I’ve heard the most important part of audio voice over is the audio. As great as your instrument may be, without the proper tools or environment to record in, an artist may be doing themselves a disservice and limiting their opportunities. That is all true, but any smart businessperson will tell you to not invest what you cannot afford. I am a firm believer that there should be a limit to how much a person should drop before making their first $$$. Then and only then should you upgrade or re-invest into your tools and equipment. There is so much you can do to create that first opportunity outside of buying it. Hustle is free, Networking is free, Learning is free, Experience is free. Though you will not be spending money trying to get it done, you will be investing time, which for some is far greater that any coin spent. I will tell you this from experience, there are no shortcuts in life.
As far as my layout, I have the basics:
Microphone
Isolation Box
Computer
I’m not going to blow any audio engineer away with my setup. Remember, I’m still a novice at this. There are two parts to this thing, recording and editing. I do know if I can minimize the amount of recording issues that come with a modest build, I can focus on my technique and hopefully handle the rest in editing.
The most expensive thing that I invested in was my microphone. I found a Blue Yeti on sale, and I don’t regret it. I will probably use it until it spontaneously combusts. My Blue Yeti is quite nice, it picks everything up. I’m learning that I do not have to speak at it like a simpleton. It works better when I just talk naturally and ignore it once it is set up. It almost works too well, picking up a faint stomach growl with the gain at its lowest setting. At that point I knew I needed something to reduce background noise.
Watching videos of people with their many DIY booth setups, from PVC pipes and moving blankets to closets filled with clothes and foam attached to the walls, I knew I needed something but could not afford to sacrifice one of my kids’ closets. In comes the Isolation box. Essentially a foldable fabric box with foam squares, this sound reducing box not only limits echos by absorbing waves, it reduces the amount of noise that my microphone can pick up due to the constricted area. I’d say it is a winner because it enables me to record when others are in the house or there is ambient noise outside.
While the previous two items were important in the improvement my audio quality, I’m learning more and more everyday that the third item is making as much if not more of a difference. My computer, specifically the audio editing program I use to clean up my recordings, really helps me sound more like a professional and not like some amateur reading a piece of paper. At the moment I use Audacity, and despite it being free software, it more than exceeds expectations. It allows me to normalize and remove noise from my audio. It allows me to cut and mix with other audio files. It even, to a degree, helps me spot treat areas and salvage an otherwise wasted audio take. The more I tinker with it, the more I am impressed with its capabilities. Sure there are other programs that are more powerful and can perform tasks with better efficiency, but until what I specifically need cannot be provided by Audacity, I will stand pat for now.
In the future, I will go into detail of my setups. I just wanted to inform everyone that all you need are the basics. The most important tool will always be you. Your voice, your ingenuity, and your passion to get the job done. That is what makes you unique. You is all you need.
