VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Yonie]

God fortsättning!

It's the first sentence in a pagan ritual, don't worry. Moving on!

Since living in Swedish exile I've spent quite some time steering life back on some type of track. This track must include VO-- I'm going batty speaking Swedish and hanging out with Swedes.

I am asking for the following: a yay or nay. If nay, please elaborate and support your opinion with a much-too-long essay.

Was sitting on an ancient mbox 2 mini that I did not enjoy at all. Am eyeing a Scarlett Focusrite 2i2 to replace it, since the Scarlett sits on a good deal here in Scandiland. Yay or nay?

Am replacing my old Sony MDR-V600 with a pair of MDR-7506. Yay or nay?

Am looking for a solid budget mic. The Røde NT1-A has been on my radar for years. Yay or nay?

Am contemplating getting a reflexion filter to complement an acoustically treated corner in my present flatulent apartment. Yay or nay? Recommendations? DIY solutions?

Cheers for taking your time, peeps. Am slowly standing up again.

PS: Never forget: love ya.

[Lance Blair]

The Second Generation Scarlett 2i2 is excellent. Make sure it's the Second Generation. The original version is good too. YAY.

NT1A? Try the new NT-1. That's the Black Color Model released in 2014. It's super low self noise like the NT1A but not as bright sounding. But if you like super-bright, go for the NT1A.

I'm indifferent about the Sony Cans. AT and Shure make equivalent or better headphones for the same money. Sony 7506 headphones sound hyped (too much low and high detail) to me - and I had to wear them for years as a field audio engineer.

Good luck!
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Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

[MBVOXX]

all sound like solid ideas. ..except: I'd pass on the reflex filter though. We bought one to fill the void between a new move in and room treatment, pending the arrival of our Real Traps. It's not an easy thing to record VO with because you have to get so inside the thing that you don't have any room for your script. It really works best if the mic is inside the filter. I would get some inexpensive studio blankets and set up an area in the corner of a room if a large closet isn't available.

[FinMac]

+1 on the NT1 (NOT the NT1-A).

Recently did a shoot out in a studio between the NT1 and the TLM 103. Neither the engineer nor myself could notice much difference in the audio.

NT1 is very quiet, so you do need a good room for it. Lots of GIK panels would be great, but that might not be an option for you.

The Shure SM7B saved the Day for me when my room had no treatment! It wasn't perfect but it really does not pick up much of the room.

Of course, you need a good micpre for the Shure.

For good, and not expensive options you might check out the Yamaha AG03. It has some really great features, such as a HFP in the DSP settings. You can also do a mix-minus with it by flipping a button

iD14 is also a good option, as the micpres are very good as well as the converters. Not sure if these will power the Shure SM7B, so you might need to add something like this...

https://www.beesneezmicrophones.com.au/store/angus-phantom-powered-pre-amp.html

Hope this helps!
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www.scottsvoiceover.com - An American voice in Finland

"If you want to get to the top, you have to get off your bottom". (Unknown)

[FinMac]

+1 on the NT1 (NOT the NT1-A).

Recently did a shoot out in a studio between the NT1 and the Neumann TLM 103. Neither the engineer nor myself could notice much difference in the audio.

NT1 is very quiet, so you do need a good room for it. Lots of GIK panels would be great, but that might not be an option for you.

The Shure SM7B saved the Day for me when my room had no treatment! It wasn't perfect but it really does not pick up much of the room.

Of course, you need a good micpre for the Shure.

For good, and not expensive options you might check out the Yamaha AG03. It has some really great features, such as a HFP in the DSP settings. You can also do a mix-minus with it by flipping a button

iD14 is also a good option, as the micpres are very good as well as the converters. Not sure if these will power the Shure SM7B, so you might need to add something like this...

https://www.beesneezmicrophones.com.au/store/angus-phantom-powered-pre-amp.html

Hope this helps!
_________________
www.scottsvoiceover.com - An American voice in Finland

"If you want to get to the top, you have to get off your bottom". (Unknown)

[Yonie]

First of all:

Now. It seems the NT1 is getting some really good responses so far. And given the few hours I spent checking around, it's going on the list. I'd rather have a lovely mic and bash my head against the room acoustics than the other way around.

I'm mulling over the reflexion filter idea, since it is still one of the most practical solutions, given my current situation. I am also looking at getting some wall-mounted foam and possibly bass traps to further diffuse the room (about 25 square meters or 270 square feet). Thankfully, it shouldn't be the hardest task to get some further diffusion done.

Bottom line: I can afford to get some acoustic treatment. I just can't do the monetary splurging a Gearslutz forumite would want me to.

Did build a booth in the US, using PVC frames and moving blankets. It worked wonders for a number of jobs. The downside was their propensity for collapsing and overall cumbersome presence.

Many cheers for your thoughts, everyone. As long as momentum is maintained, I am unstoppable.

[sdaeley17]

Hi Yonie!

Best of luck on your gear quest!

I've also had great results using the Rode Nt-1. Here's a review I did with it and the Yamaha AG03:

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

As far as inexpensive acoustics, I've had great success with Vocalbooth to Go, both with their portable Carry On Vocal Booth and Pre-Fab Hanging Acoustical Booth (I just built a steel pipe frame and threw it over.) . You can find more about those here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hot673dEGDk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hot673dEGDk

George Whittam also recently did a "Portable Acoustics Shootout" Might give you some ideas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diS0q_OtRqM

Lastly, instead of the Reflexion Filter, you may want to consider the Aston Halo. Aston's lead engineer originally worked for SE, and has sought to improve on what is largely an unchanged design.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdpLjZROw0Y&t=430s
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"There's Magic all around us; you just have to see it. And the most wonderful Magic of all, is just bein' alive." -Uncle Montork, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

[Yonie]

Funnily enough the Aston Halo was precisely the piece I've been eyeing, Sean. Neither of the SE options were appealing as I'd still have to work on the ceiling and floor reflections to achieve anything acceptable.

The difficulty with copy placement could be remedied by having a small rack above and slightly behind the filter, but I also think the Aston Halo has plenty of room to allow copy.

Having whizzed around the archives here, I'm increasingly convinced that the Scarlett 2i2 and the NT1 are locked purchases.

Am contemplating some DIY solutions for my little apartment room corner, since many of the products you guys are suggesting can't be easily obtained in my neck of the world (Sweden's bum: Stockholm).

We also don't normally have walk-in closets.

[Lance Blair]

Agreed on the Yamaha AG03 - that's a nifty piece of kit.

Interesting what you say about the shootout of NT1 and 103 Scott. They are pretty similar. I used to own a 103 but because of my room acoustics at the time the rather wide pattern and sensitivity made it only sound good on quiet close-up reads. Still like that mic a lot!

But I'm happy with the NT1.
_________________
Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

[Yonie]

Good news and news.

I went against my own plan and skipped out on the Aston Halo. It simply seemed too bulky for practical VO use. But I did continue with the Scarlett 2i2 and the NT1. Have also swapped some components in my computer to make it truly silent.

The next step is to treat my space. Thankfully I've stumbled upon a German site with very good pricing.

The flatuituous apartment I live in has a fairly open living room, which will serve as recording space. It's got an open door frame into the bedroom and an arch into the hallway. All in all, it's a diffuse enough space with an immediate flutter echo. I'm contemplating bass traps in 3 corners and foam patterns on the walls. It'd also be easier to work on the floor than the ceiling.

Overkill? This is still strictly for the VO quality, not monitor mixing.

[Bruce]

[Yonie]

Boo! Double post!

[Yonie]

Right, I went with a much cheaper reflection filter that will simply serve as a minor complement to the room itself.

Ordered some room treatment gear, after considering for days if I should take the DIY road. Among the pieces of treatment we can find 24 inch bass traps for each corner ceiling and about 32 tiles of 14x14 inch acoustic foam for overall wall treatment.

Reason for skipping DIY this go-around: I have a job. It pays all right. I can afford this.

[Yonie]

Right. I've been mulling over moving DAWs. I am proficient with Pro Tools, but that bloated piece of software is much too expensive for my tastes.

The grapevine gossips about Sound Forge. Any users here? I'd prefer a multi-track DAW for utility's sake.

[SteveToner]

I'm not keen on Sound Forge for most editing tasks. I do use it for mastering, but find Vegas to be much more to my liking for editing. Just ignore the video capabilities in Vegas and it makes for a fine DAW...

I'm sure if Sound Forge was all I had I could learn to like it, though. The main differences to me are that Sound Forge does destructive editing and I've never figured out how to make plugins work in Sound Forge.
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www.TonerVoice.com