What equipment do I need to become a Narrator or Voice Over Artist?

It is a super hard decision as to how much to spend on your first set-up. If you are not sure if you are going for it yet, I would recommend just getting something that fits your budget that you can start out with. If you are confident Narration or Voice Over is something you want to try seriously, I recommend buying a good beginner setup straight away so that you don’t have to buy twice.

Software

The first thing you need is a DAW or Digital Audio Workstation. There are lots to choose from, Audacity is a very simple choice that many beginners use but is limited in what you can do with it and so I recommend using software called Reaper from the beginning. That way you only have to learn a new skill only once. It has a free trial (which does roll over from the 60 days but please purchase the software as the price is extremely reasonable for what you get! I don't work for them in anyway I just think they rock!)

https://www.reaper.fm/

It is an extremely powerful workstation, and perfect for Voice Over and Narration work. I recommend getting this as soon as you can to start playing with, as it has quite a steep learning curve, but once you've got it, you've got it! There is a ton of community support and videos with tips and tricks on using the software!

I also have a Reaper config, FX chain and tutorials sheets you can use if you like!

For more info on how to set up Reaper check out my article HERE

Hardware

Microphones - Solid Set-Up

Let's take a look at the set-up I recommend if you would like to take Narration and Voice Over seriously:

Microphone Choice 1

Sennheiser MKE 600

Great for less-than-ideal recording spaces, lovely sound, and engineers and clients seem to love it! Really good for corporate VO as well as animation and audiobooks. I upgraded to this after a few years with my NT1 (see below) and it really is fantastic! My number one choice! Beyond this, we are moving to the high-end pro mics!

Full MKE 600 review - HERE

Shock Mount

I would really recommend getting a shock mount for the MKE 600 as the one that comes with it doesn't give you much protection. This is the one I use and it is great!

Microphone Choice 2

Rode NT1 (not the nt1-a)

A great entry-level mic, that people use for their whole careers. This was my first pro mic and I recorded many, many projects on it! The 5th generation model has XLR and USB connection and the cheaper Signature Series has just the XLR. It is worth noting these hear everything so if you are worried about background noise, I would say go for the MKE 600.

NT1 5th Generation

Full NT1 review - HERE

Buy the NT1 Signature Series - HERE

The Ultimate Voice Over Mics!

If you have been in the business a little longer, are looking to upgrade or you just want to go for the big ones here are the top industry mics!

Sennheiser MKH 416 - The big brother to the MKE 600. This was the shotgun mic the made shotgun mics a Voice Over artist's choice. A forward, confident, bold sound, perfect for commercials, but works for anything especially if you are worried about a less than ideal recording space.

Buy the MKH 416 - HERE

Neumann TLM 103 - Often reviewed as the best large diaphragm condenser mic for voice over. It has a gorgeous sound, very low self-noise and it is very standard across the industry! It will hear a pin drop so make sure your recording space is up to it!

Buy the TLM 103 - HERE

Neumann U87 Ai - This is often seen as the Holy Grail mic. I have heard many engineers say generally it is not needed for an at home studio, and the TLM 103 will be enough, but I have heard others say they can tell the difference and they love it! I would say, see if you can rent one and test it in your space first, as it sure is a big investment!

Buy the U87 Ai - HERE

Microphones - Super Budget Option

It is worth saying that if you intend to take Voice Over and Narration seriously, you should invest in one of the above options. However, if you are just starting out, and are not quite sure yet if you can commit the money, The Maono PD200X is a really solid entry choice. It plugs straight into the USB of your computer so is everything you need as a super budget option. However, when you want to try and move into the industry you really need a more professional setup to secure work.

Full PD200X Review - HERE

Other Budget Options

While the PD200X is what I recommend, I have added a couple of others for you to compare. You can often find YouTube videos comparing the sounds, and everyone's space and voice are different, so you have a few options to check out.

If you can stretch to an interface, here is a very affordable XLR mic:

Audio-Technica AT2020 - HERE

If you cannot afford an interface, you will be looking at USB options:

Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ - HERE

Rode NT-USB+ - HERE

Blue Yeti - HERE

Blue Yeti X - HERE

Pop Filter

No matter the mic you buy, you are going to need a Pop Filter to control those plosives! I use the Aokeo one, and it has always looked after me!

Boom Arm

You will also need something to hold your microphone. There are so many options here, but I find that a Boom Arm that attaches to your desk is the best option. This way, you can move it around if you shift from standing to sitting and find the perfect angle for your voice! I have two InnoGear arms for my different mics, and they have always been ace!

Audio Interface

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 - A very standard interface, I see them in studios all the time. They are cheap and reliable, sure you can spend more but this is a great starting point. I recommend the 2i2 over the Solo as there are just a few more features that make it useful, plus you get another input if you ever need it! You will need an interface for any XLR mic to supply Phantom power and for plugging into your laptop.

Full 2i2 review - HERE 

XLR Cables

We need to plug your mic into the interface, and for that, we need XLR Cables! I used the Amazon Basics ones when I started, but they get a little buzz in them over time. So I got these:

Cable Matters 2-Pack Premium XLR

Some people swear by Mogami Gold XLRs. If you have one of the top-tier mics like the TLM 103, and if you have the extra cash then it might be worth splashing out.

Buy the Mogami Gold XLRs - HERE

Headphones

Once you have the above, you will need a good pair of over-ear headphones, anything will do as you start out, but eventually, you want to look at getting a pair of over-ear headphones. They should be Monitor headphones or Audio Mixing headphones, which are different to headphones you might buy for listening to music. If you think of popular headphones like Beats or something with Noise Cancelling and extra bass, it is very hard to hear the real sound of your recording, the headphones affect the sound. So you need a pair that gives you the true sound so you know how to mix the finished track.

The industry standards are Beyer DT770’s, there are many others, I just love the Beyers and again, see them in studios all the time!

Full DT 770's review - HERE

Laptop

For this, I really recommend a MacBook Air. I used to have a PC outside of my booth and would run cables for the monitor and use Bluetooth for the mouse and keyboard because the fans were too loud. Now I have the Air, which comes into the booth with me, and I can use it for auditions while I am travelling too! It handles everything I throw at it easily, including audio post-production, video editing and even some gaming, believe it or not! (No Man's Sky runs great!)

External Drives

It is SO important to back up your recordings! If anything goes wrong, at least you will be able to recover your work. I backup the project files from Reaper and the exported WAV files at the end of each recording day.

SanDisk 4TB SSD - This Solid State Drive is very fast, stable, and silent, 4TB is looooaaaads! If I were to only have one, it would be this. However, I have both this and the drive below because I am a backup nerd!

WD Elements 2 TB HDD - This is a hard drive, so it can make some noise when it is writing data (so do not use this when recording), it is also not as stable, and slower to transfer data but it is cheaper!

Buy the WD Elements 2 TB HDD - HERE

Room Treatment

The most overlooked thing to think about is treating your recording space to keep away atmospheric sounds like cars from outside, or air conditioning, and stopping any reflection of your voice so that you don’t get an echo in the recording. An excellent professional Mic can sound awful in a bad space, so this is SUPER important and will dictate what kind of mic you should be looking at. THIS MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

This video shows you a pretty solid on-the-fly DIY recording space and teaches you the basics of treating a space.

https://youtu.be/5Se381sERrY

You want to choose a space that is pretty quiet to begin with, and then you have a few options.

The Blanket Fort

Make a frame from mic stands, clothes racks or any thing you can find! PVC tubes work really well, you'll need little corner connectors too. Cover it with blankets, the heavier the better. Many people use movers blankets but when I first started out I just used all the duvets and things I could find in the house. When I upgraded I went for specially made Sound Blankets, and I know a few people that have bought the premade portable vocal booths which they say are great!

I must say the best quality I have found are the ones from https://vocalboothtogo.com/ I think there Producers Choice blankets are really good!

The Converted Space

Find a room or closet you wish to convert and then surround yourself with soft surfaces. You can use blankets, pillows anything you can find! You can look at foam panels but remember you want to add MASS and not just soft things. Mass stops external sound so layers can be really helpful! Don't forget bass traps to take away as much of that boxy sound as possible!

The Home Booth/Studio

When you are ready to invest more seriously in your narration or Voice Over career you can look at building or purchasing a proper sound-isolated booth, but a fort or closet Is totally enough to get started!

Ventilation and Staying Cool!

This can be really tough. We need a supply of fresh air and we need our recording spaces to not become saunas! I have found that all fans make some noise, so have decided to come to a compromise. When I am recording voice over I turn all fans off. It gets hot so I wear ice packs (see below), and then I take breaks often and turn all the fans on high to vent the booth. When I record audiobooks, my sessions are much longer. I tend to record for six hours a day, so I NEED some air! I have the fans on very low and still manage to keep my room tone to just below -70dB. All the publishers I work with are totally fine with this!

AC Infinity CLOUDLINE PRO S4

I use this as my ventilation line fan. I have this outside the booth with 4" ducting running into my booth, with these vent covers. It comes with a handy little controller so you can change the speed without getting out of the booth. So on breaks I whack it up to full, for audiobooks I put in on speed setting three, which keeps me below -70dB. In the past I used the Vivosun D4 fan, it is cheaper but I found that it tended to be unreliable and created more noise for the same airflow as the Cloudline S4.

Fan Silencer

I have found this really helps! It pulled my room tone down by a good number of dBs!

Ice Packs

I have tried a bunch of different ice packs, and have found these to be the best. They hold the cold well and most importantly are SILENT! So many packs have that crunchy crinkly sound as they start to melt, which wrecks recordings. These are made of some kind of fabric so they make no noise! Yay!

A Comfy Chair

I have tried stools, office chairs, regular old kitchen chairs, and this is the one that works for me. The padding is great, it makes no sound when you wiggle around, which is super important, and I really like the straight back support. It also doesn't take up much room, so if you have a smaller booth it should be perfect!

Coaching

Once you have your setup you are ready to start practising and applying for jobs! It is really worth getting some coaching when you start out, especially if you do not have any experience in performance or are unsure on the tech side! There are a ton of great coaches out there, and it is all about finding the one that works for you! If you would like to get some coaching with me you can check out my coaching page here:

https://www.kevinkemp.co.uk/coaching

For anything else throw your questions in the comments! Happy narrating!!!!!!