Everything you NEED to be a Voice Actor – VO Gear for all…

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What up, world? It’s me Brizzy, and welcome to a comprehensive video on everything you need
to be a voice actor. Home studios are needed
now more than ever, so let me break down fro you the gear, accessories, programs and otherwise that you need to be a professional voice actor. Grab a beverage, maybe a furry friend, and get cozy because we’re
about to talk in detail about microphones, pop filters, mic stands, cables, audio interfaces, headphones, recording software, computers, acoustic treatments, and the most important
piece of secret gear that every voice actor needs. I’ll give recommendations at a beginner, intermediate and expert level, tell you how much everything costs, and show you each piece of gear that I am currently using. Some of this information on gear that I have never personally used is lifted directly from
Crispin Freeman’s website, voiceactingmastery.com. It is an amazing website and podcast that I highly recommend to
any aspiring voice actor. You may know Crispin as the voice of Winston in «Overwatch,» among hundreds of other
credits, he knows his stuff. So let’s get started with microphones. Obviously we gotta talk about microphones, it’s what everyone wants to know about. It’s the sexiest part of the whole setup, so I’m gonna do you a favor and address it first. Now, beginner level,
these are great options when you are just getting your feet wet, building up your skills, and haven’t earned any
money yet in voiceover. Great for practicing, practice projects, your first auditions, and maybe even low paying jobs. My first ever microphone in 2012 was the Blue Snowball. I recorded with this baby on the floor of my eight square foot Brooklyn closet. The snowball is currently 69.99, and I believe my first ever paid job on it was a little radio promo spot that paid $150. The blue Snowball is a USB mic, meaning you just plug and play. If you do go for this option, I actually recommend you
go for the more modern Blue Snowball Ice, it’s
cheaper, about $49.99, and more streamlined for voiceover so you won’t get bogged down with all the polar pattern options. For voice over you really just need the Cardioid polar pattern, and that’s what the Snowball Ice is. The next level up from the Blue Snowball would be the Blue Yeti for $129.99. It’s got a headphone jack
for direct monitoring, a knob to control input gain, and it is narrower and less awkward than this
situation in my opinion. And overall just higher quality sound, and still a USB mic. These two don’t need a separate stand, or shock mount or boom arm, they just sit on top of your desktop. They’ll be fine for getting started, and your first auditions, maybe even some low level jobs, but nothing ultra professional or broadcast quality. USB mics inevitably come
with a low hiss sound in the background that
you will want to remove using a noise removal filter, which we will talk about later. Intermediate level, for when you found yourself auditioning for the big leagues, and you have either earned or saved up some money
to invest a little more. In 2014 I upgraded from
the Blue Snowball to the Rude NT1 for $269.99. This baby was my
professional voiceover mic for like six years. But this is not USB mic, this is an XLR mic, meaning the sound quality will be clearer, with less background noise, but you will need an XLR cable, and an audio interface to use it. We’ll talk about that later. And you will still need a stand or a boom arm to hold it up. The next level up from this would probably be the
AKG C214 for $359.99. I haver never personally used it, but Crispin Freeman highly recommends it, and I would trust him with my life. It is the stripped down, but similar sounding version of the popular studio mic, the AKG414, which costs a thousand dollars. Like the NT1, the CT414 is an XLR mic, so it’ll need an XLR
cable, an audio interface and a pop filter. Expert level. At this point you’re all in baby. Voiceover is your career, and You have earned enough to justify investing a heft sum in one microphone that’ll last you many years. You will use this new child of yours to record auditions and high paying jobs for TV, movies, video games, commercials, and anything else that there may be, assuming you have an equally professionally sound treated area in which to record. My current microphone. In 2020, when we all
figured it was a good time to invest in upgrading our home studio, I finally upgraded to the Noyman TLM103, which goes for $1,195. But I got mine from Ebay
for a thousand bucks. Norman microphones are
the most common mics used in professional VO studios. The big boy found in the nicest studios is a Noyman U87, but that guy is $3,600. And if you have the cash
to just drop on that, congratulations, I’m so happy for you. But Crispin says that the
TLM103 uses the same capsule as the U87, with simplified
circuitry to achieve the same essence as the U87
for a more reasonable price, whatever that means. All I know is the TLM103 sounds great, and anyone who is asking for
a broadcast quality studio mic is really hoping for
something like the TLM103, so I’m happy with it. Make sure you get the right shock mount for your TLM103, and make sure you have an XLR cable, an audio interface and a pop filter, but honestly if you don’t already have those three things before purchasing a TLM103 I feel like you’re
getting a little over zealous. And of course the next level up from this, as mentioned, would be the Noyman U87, but like I said that baby costs like $3,295, sans shock mount, so I just… I’m good, have fun with that. Travel microphones. I’ve one more category
of mics to talk about. My travel mic is the Shure MV88 $127.99, and it just plugs right Into my iPhone, it’s so cute and adorable and affordable. It has this perfect like travel case, and it has great recording quality, either in my car, or with a blanket thrown over my head. So I love him, look at him, he’s so cute, look at this little guy. I wouldn’t record any jobs on this, but it really comes in clutch for recording auditions when you’re either traveling or on the go. The travel mic Crispin uses is the Shure MV51, $179, and that one seems to be a
little bit higher quality than the MV88. He also recommends it as
a potential beginner mic so you could potentially kill two birds with one stone on that front. For Android you’ll want the MV51 so you can plug it into your computer or get a little lightening to USBC adapter to plug it into your phone. But look, it’s pretty cute. No shame to the 51, but I just feel like the
MV58 is so much cuter and smaller and portable and lovely. Just look at him, I love him so much. Pop filters. Essentially any microphone you use will need a pop filter. Without one, your plosives, your pa, ka, ta, kas, could get that air popping sound, or even damage a sensitive diaphragm within the microphone, and you don’t want that. So let’s just put that back. The good news is most any
pop filter is a good one, and they are not expensive. The Aokeo pop filter is $26.99, but at least for now you can find it for just $10.99, and you can probably find one on Ebay for just seven or eight dollars. I am currently using the
Steadmen Proscreen XL which is $74.99. And I don’t know why, I don’t know why I got, this is so expensive, so unnecessary. I think I just got over excited in 2020 when I was upgrading everything, and I just wanted everything to be fancy. So here we are. I don’t know, I fell for it, I’m a doofus, this is totally unnecessary, but it’s pretty, I like it. I’m just saying that a $10 pop filter will work just fine. Microphone stands. Unless you’re using a mic that comes with a built-in stand like a Snowball or a Yeti, you’ll need something
to hold that baby up. Make sure to find out if your microphone needs a shock mount or if it comes with it, that’s the little suspension basket thing that the mic floats in that connects to the stand. Some microphones might
need a specific shock mount to fit it so it’s not a bad idea to get ‘em as a package deal if you have the option. Once you’ve got your mic floating aloft you’ll need to decide if you
want a standing mic stand, a desktop mic stand, or a boom arm. If you prefer to stand for your recordings it helps you keep your energy up, you get to move all around, then maybe you’ll prefer
a standing mic stand, probably the straight up kind rather than the bent over boom army kind. Crispin recommends the MS7201B which is $31.95, and I don’t know, it looks good to me. It’s a mic stand. It doesn’t, the brand doesn’t matter as long as it’s a weighted mic stand, with the little standard
screw on thing at the top, it works. If you prefer to sit, and have the mic sit
directly on your desktop, find a shorter desktop version like the Gator Frameworks for $20.99, or whatever this is that I got off Ebay for probably 10 bucks. Again, the brand doesn’t matter, just find something cheap and good and standard and it works. My preferred stand method is the desk mounted boom arm because you can go from sitting, and cozy and comfy to standing in a second. You can get it wherever you want it, so it’s flexible. Currently I am using the blue compass, which is 99.99. Cables. If you’re using a USB mic, it should come with a cable
to plug into your computer, and you’re good to go. If you’re using an XLR mic, you’ll need, that’s right, an XLR cable, muy bien. The length will depend on how far your microphone is gonna be from your audio interface, but for most people six
feet, 10 feet should be fine. You can grab one for about $10 or you can see if your microphone or your mic stand or your audio interface comes with one. Audio interface. XLR mics cannot send
their analog recordings through an XLR cable
directly into your computer, they must first go
through an audio interface with a preamp to power up the sound and convert it to digital before sending it to your computer via USB or thunderbolt. The audio interface I have used for eight years straight now. I think it is the only thing in my voiceover setup that I have used for eight years straight now, is the focus right Scarlet
Solo first generation, which right now is $104.95. It’s simple, it’s easy to use, and it’ll last you for years and years, but it is 2022, so might as well get the
third generation version, it’s pretty much the same, but probably newer and better, for $109.99 if you can spare the extra five dollars. You probably don’t need anything fancier, but if you do want something fancier Crispin recommends either
the Apollo Twin X duo for Thunderbolt three connections, which is $900 or the Apollo Twin Mark two duo for thunderbolt two connections for $775. According to Crispin, the Apollo Twin has ultra pristine preamps with amazing head room and low noise. That’s my impression of Crispin, and a bunch of other
fancy sounding tech things involving plug-ins and circatry, stuff I don’t understand. But to use one you will either need a Thunderbolt three or two connection, depending on which one you get. For now I think the Focus
Right that I’ve been using for eight year is just fine. Maybe I’ll use it for another
eight years, who knows. Headphones. Some voice actors don’t
like hearing themselves through the direct monitor
of their headphones, but sometimes, especially if
you’re on call with a team, you’re gonna have to hear them anyways, so you can do the classic
one ear off method so that you can hear
yourself in the real world, but also hear everything you need to hear through this ear on the computer. Regardless, ideally you are going to want over the ear closed back headphones to prevent as much sound leaking from the headphones
into your recording as possible. For beginners, for the life of me I cannot remember or find
what headphones I used first for voiceover. For all I know, it was
just standard earbuds or something awful like that. But I don’t know, it worked
for me, whatever it was. And for practice and just getting started, I don’t recommend in the long run. For beginners Crispin
recommends the on-ear Senheiser HD202s which I
think may be discontinued, but if looks like you
can find them on Ebay for $20 to $30. For the next level up, he recommends the AKGK240s for $79.99 which are overhead earphones, which will be much more comfortable over a long period of time, but they are semi-open back so you don’t want your
volume to be too high so that it leaks through to the recording, but just don’t crank your volume, and it should be fine. Expert level. That’s right, I skipped
intermediate, kind of. Maybe the AKG one is intermediate, I don’t know, who cares? What’s keeping count? Headphones, generally
speaking are headphones. If you can hear clearly, if they aren’t utter torture for your ears or your head, and the sound isn’t leaking
profusely into your recording, it’s probably fine. You don’t need to break
the bank on headphones. But if you want something nice, I love my Beyerdynamic DT770 pros 32 ohms version for $134.95. There was no way I was memorizing that. The gray felty cups are so comfy and cute and they just feel so lux. They are over ear and I have large ears, and they are closed back
so they don’t leak sound unless you really pump the volume, and they sound great. So big recommend. There are other ohms
versions, 16, 80, 250, don’t worry that. Ohms are how you measure impedance, meaning the amount of resistance to the electric current
transmitted by the amplifier, and it’s complicated. You don’t need to learn
about it, it’s fine. Hey, editing Brizzy here. Upon further inspection, I don’t know what I’m talking about, these are 80 ohms, it says right there. I don’t know why I thought I had 32 or 34 or whatever I said, but I’m telling you it doesn’t matter. A slightly cheaper option
that Crispin recommends is the Sony MDR 7506 for 99.99. It is probably the most
popular headphones used in Hollywood productions. It’s gotta be the one
I see most frequently in professional recording studios. Computer. Obviously you’ll need a
computer to record on, edit, communicate with clients, and probably read your script. If you want to opt for a full desktop PC, you’ll have to wire the case
to sit outside of the booth so it doesn’t make noise, so I recommend a nice
quiet laptop instead. Currently I am using the
Lenovo Slim seven pro X, which brings us to the
sponsor of today’s vidoe, AMD. Along with the computer, you will obviously need
an internet connection. If you’re recording a job
directly with a client they’re probably going to want you to have a direct ethernet cord connection rather than Wifi just to reduce the chance of any connection hiccups. I have a USBC to ethernet connection here for my Lenovo for just that reason. Recording software. To record and edit auditions and jobs you will need some kind
of recording software. Since the very beginning
I have been using Audacity because it is free for MAC and PC users, and it’s super simple and easy to use, and now I’m just used to it. It does everything I
need which is typically just cutting out clips and using the normalize
or noise removal filter, unless the client wants the raw recording. Other options which should work just fine would be Apple’s Garage Band, Adobe Audition or Reaper. It’s possible a client will ask you to use use specifically something like Logic Pro or Por tools, but that’s only happened to me once, where the client took over
control of my computer remotely to use, I think it was Pro Tools, and I just used the trial version, and it worked fine. It’s never come up again, so I wouldn’t worry about it. You may also end up needing remote recording software
which is different. In the world of home studio job recordings you may be asked if you
have ISDN or Source Connect which allow you to transmit and receive high quality audio remotely. So the director on the other
end can record you remotely, and hear exactly what
you’re gonna sound like, and save the file on their end. You literally won’t have
the file on your computer. They are recording it, but you’re on your computer, but they save it, it’s crazy. ISDN is the more old school version, involving digital telephone connections. I wouldn’t worry about that, I feel like that’s
getting kind of outdated, but Source Connect Standard, which is what I use, and what is often asked for, is a $35 a month subscription with a $75 start up fee. So just don’t worry about it until you’ve booked a job
that wants you to use it. Don’t, save your money until you need it. And as a voice actor
you probably won’t ever need Source Connect Pro which is $105 a month, so don’t even, don’t even worry about that. I don’t even know what that’s for. $105 a month? What? Sound treatment. You have the best
microphone, audio interface, recording software and
computer in the world, but it is useless if you don’t have a good place to record. The good news is just about
anyone can put together something workable for next to nothing. The bad news is it probably
won’t be very pretty or comfortable. Here are your options. Beginners, when I first got started with my Blue Snowball, I was recording sitting on the floor of my closet, we talked about that. And today I’m still
recording in my closet, it’s just a much bigger, nicer, well treated closet. Closets are your best friend, even if you came out
of it a long time ago. Hanging clothes are great
sound absorption tools, and there are no windows, and very few blank walls. A great option for cheap sound treatment is moving blankets. You can get a pack of six for $39.20. Hang them from walls, drape them over doors, or even build your own whole
personal voiceover booth using PVC pipes and moving blankets. The blanket fort skills
you honed as a child will not go to waste. Now shortly after getting stared I got a Port-A-Booth Pro for $389.99, and while this can certainly
help isolate a microphone, and it sounds better than
no treatment whatsoever, I don’t particularly recommend it. It’s just super bulky and awkward, and really hard to face a mic, and recite your lines while having access to reading
your lines at the same time. It’s constantly flopping over
and collapsing on itself, and it’s hard to get it to hang in the air if you wanna do a standing mic thing, it’s hard to get it to suspend from there. It’s heavy, and just, it’s really awkward. So I don’t recommend dropping almost $400 when you could make something sound just as good with a blanket fort for a fraction of the price, also more fun. The next level up from a blanket fort is acoustic foam. Crispin and I recommend the brand Auralex, though at $154.99 for a 24-pack the price can add up very quickly. Just please, please
don’t use adhesive spray to stick them to your walls. Please don’t make the same mistake I did unless you don’t care if
you utterly ruin your walls, in which case go wild. But Command strips and
thumb tacks work wonders even if you have to reapply
some every year or two. The most important areas of
your recording studio to treat are the areas directly behind and to the side of your microphone. When I’m recording I’m actually
usually facing this way, into the corner with all the foam. Along with all the products I will be linking below
an educational guide from Auralex on acoustic foam treatment. Sound deadening with foam is crucial, but just as important is sound isolation from the outside world. Unfortunately acoustic foam
is not a miracle worker, and no matter how much foam you pile up your space will not
necessarily be sound proof. So any loud nearby yard work or neighbors or city
sounds may eek through. But that’s just something we all gotta do our best to work around, unless you’ve got the big bucks to invest in a professionally crafted
sound isolation vocal booth, or the carpentry skills to
sound proof your area yourself. But that is a whole other beast entirely. Let’s talk about voice booths. Crispin recommends whisperroom.com, and vocalbooths.com, which can range from $5,000 to like $11,000 and beyond, depending how big and sound
proof you want it to be. And finally the most important thing a voice actor could possibly
have in their arsenal, more important than the booth, more important than the microphone, more important than anything
is acting skills. (laughs) you saw it coming, right? Come on. Whether you are born with it, formally trained for it, or learned through experience, every voice actor must know how to act or you’re not gonna get very far. You’ve heard it over and over from me and others, but again it bears repeating, don’t put so much focus on the gear that you are forgetting what
this is all really about. Prioritize, investing in your craft before investing in your gear. And that’s it, that is everything you need to be a voice actor. Thank you so much for
listening to this long, overly detailed video, I hope it helped. Please leave a comment
below if you have any piece of VO gear that you
swear by in your setup, and like and comment to
appease the algorhithim gods. If you haven’t already, subscribe, you made it this far, you might as well, and I’ll see you next time
with a brand new video. Bye. (gentle music)

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