Good morning! A quick note: I have no idea what the heck I'm doing before I step in front of the microphone, however, these are some voice over related products I've been interested in recently. Most of them are reasonably priced, as I'm just getting started and I'm on a budget.
Note: these are not affiliate links, I make no profit from these recommendations
Audio-Technica ATH-M30x Headphones
They're not engineered for the casual user , they're mostly mid-range to assist in accurate sound editing. These should make a decent secondary headphone set for sound editing and every day use.
PRICE: $70
Rode NTG2 Multi-Powered Condenser Shotgun Microphone
Be sure to pay attention to your position in relation to the mic, because straying from the narrow pick-up pattern will result in lower recording volume.
PRICE: $21299
Twin Acoustic Blankets
I already have three of these blankets draped over my PVC frame and they're doing a great job of limiting room noise/reflections. However, I'd like to have another set of layers!
Without these blankets, my sound engineer told me my booth was "passable", but with them — he said it's the best I've sounded. You really don't want to shortchange yourself on acoustic treatment. Speaking from experience, there's no way to hide bad results from cheap sound padding.
The blankets are a bit heavy and cumbersome to hang for only one person, so be sure to have assistance.
PRICE: Approx. $110 with shipping
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
As the name and photo imply, the 2i2 can run two mics at once... an option that could be very handy later on!
PRICE: $15999
Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM, Quiet Fan
In fact, my PC fan is by far the most annoying sound I have to deal with... outdoor noises are fairly rare and the air vent can be kept quiet.
Very expensive custom built PCs use these quiet cooling fans, from a manufacturer based in Austria. To keep from buying the entire PC, I'd just like to upgrade my PC's fans instead.
PRICE: $2990 — varies for each fan configuration
Damn that's a lot of money to record sound. Although I'm surprised the headphones are so cheap really
I think I must have spent around $75000 or more to get set up, kind of lost track... just the PVC pipe for my sound booth was $85 + $300 in acoustic blankets/padding... damn I better find a way to get profitable with this new endeavor XD
Fortunately I have the basics... My office has wooden floors and is normally filled with echoes, so it was kind of worth the crazy blankets.
A lot of the headphones are around $150 - $300, but I think this model will work... AudioTechnica makes cheaper ones so I might consider those...
The cheapest route to record decent sound is to get a handheld mic with SD card (H2N) and record in one's vehicle. The acoustics are pretty good! Budget: $200 or so.
I really should get a mic but I do everything off my phone.. the shitty pics and piss poor sound give it a nostalgic feel 😂
There was some guy on youtube who recording off his phone and he got up to 1 million subscribers - went full time!
So, professional audio often takes a back seat to humor or other interesting content. Unless someone has the intention of being a voice over artist, the pricey stuff isn't really all that needed I'm thinking...
You can get a lot for your money when it comes to audio gear these days. I think I have all I really need, but have not done audio treatment on my study as yet. I know people say that is important. At least you can upgrade in stages when you have the money.
It was a real thorn in the side for me, a room with wooden floors is terrible :)
Wow, good list. I've just been using a very low range 70 dollar amazon purchase of an external mic that has a very mid to low rang lav mic. I end up using the lav mic more even indoors as it helps to cut down on external sound and if I clip it under a scarf it seems to do ok. Also audacity (which I'm sure you are aware of) is a great free plug and play thing to help reduce background noise post production in WAV files. Good luck!
Do you have a youtube channel and I'm not seeing the link? I've JUST started that journey myself, though late in the game as 2020 looks like youtube is more and more rewarding BIG stars and bought audience, but it's fun anyway!
You're right, it may be too late to get a foothold, but it's worth a try I guess...
I have a new channel, I'll share the link tomorrow... I've abandoned my character animation channels, there's no profit there... Of course the paid influencers encourage everyone to start, screaming that there's still hope... Time will tell...
My micro is relatively cheap ($180) but it's made by a small company that hand-assembles their mics with added high-end components, so I'm happy with the sound :)
Going pro!
Or slightly less amateur :)