Voice acting equipment?

[CaptainRazer]

I really have no Idea where to start from here.

A couple of days ago, I decided to do voice over for a flash animation I created, but the recording quality was sub-par since the mic was actually a headset mic.

So I though to buy a some professional grade equipment, but I doubt that I'll need the mic and pop filter alone. right now I'm eyeing the audio technica ta2500 and sony sound forge studio 10 from amazon but then again, you know better than I do, So I'm here for any suggestion, money is not an issue.

[Troisnyx]

Any condenser mic coupled with Audacity 2 (if you know how to use it well) can yield stellar results. Now my equipment isn't much because of financial constraints, but I have a Samson Go mic.... pretty small mic which can be clipped onto the computer screen, but really delivers clear voices etc.

Couple that with Audacity's noise removal and you're good to go!

The only drawback of that mic I spoke of is this: it doesn't take a portion of the lower frequencies of your voice. So you'll have to boost the bass, if need be, in editing.

[Step]

I have the Samson GoMic myself and while it does indeed have INFINITELY better results than a headset microphone, if money isn't a problem then you should go for something high-end. It's painfully obvious to notice when a voice-actor is using a microphone that s/he bought for less than $100, even if it's just a subtle tinny quality to the voice or a small amount of muddiness, and if you need to record for more than just the odd podcast or amateur YouTube video, then you need more than the GoMic.

I've heard good stuff about the Blue Yeti Pro Microphone. Don't forget the pop filter too which is very important since it removes the annoying high "s" sounds when you record your speech, and maybe a stand for your microphone if you need it. There are better microphones than the Blue Yeti out there, some which even go over $1000, but unless you're entirely serious about voice-acting and want to make a career out of it, then I'd stay away from those.

Regarding software, Audacity is honestly all you need. It's free and comes with a pretty extensive amount of audio-editing tools, including the ones you as a voice actor may need to use, like noise correction. If you want something with a nicer-looking design and some more bells and whistles, then Sound Forge Studio seems like a nice option, but I've never tried it nor have I heard much about it. Adobe Audition is pretty high up in the list of audio-editing/recording software, but predictably, being by Adobe, so is its price.

Hope I helped.

[TinyLobsterFace]

At 5/21/13 04:37 AM, CaptainRazer wrote: I really have no Idea where to start from here.

A couple of days ago, I decided to do voice over for a flash animation I created, but the recording quality was sub-par since the mic was actually a headset mic.

So I though to buy a some professional grade equipment, but I doubt that I'll need the mic and pop filter alone. right now I'm eyeing the audio technica ta2500 and sony sound forge studio 10 from amazon but then again, you know better than I do, So I'm here for any suggestion, money is not an issue.

Start off relatively small even if money isn't an issue, like, after a while, you might realize voice acting isn't for you, and then after spending all the money you'll maybe regret spending so much. A microphone I recommend is the Audio Technica 2020, I use it and I think it's great (I'm probably gonna upgrade soon though as soon as I get the money), especially for how cheap it is, you'll need an audio interface as well (you can get an M-Audio Fast Track one for a reeeeaaally cheap price some places, but if you get that you'll also need to buy a phantom power source along with it, unless you get a different interface that has built in phantom power), then I also recommend buying a microphone isolation screen, they're not essential, but they will improve your recording quality pretty noticeably, eliminating environmental noises, excess reverb and reflection, and price ranges for them are really varying, some are quite cheap, whilst some are ridiculously expensive, so go see what is most fitting for you and whatnot. You'll also most likely need a microphone stand and a shock mount, or you'll be balancing this microphone on something and shit'll be messy. For a recording software I definitely recommend just getting Audacity since it's free and relatively easy to work. And for a mixing/editing software, well there's loads out there, but I use FL Studio 10 (producer edition, you can pirate it, but I paid for this bitch like a crazy person), it's somewhat more difficult to get to grips with at times, but there are lots of tutorials on youtube to help with that, but again, check out the rest of the market and different softwares to see what you'd prefer/enjoy more.

OH YEAH AND A POP FILTER.

So yeah it's a preeeetty expensive 'trade' if you want to take it even a bit seriously and not sound like diarrhea.