How to Setup Your Own Makeshift Home Studio

Hey Everybody,

One of the main question agents ask me before anything else is, "Do you have a home studio?" One of the first questions VO teachers ask is, "Do you record at home?" One question I get over and over is, "You have a home studio, right?"

There are a million misconceptions about home studios. You'll see pictures like this.              

I contemplated this at one point. How much would it cost to build a booth in my grandmothers house? Then I realized, that was a ridiculous idea.  How about this? 

                                                      

That's amazing. I don't know what that this is above his head. I also live in a room in Brooklyn, so unless that thing folds into the wall like a murphy bed, I can't do that. 

I am almost 90 percent sure I live in a space that is smaller than where you live. Here's my amazing hyper awesome, expensive studio.

Yup! She ain't pretty. You'll notice there is a steamer in the closet along with a kermit-ish puppet and a bottle of water from the person who owns this apartment, which is actually a sublet. 

Before you set up your studio. Ask yourself.

Am I healthy enough to stay standing during all recording? Standing is preferable in my opinion, because if you are doing VO, you want to be able to move your hands, put a hand on your hip, point, move your body. That will make your voiceover so much better. 

If you have leg problems or feet problems, then absolutely set up a chair system. However, get a quiet chair (mandatory). Also, when you do the voice work, scoot to the edge of the chair and lean a bit forward, so you can still do arm movements and everything. 

Where do I put my studio?

Closets are great but make sure your not wall to wall with a fridge. That can be a sound issue. Look for constant sound issues. Don't worry about random sound issues. My room is next to a bathroom, so I have to stop recording or pause when I hear a flush. Classy. I also lived in my grandma's house where it was within 2 miles of the San Jose airport. So, literally, every 5 minutes. Plane. I recorded audiobooks in that crappy situation. 

Here are examples of constant sounds, a fridge, an elevator or stairway that the public uses. A window that goes out to the street, and a computer. You have to kind of find a healthy medium, far enough away from the window and the computer but you don't have to tear your entire place apart. 

You can place it in another room, but you are going to be running wire from the computer to the room, so be aware of that. 

Also, Be okay with trial and error, you'll be moving things around trying to figure out where is best. Don't worry if the first set up doesn't work. As long as you have studio parts, you can add and move things around over and over again. Just don't build something, unless you know how. 

Here's what you need.

1)  A microphone. Doesn't have to be expensive but it should be XLR cable, not USB. I've never liked anything USB direct. It's cutting out a few key middleman pieces.

2) Some sort of noise filter. That thing I got, was just like $100 but you can a microphone in a closet and just tack quilts to the wall or towels. It all works.

3) Some ipad-ish thing you can read from. I have an ipad mini because it is quiet. Don't use your laptop. It is too noisy. Also, notice that my computer isn't near the mike. It is actually behind me, so at least my body kind of blocks the noise .

3) A pop filter.

4) A microphone stand of some sort.

5) PreAmp. M-audio mobile pre works fine for me.

That is all. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a sound engineer. If you're working with non-union clients. 95% of them have sound engineers that will help your sound and 90% can't tell the difference. 

Become a better voice over actor, work on the craft itself. The setup may be a million dollar setup but a bad actor still won't get jobs with it. Quality shines through. Technique takes the job. Studio setup can't be horrible, but you can get by with a sufficient setup. 

Also, if you get an agent, or have clients with studios, they just need you to record auditions not the actual project. So, as long as it's decent and shows off your voice. You're good to go.

Take care everyone. Get those jobs!