Not all home studios are created equal… And since the pandemic, more and more producers have found themselves caught out by voice talent using sub-standard spaces to record in – only finding out that the ‘studio’ isn’t up to the job when they’re already working on the clock, or working with a client. Or both. Not good. In this article, voiceover artist, Mike Cooper shares what he considers to be the essential products for a professional voiceover’s home studio.

I grew up in “proper” radio studios at the BBC, so I’ve used and seen lots of kit over the years, as well as watching the tech evolve. For me, broadcast-quality is definitely still a 'thing’.

“Studio 3” is the third studio I’ve built in my time as a Voiceover Artist. I prefer working at my DAW and at my desk, to heading into a booth every time I want to lay something down. In this article, I am going to give a tour around the workspace I created back in 2015.

The room is 8’ x 11’, double-walled with Roxul Safe-n-Sound in the space between, and with a selection of acoustic panels, foam and bass traps, to give it a sound I’m still proud of.

More and more producers are rightly paying more attention to the build and makeup of a voiceover artist’s home studio setup, and asking for photos and a list of kit. Inspired by the latest in a series of such requests, I decided to go one better, and give you a walk through what’s in my rig - and how each earned its place in the lineup. I can vouch for all these members of the team, and tell you why they’re here.

There are also the Support Acts, further down in this article, but let’s start by meeting the band so please put your hands together…

Meet The Band

These are the star players in my current lineup: the kit I use and depend on every day and we will start with the microphones…

Primary Microphone: Neumann TLM 193

My main voiceover microphone is the Neumann TLM 193, which I first started running into in studios in London, at places like National Geographic and HISTORY.

It’s said to have a slightly darker sound than its brighter, and more popular, stablemate, the TLM 103 (in fact I’ve heard tell that it was Neumann’s least successful microphone ever, in terms of sales!)

But it’s a great match for my voice – especially on the longer narration projects, which I enjoy so much. I test drove a 103, but it was too harsh for the slight edge my voice already has. Interestingly, one of the criticisms I hear (particularly from female colleagues) is that they feel the 103 can exacerbate their sibilance.

I also took the U87 for a run at one point, but it didn’t like my old room. Like many people, I find it to be a little finicky about the space being “just so”, and that’s partly how the TLM 193 became my go-to microphone over a decade ago. I nearly switched to the Dark Side and a Sennheiser 416, though - more on that later…

Preamp/Channel Strip: Focusrite ISA 430 MkII Producer Pack

While many voice talents get by just fine, using one of the microphone preamps built into their interfaces, there came a point where I wanted more control – and the ability to add hardware compression, for when projects demand I get loud or demand a wide working dynamic range.

The ISA 430 MkII Producer Pack contains Focusrite’s “heritage” preamp, along with a full channel strip that includes EQ and a de-esser. Most of what it offers never gets used by me, as producers usually just want a clean, unprocessed sound. But it’s always good to have options…

I keep two dbx 286S preamps for backup, or for those rare occasions when I need more than one preamp.

Primary Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 18i20

Back in “Studio 2”, in London, I used a mixer with Aux buses to get the sound into my interface and make sure anyone listening in could hear the things they were supposed to. But faders get dirty over time, and when you’re just opening them and closing them, without doing any actual “mixing”, it seems like overkill - as well as a huge waste of space!

When I put together “Studio 3”, after my move to the USA, I decided to Marie Kondo the mixer, especially as it had long since ceased to ‘spark joy’ and replace it with the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 interface, which does everything my Mackie mixer did (and more) but is controlled in software.

My one criticism is that MixControl, Focusrite’s control surface, can be a little… buggy. On the Mac, it has an annoying screen glitch that’s been waiting for a fix for over two years. But that aside, the whole thing has been very reliable. <crosses fingers>

DAW Software: Pro Tools

Around the same time as I started running into the TLM 193 in London studios, I also started running into Pro Tools. I’m sure I must have a reputation among Audio Engineers as The Boy Who Never Stops Asking Questions, but fortunately, Engineers usually like to geek out too. The friendlier ones were able to explain some of how it worked, and in the end, I took a course with a music producer at the City Lit in London, to fill in the gaps and explain some of its more arcane features.

Many people consider Pro Tools ‘a sledgehammer to crack a nut’ for voiceover work, but I’ve been using it for a decade at this point, and I love knowing that the flexibility it offers is there when I need it. I keep it current, and I’m always running the latest version. Avid also seem to be getting better at keeping Pro Tools “current” with the macOS these days, which is important in a time where we need to keep our operating systems up-to-date for security reasons.

For any audio cleanup that’s needed, my go-to is iZotope RX8 Advanced. Its Mouth De-click module lives in my chain, (usually along with a very small dose of Waves NS1 on non-audiobook work). And at this point, I’d find it hard to live without RX Connect, which allows for a repair job to do a round trip from Pro Tools to the RX Editor and back at the press of a button – kind of like Adobe Audition’s cleanup tools, but on steroids!

My remote connections are powered primarily by Source-Connect Pro and Source-Connect Now. I share much more in my article Sessions Via Source-Connect. I can also connect with you using any VOIP codec of your choice, Skype, or even the good old telephone…

Phone Patch: JK Audio Podcast Host

Again, many people get by with a ‘speakerphone’ or fiddling around with earbuds to give their clients a way to listen in to sessions. As you’ll have gathered by now though, I’m someone who cares a lot about having the right tools for the job.

It sometimes surprises me how many clients still want to “dial-in” to listen to a session. But when they do, this little box of tricks ensures they can hear me, and the playback from Pro Tools, properly. My phone patch in London was a crusty old analogue thing that seemed to create more noise of its own than it let through from the mixer, but this unit from JK Audio is all-digital - and does a splendid job!

That’s the main band, and now for the…

Backing Singers

Bringing up the rear (so to speak) are the following supporting players in my studio setup

Secondary Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

The 2i2 is many people’s main interface. In my rig, it’s a backup – and the way I route audio for anyone on a VOIP connection. If you connect with me via Source-Connect, ipDTL, Skype, or anything similar, there’s a good chance I’ll be using the 2i2 to make sure we can both hear what we’re supposed to.

Why? Because some programs like to ‘take control’ of the audio interface and do weird things with the signal chain (I’m looking at you, Skype!) Personally, I like to keep the ones that do, sandboxed and well away from my recording chain. And I find it so much easier having a separate interface than trying to do that in software…

Monitors: JBL LSR305

Computer speakers and hi-fi speakers aren’t the right thing for monitoring studio audio. Having a flat frequency response is the only way to know what your recording really sounds like – and to hear any defects, like sibilance, or “pops” on plosives (or my “pesky whistly ‘ess’”).

These powered monitors from JBL are the perfect desktop solution, and have served me well since 2015. I miss having speakers that mute automatically when the mic is live - like in radio studios - and have been trying to find a solution to do this from Pro Tools. (If you know of such a solution, please let me know!)

Headphones: Beyer Dynamic DT 770 Pro

People describe wearing these as “like having kittens on your ears”, they’re so comfortable – but they’re also great closed back monitors, with a clean, transparent sound. They have a nice, even frequency response and don’t emphasise anything they shouldn’t.

They’re such great “cans”, I love them for music too. I’m someone who has an almost pathological need to keep buying headphones, but if you only want to buy one pair, then these would do most people very nicely.

Studio Assistant: Alexa

While my Studio Manager is still the ever-reliable Ted, Alexa is an invaluable member of the team, too. When I say “Alexa, I’m recording” she’ll turn off the air conditioning, turn on my recording light (so anyone at the door can see I’m working), and turn off my Bose speaker and the humidifier I use to keep the plants happy.

Then, when I’m done, I just say “Alexa, end recording” and she’ll put everything back the way it was. She helps with currency conversions, can tell me what the time is (when my clients are in far-flung places) and she never gets cross when I get “snippy” with her…

That’s the backing singers, now what about when I go on the road, let’s take a look at the…

Tour Bus

When I go on the road, here’s what I take with me. If I have a car, I’ll usually record in that (they make amazingly good recording spaces, and if it’s not quiet enough where you are, you can always drive to somewhere that is!)

If not, I take a Harlan Hogan Porta Booth Pro with me as a carry-on. It’s not a perfect solution, but with a little help from software like iZotope RX8 Advanced, it’s amazing what I’m able to turn out when I’m not actually in the studio…

Secondary/Travel Microphone: Sennheiser MKH 416

This is the mic of choice for many. A shotgun might seem an odd choice for voiceover work, in a landscape dominated by Large Diaphragm Studio Condensers. But TV promo producers in L.A. took to the 416 and made it their microphone of choice years ago, and it’s developed a huge following in the VO community, particularly in America.

That’s because it packs a much bigger punch than that small diaphragm might suggest. It brings an “edgy” sound to the session that can be very effective at cutting through compressed music and FX. Then again, some folks hate it… Personally, I think it has a lot of nuance, for a mic that was never designed for voiceover use, up close.

In my setup, its high directionality means it tends to pick up the little bit of reflected sound off my studio door, which is one of the reasons it now lives in my travel setup, where that same ‘focus’ can help in a less-than-ideal room (like a hotel). It sounds uncannily similar to my TLM 193, and as such, it goes wherever I go on the road.

Portable Preamp/Interface: CEntrance MicPort Pro 2

The original MicPort Pro sounded great and was in my travel bag for several years. But the build quality sadly didn’t hold up, and the pots got crusty, eventually rendering it unusable.

The new version is much better and adds some great features – like recording a second track at -12dB from the first, so you always have a “safety” that’s unlikely to run into clipping. It also has a very nice, smooth, peak limiter. And its built-in rechargeable battery means that the headphone amp can go as loud as I want, which is a great bonus.

Putting It All Together

Despite any appearances to the contrary, I don’t consider myself a “gear head”. But I do appreciate having the right tools for the job in hand, and I believe that what I’ve assembled over the years - including what you see here, and some other unsung heroes - help me put my best foot forward when it comes to recording audio of the quality my clients expect and deserve.

If you have any questions or want to know more, please do share your thoughts in the comments below.