Great questions about the voiceover business continue to come in from readers of The Magazine of Santa Clarita. Here’s a recent tech question:
Q: I recently bought the Rode NT1-A and am looking into what mixer/audio interface to buy. I’ve looked at both the Alesis MultiMix 8 USB 2.0, the Mackie ProFX8. The Akai EIE Pro was recommended to me. Buyers of most of the mixers I’ve looked at seemed to have more issues than positive things to say. What is your recommendation? –Colin S., Castaic, CA.
A: Mixers are really for multi-source, live production. Unless you’re doing a live broadcast or webcast or something, you have no need to have more than one channel. Mixers generally add an analog step to your audio chain, which, today, isn’t a plus. Yes, they have a “pre-amp” in them but they are usually analog and not of the highest quality unless you buy a fairly expensive unit.
There are some mixers with USB like the Mackie ProFX8 and the Akai EIE Pro. Those aren’t really designed for voice work as much as producing music, which is the case with almost all recording stuff we use for voice work. My recommendations are very standard. If you’re a MAC, The Apogee ONE and DUET are superb. If you’re PC, something fairly inexpensive and easy to set up like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 or the Presonus AudioBox would work.
Don’t be intimidated by technology. It’s all like plugging in a stereo (only no left and right). Plug it in, set the level and forget about it. The smartest thing to do is to hire a home studio consultant who understands the current technology and will be able to get your home studio set up to sound great without spending a fortune on extraneous equipment. Break a lip!
I’ll share more voiceover questions and answers in the coming months. If you have any questions, please write to me and I’ll get back to you.
Cashman Commercials © 2012
Marc Cashman creates and produces copy and music advertising for radio and television. Winner of over 150 advertising awards, he also instructs voice acting of all levels through his classes, The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques in Los Angeles, California at Cal Arts and through Vibe Studios. He can be contacted at cashcomm@earthlink.net or his website, www.cashmancommercials.com.