5 Unexpected & Essential Tools for VO
There are lots of THINGS in VoiceOver. Tools, gear, equipment, software. Here are 5 of the biggest game changers in my day-to-day workflow that have helped me to improve my sound and my quality of life.
Gator Frameworks Quick Release Mic Mount
If you’re like me and you have different mics in your studio for different types of jobs, genres, sound profiles, or whatever it may be saving time switching microphones on and off your boom arm or stand is SO helpful. I just keep my main microphones on their shockmounts, and it now takes me seconds instead of about a minute to swap one mic for another.
Mute Button
If you do a fair amount of live-directed sessions with the client or creative team on the other end of the line, it can be nice to give yourself a brief bit of privacy at times. Say you need to sneeze, cough, grab a sip of water but don’t want to broadcast that to the universe. Press mute, and it’s as easy as pie.
Dropbox
Archive your files. Save space on your computer’s harddrive. Send client’s files securely and easily. Sign contracts. Backup your computer. This software does it all and it does it well. An absolute must-have in my opinion.
Power Conditioner
This one isn’t glamourous by any stretch, but it’s helpful. It behaves like a surge protector, but it unifies the voltage going to your equipment which minimizes/reduces any electrical hum you might pick up in your audio. A small thing that you can think about well into your hunt for the perfect sound for your home studio.
iZotope RX Audio Repair Suite
Hands down the best investment I’ve ever made for my studio and my business. It saves me so much time and effort in post production and makes me sound like a professional with very little effort on my part. It’s a fantastic tool that in perfect honesty, every VO artist should invest in.
One note, I’d personally recommend the Standard edition over the Essentials. It’s 4x more expensive yes, but the flexibility of tools has been in my experience worth the extra cash.
**At the time of this posting, I am not affiliated with any of the above products or companies. I just really think they’re helpful in my business.
