Ok, so once I decided to actually launch a voiceover career, that decision necessitated having some sort of recording ability or home studio. Particularly with the pay-to-play sites, where so far I’ve managed to book several jobs, you just have to have quality home recording (and editing) ability, as most of those clients don’t have a budget for you to record at a local studio. Plus, I like the idea of rolling out of bed and recording in my PJs, so I need something low-maintenance and home-based.  : )

 

And because I’m not independently wealthy (note to self: next time come back independently wealthy! it will make life a LOT easier!), and also because I’m not at the point yet where I’m raking in thousands of dollars a month in VO work (but hopefully that day will come! knock on wood…), I needed to find a relatively inexpensive, yet professional quality, setup.

 

I’m lucky that I have a friend in the recording industry that I can talk tech to, because it’s not really my strong suit. He was able to recommend a really great, easy-to-operate plug and play microphone.

 

I bought the Apogee MiC ($200) and started recording with that and a pop screen in my walk-in closet. The sound wasn’t bad, but I did notice that it picked up too much outside noise (given that my closet is not soundproof). Then I did some research online and found a few other items to trick out my walk-in closet setup a bit. On this great site called Voiceover Essentials, I found the Porta-Booth Pro ($349, although there’s another model that’s cheaper), which made a HUGE difference in the extraneous noise the mic was picking up. Then just last week I added a ClearSonic S5-2D free-standing absorption baffle ($180), which really makes the whole operation nice and cozy — I kind of feel like I’m in an actual booth now!

 

I’m loving my Twisted Wave software, which I think is a great bang-for-your-buck option if you’re a Mac user.

 

So there you have it…my home studio on a budget. I’d love to hear suggestions/ideas about other products any of you might be using, and what you like and what you don’t!