Voice-Over Booths

by Jason McCoy

Updated August 2022

In this episode of the Voice Acting 101 Podcast, you'll learn:

  • The difference between isolation and absorption
  • 3 options to keep noise out of your recordings
  • Things to consider if you're building your own booth / recording space

Links & Resources from this episode

Voiceover Success Guide

Free Download: 
5-Steps to 
Voice-Over Success


LEARN EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
TO GET STARTED IN VOICE-OVER!

  • Paul Alan Tinsley says:

    I’m a newby to VO. I have a part time job and am trying to fit my way onto a few VO sites. But before I quit my job to attend to my potential VO career, would you be able to give me some idea of what a typical day would be like pursuing VO work? Do I have to sit at my computer waiting to be discovered? What should I be doing to help myself? And, again, what does a fellow like me do to move on?

    • Hi Paul, no waiting involved. It takes action – auditioning and reaching out to prospects. I would start building your client base before leaving your job.

  • Hi Jason,
    Thanks for your great podcast and help to us. I am just stared my first audiobook. I did my first 15 min check and it was approved. Now I need to know if I do need to record the Copyright page and the Content table before the Introduction and the rest of the chapters? Or those should not be recorded at all?
    Thank you!
    Luisa

      • Thanks a lot!!! Jason. I really enjoy your podcast. Is very informative…!!!!

  • Thanks for answering my question, Jason. I now have a few more ideas about how to design the booth and make it workable. You can watch my Vlog about it when I launch my channel.

  • Hi Jason,
    I built a booth using Dawbox plans and am very happy with the result. As you stated, it’s alot of work, but if you’re capable, it’s well worth it in the end. I probably wound up spending around $1,200 on supplies, and I now have a very solid double walled booth – external noise isn’t a concern at all when recording. Also, Justin at Dawbox offered great tech support. I kept him on the phone for around half an hour asking questions before I started building. He answered all my questions and made himself available. If you don’t mind a little elbow grease, I very highly recommend.

    • Hey Dan,

      It’s great to hear about your experience building your booth using plans from Dawbox. It isn’t for everyone but I love construction projects like that! Especially when you can consult with someone to prevent mistakes.

    • I bought the plans bu the pdf is password protected. Do you have Justins phone #

  • Great info, Jason, and thanks for all the resource links! I record thus far from my closet. I’ve used carpeting on the walls, fuzzy carpet on the floor, a boom arm set on a folding stool with rubber feet for my mic, a folding screen covered on both sides with extra fabric, thermal blankets, tons of clothing, and the most brilliant suggestion from a musician friend for the ceiling. I have a high slanted ceiling in a long walk-in closet: He suggested hanging tension shower dowels about a foot or so apart and hanging fabric from those. Along with that, I topped the whole thing off with another thermal blanket. That and a few other bits of fine tuning so far has done the trick EXCEPT for hearing the low hum of small planes from the nearby muni airport right up the street (!). The other day I did a read for someone and wound up putting my fuzzy bathrobe over my head and that did the trick! The recipient of the file (I’m doing freebies for people on a subreddit site to build up a portfolio), couldn’t hear any plane hum or any other sound other than my voice. I’ve also learned to speak a good distance from my RODE mic – actually off to the side and not close to it at all, and there is no sibilance and no popping whatsoever.

    I’m sure I’ll invest in a booth down the road. One VO talent that I know of purchased hers using a nationwide craigslist search (vs. by specific area) — while I can’t recall the exact steps for that search off the top of my head at the moment, when I did it a few weeks ago, I simply googled “how do you do a nationwide craigslist search,” followed the few simple steps, and voila.

    Thanks for what’s been really informative podcast episodes! -Theresa (aka T Diaz<—much shorter and sweeter for VO than the mouthful that is the name Theresa Koenke Diaz!)

    • Nice setup T! Craigslist is a good place for a used booth – eBay has them from time to time too.

  • {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}
    >