Recording your voice is easy when you build a solid studio and use the right tools
Local Recording Studios
In this section, we will be looking at how to build a relationship with a local recording studio. You can with a studio to have them record and engineer your recording.
If you do not have the means of investing in your own recording equipment at this time it is best to develop a business relationship with a local recording studio. You can find recording studios by looking them up in your phone book or yellow pages or by Googling your city name + recording studio.
Questions to Ask a Recording Studio
Here are some tips on what to ask a recording studio before attending your first session.
Call at least three studios and be sure to ask all the questions you need to, in order to feel confident with your new partners.
• What is your hourly studio rates?
• What kind of vocal microphone do you have?
• Do you have a royalty-free music library?
• Do you have a sound effects library?
• Do you have script to make a voice over demo?
• Can you deliver finished work for me?
• Do you have an ISDN connection?
• How do you require payment?
• Do you accept cash and credit card?
• How much notice do you need to book my session?
• Are you open on evenings and weekends?
• What is your cancellation policy?
Attending Your First Session
Before you book for your first session be sure to rehearse your scripts in advance. Being prepared will save you time in the studio and money while affirming your professionalism.
When you arrive at the studio for the first time, be sure to properly introduce yourself. Building a good business relationship starts as soon as you make your first contact. Building a relationship with a local studio is a must if you don't have your own home studio. Ask for a 10% discount on all studio sessions, agreeing that you will work exclusively with them for the next year. Be prepared to put something in writing if you opt for this exclusive arrangement.
Building Your Own Home Recording Studio
If you have the will and technical skills, building a home recording studio is preferred. This way, you can work from home and record at your convenience. You can set your own hours and also have the flexibility to record custom auditions for clients. Although purchasing a home studio is a considerable financial investment, it is better in the long-term and will save you time, resources, and money, particularly when you have to record revisions for a client.
Personal Computer Based Recording
One of the biggest trends in recent audio production involves merging digital recording with computer technology. The recording of audio onto a computers' hard drive allows you to edit and manipulate your sound files. This data can be stored as a sound file such as .wav or .aiff. There are multiple advantages to recording and editing your voice-overs using your personal computer.
• The ability to record long and uninterrupted narration.
• Digital editing. Quickly and easily remove unwanted background noise or embellish the audio track with music and sound effects.
• Digital Processing. Add effects to your voice, such as reverb, or echo, and master your entire demo for sonic clarity.
Minimum Requirements for Window-based Audio Recording
According to Gartner Research, Windows-based PC's account for 90% of all computers world-wide. If you have purchased your personal computer in the last three years and you're running Windows XP, your system should be more than adequate to record an audio file with a microphone, and then save the recording as an MP3 file.
• Personal Computer
• Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent Processor
• Windows 2000 / Windows XP / Vista
• iTunes for PC
• 1 GB of available disk space
• 512 MB of RAM
• Audio Line In and Audio Line Out
Minimum Requirements for Mac-based Audio Recording
Recently with the launch of Apple's iTunes, it shows that Apple is committed to the digital revolution. Since most iPod owners are also Mac owners there is also a lot of great software available for the Mac platform.
The misconception that the Mac is simply too expensive or that they are only for students and artists is quickly being proven wrong. Apple also sells the Mac Mini, a scaled down version of the Mac that allows previous PC owners to make the switch but still keep their monitor, keyboard and mouse - all for just $499.
• Mac G3 or better
• Mac OS X
• iTunes for Mac
• 1 GB of available disk space
• 512 MB of RAM
• Audio Line In and Audio Line Out
Microphones
Whether you are using a Mac or PC, you will need a microphone to record your voice into your computer. One option is to purchase a microphone ( or you may already have one ) witinch jack. This is the size of the jack or audio line in port on your personal computer.
Dynamic Microphone
Marshall Electronics
The MXL2001-P is a great microphone that is capable of handling numerous recording tasks competently. The MXL2001-P is a straight-ahead, plug-and-play type of instrument without any controls whatsoever, yet it records with a nice, open sound that will cut through just about any mix. Such characteristics make this microphone a good choice for the smaller studio that focuses most of its efforts on the recording of popular music. In terms of workmanship, these products have a look and feel that is the mark of well-made equipment.
Condenser Microphone
Neumann
The TLM 103 is the ideal large diaphragm microphone for all professional and semi-professional applications requiring the utmost in sound quality on a limited budget. By utilizing the tried and true transformer-less circuit found in numerous Neumann microphones, the TLM 103 features yet unattained low self-noise and the highest sound pressure level transmission. The capsule, derived from that used in the U 87, has a cardioid pattern, is acoustically well-balanced and provides extraordinary attenuation of signals from the rear.
Recording and Editing Software
Audacity
Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/ Linux, and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to Record live audio, convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs, edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files, cut, copy, splice, and mix sounds together, change the speed or pitch of a recording, and more.
Download for free: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
Audacity tutorial: http://www.transom.org/tools/editing_mixing/200404.audacity.html
Recording Software for the Mac
GarageBand
GarageBand lets you easily perform, record and create your own music. Whether you're an experienced or aspiring musician. Or just want to feel - and sound - like a rock star. With the new version of GarageBand, you can even record multiple tracks at the same time.
Website:http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/
Recording Studio Set-up & Process
Finally, we'll help you understand the complete recording process.
To gain insight into the recording studio and how audio is recorded, you should have a basic understanding of what recording engineers call the "signal flow". Basically the signal flow is the path by which sound travels from source to destination. In creating a voice-over demo, the source will be the human voice and the destination will be an MP3 file.
Here's a step-by-step outline of a typical voice-over signal flow.
1. A person speaks to create a vocal sound from their mouth.
2. The vocal sound is detected by a microphone.
3. The microphone passes the signal along the microphone cable.
4. The end of the cable is plugged into a mixing board or digital interface.
5. The mixing board or digital interface is plugged into a computer.
6. The computer records the signal using recording software.
