VO Pro Tip: The "Mobile Recording" Emergency Kit


Mobile Recording Kit

Hey Reader,

It never fails. You step away from the booth for a long weekend or a vacation, and suddenly your inbox is hit with a "must-have" audition or a quick pickup request from your best client.

In the past, being away from your studio meant saying "no" or frantically searching for a local pro studio. But today, technology allows us to be mobile without sacrificing the professional quality our clients expect, should you so choose to make yourself available in that way.

Here is the pro tip: Don’t wait for an emergency to build your Mobile VO Kit.

If you want to stay in the game while on the go, you need these three essentials in your bag:

  • The "Travel-Friendly" Interface: You don't need to lug a rack-mounted preamp. Small, bus-powered interfaces (like the Volt 1 or the Focusrite Solo) fit in a laptop bag and provide clean phantom power for your pro mics. Also, there are great USB mic options these days too, that don't need an interface.
  • A Familiar Microphone: If possible, bring the mic you use at home to keep your "signature sound" consistent. If your home mic is too bulky, consider a compact shotgun mic—they are excellent at rejecting the "echoey" room noise often found in hotels or Airbnbs.
  • The "Pillow Fort" Strategy: High-end gear can't fix a bad room. If you're traveling, use what you have. A heavy duvet draped over your head or a closet full of clothes is often a better "booth" than a wide-open hotel room.

The Goal: You want to be able to tell a client, "I'm currently traveling, but I do have my mobile rig with me if that works for you". It shows you’re a professional who is prepared for anything.

-Michael

Check out all of the past VO Pro Tips here! VO PRO TIP ARCHIVE


Hope you find this useful! Feel free to reach out with any questions! And if you find these emails helpful - please share VoiceoverRoadmap.com among any VO groups your part of - Facebook, Reddit, etc... or just tell others about it!

Thanks so much!


Curious about my own personal VO Work?

www.MichaelLangsnerVO.com

Want to help support future content from VORM? Use our Amazon Affiliate link when shopping on Amazon by clicking the link below!

VORM Amazon Affiliate Link

The Voice-Over Roadmap

The Voice-Over Roadmap is an educational platform for Voice-Over Talent of all experience levels to start, grow, and sustain a profitable business as a professional VO Talent. It is the creation of Michael Langsner, Professional VO talent with over 12 years of experience voicing projects for brands like Adidas, Google, Dell, Levi's and many others.

Read more from The Voice-Over Roadmap

Quick Room Check Hey Reader, Sometimes you may encounter a strange sound or aspect of your recording environment that didn't seem to be there previously. Or maybe you've moved to a new place or new location in your home to set up a recording environment and need to dial it in and eliminate anything that can potentially degrade your audio quality. Before you spend hours trying to fix bad audio in post-production, try this quick, pre-record routine to protect your sound at the source (which is...

2 Person Technique Hey Reader, Ever read a commercial script that feels stiff, corporate, or just kinda unnatural? When we sit in front of the mic, it's easy to accidentally slip into "announcer mode." We project, we enunciate perfectly, and suddenly... we sound like "Voice-Over Announcer Man/Woman". A good trick to break out of that habit is The Two-Person Dialogue Technique. How It Works Before you record your next audition, look at the copy and invent a specific person you are talking to....

Cleaning up Low-End Mud Hey Reader, When you're listening back to a voice-over recording, you want it to sound clean, clear, and present. But a lot of times—especially if you're recording in a home studio—you might notice a heavy, boomy, or muffled quality in the lower frequencies. In the audio world, we sometimes call this "mud." Low-end mud usually builds up in the 20 Hz to 250 Hz range. It can be caused by a lot of things: the natural resonance of your recording space, being a little too...