No matter if you’re working from home as an at-home voice actor or setting up your own recording studio, having the best equipment for voice over recordings is crucial to creating great recordings. A few key pieces include a large diaphragm condenser microphone with shock mount (to reduce vibrations caused by foot stomping or foot tapping), as well as pop shield.
Headphones
If you want to take voiceover work seriously, investing in high-quality headphones is essential. They allow you to hear exactly what listeners will hear so that adjustments can be made immediately and every word makes its intended impactful statement. Furthermore, these headphones isolate your voice from any background noise for ease of collaboration on projects with others.
Professional-grade headsets can make an invaluable difference to voice over artists. Their design boasts a flat response curve for accurate audio reproduction as well as premium sound isolation to eliminate distracting ambient sounds from recording sessions. Look for lightweight models with padding so long recording sessions don’t become uncomfortable for you.
For voice over recording, the best headphones are closed-ear headphones with circumaural ear cups to block out external noise. In addition, take into account its frequency range and impulse response – for instance, consider Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro featuring Tesla technology which produces impressive audio resolution as well as deep lows.
When shopping for headphones, make sure you test out different models to find those which provide optimal comfort. Ear pads made of memory foam or neoprene rubber should feel soft against your ears during long recording sessions and provide superior audio fidelity. In addition, make sure they’re easy to keep clean and durable!
Microphones are essential pieces of equipment when recording voice-over narrations. A shotgun mic, such as the Sennheiser 416, has become the industry standard and can be found almost every studio worldwide. When used with a pop shield to eliminate popping of words containing plosive letters (p and b), such as can produce high quality recordings.
Finally, your home voice over recording studio needs a preamp – an indispensable piece of equipment in any studio environment. A preamp enhances weak signals from microphones and other audio devices so they become stronger for your computer to process, while protecting against feedback while making recordings clearer.
Preamp
If you’re serious about voice over, more than headphones and a chat program is required for successful recording quality. A preamp can make all the difference: its job is to amplify low-level signals to an acceptable operating level for microphones or convert electrical signals to audio data that your computer can interpret; whether standalone devices or part of an audio interface, preamps are essential components for professional results.
Voice over preamps tend to be quite pricey, but will provide the highest sound quality within your budget. A USB mic with integrated preamp will do just as well and is typically priced between $130-170 as a standalone preamp; bundles include microphone, interface and leads for added savings.
Your choice of preamp will ultimately depend on both personal preference and studio space needs. My friend who voices character voices for Disney animated films uses Grace Design m101 preamp which has an uncoloured tone that works beautifully for voice over work. Another excellent choice would be the DBX 266X which offers features useful for voice over work such as clean gain, an outstanding limiter, powerful LF/HF options and phantom power support.
Consider investing in a shock mount and pop shield to reduce noise caused by vibrations, as well as an acoustic treatment to manage sound reflections in your room – both are key for creating high-quality recordings.
Finally, you’ll need a reliable computer to process and store your recordings. A powerful laptop would be ideal since it will easily handle the large files required by voice-over editing software. Also be sure that there is plenty of storage capacity so your recordings are secure yet easily accessible.
Microphone
No list of equipment for voice over recording would be complete without a great microphone. Your choice will depend on your recording space and recording style, with microphones that capture all aspects of your voice in its entirety and are sensitive enough to pick up surrounding sounds without picking up too much background noise from other sources; they should also be capable of handling high recording volumes without oversaturation.
Large diaphragm condenser mics are among the best choices for voice over work, offering great frequency range coverage with great clarity. While these mics can be expensive and require phantom power to operate properly, newcomers might want to consider using an inexpensive USB microphone that’s simpler and quicker to set up; though keep in mind it won’t produce as good an output as an XLR mic and audio interface do.
Omnidirectional mics record sound from all directions. They make an ideal choice if you need to record multiple voices at once, such as a group performance or musical instrument recording; however, this type of microphone might not work as effectively for voice overs.
Shotgun mics are an effective solution for vocals and instruments that are distant, as they allow you to get close without risking bass frequencies being affected by proximity effect.
Microphone accessories should also be carefully considered. A pop filter, also known as a pop screen, reduces harsh noises caused by pronouncing certain letters such as P and B. Additionally, shock mounts help eliminate vibrations between mic and boom arm reaching microphone and reduce effects such as air escaping from mouth when speaking.
Other microphone accessories to consider when purchasing one include windscreens to reduce high-frequency articulation that is captured by your mic, as well as stands if using one with a boom arm.
Audio Interface
An audio interface is an essential piece of equipment in recording live performances to the computer for editing, making a considerable investment and must not be cheap or inferior quality. A low quality interface may produce audible hiss that degrades recordings, and compromises their quality completely.
High quality audio interfaces will offer clean signals with wide dynamic range for recording any signal ranging from whisper to shout without distortion or audibility issues. Some even come equipped with onboard DSP to add even more tonal options through input processing and software signal routing.
To select an ideal audio interface, it’s essential to understand your recording requirements: how many microphones and outputs will be simultaneously used, which type of signals require mic preamps (like guitar or bass ), as well as whether or not a headphone feed for monitoring purposes will help narrow down the list of suitable interfaces significantly.
Voice over work usually doesn’t require more than a large-diaphragm condenser mic and pop shield; these pieces of fabric help minimize hissing from vocal sounds such as “p” and “b”. Home studio owners looking for quality recording will find that Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 microphone is an excellent value and offers two inputs suited to most VO needs.
Voice over equipment packages that include microphone, interface and leads can also be found for reasonable costs, although one size rarely fits all and there may be compromises that must be made as a part of these all-in-one solutions.
For more advanced VO setups, a studio-quality audio interface such as the Apollo Volt 176 or 276 may be ideal. These models provide additional recording modes tailored specifically for voice over work such as an analog compressor based on Universal Audio’s 1176 model and vintage mic preamp tube mode that adds warmth to recordings. Furthermore, these models are more rugged than their USB-only counterparts making them suitable for mobile use when recording voiceovers.