I noticed no one had posted here for a bit so I'm adding my 3 cents worth. I don't know if a lot of home vo artists ran into this situation, or maybe someone never even thought about it, but if you don't have a great sounding space to work in, but you have a little "space", you could create your own "sound treament" space.
google and youtube are your friends here for basic designs, but I built my recording space including mic, interface, wireless mouse and keyboard, desk, monitor,chair and led lighting for approx £500. that's everything added together, but you could create your own space for under £100. I built mine from pvc pipe (any home hardware store) and moving blankets (amazon or ebay). (I later upgraded the blankets to sound blankets from vocal booth on the go, but that was a personal choice)
What I have is a personal space that I feel good recording in. the monitor and the keyboard and mouse are linked to my PC, and I use a dual monitor setup. I got the monitor, desk and keyboard for £30 off of SHPOCK. you just need to look around. This keeps the tower outside of my booth so you don't hear the fans.
A good space is just as important as good equipment. Maybe the reason you aren't booking is because the quality of home studio is possibly lacking.
Likewise I've chopped and changed with various different options which don't have to cost the earth. Marketplace on Facebook is also a great place to pick up bits and pieces that can massively reduce cost without compromising quality.
There are some great articles on the most useful soundproofing fabrics such as wool, velvet etc and these are all readily available.
It seems that echo is your worst enemy so any way to overcome this in is a definite plus.
I agree that ultimately this has to be a comfortable and enjoyable place to work, ideally totally separate from mainstream activity. I'm a consultant/coach/training in Financial Services and although my booth is within my remote office, all the kit is completely separate so there is no crossover and it really feels like I'm getting away from work and doing something that's fun.
I'm on a very steep learning curve and have a very "never give up" attitude and I can see that I've made lots of mistakes along the way and I will make plenty more but improvements are coming through as are results.
eBay is also fantastic and there are some great soundproofing tiles that can completely eradicate echo. These can be fiddly to fix but the best way I've found is with "spray glue" which doesn't create any mess, is reliable, and looks the part.
I've also put in a suspended ceiling to bring the height of my booth down so that I eliminate/eradicate echo and then put tiles all around including the underside of the plywood.
It's a bit of a journey and something that can be constantly tweaked and improved
It's one of those hobbies/jobs that you are never too old for!
Thanks for the insight Richard. One of the things that is important to get your sound space checked by a professional, or at least someone who knows what to listen for. Various places will do it for free, particularly if you are a member of GFTB. A second set of ears can be vital, as they might hear things you don't. You need to have the dry recording and your noise floor checked out. these 2 things are key for any recording space. If you are unfamiliar with those terms, please learn them. Google and YouTube. These are basic principles that everyone doing VO should know, and once you do, you'll find new avenues available. Things will make more sense.
I'll add a small anecdote that hopefully will help. I record narration for Discovery Science. We've done the last 2 seasons of the show from my home studio. I thought maybe it was time to upgrade. The sound engineer for the show said, "I wouldn't touch a thing" I said, "but I've basically got budget gear" and he said "you have budget gear that sounds great. You don't need to touch a thing. If you want to upgrade, I would suggest a shotgun mic to expand your options (he recommended the rode NTG-4 which is awesome). I asked when would be a good time to upgrade. He said, until I'm upgrading my entire space, don't think about upgrading. And stick with this principle: the better the gear, the better your space MUST be, as better gear picks up everything.
Hope someone out there finds this helpful. feel free to ask questions if you have any
You are an enormous contributor of really useful information. Thank you so much and I have run various voice-overs and thoughts passed a locally based friend of mine who is a professional and he was saying some very similar staff so it is further endorsed by your very helpful comments.
I will delve into you tube on some of the aspects mentioned and keep a very open mind and willingness for continued learning.
Thanks again-your journey sounds awesome
Best wishes
2 years ago
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