Starting Your Home Studio: Gear Essentials and Expert Tips
Movies First: Film Reviews & InsightsMay 20, 2024x
19
00:40:2474.14 MB

Starting Your Home Studio: Gear Essentials and Expert Tips


00:00:00
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai - Go Unlimited to remove this message) Y'all ready to be history?

00:00:01
Get started.

00:00:01
Welcome.

00:00:02
Hi.

00:00:02
Hi.

00:00:03
Hi.

00:00:04
Hello, everyone.

00:00:05
To the pro audio suite.

00:00:06
These guys are professional, they're motivated.

00:00:08
Thanks to Triboose, the best vocal booths for

00:00:11
home or on the road voice recording.

00:00:13
And Austrian Audio, making passion heard.

00:00:16
Introducing Robert Marshall from Source Elements and someone

00:00:20
audio post Chicago.

00:00:22
Darren Robert Robertson from Voodoo Radio Imaging, Sydney.

00:00:24
Next to the VO stars, George the Tech

00:00:27
Witten from L.A. And me, Andrew Pickers,

00:00:29
voice over talent and home studio guy.

00:00:35
And welcome to another pro audio suite.

00:00:38
Thanks to Triboose.

00:00:39
The golden handcuffs are removed with your Triboose.

00:00:42
And don't forget the code TRIPAP200.

00:00:45
That will get you $200 off yours.

00:00:47
And Austrian Audio, making passion heard.

00:00:51
We're once again joined by Matt Calrich.

00:00:53
Afternoon, evening, morning, g'day, whatever time it is

00:00:57
when you're listening to this.

00:00:58
We got a question and it was actually

00:01:00
sent from our mutual agent, Matt, in Australia,

00:01:04
asking if we could help out with some

00:01:07
recommendations for gear for people setting up their

00:01:09
first home studio for voice over, of course.

00:01:13
So we thought we'd do a bit of

00:01:15
a round table and just come up with

00:01:16
some ideas.

00:01:17
I think...

00:01:18
Can of worms.

00:01:18
Yeah, can of worms, but it's got to

00:01:20
be like, you know, moderate budget, microphone interface,

00:01:25
headphones, and probably a space.

00:01:28
We need to talk about that as well,

00:01:30
because there's no point having all that stuff

00:01:31
in the middle of the kitchen.

00:01:32
You've got to start with space, don't you,

00:01:33
really?

00:01:34
You've really got to start with space.

00:01:37
I'm happy to lead off here.

00:01:38
I mean, I've built my wife, for those

00:01:40
who don't know, does voice over.

00:01:41
You built your wife?

00:01:43
Yeah, I did.

00:01:43
Yeah, I built my wife.

00:01:46
That's another episode.

00:01:46
That's a whole other episode, absolutely.

00:01:51
A brave new world.

00:01:53
But I actually built her a booth in

00:01:54
our walk-in wardrobe, which is perfect.

00:01:59
There was one bare wall, which I've put

00:02:01
some treatment on, but then just put clothing

00:02:04
around, and just by sort of playing with

00:02:07
the amount of clothing that was in a

00:02:08
certain spot, I've managed to build her a

00:02:11
little sort of booth that works magically.

00:02:13
And she's on a 41.6, because at

00:02:17
the time, there was only about three mics

00:02:19
in the house compared to now, and so

00:02:21
I've been lazy and never changed it, I

00:02:22
guess because her clients have got used to

00:02:24
that sound as well.

00:02:26
And she's just on an AI1.

00:02:28
So, God, what's that work out to?

00:02:30
The 41.6 is the big piece.

00:02:33
The 41.6 is the big one, and

00:02:34
you could knock that out and make it

00:02:36
an NTG5, probably just as easily.

00:02:39
Or an NTG1.

00:02:41
NT1, sorry.

00:02:43
So, what are you looking at there?

00:02:44
You're looking at well under.

00:02:45
250 for the point.

00:02:47
US.

00:02:47
Well, the NT1, you just buy the pack,

00:02:50
the sort of combo kit of the AI1

00:02:52
and the NT1.

00:02:54
It's not the NT1A.

00:02:56
Not the NT1A.

00:02:57
That pack comes with just the NT1.

00:02:59
There you go.

00:03:00
Yeah.

00:03:01
Yeah.

00:03:01
The other one I might throw in there

00:03:03
is the OC16.

00:03:05
What's the OC16 in, like, 400?

00:03:07
400 US.

00:03:08
Look, I'm hopeless with prices, but yeah, it's

00:03:10
not, especially US prices, but yeah, it's sort

00:03:13
of in the same ballpark as the others,

00:03:14
I guess.

00:03:15
I always think, like, the NT1 is, like,

00:03:18
the beginning of a mic that's pretty much

00:03:20
an investment.

00:03:21
You can use it for all time.

00:03:23
It's something that you'll keep.

00:03:24
Yeah, yeah.

00:03:25
Probably the only thing with the OC16 is

00:03:27
without being able to select patterns and stuff,

00:03:30
you'd want to make sure that your room

00:03:31
was in reasonably good shape.

00:03:33
It could get messy.

00:03:34
Yeah.

00:03:35
So, if your room's in reasonably good shape,

00:03:36
it would probably be all right.

00:03:37
But, yeah, they'd be my pick for a

00:03:39
low cost, absolutely.

00:03:41
Yeah.

00:03:41
I think the II1 and the NT1 is

00:03:44
a good starting point if you don't want

00:03:45
to spend too much money.

00:03:47
OC16, they're about $500 US for one of

00:03:50
those, but then you've got an interface you

00:03:51
want.

00:03:52
So, would you get an AI1, or would

00:03:55
you step it up a bit?

00:03:56
I mean, I've got the little SSL2 interface.

00:04:01
Yeah, it's a little more gain.

00:04:03
I mean, you may or may not need

00:04:04
it, but my feeling on the AI1 is

00:04:07
it's a little bit weak on the preamp.

00:04:09
It's okay that it kind of doesn't have

00:04:11
many features, like the monitor is just a

00:04:13
push button.

00:04:14
It's really good and simple, but the preamp's

00:04:16
a little bit weak on it.

00:04:18
But if you had an NTG5, because that's

00:04:20
got massive output, that would work okay with

00:04:22
an AI1.

00:04:23
Yeah, yeah.

00:04:24
It's just the most flexible interface.

00:04:26
Yeah, what I do like, and we experimented

00:04:28
with this a few episodes back, was the

00:04:30
SSL2 with that 4K button.

00:04:33
You can actually really have one mic and

00:04:35
turn your mic into a 416.

00:04:39
Well, was it the OC, was it the

00:04:40
18 or the 818?

00:04:43
The OC, it was actually, I said it

00:04:45
was the OC18, but when I think about

00:04:47
it now, it's actually 818, but it was

00:04:49
on cardioid, so no difference.

00:04:51
Yeah, so the 18 would probably work just

00:04:53
as well.

00:04:54
And yeah, once you hit that 4K button,

00:04:56
it was like you had two mics in

00:04:57
one, wasn't it?

00:04:58
Yeah, exactly.

00:04:59
It was a great idea.

00:05:00
And those SSLs are what, like 300 bucks?

00:05:01
Yeah, so they're pretty good, actually.

00:05:04
I think they're great value, actually, from what

00:05:05
you get.

00:05:05
How much is the AI1 compared to like

00:05:07
a Scarlett Solo?

00:05:09
About the same kind of money, I think,

00:05:10
maybe a little bit more for an AI1.

00:05:14
I think the Scarlett's a slightly better piece,

00:05:17
but George, what's your opinion?

00:05:19
I don't know, I've had too many AI1s

00:05:20
be freaky, not super stinky.

00:05:23
I've had at least one go out on

00:05:24
me.

00:05:24
Yeah, I've not been recommending that one.

00:05:28
Tanae's had hers in the booth now for

00:05:30
three years, probably.

00:05:32
I don't think they do well on the

00:05:33
road, actually.

00:05:34
But Andrew, you've traveled with yours quite a

00:05:36
bit, right?

00:05:36
I did travel with it quite a bit,

00:05:38
and then Somerset took it all over the

00:05:40
place when she was away, so she's got

00:05:42
it in her bag now.

00:05:43
I don't know if it's the batches or

00:05:43
what.

00:05:44
It's like, I definitely had one go out

00:05:46
on me, and I think George did.

00:05:47
Maybe it's the switching or something.

00:05:49
But I do also really like the, having

00:05:52
just recently got one, the Micport Pro.

00:05:56
Super small.

00:05:58
Yeah.

00:05:58
Yeah.

00:05:58
That's what you use, isn't it, Matt?

00:06:00
Yeah, when traveling.

00:06:01
And the pre on that is surprisingly decent

00:06:03
for just like little five volt USB deal.

00:06:06
Well, having said that, I suppose you could,

00:06:08
you know, if you're setting up your first

00:06:09
studio, there's no reason you couldn't use a

00:06:12
Micport Pro.

00:06:13
The Micport Pro, though, jumps up.

00:06:14
I mean, how much is a Micport Pro?

00:06:16
300 bucks, right?

00:06:18
I think, yeah.

00:06:20
US might be, is it 300 bucks?

00:06:21
Yeah, it's more than that.

00:06:22
I think it's 350.

00:06:22
Yeah, I was thinking it was like 450

00:06:26
Canadian.

00:06:27
But it's a good piece because like, I

00:06:29
always think of these things that are like,

00:06:31
what are you going to buy that you

00:06:32
might keep instead of just getting the cheapest

00:06:35
thing?

00:06:35
What's the cheapest thing that still is somewhat

00:06:37
an investment?

00:06:38
And it's hard to beat the Micport Pro

00:06:41
in terms of a travel interface.

00:06:43
But they could do like we talked about

00:06:45
last week with the car kit, the car

00:06:47
rig, just sticking a 416 or an NTG5

00:06:51
straight into the Micport Pro.

00:06:54
And all you need is your mic stand

00:06:55
in your booth is just the adapter, the

00:06:57
camera connector that connects to the bottom of

00:06:59
the Micport Pro.

00:07:01
I think if you plan on doing the

00:07:02
car thing, a shotgun is...

00:07:04
We're not going to cars, kids.

00:07:05
That's Black Belt.

00:07:06
We're doing beginner studios.

00:07:08
Yeah, yeah, I was going to say, we're

00:07:10
getting well out of the realm of beginner

00:07:11
studios here.

00:07:12
Yeah, exactly.

00:07:15
And one thing I like about the Micport

00:07:17
Pro is that you don't need software to

00:07:22
run it.

00:07:24
And so you don't have to deal with

00:07:25
any of that planned obsolescence or those sorts

00:07:29
of problems.

00:07:30
As long as the circuitry and the physical

00:07:33
parts in the Micport Pro are going, then

00:07:36
it can last you for a long, long

00:07:38
time.

00:07:39
From what I know, if you're getting a

00:07:41
Micport Pro, you're getting the same...

00:07:43
If you get the Passport VO, you're getting

00:07:44
the same grade circuitry, the same quality preamp.

00:07:48
Everything is...

00:07:48
Is it the Jasmine preamp?

00:07:50
Yeah.

00:07:51
Everything works on their Jasmine preamp circuit design,

00:07:54
which is a good, clean, high-gain preamp.

00:07:57
It's hard to go wrong.

00:07:58
There's one little thing that I don't like

00:07:59
about their battery-powered products, which is why

00:08:01
the Passport does not have a battery.

00:08:04
And you tell me if this is true

00:08:05
for you that use this product, is it

00:08:08
has to have some charge to function.

00:08:10
Don't run that thing down.

00:08:11
It will not go from dead to working

00:08:14
in 10 seconds.

00:08:15
I think the battery acts like a capacitor

00:08:18
for the whole thing.

00:08:19
Did you...

00:08:20
Have you noticed that?

00:08:21
I definitely have.

00:08:22
I remember helping a very stressed-out talent,

00:08:26
because...

00:08:26
...it finally figured out.

00:08:27
It just had to be plugged in.

00:08:29
And all of a sudden, the computer's like,

00:08:30
hello.

00:08:31
But it had to be plugged in for

00:08:33
a while.

00:08:33
I had to charge up.

00:08:34
Yeah.

00:08:35
Yeah.

00:08:35
Because I think they bought it and then

00:08:37
didn't touch it for six months.

00:08:38
Well, that's...

00:08:39
See, that's the thing.

00:08:40
When it's a battery-powered product that you

00:08:41
use for your travel kit, it is going

00:08:43
to be dead when you pull it out.

00:08:45
So if you think, I'm going to pull

00:08:47
it out of my bag, plug it in,

00:08:48
and hit record within the first 10 seconds,

00:08:51
sorry, Charlie, not happening.

00:08:53
It's got to charge.

00:08:54
So that's the only thing, and that's one

00:08:57
of the reasons why the passport does not

00:08:59
have it, but I digress.

00:09:01
Shall I now tell you what I would

00:09:02
recommend?

00:09:04
No, no, no, wait, wait.

00:09:05
Andrew, shouldn't this be the end?

00:09:06
The end of what?

00:09:07
My life?

00:09:08
That's our out.

00:09:08
That's our out.

00:09:10
Yeah, that's right.

00:09:11
Let's cut out before the others go.

00:09:12
Is that good?

00:09:13
I think you should use a...

00:09:16
And the killer wars.

00:09:19
I'm not going to make any sponsors happy,

00:09:21
but that's okay.

00:09:22
That's not the point.

00:09:24
I think a mic that just repeatedly surprises

00:09:27
me in how good it sounds at the

00:09:28
price is the AT875R shotgun mic from Audio

00:09:35
Technica.

00:09:36
It just sounds good.

00:09:38
Is it the lowest self noise?

00:09:40
No.

00:09:41
It's a little hissy when you compare to

00:09:43
a large diaphragm condenser, for sure.

00:09:46
But it's tonal balance, just the EQ of

00:09:49
the mic.

00:09:50
The fact that it is a shotgun mic

00:09:51
means it's a little bit more forgiving to

00:09:54
less than great rooms, and it just always

00:09:57
sounds good.

00:09:58
So that's my choice for first-timer mic

00:10:01
when I have plenty of options to choose

00:10:03
from, of course.

00:10:05
And then for the interface, one that we

00:10:06
never talk about.

00:10:07
Again, really budget-conscious here, folks.

00:10:11
Steinberg came out with a new variation of

00:10:14
their UR series called the IXO series.

00:10:18
And there's the Steinberg IXO22 audio interface.

00:10:23
And what makes it stand out are a

00:10:26
few things.

00:10:27
One, it's $120 US.

00:10:30
I'm sorry.

00:10:30
The IXO12, there's also a 22.

00:10:35
So the 12 is the single mic preamp

00:10:37
variation.

00:10:39
It's very inexpensive, right?

00:10:41
$120 US.

00:10:42
And it has a few little tricks up

00:10:44
its sleeve.

00:10:45
Not only does it have a loopback mode,

00:10:49
but it has a mute button.

00:10:53
So it's got dedicated mute on-off switches

00:10:56
for the mic and the guitar input.

00:10:58
And then when you hold down the monitor

00:11:00
button, it engages loopback.

00:11:03
I mean, for $120 US, that's pretty clever

00:11:07
for a pretty small, easy-to-use interface.

00:11:11
That's my recommendation there at the beginner price

00:11:13
point level.

00:11:15
And then headphones, we didn't mention headphones yet.

00:11:18
You know, I'm not that picky about headphones.

00:11:20
I think headphones have to be worn to

00:11:23
appreciate.

00:11:25
And so you just got to try stuff

00:11:27
out.

00:11:28
I mean, if you've got a pair of

00:11:29
headphones that you already wear and you like,

00:11:31
go ahead and use them.

00:11:33
Even if they're beats, even if they're not

00:11:35
like the best studio headphones, if you know

00:11:38
them and like them, wear them, is my

00:11:41
opinion.

00:11:41
But they should be closed back.

00:11:44
And make sure they seal well.

00:11:46
They should be closed back, yes.

00:11:48
Closed back cans.

00:11:50
So I've got a couple different closed back

00:11:52
cans that I jump between.

00:11:54
But, you know, at the budget end, the

00:11:56
AudioTendica series, the ATH-M 20s, 30s, 40s.

00:12:03
All are amazing.

00:12:04
The Austrian Audio Hi-X 15s.

00:12:08
Yeah, they're good.

00:12:09
The 15s.

00:12:10
Hi-X 15s.

00:12:12
Hi-X.

00:12:12
I have those and I love them.

00:12:14
I've been wearing them more and more and

00:12:15
more now because they're just so stinkin' comfortable.

00:12:19
Really comfortable and they sound nice.

00:12:22
So yeah, that's the same price as the

00:12:24
interface.

00:12:24
That's right.

00:12:25
But yeah, you can get cheaper headphones.

00:12:28
And then Twisted Wave is my go-to

00:12:31
DAW too.

00:12:31
We didn't mention DAWs, but because it's Windows

00:12:34
and Mac now, I can build custom stacks

00:12:38
on the Mac variation of Twisted Wave that

00:12:41
you can open in the Windows variation, which

00:12:44
is really cool.

00:12:45
Crossing the streams.

00:12:46
Crossing the streams by using VST plugins.

00:12:49
So, you know, 100 US for that software.

00:12:54
And that's a pretty solid kit right there,

00:12:57
you know.

00:12:57
A couple of little more accoutrement for mounting

00:13:00
your accessories in your closet.

00:13:03
What's your thought of the 7506 cliche for

00:13:07
headphones?

00:13:08
You don't like them, right?

00:13:08
You know, it's so funny.

00:13:10
We have them at the Donna Fontaine VoiceOver

00:13:12
Lab that we're fixin' to reopen soon.

00:13:15
I was actually over there last week and

00:13:17
testing out all the patching in the walls

00:13:19
and making sure everything works.

00:13:22
And that's what they have there, you know.

00:13:24
So I was listening to them for the

00:13:25
first time, I would say with fresh ears.

00:13:27
You know, I hadn't had a pair of

00:13:29
Sony's on my head in quite a while.

00:13:30
And I was pretty pleased with how they

00:13:31
sounded.

00:13:33
So, you know, maybe because they're broken in,

00:13:36
maybe because my, you know, I'm not as

00:13:38
sensitive to high frequency as I used to

00:13:40
be.

00:13:41
But, you know, they're decent.

00:13:43
I think they're just fiddly with a really

00:13:45
annoying cable and, I don't know, not my

00:13:48
major.

00:13:49
They fold up.

00:13:49
They fold up pretty good.

00:13:51
They fold up.

00:13:51
But the coily cable is annoying.

00:13:54
You know, I'm not a fan of that.

00:13:56
But anyway, that's a solid gear.

00:13:57
If you don't take care of the coily

00:13:58
cable and it gets stretched out in weird

00:13:59
places, it gets really annoying.

00:14:01
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:14:02
It's funny, isn't it?

00:14:03
When you, like Matt was saying last week

00:14:06
about, you know, having the universal audio outboard

00:14:09
gear that has since been moved on, the

00:14:12
more we go down this track of these

00:14:14
interfaces and stuff, talking about the Passport VA

00:14:16
that will be with us very soon, fingers

00:14:18
crossed.

00:14:20
All that stuff is fast becoming redundant.

00:14:22
Really, we, you know, the travel rig, you

00:14:25
can stick in your booth, and that's all

00:14:26
you really need, to be honest.

00:14:28
That's true.

00:14:30
That's why I wonder about that audio technical

00:14:32
mic.

00:14:32
Do you consider that something that someone might

00:14:34
keep in their kit long-term, or at

00:14:36
some point, they definitely outgrow it, and it's...

00:14:39
Like I said, I think it's only shortcoming

00:14:41
is it's self-noise is a little bit

00:14:42
elevated.

00:14:43
You know, I know the sound of that

00:14:45
mic because I've heard it a lot.

00:14:47
And when I hear the self-noise, I

00:14:48
go, yep, that's, it's little Achilles heel.

00:14:50
It works on a pretty wide range of

00:14:52
phantom, does the...

00:14:53
Yeah, it's a very, like, robust throw in

00:14:56
your video.

00:14:56
It's the kind of mic that would not

00:14:58
be treated nicely.

00:14:59
It'd be kept in the camera guy's kit,

00:15:01
you know, and not respected.

00:15:04
That's the mic.

00:15:05
You know, it's really made to be strapped

00:15:07
onto a video camera and just be there.

00:15:09
But it's just shockingly decent.

00:15:12
It's just a really pleasing sounding mic.

00:15:14
Not harsh, not overly crisp and bright.

00:15:17
Not dead flat, you know, because there's...

00:15:19
What's the other Audio Technica?

00:15:21
There's the Audio Technica 435?

00:15:25
Well, there's a 4073.

00:15:27
And I had a 4073.

00:15:29
That was my boom mic of choice when

00:15:31
I started into the biz 20 years ago.

00:15:33
And it sounds awesome.

00:15:35
I had Lori Allen get one for her

00:15:36
road kit just to save a little bit

00:15:38
of money.

00:15:40
And it's not much cheaper than a 41

00:15:42
.6, but it's less expensive.

00:15:44
And it's a very good mic.

00:15:46
I believe it's still...

00:15:47
I believe they still make that model too.

00:15:50
I think there's another one.

00:15:52
There's an Audio Technica shotgun mic that actually

00:15:54
works off a Phantom or Double A.

00:15:58
They make a lot of different shotgun mics.

00:16:00
8035, I think.

00:16:01
I think the 808035.

00:16:04
Let me see if that's...

00:16:04
Could be.

00:16:05
Yeah, because by the way, that's no longer

00:16:07
called the AT4073.

00:16:10
It's not called the BP4073.

00:16:14
So if somebody's searching and not finding it,

00:16:16
they change the name.

00:16:17
I would just...

00:16:18
I would kick off and just like bite

00:16:20
the bullet by a 41.6, a mic

00:16:24
port pro, and a pair of decent headphones

00:16:29
and twisted wave and you're going, you're on.

00:16:33
That would be...

00:16:33
Because you're not going to be sort of

00:16:35
having to reinvest down the track going on.

00:16:37
You're like the buy once, cry once kind

00:16:39
of mentality.

00:16:42
And even with the mic port pro, if

00:16:44
you develop a need for an extra workflow

00:16:47
and if you want to be able to...

00:16:49
Because I think the mic port pro, you

00:16:51
can't plug monitors in, right?

00:16:54
No, it would have to plug into the

00:16:55
headphone jack, right?

00:16:58
But the idea is that you can scale

00:17:00
around it.

00:17:01
Well, it's a good piece of kit to

00:17:03
have to travel.

00:17:04
And I think it's something that as your

00:17:06
career grows, it could be your first setup,

00:17:09
but then it becomes your travel setup.

00:17:11
And that's why I try to think of

00:17:13
gear that is going to be kind of

00:17:16
long-term because you can imagine you might

00:17:19
get a 41.6, but you might not

00:17:22
want to travel with it because it's expensive.

00:17:25
And if you have an NT1, you might

00:17:26
say, hey, whatever, I'll travel with my NT1

00:17:29
and here's my travel rig.

00:17:32
And so, you know, something that works early

00:17:34
on can work well into your career if

00:17:36
it's the white gear, if it's the right

00:17:39
gear.

00:17:41
Exactly.

00:17:41
Well, Matt, we haven't heard from you yet.

00:17:43
If you had to start again, what would

00:17:45
you be doing?

00:17:49
Engineer...

00:17:50
Yeah, marry an engineer.

00:17:53
Yes, there you go.

00:17:55
Yeah, I think AP's point of starting with

00:18:00
a good mic and then having an interface

00:18:03
that you can grow from, if need be,

00:18:07
is a really good idea.

00:18:11
As an alternative to the 416, I did

00:18:14
have to get the NTG5 in a pinch

00:18:16
when I was traveling, and it's a very

00:18:19
fine mic.

00:18:21
Yeah, I think it's a cheaper alternative to

00:18:24
the 416.

00:18:26
I mean, the only thing I would throw

00:18:27
in there as a new offering would be

00:18:30
the Apollo Solo.

00:18:32
I've used that for travel in the past,

00:18:34
but as a standalone interface in a studio,

00:18:38
it's great, and you can really plug everything

00:18:42
you need into there.

00:18:43
If you at some point decided to add

00:18:45
an extra microphone into your workflow, it does

00:18:47
have that second input, or you can use

00:18:50
a stereo modeling mic like we talked about

00:18:53
in the previous episode.

00:18:55
You can definitely grow into an Apollo Solo

00:18:57
for a while.

00:18:58
Is it a twin or a solo?

00:19:02
What's the solo?

00:19:03
The arrow became the solo.

00:19:05
The arrow became the solo.

00:19:07
So you just don't have the same number

00:19:09
of physical outputs, I think is the main

00:19:12
thing.

00:19:13
I've got one sitting here in the booth.

00:19:14
The twin has additional line outs, and so

00:19:18
that has more routing.

00:19:20
It has more cues.

00:19:21
The twin also can run multiple virtual channels,

00:19:24
like four pairs, and the Solo can only

00:19:27
do one pair of virtual channels.

00:19:30
The Solo still seems to give a good

00:19:31
amount to grow into.

00:19:32
Does the Solo have the full unison preamp

00:19:35
and all that stuff?

00:19:37
Yeah, and the other nice thing I like

00:19:39
about the Solo is that it runs off

00:19:41
Thunderbolt just from your computer, so it's powered

00:19:45
from your computer, so you don't need that

00:19:47
external power source, if that's a problem.

00:19:53
The only thing about the Apollo gear is

00:19:55
that there is that learning curve of the

00:19:58
system within it, the console.

00:20:00
Add to the cost the hiring of me

00:20:02
to set it up for you.

00:20:03
Exactly.

00:20:06
Although I do have a forum on uadforum

00:20:10
.com, there's one on there specifically for voiceover

00:20:15
people, and I lay it out there.

00:20:18
I literally have screenshots of my entire workflow

00:20:21
of how to set it up, so I

00:20:23
do provide it for free.

00:20:24
Give it away, George.

00:20:25
There you go.

00:20:26
There's the tip, people.

00:20:26
Let me ask you, Matt and AP, this

00:20:31
same question.

00:20:33
For someone who's just starting out then, if

00:20:35
we're talking about rigs for someone who's starting

00:20:37
out, connectivity, is that necessary in terms of

00:20:41
a Zoom connection or Source Connect?

00:20:43
Do we need Source Connect?

00:20:45
Do we need the ability to at least

00:20:46
connect to Zoom?

00:20:47
If you're going to have a home studio,

00:20:49
what would be your thoughts on that?

00:20:51
I think it's more important than ever to

00:20:54
at least have those functions spring-loaded, ready

00:20:58
to go.

00:20:59
Even if you haven't bought Source Connect or

00:21:01
you haven't needed to use Zoom on a

00:21:04
session, I think as part of your tech

00:21:08
development and being a voice talent, you need

00:21:10
to get these things under control because the

00:21:14
day is going to come when an agent

00:21:17
either comes with a direct booking or you've

00:21:19
done an audition for something with Source Connect

00:21:21
and then it's required.

00:21:23
You just need to have that functionality ready

00:21:25
to go.

00:21:27
That's kind of relating to playing within a

00:21:30
certain circle of work or for tiers, for

00:21:34
want of a better word.

00:21:35
But if you want to work with particular

00:21:38
studios and particular buyers, then I think you

00:21:41
just need to have that ready to go.

00:21:43
Yeah, I agree.

00:21:45
It's like being a...

00:21:46
I used this analogy.

00:21:48
If you are a qualified plumber and you

00:21:52
turn up with a tool bag full of

00:21:54
kids' toys, you're not going to get the

00:21:56
work.

00:21:58
So if you're in this game, you get

00:22:00
the right gear.

00:22:01
So you do need a good microphone, a

00:22:03
good space, a good interface, the means to

00:22:06
be able to record and edit and also

00:22:08
the means to be able to do a

00:22:10
session down the line, which means you've got

00:22:11
to have Source Connect.

00:22:12
And in fact, during COVID, that was mandatory.

00:22:14
Every agent was saying, this is what you

00:22:17
need to do to set up at home.

00:22:19
But to be fair, that's at a certain

00:22:20
tier.

00:22:21
I mean, people doing rip and reads on

00:22:24
Fiverr or some of these voiceover platforms, they're

00:22:28
not going to be necessarily need Source Connect,

00:22:30
but they're probably going to need to at

00:22:32
least to be able to connect to Zoom

00:22:33
or something similar like that, correct?

00:22:35
Yeah, maybe.

00:22:36
Usually those Fiverr people, they don't work with

00:22:38
people.

00:22:38
It depends if you're being asked to do

00:22:39
live record sessions or if you're being asked

00:22:41
to record stuff and turn in files, even

00:22:43
if you're, you know, just in a meeting

00:22:45
room and they say, hey, record and send

00:22:47
us the files later and they're just using

00:22:49
the meeting room as a way to give

00:22:51
you general direction, then that might be all

00:22:54
you need.

00:22:54
I think the reality with Source Connect is

00:22:56
that it really should, like, easily pay for

00:23:00
itself, like, if you're...

00:23:02
Yeah.

00:23:02
Well, here's another one.

00:23:04
I'm going to throw this out there.

00:23:05
Some people who make podcasts aren't as lucky

00:23:07
as us to have Robert on the show

00:23:09
so that they get access to Source Connect

00:23:12
and all these other amazing things we get

00:23:13
the privilege of.

00:23:15
What would you guys recommend?

00:23:17
And Matt, if you've got a thought on

00:23:19
this, please feel free to throw in as

00:23:20
well.

00:23:21
What would you guys suggest in terms of

00:23:22
recording interviews for podcasters?

00:23:24
I just connected someone with buying the...

00:23:27
Is it the Rode Caster Pro or the

00:23:30
interface?

00:23:32
Yep.

00:23:32
Yeah, yeah.

00:23:32
Yeah.

00:23:33
I mean, bring the phone in through that,

00:23:34
through the Bluetooth connection.

00:23:36
Yeah.

00:23:36
Yeah, yeah.

00:23:37
Yeah, that's not a bad one.

00:23:38
Yeah.

00:23:38
So, like, is this doing interviews over the

00:23:41
Internet or interviews in person?

00:23:43
Well, this is what I'm saying, interviews over

00:23:45
the Internet.

00:23:46
Yeah, yeah.

00:23:46
If you had to do a remote interview,

00:23:48
if you were a podcaster, George, what would

00:23:49
your choice be?

00:23:51
Well, I mean, if I had to do

00:23:52
it all the time, I would love having

00:23:53
a dedicated interface mixer-type device that does

00:23:56
that really well.

00:23:57
I mean, the Rode Caster Pro does that

00:23:59
really well because it has two separate sound

00:24:02
buses, one for record and one for communication.

00:24:06
It makes it super, super easy to capture

00:24:09
an interview, no matter what software that interview

00:24:11
is going to be on.

00:24:12
It could be on literally anything.

00:24:14
It's agnostic.

00:24:15
Which is exactly the design philosophy behind the

00:24:19
Passport VO as well.

00:24:21
Right?

00:24:21
That's why we have two audio interfaces on

00:24:23
board.

00:24:24
Same concept, just in a much more compact,

00:24:27
less way simpler form factor, you know, but

00:24:30
same idea.

00:24:32
But yeah, that's what...

00:24:33
That would be my first choice.

00:24:34
If you want to keep it in the

00:24:36
software domain, there are things like Nexus and

00:24:38
Nexus Gateway where you can...

00:24:41
It's free.

00:24:42
And that is free to use to connect

00:24:44
to others.

00:24:44
The audio quality over Nexus, when set to

00:24:47
HQ mode, is extremely high quality.

00:24:50
So it will just make the experience of

00:24:52
recording while the nicer.

00:24:54
And you can see each other.

00:24:55
And you can see each other as well.

00:24:56
In the free version, you can't, but yep.

00:24:59
What's the paid version with video cost per

00:25:02
month, you know, off top of your head?

00:25:03
11 bucks.

00:25:04
It's 12 bucks.

00:25:06
Yeah, it's really reasonable.

00:25:06
Wow, a couple of coffees.

00:25:07
Yeah, yeah.

00:25:08
So what do you think the learning curve

00:25:10
is like for people that are outside, you

00:25:14
know, doing voiceover or engineering, Robert, for getting

00:25:18
onto the source Nexus for, say, doing a

00:25:21
podcast, like if someone is just fresh going

00:25:23
into podcasting?

00:25:24
I think where it's at right now is

00:25:27
not where it's intended to be for podcasting.

00:25:29
So I think it's going to get a

00:25:31
lot easier, essentially, where you have a system

00:25:33
where you can send invites out, everyone hooks

00:25:36
up, you hit a button to record, instead

00:25:39
of everyone hitting individual buttons and snapping their

00:25:41
fingers, that process is automated.

00:25:45
And then, you know, you'll probably get a

00:25:47
certain amount of space that it just automatically

00:25:50
uploads back to.

00:25:51
So it should be like a packaged thing

00:25:54
to make it really easy to do podcasts

00:25:56
where the recordings are made locally and uploaded,

00:26:00
like what a lot of the other services

00:26:01
do.

00:26:01
But with the file transfer function wrapped into

00:26:05
it, yeah, that makes it so much nicer

00:26:08
for the guests and things, you know?

00:26:11
You know, it's like with Source Connect free

00:26:13
or Nexus free, you get the double end,

00:26:15
you know, but you have to do it

00:26:16
manually.

00:26:16
And then if you will have all that

00:26:18
built in with the page.

00:26:19
Yeah.

00:26:20
I mean, by far the hardest thing for

00:26:21
podcast remotes is dealing with the guests' audio

00:26:25
and trying to get, you know, not horribly

00:26:28
back.

00:26:29
You know, and that takes some preparation.

00:26:31
That takes some great communication.

00:26:33
And that may, in the worst case, require

00:26:35
you to send them a mic.

00:26:37
It takes knowing what you're listening for.

00:26:40
Being able to have the wits to isolate

00:26:42
that and listen to what they're really sending

00:26:44
you.

00:26:44
Yeah.

00:26:45
I used to work on a podcast.

00:26:47
It was called the Mojo Radio Show, and

00:26:49
it was sort of anything and everything to

00:26:51
do with personal creativity and all that sort

00:26:55
of gear.

00:26:55
But the whole point of it was it

00:26:57
was supposed to be a high-quality thing,

00:26:59
which obviously it was.

00:27:01
But we actually got to the point in

00:27:03
the show, and unfortunately it ended before we

00:27:05
got there, but we were actually talking about

00:27:06
that.

00:27:07
We were actually talking about buying a couple

00:27:09
of small road cases and throwing, you know,

00:27:11
something like an AI one and a decent

00:27:13
mic in there and shipping it off to

00:27:15
people who had crap audio.

00:27:16
We've done that.

00:27:17
I've done that as part of our studio.

00:27:18
We had...

00:27:19
Yeah.

00:27:20
We did MacBook Airs with little...

00:27:23
I think, you know, we just went really

00:27:25
cheap to be honest.

00:27:26
We did bearing-drew interfaces with bearing-drew

00:27:28
mics.

00:27:29
But that's all you need for podcasts, something

00:27:31
that's half-decent quality.

00:27:33
The thing you're the most worried about losing

00:27:34
is the MacBook.

00:27:35
You know, you're like...

00:27:36
Yes, exactly.

00:27:37
Well, I don't think we were going to

00:27:38
be that generous and buy Macs.

00:27:39
I think it was just going to be

00:27:40
plug this into your computer.

00:27:42
Well, the way we set it up was

00:27:43
so that you like open the Mac up

00:27:45
and all you have to do is put

00:27:46
it on Wi-Fi and then like shows

00:27:48
up on the team viewer type thing and

00:27:50
you're in and then the last thing you're...

00:27:54
We made all the cables so that...

00:27:56
Imagine like a red sticker on the bearing

00:27:59
-drew and a red sticker on the mic

00:28:01
cable.

00:28:02
Half the colours.

00:28:05
Yeah, that's right.

00:28:06
I think that's a great direction for the

00:28:08
Pro Audio Suite podcast, maybe starting today.

00:28:11
Sending out Macbooks.

00:28:13
Yes, that's right.

00:28:15
Yeah, or well, maybe we could send out

00:28:17
Teslas as well.

00:28:18
Yeah, exactly.

00:28:19
The ones with the stuff stuck inside.

00:28:22
Hello Elon, if you're listening, want to join

00:28:24
in?

00:28:24
Yeah, yeah.

00:28:26
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:28:27
God, imagine the guests we'd have lining up

00:28:29
then.

00:28:32
Yeah, they'd be begging to be on the

00:28:34
show.

00:28:34
So I reckon just as a conclusion, I

00:28:38
guess, just my last two Bob's worth and

00:28:41
also looking after our sponsor.

00:28:42
But I always try and get things that

00:28:45
are going to last a long time but

00:28:46
can be used in different environments.

00:28:47
So if you can take it on the

00:28:48
road with you and have it set up

00:28:50
at home, that's a win-win.

00:28:52
So I would probably wind it back a

00:28:55
bit and go, Tribooth 416 and an SSL2.

00:29:00
Tribooth, I would agree with you, that would

00:29:02
be a great sound, but I wonder whether

00:29:04
Tribooth and 416 together is blowing our budget

00:29:07
a little bit.

00:29:07
Is a Tribooth a beginner thing, or that

00:29:10
sounds like someone who sees it.

00:29:12
Well, it's not cheap.

00:29:13
You know, this is the tricky thing about

00:29:15
beginner stuff and budget.

00:29:17
The two are mutually exclusive, honestly.

00:29:22
Because I get people that enter the industry

00:29:24
all the time that are executives from companies

00:29:27
that have just retired or, you know, they're

00:29:30
starting a new career.

00:29:31
And yeah, they absolutely could buy the $250

00:29:34
instant voiceover or podcasting kit and get to

00:29:37
work.

00:29:38
But they are in a position to buy

00:29:40
better stuff and they do appreciate the better

00:29:42
stuff.

00:29:43
And so they buy, on my recommendation, better

00:29:45
stuff.

00:29:46
So it really does depend on where you're

00:29:48
coming from.

00:29:49
Just understand, just know what your budget is.

00:29:51
Just have a clear understanding of what it

00:29:53
is.

00:29:54
Don't overextend, don't overspend, but don't underspend.