I’m constantly being asked about voiceover recording equipment and how best to set up a home studio. I don’t know! I’m a casting director and a coach, not an engineer, sorry! But – I know people. And I know how to google stuff. So, what follows is a link to a guy named Crispin Freeman, a voice actor, who has done countless voiceovers in animation, commercials, video games, trailers, and more. He has listed a bunch of the best low and high end recommended voiceover recording equipment based on his experience using it as a voice actor. I also think it’s wise to follow the advice of an actual recording engineer, whose fine-tuned ears are somewhat super-human. Marc Rose, of MJR Soundesign, does amazing voice over commercial production as well as voiceover demo production and much more in Portland, Oregon. Here are his quick thoughts on the recording software for voiceover beginners and other practical voice over artists:
“For microphones, the best all around beginner mic is the MXL 990. It’s about 80 bucks. Perfect for someone testing the waters. More serious ones would be the Cascade Elroy, which runs about $400, and the Audio Technica 2020 or 4020, and then perhaps the Rode condensers. It really comes down to the persons voice and where it sits on the frequency range. As far as recording software goes, Audacity is ok. I’d prefer if they were Mac folks to go with Twisted Wave and if they are PC people, to go with Sound Forge. Both have editions around 80 bucks.”
Thanks to Marc, those random questions for true “artists” who feel overwhelmed by the whole technical side of voicoevers can now be more easily approachable. There’s tons more info and opinion out there of course, so remember that you need a strong filter when it comes to digesting it all. Know your voice, what it works well with, and start there. And – take it all with a grain of salt as well, as I have shown by example here in Your Voiceover Budget.