If you want to work as a voice actor today, you need to be able to record voice overs at home. A home studio is no longer optional, it’s the price of entry, because most auditions and a lot of paid work happen remotely.
The good news: getting set up is far less complicated than it looks.
Where to Record Voice Overs at Home
First off, you’ll need a very quiet space. This is unavoidable. Whenever I move, quietness is the first thing on my list of priorities. If you don’t have a quiet space, you’ll either need to build a structure or booth to isolate yourself from noise, or pick another room. Otherwise you’ll be frustrated as a way of life, and life is too short for that.
One quick way to test a space is to just listen. What do you hear?
If you hear temporary noises (a lawn mower, an ambulance, an airplane), you can probably record around them by pausing when they happen. But if you hear continuous noise (clearly audible traffic that’s unmistakably present), you’ll likely need to build a structure or booth. Not sure which camp you’re in? Here’s how to tell whether you need a voice over booth.
Acoustics vs Soundproofing
Two concepts decide whether a space is usable: acoustics and soundproofing. Acoustics are how sound travels inside your space. In almost every case you’ll have to improve them before recording, which usually means killing the echo or boxy “tin can” sound typical of small rooms. Luckily, that’s usually easy and cheap.
Soundproofing is about keeping outside noise from getting in. The best way is to build a small structure like an iso-booth (short for isolation booth). The more noise you’re fighting, the heavier the isolation has to be, and that can get expensive.
Microphone placement plays a role too. I once had an engineer come to my house because my space sounded boxy. He moved my mic a few inches by swapping my desk stand for a boom arm, and I’ve recorded TV campaigns from that booth weekly ever since.
I go deeper in two separate articles: how to soundproof your space and improving your acoustics. If you’re still deciding whether you need a booth at all, start with do I need a voice over booth?
The Gear, in Brief
Here’s the one thing actors always ask about: gear. And here’s the truth I’ll keep repeating: improving your acoustics and soundproofing is a better investment than an expensive microphone. The most compliments I ever got were on a hand-me-down drum mic from my mentor. My current Neumann U87 has never matched it.
At a high level, you’ll need:
- a computer
- an audio interface
- a condenser microphone with an XLR connection (skip USB mics)
- professional headphones
- a pop filter
- recording software
- a few cables and a mic stand
A stand-alone preamp and studio-to-studio software like Source-Connect are optional until you’re booking work that needs them.
That’s the shape of it. For the full breakdown, what to actually buy, what to skip, and the tests I ran, see my guide to the best voice over equipment for beginners. One rule no matter what you buy: make sure you can try the gear and return it, because you won’t know what flatters your voice until you hear it.
Recording and Editing Software for Voice Overs
My advice: keep it simple and download a trial of whatever program you’re considering before you commit. Good options:
- Audacity (free, though it can lag behind on the newest operating systems)
- TwistedWave (Mac)
- Amadeus Pro (Mac)
- Adobe Audition (Mac or Windows)
My personal favorite is Adobe Audition. It’s comprehensive, lets you build your own demos, and handles tiny mouth noises when you need it to. Amadeus Pro is the next best bet. Audacity and TwistedWave are more limited, but they’re fine if you’re on a budget.
I’d steer clear of Pro Tools or Logic unless you’re a musician who already knows them. And watch out for GarageBand: it won’t record above 44,100 kHz and 16 bit, which is below broadcast standard. Even off broadcast, most producers want files at 48,000 kHz and 24 bit, so GarageBand will hold you back.
If you can use a Word document, you can learn to edit audio in these programs. It’s not as complicated as it looks. The basic functions you’ll lean on are:
- recording
- playback
- saving as .mp3 and .wav
- converting sample rates
- copy and paste
- undo and redo
- healing small mouth noises
- normalizing
- equalizing
- dropping in visual markers
- labeling your files
For the deeper editing and file-spec details, read Part 2 of the Get Clever Series, Recording & Editing Voice Overs.
Setting Your Voice Over Recording Levels
One of the most important things you’ll do is set your recording level correctly on your audio interface or preamp. There’s a speaking level you want to anchor to, then you nudge it down for louder reads and up for more intimate ones.
The simplest way to check is a dB meter (every recording program has one). Aim to land between -18 dB and -6 dB. Go higher and you’ll peak and distort, which makes files unusable. Set it too low and you’ll have to amplify digitally later, which can also introduce distortion. The key is knowing the difference between your headphone volume and your actual input level, which is usually called “gain.” If you’re using a stand-alone preamp and aren’t sure how to dial it in, my equipment guide walks through it.
My Own Home VO Studio Setup
People always ask about my setup, so here it is. I record in an iso-booth I built, 5 feet by 5, 6 feet high. I installed an exterior-grade door and a double-pane window, because I got tired of sitting in a sealed box with no natural light for hours a day. My computer and screen sit outside the booth on a desk in front of the window, with a hole drilled in the bottom to run wires through, so the machine never adds noise inside.
For gear, I use an Apogee Duet sound card, a Grace Design 101 preamp, a Neumann U87, Beyer Dynamic headphones, Source Connect, a phone patch or Skype, and Adobe Audition. My acoustic panels are from Audimute and they changed everything. No more sitting in darkness surrounded by dark acoustic foam!
Since you’re here, you might want to learn about cardioId vs shotgun mics.
My name is Lili Wexu. I’m an actress, a voice talent, a coach, and an author. To learn how to make $$$ in VO, read my e-books about Voice Acting & Announcing.
