(Part 3) Top products from r/VoiceActing

Personally, I think the MXL V67G is a good mic choice for beginners. It has a warm tone that's pretty forgiving for a lot of voice types, it takes EQ decently, and it's only ~$65. It has a good bass response, which many cheaper mics lack, and the upper frequencies are fairly smooth.

For the interface, pretty much any full interface will work. I normally recommend the Behringer UM2 for the price (~$40), but as long as you avoid stuff like the Neewer phantom power supply (which isn't an actual interface) you'll be fine. If you have extra money, something like the Audient iD4 (or iD14 if you need two inputs/think you will in the future) or Apogee Duet are good choices. They both have a good amount of clean gain (no hiss from the preamps) and they don't color the sound much, if any.

You will also need a mic stand, XLR cable, pop filter, and headphones. To get all that, it's going to cost about the same as a Blue Yeti (minus the headphones, but you'd need to buy those for the Yeti as well) and will sound far better.

If you have the money though, look around and test mics out before you buy. Every mic is going to sound slightly different, and just because one mic is popular or fits one person well doesn't mean it's the best choice for you. There are plenty of mics under $1000 (even under $500) that are phenomenal, you just need to find the one that suits your voice the best. As for mid-price mics that you may be interested in, there is the Lewitt LTC 440 Pure, Aston Origin, Rode NT1, CAD e100s, and Audio-Technica AT4040. This is just a list to get you started looking, and by no means covers all the good mics, so look around for what you think will suit you. Test out what you can, because you don't want to spend that much money without being sure it will sound right for you.

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More important than mic selection though, is acoustic treatment. Even the best, most expensive mics are going to sound terrible in an untreated space. You can buy panels or foam squares, but if you're tight on money you can improvise this pretty easily. There are tons of youtube tutorials, so I won't spend too much time on it, but some good materials are blankets (moving blankets, quilts, comforters, basically anything really thick with lots of dead space), cushions, and pillows. If you have a fully stocked walk-in closet, that's even better.

You have TWO options

1)If you have cheap motherboard and dont have add-on sound card and you dont want to buy any equipment, the BEST one bar-non, praised in every review is Samson Q2U, it has both USB interface [so you dont need to buy anything extra] and XLR port so you can upgrade if you want like buying 50-70USD Mixer or USB Audio Interface or if you have good sound card 10$ XLR to 3.5mm cable and record directly to sound card in 24bit/48hz, you should Yyoutube search its model name and see big YT channels benchmark it and listen to their vocie.

On Amazon USA, its 59.99 for microphone with cable and there is "secret kit" for 62USD with free Samson Studio headphones and anti-wind ball

Mic: https://www.amazon.com/Samson-Handheld-Microphone-Recording-Podcasting/dp/B001R747SG

Bundle for just 3$ more: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FWN32HI

2) If you have good sound card, or you want even better sound for same price then the 20$ Behringer Ultravoice Xm8500 Dynamic Vocal Microphone is the best in this category, its not worst then Samson Q2A it just dont have USB, nor cables bundled so its cheaper, its just the microphone and plastic box, you can also search in YT and listen to reviews.

Then you also buy 40USD BEHRINGER Audio Interface 1x XLR/TRS 1x 1/4" 2X RCA USB, Black 1-Channel UM2, and for 60USD you have the best cheapest combo possible, just dont forget XLR to XLR cable, they go from 6 to10-15USD depends on length, Amazon Basics cables is great option, quality, but you can buy whatever you want, but amont cheap cables Amazons are known quality, no gamble.

So i guess it all comes to 70USD with the cable and youll have semi-pro beginner setup.

In any case, if you going to record on your desk and will do keyboard typing you want some space, you may add 23USD Microphone Boom arm that screws on to the table and has your MIC on it, you can lift it up when you dont use, also microphone "improves" sound quality because you wont have to touch the mic and it wont pass your touching noises or keyboard typing to the mic and it comes with Pop filter bundled.

Personally I was going to buy the first one but decided to buy the second one with XLR to 3.5mm cable since my sound card is good and will allow me 24bit/48hz and even 96hz recording

Also if it wont be good trough my sound card sicne it was so cheap i can always add good USB Audio interface.

Mic: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KZAKS

Cable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QMIT1YK

Audio Interface: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EK1OTZC

Microphone arm/Boom with Pop filter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JHCL3KS



P.S. No matter what, DO NOT BUY ANY MICROPHONE TYPES Except Dynamic! Otherwise you'll be cursing yourself.

Dynamic doesn't need phantom power [its a separate headache that most mics need 48v phantom power] and its the least sensitive type made for Voice, when you talk it will record just you, all others, especially the USB popular Blue brand mics will record your scratching, air conditioner, your cat, your neighbors and mouse farts across the street, they all good to use-in Audio treated room, when people isolate the room for audio or audio booth, in regular peoples room, Dynamic mics is the Best way to go.

First thing is to not just be good, but to be unique. Do you have a distinctive voice or do you sound like every other voice in the "25-50 year old American Male English no-accent" category?

Second is to have the skills. You have to know how to be able to deliver the copy exactly the way the client is going to want. That means that the thing that represents you - your demo - has to show without any question that you have the chops.

Third, realize that agencies like William Morris/ Endeavor are considered the top of the list for talent agencies. That means that their rosters are filled with some of the best names in the business. That also means that these agencies are flooded with emails from new/ aspiring talent hoping to be signed by them on a daily basis. You are going to have to get past the gatekeeper to get heard. And they've heard it all.

I seriously doubt that there are graduates of this voiceover class that have signed with WM. Unless these people were already professional talent that have skills already established - and were just taking the class as a refresh, I find it hard to believe that the top agency in the business would sign an absolute untested beginner. But Im not an agent, so I could be wrong.

Next, you should pick up a book called "How To Agent Your Agent". Its a great book that gives some insight into the life of a agent. Its a very useful resource.

And finally - you should not put your eggs in one basket. Being part of an agency means you get access to auditions that you wouldn't normally get on your own. But it means you're now swimming in a very big, very crowded and very highly skilled pool. I know a voice artist that has 14 agents and he still gets most of his work from his own effort in marketing. Having an agent is not the be-all, end-all it once was.

Good luck to you, though!

Learn IPA (international phonetic alphabet) and identify your accent sounds and dipthongs. Pick up Speak with Distinction by Edith Skinner, and start with the most simple warmups. Learn all the pure vowels and consonant sounds before going into dipthongs and triphthongs. Note that you should aim to learn the Trans-Atlantic accent, which is widely considered as 'neutral' for English and used for most classical work.

Record everything and listen to how you are doing to be able to a) identify sounds you're making and b) diagnose things you're not conscious of doing.

Tongue, soft palate and hard palate exercises will help with your ability to make different sounds. As you learn IPA and can pronounce each sound, from vowels to stop-plosives and affricates, make sure you're expanding your warmup to include these. Do your warmups and exercises every day. You'll be surprised how quickly these muscles go out of shape.

In addition to being super helpful, being able to read and pronounce IPA will help you pick up any other accents.

That's for the phonetic/sound part. Other things to think about are vocal placement and speech 'patterns'. Different dialects are placed differently. Speech 'patterns' refers to how natives speak the language, and the sensibility and melody behind it. This is very subtle and often only native speakers of the language can notice that you don't quite sound like you're from there. The understanding of how culture and attitude informs speech patterns is what will help you get a genuine, non-stereotypical accent that you can express yourself freely with, using vocabulary and idiomatic expressions of the dialect.

EDIT: Also the other tips are great for actual practicing. Make sure you are always practicing whatever you are learning, and make sure you're practicing deliberately. This is the key to making something second-nature.

Source: Not American, trained at an American acting conservatory with the aim of working in local markets and now people are shocked to find out I didn't grow up here.

If you really think you want to be a voice actor, then I would recommend you either read this:

http://www.amazon.com/Voiceovers-Everything-About-Money-Voice/dp/1932907904/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406763796&sr=8-1&keywords=terri+apple

Or this:

http://www.amazon.com/Voice-Over-Voice-Actor-What-Behind/dp/0984074007/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406763812&sr=8-1&keywords=voice+over+voice+actor

These both do a good job of explaining what it really means to be a voice actor (turning yourself into a small business).

Taking regular acting lessons is probably your best bet. There isn't really a "voice acting school" that you can go to besides something like Voice Coaches http://voicecoaches.com/ (who are actually pretty good and have a bunch of online courses for you and help you make a demo [a demo being recordings of you reading things so clients can hear what you sound like]).

Also, you need to learn how to "read conversationally," which basically means being able to read in such a way that you don't sound like you're reading off a script. I would actually say that simply being able to read conversationally is more important than being able to act, since a majority of voice work is not for movies or animated features, its for things like commercials, instructional videos, automated messages, etc.

That would definitely be advisable. There are other good options of course, but this is the industry standard for commercial/promo voiceover. So I don't know what your endeavor into voiceover is, but I'd recommend a solid investment in a mic that fits your voice well, an interface that offers enough gain staging (otherwise, you need a mic preamp, which is yet another investment. The sm7b definitely needs one of these), and a pair of headphones that offer flat, accurate frequency response so you can listen back and mix well.

After reading this thread I watched a bunch of comparison videos with the Snowball, the Yeti, and compared them to my experience using home setups. I'm an singer and a sound engineer and manage the voice talent for a small video game company - microphones are part of my life.

I'd say if your serious about this don't get a USB microphone. Get a decent condenser and a USB XLR input. If you ever upgrade to anything other than the most basic starter microphone, you're going to need and XLR input for your computer.

Take a look at the Scarlett Focusrite 2i1 for an XLR USB input:
http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA

Alternatively, there's also the PreSonus AudioBox
http://goo.gl/9QBs6l

As far as microphones, most low level condensers will kick the crap out of any USB microphone out there. The best bang for you buck AFAIK is the Monoprice condenser:

http://goo.gl/uGYsnE

But if you're going for a USB mic, the Blue Yeti is the best quality one based on the Youtube videos I've checked out -

Here's the comparison of the Audio-Technica AT2020 vs the Blue Yeti - I'd say they're close but the Blue Yeti is better. I'd leave this up to your opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etTaUOyOR5A

(just heard the guy in the video say he endorses the Blue Yeti - I agree but hadn't heard this before I posted this link)

The comparison of the Blue Yeti vs the Snowball:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRphxOkJ7i0

Just clearly shows that the Snowball is way poorer quality, though the reviewer doesn't seem to notice the huge difference.

Maybe an Audio Technica 2020.

Edit: Here's a list of Amazon Links for mics that should do fine for under $100. Mind you, these aren't going to be as good as more expensive mics.

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2020-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B0006H92QK/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1397680493&sr=1-2&keywords=audio+technica+at2020

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CZ0RLK/ref=s9_simh_gw_p267_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1HB6SGG69DC63CE0W94T&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

http://www.amazon.com/CAD-U37-Condenser-Recording-Microphone/dp/B001AIQGUO/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1397680546&sr=1-1&keywords=cad+u37

(This next one has a used one for under a hundred. Just over a hundred for new.)

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Yeti-USB-Microphone/dp/B008F4USMS/ref=sr_du_2_map?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1397680579&sr=1-2

Edit 2:

If you want something pretty good even cheaper, this one will actually do you fine. You might notice a difference, but you also might not. It should be perfectly adequate if you don't intend to do anything more than amateur work.

http://www.amazon.com/GLS-Audio-Vocal-Microphone-ES-58-S/dp/B000RKVH0K/ref=pd_cp_MI_0

Based on what you mentioned as your budget, I'd recommend purchasing a USB type of condenser microphone. Unfortunately, anything under $40 isn't going to sound too nice when recording. Your best bet is to up the $40 to $50-ish and get a Blue Snowball.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-iCE-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=sr_1_21?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1519757795&sr=1-21&keywords=condenser+mic

It's a nice mic and it'll do you justice over any other mic in the price range. As for headphones, I'd buy these: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-201-Lightweight-Headphones/dp/B0007XJSQC/ref=sr_1_12?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1519758135&sr=1-12&keywords=studio+headphones

I was pointed towards this book. I don't know if it's exactly what you're looking for in terms of character acting but it's definitely good for practicing and warm-ups. Lots of useful tips. Just the tips.

I have a great little book called "Ideal Voice and Speech Training" by Ken Parkin, that I cannot recommend enough. It's full of excercises of Monophthongs, diphthongs, triphthongs etc., and has a lengthy section of tongue twisters and other challenging passages, such as Major General, and The Chaos. There's also a list of Shakespeare speeches for various moods and emotions.

I should also recommend the work of the late and vastly talented voice artist Vivian Stanshall, who wrote and performed Sir Henry at Rawlinson End. If you know the album, or even if you don't, you can practice with this transcription of the complete piece, which features many different-voiced characters and is presented episodically.

Thanks for the reply!

Just to make sure that I'm finding the right products, are these what you were talking about?

Focusrite Scarlette: https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Interface-Bundle-Headphones/dp/B07V1XMZK6/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=1ZMWL5L3WBKIM&keywords=focusrite+scarlett+solo&qid=1567099523&s=gateway&sprefix=Focusrite%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=AXCB29L39I26U&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyMjBZNFdKSDBBVDgzJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTQ3Mjc4MUhQUTdMWk82RFNMTiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzY0MDE4MjZPUzVHOVRZMTZOQiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Shure: https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM7B-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B0002E4Z8M/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=shure+sm7b&qid=1567099480&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Aston: https://www.amazon.com/Aston-Microphones-Portable-Microphone-Reflection/dp/B01AXUDJ68

I think the only one that would be out of my budget for now is the Shure, but I'm guessing that's the part that I really can't / shouldn't skimp on, right?

The MXL 990 series delivers awesome sound with a price-tag under $100.

There's also this at slightly over $100, but this does not come with shock-mounts, and you definetly want those.

My friend John Robinson co-wrote a children's book, "There's A Zombie In My Treehouse!". I read it out loud, recorded it, and editededed it. First time doing a thing like this (audiobook reading type of stuff), so please let me know what I did; wrong, right, and otherwise.

I use this bundle. I've used it for recording singing and it's not bad at all, and you get a mic, a stand, and a pop filter for less than $150.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001NJ81TY

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B000RLF7HI