(Corrected a typo in my username, sorry!)

Been waiting to listen to this! Also, my user name isn't gamerwolf, it's gamer_wolf84, hehe.

Fixed! Thanks for stepping up to the microphones! :)

Oh lookie - it seems like TFF is next!!! I've been waiting for that, as I did a role there. Granted, I had almost completely lost my voice, but I tried. While I don't really want to hurry you...I'm so curious how it came out. I personally hate the sound of my own voice recorded, but I've never heard it processed by a pro, so...

Also, I'm looking into setting up a home recording studio - I've always wanted to poke around a voice acting, and eventually try to get some of the ideas in my head out. This is my start, as I just spent the last 6 hours researching mics and equipment to think about. Any advice on stuff to look into for a simple voice recording setup? Money isn't too much of a concern, depending...I don't want 4 figure mics, but I'm not against the few I've seen so far that stand out. Things like the Shure PG42 or the Rode NT1. What do you think, and what do you recommend for connecting to a computer and then processing?

In other words, can I pick your brain for a bit? Just basic recommendations to research further on my own time. Thanks!!

K Fox (and the Thanks is for doing the workshops also - I had a lot of fun at the one I managed to get to)

TFF is next! I should start working on editing it tonight. I'm trying hard to get all these recordings out ASAP!

When it comes to home recording, I'm very much an anti-mic, pro-interface guy. I don't spend a lot of money on the microphone, I spend it on the interface you plug into your computer. Every microphone requires something called a "preamp" in order to be recorded. It's a device that take the puny, itty-bitty power level that comes out of your microphone and bumps it up to the big, powerful electrical signal that computers can actually see and record. This process of preamping the microphone is SO critical, and if you don't get a good preamp, it doesn't matter if you have a $3,000 Neumann U87 microphone... it will sound like crap. You MUST have a good preamp before you can make anything sound good.

Things get a little complicated when you're preamp shopping. The best deal I've ever found is the JOEMEEK VC3. They don't make them anymore, so you have to buy them used, but even a beat-up one sounds better at $150 then the $1,000 preamps I use at work. They are fully analog, which means you'll still have to buy an interface to get the output into your computer, but even the cheapest USB interface will sound fine converting a preamp's output, so you can just buy whatever you can find with a 1/4" balanced line in plug. When it comes to new gear, most preamps are rack mounted so may not be what you want for a desk solution, but you can find a few like the FMR RNP8380 and the Audient Mico2. Don't even think about buying an ART or a Behringer preamp... noisy and awful.

Another solution is what I use, the Sound Devices USBPre2. It's an audio interface with 2 microphone preamps built in-- SUPERB preamps. It's one of the only computer interfaces I've found where I'm really, really happy with how the preamps sound. And it's small and light and portable, which is why I use it for all my voice acting panels.

Once you've got a good preamp, any good microphone will sound great. The Shure PG42 should be fine (do NOT get the USB model), and the NT1 is very, very popular. Never used one, but it must be selling a lot for some reason! Honestly, a $100 Shure SM58 would sound fantastic with a good preamp, so there's not need to go crazy. And once you're a big shot voice actor with millions of dollars, then you can go buy that Neumann U87 and you'll have something that will drive it properly. ;)

Good luck!

Oooo, real technical advice. Thanks, Buck.

Now to do enough stuff for real so I actually need to replace my Blue Microphones Snowball, which people say sounds better than my iMac's built-in mic (how hard is that to do?)

See - this is what I wanted to know, and why I asked. Thank you!! And yeah, I do vaguely remember you talking about this, which is another reason I asked - clarity is good. I'm going to look into that JOEMEEK you mentioned, but any other options if I can't find one of those? I was looking at a small mixer before you mentioned that, something like a Mackie VLZ4. It sounds to me like they do the same thing, but quality counts, so I'm looking for that Joe Meek, I'm just thinking 'backup plan'. But Thanks again - this is quite helpful, and I appreciate it!

K Fox

Mackie mixers are terrific. I've never used the VLZ4, but I've used earlier models and have consistently been impressed by their sound quality. Their Onyx preamps are solid, so that would be a great choice. In fact, when I do tell people to go budget, I usually recommend Mackie's Blackjack as a USB interface. I really like Onyx preamps.

Oh I Remember this....

Good to know your FA account! I updated your credit.

I couldn't stop laughing .. you guys were wonderful!

Yeah we had a Blast, waz a Solid panel....

KWindStalker Is me, by the way :3

Thank you! I've updated your credit. And thanks for stepping up to the mics! :)

Im really happy with the way these came out! Cant wait for next year :D

*Facepaws* That was me? That sounds much better than I thought it would. I didn't recognize my own voice, and wondered whether that was someone else doing the same material.

Heh! Our voices always sound different in a microphone than they do in our own heads. Also, I do a fair bit of post-processing to all of my recordings. These voices have all gone through a noise-reduction process, then get compressed and EQ'd to sound more present. I know I always think my voice sounds a lot better when I do these things to my voice! XD

See - you give me hope yet. As I said above, I personally hate the sound of my recorded voice, but I'm also just smart enough to realize that post processing makes a difference. I'll reserve final judgement on myself until I hear what I end up sounding like from TFF. Also, since I forgot to ask in my other post, any suggestions on starter programs to do this stuff? I'm still researching hardware, but I'll look at the software side soon to start getting a feel for that too...

K Fox

The great news is, when it comes to software, there's no difference in quality no matter what you use-- they all record the same bitstream your hardware produces. So the only thing you have to worry about is finding a program that does what you want in a way you're comfortable using.

It's still in beta, but right now the best recommendation I can make is to use the TwistedWave Online editor. (https://twistedwave.com/online/) TwistedWave is an outstanding simple audio editor for the Mac platform-- it's what I use every day at work. And the guy who wrote it is making a superb online interface that's currently free. That may change when it comes out of beta testing, but TwistedWave is absolutely one of the best simple audio editors you'll find. Can't recommend it enough.

A lot of people use Audacity which is a free, multi-platform editor. (http://audacity.sourceforge.net) It works for sure, but I've always found it buggy. Still, totally free!

I'm a huge proponent of Pro Tools, not because it's the easiest or the best or anything, but because it's the world industry standard. Every professional recording is made using Pro Tools. The full-featured software is expensive, but you get a free copy of Pro Tools Express with an M-Track Plus (http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_.....TrackPlus.html). That's a decent audio interface, with a huge plus-- it has separate line inputs from the mic inputs. That means you can use the mic preamps built in to start with, then when you upgrade to a JOEMEEK or whatever preamp you find, you can use the same interface. And while Pro Tools Express is stripped down, it'll have all the features you need for a home studio and get you experience on a software platform that's used the whole world over.

I've heard my own voice before; I've played with tape recorders since I was a kid … which was back when people had tape recorders. :very happy: For the workshop I deliberately did a more nasal voice than I ever talk with IRL, and I had no idea how that would come across. Pretty well, I think.

My favorite tool for making sounds and voice-overs for YouTube movies and sounds in Second Life is Amadeus Pro. Audacity is useful because it lets you record the Mac's synthesized voices. I just added a bunch of elevator floor announcements to some elevators. My partner in crime wants me to voice them like elevators in The Hitchhiker's Guide, which would be fun and creepy in a space prison setting.

Buck, I'm pleased with my Blue Microphones Snowball, though they Yeti might be better for voice-over work because you can plug analog headphones into it. I've heard some friends' computer headphone microphones which make them sound like someone has pinched their noses.

I am tempted to hang up blankets in my office, though. I just tried some voice recording for the elevators … and it was all echoey in a not-good way.

One thing I'd like to ask/point out - is it possible to put timestamps in the credits section for the beginning of each performance? I love how you list them with credits, but if someone wants to listen to a specific performance it gets kinda tricky...if you posted the start time with the title it would get a lot easier. Just thinking out loud. :)

K Fox

I wooooould--- but right now I'm just trying to get all these recordings out the door! XD Don't really want to go through the hassle of timing them out, too! But I am planning on setting up a permanent website for my recordings, one where you can listen to each performance individually.

I'm surprised. I actually like mine ^^ I usually hate my voice and its so glaring where things go wrong

You sounded great! And thanks, I've updated your credit.

Credit?

Hey buck. I was the guy who played Striker in the first bit with Dusty.

Great work!

Cool! Thanks for letting me know! I've updated your credit.

Excellent! The panels were a lot of fun. Hopefully I'll be there for 2015.