Hi Everyone - My name is Mel Allen and I'm a voiceover talent and coach. It's great to be sharing my own personal experiences with everyone here at the Your Audio Pro Blog. I started in Radio in 1987 and have been involved in broadcasting and recording, in one form or another, ever since. I have been blessed to work with some amazing people along the way, and I have turned all the advice and tips and techniques I have learned along the way into various forms of advice I share with my clients. Through that work I have provided my voice to thousands of projects and helped people get into voiceovers or podcasting for several years. You can find out more about me at my website The Real Voice.

Let's get started - before getting into the specifics of gear, there are ten basic things you need in your studio. It's important to keep in mind that this list is skewed a bit more toward the beginners. It's not meant to cover all the bases, just the real basic needs to start out with and give you some options and knowledge on what to look for and why. As these Blog postings roll out, we'll link them all from this posting.

So here's the list; In the order of importance as I see them they are as follows:

1. Microphone
   
2. Computer
   
3. Audio Interface
   
4. DAW Software
   
5. Power Conditioner
   
6. Headphones
   
7. Acoustic Treatment
   
8. Studio Monitors (speakers)
   
9. External Hard Drive
   
10. Cables & Accessories
    

Now that you have the list - let's start!

1 - Microphone – In my opinion, it is the most important piece of gear you will own. Many people have a top of the line computer, interface and DAW software - but spend $100 on the microphone. You can buy a cheap computer, max it out with RAM and get by with Free DAW software. If, however, you start recording from a bad source – no matter what’s in the middle – you get a bad recording. There are two basic types of Microphones - Condenser and Dynamic. Each has it's own distinct advantages and disadvantages. One of the most important is the environment you are recording in. Dynamic Mics are a bit more forgiving and Condenser mics seem to capture subtle nuances and give your voice a bit more 'warmth'. This is, of course, an oversimplification, but one of the best things I can recommend is to rent, demo or try out microphones before you buy one. Record yourself without pre-amps, compression or other gear so you know what the mic sounds like, if you decide, you can add gear into the equation, but always work from a good mic first, and make sure the other equipment helps you.

Condenser Mic* - needs 'phantom power' from your interface. Cheap mics can be plagued by self noise. Need to protect the environment around the mic to prevent sound from seeping into recordings – great at picking up traffic, fans, running water, etc. I only recommend the Large Diaphragm microphones for most people. Small diaphragm and 'shotgun' mics do have a place in the studio, but often prove very fussy in their placement and usefulness. For those reasons, I hesitate to recommend them. They are amazing in the right environment and for the right voice, but most people will do well to avoid them.

Lower End - Studio Projects B1, typically surprises people in how little 'self noise' it makes for a low end mic. As this is a mass produced microphone some manufacturing runs can make this an occasional miss – Studio Projects B1

The Audio Technica 2035. While this mic is, essentially, a step above the AT2020 – many have seen an enormous leap in the quality. This is still a very affordable microphone and it's often left out because of issues with its sibling. This is a much better 'budget' microphone choice Audio Technica AT2035

Mid Range - Rode NT1-A Microphone (comes with mic cable, Shock mount, pop shield) called ‘The World's Quietest Studio Condenser Microphone’: Rode NT1-A Anniversary Edition

Higher End - The Audio Technica AT4050 None of the self noise of low end mics this captures a wide range of voices quite well: Audio Technica AT4050

Dynamic Mics* - no need for phantom power and no self noise. They aren't as sensitive to the environment around the microphone (though still need basic protection of the environment), but as a result may not capture all the nuances and subtleties of your voice. Typically less sensitive to 'plosives' (i.e.- popping P sounds)

Low End - New to the Electro Voice family is a microphone called the EV RE320 – these will be available April 8th 2011 and are selling for an average price of $299 – this promises to be a great mic for, among others - broadcast, podcast, house of worship and voiceovers (though I have not tested it yet). Now available from our shop the Electro Voice RE 320

Mid Range – The Shure SM7B is one of the standard broadcast microphones, and for good reason. It does its job well. I've used it, I like it and it handles my deep voice (that can overload some mics) very well, but I've also heard it handle high pitch voices quite well. Like most Dynamic mics, it's more forgiving of the environment when compared to condenser mics. You need to be close to this microphone, but I have found you don't need to be quite as close to it as the next mic - which can make some people uncomfortable: Shure SM7B

Higher End - The Electro Voice RE20  is another Broadcast Studio Quality as it's great for a variety of voices and environments. Some make the mistake of calling it 'bullet proof' but it should be handled with care like any quality instrument. It has built in protection against 'plosives' like the old popping P's, but that can also be its Achilles heel. If you get this mic, you will find it very forgiving of the environment. This is a microphone that you need to be very close to, when compared to many other microphones, to record well with: Electro Voice RE20

That wraps up the post for today. I'll post these once a week for the next several weeks until you have information on the things you *need* in your studio. Then, maybe you can start making a list of the things you *want* to add to the list.

Best - Mel Allen