaces reflecting sound in on each other, longer wavelengths can get very exaggerated. There are ways around this, and it's the end results that matters, but it's not an ideal space to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshaggyfreak Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) Here's something little I did with my normal speaking voice. I'm not pushing the compressor on the Voice Channel too hard and the EQ settings are very gentle. https://www.dropbox.com/s/unhz7h5x4xfh252/vocaltest.mp3?dl=0 The cans in that picture are HP40s. I have a pair of HD280s on my desk but I really could use a better set in the booth. You can check out my full equipment list here: http://www.bsodcomic.net/faq/music-equipment/ Edited February 18, 2015 by theshaggyfreak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yasae Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Ah the HP 40. The headband design is similar, though I bet they're more comfortable. Very usable result. I hear some resonances, but it's nothing that can't be worked with. There you go Meteo. Props to shaggy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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