Michael Owen Butscher

Voice Talent

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Greetings.

I would like to kill a couple of birds with one stone. I would like to describe my home studio and I would like to create a primer on creating a home studio. When I first started doing voice over work, most of the work was done in "commerical" studios. There were a few pioneers like Ty Ford, who created studios in their homes. Now it is possible to create a home studio relatively inexpensively.

I am using a home made computer (pc) running Windows XP Professional. My recording/sequencing/mixing/editing/mastering software is SONAR 4 Producer's Edition. I use an Audio Technica 4033 large diaphram condenser microphone. I use an Edirol UA-1000 USB2 10 in, 10 out, audio interface and I use a Creative Labs Audigy 2 soundcard for synthesizer playback. My headphone distribution system is a Behringer Powerplay Pro. I have an M-Audio Keystation 49-e midi keyboard and an Alesis SR-16 drum machine. My monitors are the Fostex Okay, this has been a progression, I used to track to a Fostex VF-16 digital recorder and I used scads of Behringer outboard gear, but now I go straight to the computer and I love the way the effects plugins that come with SONAR sound. I created The Mother In Me , using the current setup.

So you need a studio in your home. At a minimum you will need a microphone, an interface, recording software, and headphones.

Microphone:

You should spend some time at a a pro audio shop listening to microphones. Find one that sounds good with your voice and in your price range.

Interface:

In order to connect your microphone to your computer you will need an interface. More than likely you will need phantom power to drive your microphone. The least expensive one that I have been able to find is the M-Audio MobilePre USB. The mobile in the name is literal in that you can take this device on the road and use it with your laptop. This device works with both PC and MAC and reviews say it sounds great. You can buy one for about $150.

Software:

There is a wide range of price and functionality with software. The open source package Audacity runs on Linux, BSD, Windows and Mac and is free.

Steinberg Cubase SE is $99, Steinberg Cubase SL3 is $299, and Steinberg Cubase SX3 is $599. All of these run on both PC and MAC.

For the Mac, Apple has GarageBand which is available for $100.

For the PC, Cakewalk Home Studio 4 can be had for $159. Cakewalk SONAR 5 Studio Edition is priced at $299 $599 is the pricefor SONAR 5 Producer Edition.

Stop into Guitar Exchange or Sam Ash or what ever big music store is available near you and have one of their recording associates show you the interfaces of all the different products they have on the computers there. Most of the interfaces are intuitive and easy to use, but one may make more sense to you than others

There is a cottage industry springing up with information on how to use these recording packages. Amazon.Com has many titles about home recording in general and many of the specific software packages have instructional materials available for purchase. All of the software manufacturers provide user forums to enable peer help. The open source, cross-platform package audacity has help and tutorials available on line at http://audacity.sourceforge.net. Did I mention that audacity was free?

I have been doing production for a long time, so I was editing audio long before these software packages were availabe at a retailer near you at popular prices. I used to splice tape to get what I wanted armed with a grease pencil, a single edge razor blade and splicing tape. Editing in the digital domain is easier. This is true for a couple of reasons. First, when editing tape you have auditory feedback, but the tape all looks the same. In the digital domain, you get a graphic representation of what is recorded in the track so you can see where you are in the sound envelope. Second, if you make a mistake while editing tape, you have to resplice in what you cut out and the more it happens in an individual piece the harder it becomes to get the product you want. All of the software packages have non destructive editing and many levels of undo. If you make a mistake, you simply click edit undo and try again.