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Voice Coaches Radio #504 – The Cost to Not Record at Home
Voice Coaches Radio. Everything voiceover. And welcome to this week's edition of Voice Coaches Radio. I am Josh Teller. She is Marissa Lanczak. We are delighted to have you joining us. You know what, maybe that's what people, remember, someone, someone commented that it sounded like we were like a morning show.
No, you said shock jock, and I've never been considered a shock jock in my entire life. And so maybe it's that, that, that whole like, we're D, oh, I didn't have you joining us. That is very radio. It is, yeah. But like old school radio. Yeah, that's, that's fair. Because again, I've never done that either. Welcome to the show, everybody.
Hey, welcome to the voice coach's radio. I am J. D. Heller. Oh, come on. Now you're calling yourself J. D. It's, it's sticky. I'm J. D. on the ones and twos. We got Marissa back in the booth. Do we ever have ones and twos? Like. Uh, no, but I used to say that all the time. I used to say, my engineer, when I would do hockey games, I go back on the, you know, Oh, we got, uh, we got Brian Cady back on the ones and twos.
So, it's so weird, you and I know so many of the same people from Radioland. Well, do you know why? It's an incredibly small industry. Super small industry. Yeah, like I always tell people I am one person away from Ryan Seacrest and it sounds like a joke but I'm not joking. So does that mean I'm two people away from Ryan Seacrest?
Maybe, yeah, exactly. Six degrees of Ryan Seacrest. Yep. Uh, so uh, welcome in to Voice Coaches Radio, uh, I'm Josh, she's Marissa, this is not a morning show. No. Welcome. Although it is a show, and it is the morning. Yeah. Um, but um. But, you know what, that's okay. I mean, like, morning shows, they have fun, right? We have fun.
Yeah, but we don't do any stupid fake pranks. Uh, no, we don't. And we don't, like, you know, we don't give anything away either, sorry. We definitely don't do that, except for knowledge. Knowledge, yeah, we cram it right into your cranium. For free. We give knowledge away for free. No charge. Freebies. No charge. Um, not gonna say it's a good deal.
Might not be. Depends on the day. Depends on the day. Yes, it's very true. This is very, very true. But how we doing this morning? I'm good. Good. Yeah. Feel good. Got it, you know, ready for the weekend. Ready for some fun. Yeah. Yeah. Um, it is, uh, man, we're in November already. I know. Why? Which is crazy. Like what? Um, and I have already started to see Christmas, uh, accoutrement.
And I don't, I don't, I don't love it. I don't love it. I don't know what I'm gonna do for, like, last year I was so broke because of the pandemic that, like, I, I made gifts. I also, I have no idea what to do this year at all. I'll just take cash, it's fine. Okay. Thanks. Thank you. All right, I'll try to find some.
That's fair. That's fair. No, um, you don't have to get me anything expensive. I want something hilarious. Oh, well, that's easy That's what I'm looking for hilarious. Come on And because your gift is going to be hilarious. Oh my god, we should have an on air gift giving sesh Oh, I will totally do that. I'm game.
Cool. Yeah, so because we do have a show we do which we drop these on on Fridays So we record them on Fridays And we have a show that'll be on Friday, December 24th, and it is going to be a Oh, it is going to be the best gift giving session ever! Yeah, okay, so that's going to happen. So plan on that. Mark your calendar.
Oh my god, I'm too creative to have that kind of thing thrown at me. And we have a and you have you got time. Oh, I got time, bro. I got time! So, uh, so the wheels are turning. The wheels are turning. I already have an idea! Oh, man. Okay, so quick! I gotta I gotta get on the ball on that. Um, but, uh, yeah, it is it is November already.
The year is coming. Coming to a close. It's gonna be 2022. This is so weird. And you know, what makes that so weird is that we're all still recovering from last year. From 2020, yeah! Oh, 100%. 100% because it's honest, you know, I was talking about someone because we got our, so, um, my wife had a cat for a long time, uh, long before I was around.
Passed away, uh, beginning of 2020. She was old. Um, the cat, not my wife. And... You know, we got, uh, two cats, shortly thereafter, and we got it right before lockdown, like, right before lockdown, like, that March. Um, Pretzel and Sam, they are big. One's a Maine Coon, one's a Tabby, but they're brothers. They love each other, and they fight.
Anywho, if you want to see pictures, I can show you pictures, but... I was talking to someone about it and they were like, Oh yeah, like, uh, how old are your cats? I was like, they're eight, but we've had them, you know, since the beginning of this year. And I was like, nope, nope, that's not true. We've had them for almost two years now.
I know, everything blends. I was wearing, um, cause I just like... Went crazy and distressed and bleached a couple shirts to make them new again, and I realized the one It's actually from the fall tour of 2019 and I'm like, wow, I feel like I was just at that show. Oh, that's that's a problem Well, it doesn't help that that was probably one of the last shows you were well I yeah There were only a couple like it was that one and like maybe one after it and then that was that was it and the Only thing I did before lockdown was I went to a Celtics game Because I was trying to get in as many as I could before I knew that I was gonna move forward from Boston to Hartford, and then I didn't move to Hartford, so.
I was gonna say, this is not Hartford. No, this is not Hartford. This is not Hartford. Similar, similar, but it's No, no, no, it's not similar. Sorry, Hartford, it's not similar. Um, so yeah, did the Celtics win? Um, I don't think they did that day, but I did buy a dope sweatshirt that day, so I was, you know, I was fine.
Cool. Hey, listen, you know, take, uh, take your victories where you can get them. Exactly. Um, so yeah, so time is, is marching on, as it has a tendency to do. Um, but, uh, but it is, it is November. Now, one of the things that happened in the pandemic, which, again, I thought was this past July, but was actually a year ago July, was that I, and we talked about this on the air, I.
built. That's a strong word. I put together my home recording setup. Yeah, and I saw it over Zoom. It's pretty cute. Yeah, it is. It's small. It's a little three by three closet used to have litter boxes in it still kind of smells a little bit, but it does the trick. It does the trick. And, uh, and I know we've talked about that, but That was a year and a half, a year and a half ago, essentially.
Um, but, you know, it certainly has come in very handy for me. All the audiobook stuff that I've been, that we've talked about, I do that all at home. Because most audiobook recordings are done at home nowadays. And we've talked about that a little bit as well. Um, and I know you've done a couple audiobooks and are still doing audiobooks.
And those, they're done at home. And they're done at home for the most part because, why? It's cheaper. It's cheaper. Because, you know, They can be long, like I just did a 14 and a half hour one, yeah, I did a 14 and a half hour one, which took me a lot longer to record than 14 and a half hours, let alone edit.
So how, how many hours would that have been in the booth, like 20? Oh god, I don't even know, and I don't even want to think of the cost. And then, I mean, you're looking, how much is a studio per hour? It varies. It can, but let's ballpark it, 75 to 100 bucks maybe? That's a lot of money. Now we're talking, you know, a couple grand.
Um, and I gotta be honest, I didn't, that's more than I made for the book. That is all my profit. So you know, that's one of the beauties of having a home set up. Is it necessary? No. But when it comes to bigger projects, you gotta think about the costs that are going into it. How much would it cost you to put together a home set up?
And how much would it cost you to actually have to record at a studio? And usually, depending on how big the project is, it very well may be more cost, you know, uh, effective to have your own home set up, because not only that, you can then continue to work on that. Yeah, and you know, and I think the thing is, too, you have to weigh the pros and cons.
Like, you know, you get a home studio set up and, you know, maybe you don't have the knowledge on how to record yet. Okay, you've learned all about voice. Why wouldn't you want to then learn a little bit about the home recording scenario? Because it's only going to benefit you. You can then turn around real easily and be able to audition for multiple things all the time.
And we heard on a few episodes ago when David was on here for our 500th episode of Stravaganza, um, You know, right? Yeah, very exciting. But, uh, but you heard him talk about it. You know, uh, recording from, from home is it being able to do that. Record, edit, master, all those things. You can become a one stop shop.
You can become full service. And so you can say to someone, yeah, what's your project? I can handle all of it. I can do everything. Don't worry about hiring an editor. Don't worry about hiring, you know, uh, post production work. I got it. All of it. Yep. And so, potentially you can make more money that way, but also you can provide more.
You can offer more. Right? You are now a, you know, instead of, uh, let's use the lingo, instead of being a, a boutique, you are now offering that full service. Well, and I can be an example in that way, like, you know, at one point I was just doing radio and, and honestly from my home studio I was only doing my podcast and maybe some commercials that were thrown my way.
But now it's like I've got those couple things, I'm doing audiobooks, I'm also on multiple radio stations and like whatever else gets thrown. So it's like, you know, I'm not doing just one type of voice work, you know, there's, there's so many capabilities and options and stuff. things just by having that, that equipment.
Yeah, and, and so we're bringing this up because of a, I know a question that, that you had, um, from a student about, you know, recording an, an audio book of sorts and, uh, and, you know, of their own writing. Yep. And, but I, I mean, it holds true not just for them, but, but for everyone. I mean, could they hypothetically take their book, Rent out studio time, and record it, however long that's gonna be, and then take that audio, get it to, you know, uh, some place that can, you know, edit it, and master it, and, yes, those are all, yes, 100%, you could outsource all of it, all of it, but you're gonna pay for it.
Yeah. And I, I can't even put a price on it to be honest, like I, I mean, every project is going to be different, right? Yeah, it depends on how much is needed to be done, what you want to do with it. And, and I'll tell you right now, that student's in, in the Boston area, so, I mean, those studios are going to be even more.
Probably, yeah. You know, because they're, they're top line city studios, so. Yeah, and so, I mean, that's, that's what you have to keep in mind. Whereas, how much would it cost them to set up a studio in their own, You know, in their own living situation. And the answer is, I don't, I mean, it depends, but you can set that up.
I mean, I set my studio, studio, quote unquote, recording nook up. If you take away the microphone, everything together cost, I think, about 300. Now, the microphone was a bit more expensive, um, that was about 500. But, you know, aside from that, it was not a very expensive proposition. Yeah, I mean, I've had my microphone forever at this point, and it's still, like, obviously great quality, because it's a Rode microphone, it's a good one.
Um, God, I mean, mine was probably about the same. You know, I think the most expensive thing in my studio is my laptop that I've gotten repaired a couple different times because I don't want to lose the programs that are on it, because I don't have access to, like, the actual program anymore. Yeah, and that's actually a fair point.
You do need a computer of some sorts. Now, most people have that already, um, and if you don't, okay, yes, you will need to get a computer, but then again, it is 2020, almost 2022. You should probably have that, um, or some version of that. Right. Um, I know people, you could do it on a, like a, like an iPad or something like that if you technically wanted to.
You could, and you know, you can even get like a relatively cheap laptop. You just need to make sure it's got enough RAM. That's all. Yeah, that, that's true. This is, this is some of the stuff we do. Now again, it's not video, so it's not huge, but, you know, the WAV files are still fairly large, and you want to have, you know, uh, it needs to be able to move.
It needs to be able to move. Mine is starting to slow down, and that's making me a little nervous. Um. But then again, I'm also starting to slow down, and that's making me a little nervous, too. It's making me a little nervous, too. It's life, man. I get it. I look at my computer, and I'm like, I feel you, bro. I get you, man.
I'm there. I'm there. Like, I know. I feel you. But, so yeah, I mean, and here's the other thing. If you're looking into doing this, and you're trying to figure out, okay, well, how am I going to learn how to edit? How am I going to learn how to master? A couple things on that. The first one is, the editing that we do, is very basic.
It really is. I mean, you think about, you know, if someone's editing, say, you know, a band. Like, we think about Brett when he's in the main studio editing a band. There are like 40 tracks going on. Um, you know, and he's trying to make them all work together, make sure everything works. We don't have that. In general, you got, what, one track?
Maybe a second one? And you're getting rid of breaths, you're getting rid of pauses, and you're fixing mistakes. That's it. Like, what other editing are you doing? Hypothetically. So, I mean, it's not a ton of editing that you're doing. And the same thing is true with the mastering process. It's very basic. For the most part, I set my levels for, you know, my EQs and things like that.
I don't change them that much. Yeah. Slight tweaks here and there, but I have it all preset at this point. You know how I learned what to do and where to figure that out? YouTube? Yep. Yeah. Same. YouTube University. Watch videos on it. If I can't, if I can't figure it out in a couple minutes on my own, I just Google it and then YouTube it.
Yeah. Like, that's, and you have to, you have to adapt with your needs and, and surroundings and like, that's. That's the easiest way to do it, like, you have to take advantage of the education that's at your fingertips. Because I'm gonna say, not everything on the internets are true, uh, but, but, you know, when it comes to things like that, you know, and how to do and how to, like, get something done the right way, like, I mean, it's, it's right there.
I have used it to fix a dishwasher. Right. I have used it to, uh, fix parts of my car. That's how I was able to change my own filters in my car and stuff. Yeah. It is, uh, it is absolutely a, a tool to have. And one that, I mean, you know, you think about it, it wasn't possible not that long ago. Yeah. Take advantage.
Take advantage. We're living in the future, guys. We are living in the future. Hey, look at that. Take advantage. And, and again, let's, let's put this out there too. Talk to us. Reach out to us. Yeah, ask questions. You guys know how to reach out to us. Right? Call us, email us, you know, if you're like, Hey, I'm debating between these two, two microphones.
What do you think? Ask us. That's why we're here. That's why we're here. We'll probably talk about you on the air, but, you know. But in like the best of ways, you know. Small price to pay. Now, I probably will, will make comments. I'm not going to recommend you bring up pickles to us, because there's going to be a lot of peas that happen in that podcast, okay?
True. That is, uh, that is a throwback. If you did not listen to last week's podcast, you have no idea what we're probably should, because we're ridiculous. It is, yeah. It is fairly, fairly ridiculous. But I mean, and again, you know, if, if you are considering doing something like that, because it does make sense.
And again, if you're looking into doing something. like audiobooks, even if it's your own, then, then it probably is going to start to make sense pretty quickly, um, you know, because of that. Now, I, I, I will say it and I will, I will say this until I'm blue in the face. Do you need a home studio to be successful as a voice actor?
Nope. No. Absolutely. 1000% the answer is no. But. Does it make things easier? Yep. Is it, uh, more convenient? Yep. Yither. Um, so, again, there are reasons to do it, and again, if you're doing more audiobook type work, if that's what you're looking into doing, or even more, just forget audiobooks, more long form, you know, narrative work, it, it's probably going to make sense sooner rather than later.
So look into it. And again, if you have questions on that, do not hesitate to reach out to, uh, to either of us. To any of us. That's why we're here. We're here. We're in your corner. That's right. Forever and ever. Oh, that's that's a lovely sentiment. Yeah, it's a really long time to feel like we should probably finish up on that note.
Okay. I don't know how we can go anywhere from now. Where are you? I mean, there's only going down and I don't want to. So Marissa is here for you forever and ever. Forever and ever. Um, you know, probably a few more years, but we'll see. We'll see. We'll see what happens. He is getting old. So when I make it, when I know when I make it big, it's pretty much, Oh, okay.
Deuces at that point. I'm gonna forget about all you guys. Uh, no, I can never forget about you guys. Um, But yeah, so like I said, don't hesitate to reach out for those kind of questions or any kind of questions. JoshuaVoxCoaches. com, quickest and easiest way to get in touch with us. Um, and uh, and yeah, we uh, like I said, we'll probably talk about you on the air, but that's alright.
That's alright, we'll go gentle. Um, and I won't use your last name, so no one will know who you are. But, um... Yeah, any, uh, any, anything you want to add, Marisa? See ya! Anything else? Cool, I like it. I like it. Thanks so much for tuning in each week. Everyone glad to hear from you, uh, enjoy the, the fall weather as it begins to descend upon us even more.
Winter is, winter is coming. Oh god. Winter is coming. I never watched Game of Thrones so I, I, but I know that's a lie. Cause I, I binged three seasons and I still couldn't get into it. Oh, fair enough. I was like, ugh. I, I started reading the book. Um, and, it got very complicated, and... It is! I, dude, I binged three seasons, I didn't know anybody's name.
Well, fun story! So, I said, you know what, so what I used when I was training for the marathon, I would listen to audiobooks. Cause it was a good distraction, and I was like, yo, if I could listen to Game of Thrones, if I could get into that, that's like 45 hours worth of audio right there. I mean, that's, that's basically my entire training season.
Awesome start to the first one. There were so many different characters and it jumped around so I was so lost Yeah, I was like I'd listen for like an hour and I was like, I literally have no idea what's happening. Who's who? Where are we going? It's jumping. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. There's a dragon somewhere couldn't handle it.
It's all I got Yeah, there are there are But yeah, so but again, apparently it's pretty popular. People seem to like it Cool well, thanks again for tuning in Marissa. Thanks as always for joining us and until next week so long everyone Visit voice coaches.com for more voiceover news and information.
No, you said shock jock, and I've never been considered a shock jock in my entire life. And so maybe it's that, that, that whole like, we're D, oh, I didn't have you joining us. That is very radio. It is, yeah. But like old school radio. Yeah, that's, that's fair. Because again, I've never done that either. Welcome to the show, everybody.
Hey, welcome to the voice coach's radio. I am J. D. Heller. Oh, come on. Now you're calling yourself J. D. It's, it's sticky. I'm J. D. on the ones and twos. We got Marissa back in the booth. Do we ever have ones and twos? Like. Uh, no, but I used to say that all the time. I used to say, my engineer, when I would do hockey games, I go back on the, you know, Oh, we got, uh, we got Brian Cady back on the ones and twos.
So, it's so weird, you and I know so many of the same people from Radioland. Well, do you know why? It's an incredibly small industry. Super small industry. Yeah, like I always tell people I am one person away from Ryan Seacrest and it sounds like a joke but I'm not joking. So does that mean I'm two people away from Ryan Seacrest?
Maybe, yeah, exactly. Six degrees of Ryan Seacrest. Yep. Uh, so uh, welcome in to Voice Coaches Radio, uh, I'm Josh, she's Marissa, this is not a morning show. No. Welcome. Although it is a show, and it is the morning. Yeah. Um, but um. But, you know what, that's okay. I mean, like, morning shows, they have fun, right? We have fun.
Yeah, but we don't do any stupid fake pranks. Uh, no, we don't. And we don't, like, you know, we don't give anything away either, sorry. We definitely don't do that, except for knowledge. Knowledge, yeah, we cram it right into your cranium. For free. We give knowledge away for free. No charge. Freebies. No charge. Um, not gonna say it's a good deal.
Might not be. Depends on the day. Depends on the day. Yes, it's very true. This is very, very true. But how we doing this morning? I'm good. Good. Yeah. Feel good. Got it, you know, ready for the weekend. Ready for some fun. Yeah. Yeah. Um, it is, uh, man, we're in November already. I know. Why? Which is crazy. Like what? Um, and I have already started to see Christmas, uh, accoutrement.
And I don't, I don't, I don't love it. I don't love it. I don't know what I'm gonna do for, like, last year I was so broke because of the pandemic that, like, I, I made gifts. I also, I have no idea what to do this year at all. I'll just take cash, it's fine. Okay. Thanks. Thank you. All right, I'll try to find some.
That's fair. That's fair. No, um, you don't have to get me anything expensive. I want something hilarious. Oh, well, that's easy That's what I'm looking for hilarious. Come on And because your gift is going to be hilarious. Oh my god, we should have an on air gift giving sesh Oh, I will totally do that. I'm game.
Cool. Yeah, so because we do have a show we do which we drop these on on Fridays So we record them on Fridays And we have a show that'll be on Friday, December 24th, and it is going to be a Oh, it is going to be the best gift giving session ever! Yeah, okay, so that's going to happen. So plan on that. Mark your calendar.
Oh my god, I'm too creative to have that kind of thing thrown at me. And we have a and you have you got time. Oh, I got time, bro. I got time! So, uh, so the wheels are turning. The wheels are turning. I already have an idea! Oh, man. Okay, so quick! I gotta I gotta get on the ball on that. Um, but, uh, yeah, it is it is November already.
The year is coming. Coming to a close. It's gonna be 2022. This is so weird. And you know, what makes that so weird is that we're all still recovering from last year. From 2020, yeah! Oh, 100%. 100% because it's honest, you know, I was talking about someone because we got our, so, um, my wife had a cat for a long time, uh, long before I was around.
Passed away, uh, beginning of 2020. She was old. Um, the cat, not my wife. And... You know, we got, uh, two cats, shortly thereafter, and we got it right before lockdown, like, right before lockdown, like, that March. Um, Pretzel and Sam, they are big. One's a Maine Coon, one's a Tabby, but they're brothers. They love each other, and they fight.
Anywho, if you want to see pictures, I can show you pictures, but... I was talking to someone about it and they were like, Oh yeah, like, uh, how old are your cats? I was like, they're eight, but we've had them, you know, since the beginning of this year. And I was like, nope, nope, that's not true. We've had them for almost two years now.
I know, everything blends. I was wearing, um, cause I just like... Went crazy and distressed and bleached a couple shirts to make them new again, and I realized the one It's actually from the fall tour of 2019 and I'm like, wow, I feel like I was just at that show. Oh, that's that's a problem Well, it doesn't help that that was probably one of the last shows you were well I yeah There were only a couple like it was that one and like maybe one after it and then that was that was it and the Only thing I did before lockdown was I went to a Celtics game Because I was trying to get in as many as I could before I knew that I was gonna move forward from Boston to Hartford, and then I didn't move to Hartford, so.
I was gonna say, this is not Hartford. No, this is not Hartford. This is not Hartford. Similar, similar, but it's No, no, no, it's not similar. Sorry, Hartford, it's not similar. Um, so yeah, did the Celtics win? Um, I don't think they did that day, but I did buy a dope sweatshirt that day, so I was, you know, I was fine.
Cool. Hey, listen, you know, take, uh, take your victories where you can get them. Exactly. Um, so yeah, so time is, is marching on, as it has a tendency to do. Um, but, uh, but it is, it is November. Now, one of the things that happened in the pandemic, which, again, I thought was this past July, but was actually a year ago July, was that I, and we talked about this on the air, I.
built. That's a strong word. I put together my home recording setup. Yeah, and I saw it over Zoom. It's pretty cute. Yeah, it is. It's small. It's a little three by three closet used to have litter boxes in it still kind of smells a little bit, but it does the trick. It does the trick. And, uh, and I know we've talked about that, but That was a year and a half, a year and a half ago, essentially.
Um, but, you know, it certainly has come in very handy for me. All the audiobook stuff that I've been, that we've talked about, I do that all at home. Because most audiobook recordings are done at home nowadays. And we've talked about that a little bit as well. Um, and I know you've done a couple audiobooks and are still doing audiobooks.
And those, they're done at home. And they're done at home for the most part because, why? It's cheaper. It's cheaper. Because, you know, They can be long, like I just did a 14 and a half hour one, yeah, I did a 14 and a half hour one, which took me a lot longer to record than 14 and a half hours, let alone edit.
So how, how many hours would that have been in the booth, like 20? Oh god, I don't even know, and I don't even want to think of the cost. And then, I mean, you're looking, how much is a studio per hour? It varies. It can, but let's ballpark it, 75 to 100 bucks maybe? That's a lot of money. Now we're talking, you know, a couple grand.
Um, and I gotta be honest, I didn't, that's more than I made for the book. That is all my profit. So you know, that's one of the beauties of having a home set up. Is it necessary? No. But when it comes to bigger projects, you gotta think about the costs that are going into it. How much would it cost you to put together a home set up?
And how much would it cost you to actually have to record at a studio? And usually, depending on how big the project is, it very well may be more cost, you know, uh, effective to have your own home set up, because not only that, you can then continue to work on that. Yeah, and you know, and I think the thing is, too, you have to weigh the pros and cons.
Like, you know, you get a home studio set up and, you know, maybe you don't have the knowledge on how to record yet. Okay, you've learned all about voice. Why wouldn't you want to then learn a little bit about the home recording scenario? Because it's only going to benefit you. You can then turn around real easily and be able to audition for multiple things all the time.
And we heard on a few episodes ago when David was on here for our 500th episode of Stravaganza, um, You know, right? Yeah, very exciting. But, uh, but you heard him talk about it. You know, uh, recording from, from home is it being able to do that. Record, edit, master, all those things. You can become a one stop shop.
You can become full service. And so you can say to someone, yeah, what's your project? I can handle all of it. I can do everything. Don't worry about hiring an editor. Don't worry about hiring, you know, uh, post production work. I got it. All of it. Yep. And so, potentially you can make more money that way, but also you can provide more.
You can offer more. Right? You are now a, you know, instead of, uh, let's use the lingo, instead of being a, a boutique, you are now offering that full service. Well, and I can be an example in that way, like, you know, at one point I was just doing radio and, and honestly from my home studio I was only doing my podcast and maybe some commercials that were thrown my way.
But now it's like I've got those couple things, I'm doing audiobooks, I'm also on multiple radio stations and like whatever else gets thrown. So it's like, you know, I'm not doing just one type of voice work, you know, there's, there's so many capabilities and options and stuff. things just by having that, that equipment.
Yeah, and, and so we're bringing this up because of a, I know a question that, that you had, um, from a student about, you know, recording an, an audio book of sorts and, uh, and, you know, of their own writing. Yep. And, but I, I mean, it holds true not just for them, but, but for everyone. I mean, could they hypothetically take their book, Rent out studio time, and record it, however long that's gonna be, and then take that audio, get it to, you know, uh, some place that can, you know, edit it, and master it, and, yes, those are all, yes, 100%, you could outsource all of it, all of it, but you're gonna pay for it.
Yeah. And I, I can't even put a price on it to be honest, like I, I mean, every project is going to be different, right? Yeah, it depends on how much is needed to be done, what you want to do with it. And, and I'll tell you right now, that student's in, in the Boston area, so, I mean, those studios are going to be even more.
Probably, yeah. You know, because they're, they're top line city studios, so. Yeah, and so, I mean, that's, that's what you have to keep in mind. Whereas, how much would it cost them to set up a studio in their own, You know, in their own living situation. And the answer is, I don't, I mean, it depends, but you can set that up.
I mean, I set my studio, studio, quote unquote, recording nook up. If you take away the microphone, everything together cost, I think, about 300. Now, the microphone was a bit more expensive, um, that was about 500. But, you know, aside from that, it was not a very expensive proposition. Yeah, I mean, I've had my microphone forever at this point, and it's still, like, obviously great quality, because it's a Rode microphone, it's a good one.
Um, God, I mean, mine was probably about the same. You know, I think the most expensive thing in my studio is my laptop that I've gotten repaired a couple different times because I don't want to lose the programs that are on it, because I don't have access to, like, the actual program anymore. Yeah, and that's actually a fair point.
You do need a computer of some sorts. Now, most people have that already, um, and if you don't, okay, yes, you will need to get a computer, but then again, it is 2020, almost 2022. You should probably have that, um, or some version of that. Right. Um, I know people, you could do it on a, like a, like an iPad or something like that if you technically wanted to.
You could, and you know, you can even get like a relatively cheap laptop. You just need to make sure it's got enough RAM. That's all. Yeah, that, that's true. This is, this is some of the stuff we do. Now again, it's not video, so it's not huge, but, you know, the WAV files are still fairly large, and you want to have, you know, uh, it needs to be able to move.
It needs to be able to move. Mine is starting to slow down, and that's making me a little nervous. Um. But then again, I'm also starting to slow down, and that's making me a little nervous, too. It's making me a little nervous, too. It's life, man. I get it. I look at my computer, and I'm like, I feel you, bro. I get you, man.
I'm there. I'm there. Like, I know. I feel you. But, so yeah, I mean, and here's the other thing. If you're looking into doing this, and you're trying to figure out, okay, well, how am I going to learn how to edit? How am I going to learn how to master? A couple things on that. The first one is, the editing that we do, is very basic.
It really is. I mean, you think about, you know, if someone's editing, say, you know, a band. Like, we think about Brett when he's in the main studio editing a band. There are like 40 tracks going on. Um, you know, and he's trying to make them all work together, make sure everything works. We don't have that. In general, you got, what, one track?
Maybe a second one? And you're getting rid of breaths, you're getting rid of pauses, and you're fixing mistakes. That's it. Like, what other editing are you doing? Hypothetically. So, I mean, it's not a ton of editing that you're doing. And the same thing is true with the mastering process. It's very basic. For the most part, I set my levels for, you know, my EQs and things like that.
I don't change them that much. Yeah. Slight tweaks here and there, but I have it all preset at this point. You know how I learned what to do and where to figure that out? YouTube? Yep. Yeah. Same. YouTube University. Watch videos on it. If I can't, if I can't figure it out in a couple minutes on my own, I just Google it and then YouTube it.
Yeah. Like, that's, and you have to, you have to adapt with your needs and, and surroundings and like, that's. That's the easiest way to do it, like, you have to take advantage of the education that's at your fingertips. Because I'm gonna say, not everything on the internets are true, uh, but, but, you know, when it comes to things like that, you know, and how to do and how to, like, get something done the right way, like, I mean, it's, it's right there.
I have used it to fix a dishwasher. Right. I have used it to, uh, fix parts of my car. That's how I was able to change my own filters in my car and stuff. Yeah. It is, uh, it is absolutely a, a tool to have. And one that, I mean, you know, you think about it, it wasn't possible not that long ago. Yeah. Take advantage.
Take advantage. We're living in the future, guys. We are living in the future. Hey, look at that. Take advantage. And, and again, let's, let's put this out there too. Talk to us. Reach out to us. Yeah, ask questions. You guys know how to reach out to us. Right? Call us, email us, you know, if you're like, Hey, I'm debating between these two, two microphones.
What do you think? Ask us. That's why we're here. That's why we're here. We'll probably talk about you on the air, but, you know. But in like the best of ways, you know. Small price to pay. Now, I probably will, will make comments. I'm not going to recommend you bring up pickles to us, because there's going to be a lot of peas that happen in that podcast, okay?
True. That is, uh, that is a throwback. If you did not listen to last week's podcast, you have no idea what we're probably should, because we're ridiculous. It is, yeah. It is fairly, fairly ridiculous. But I mean, and again, you know, if, if you are considering doing something like that, because it does make sense.
And again, if you're looking into doing something. like audiobooks, even if it's your own, then, then it probably is going to start to make sense pretty quickly, um, you know, because of that. Now, I, I, I will say it and I will, I will say this until I'm blue in the face. Do you need a home studio to be successful as a voice actor?
Nope. No. Absolutely. 1000% the answer is no. But. Does it make things easier? Yep. Is it, uh, more convenient? Yep. Yither. Um, so, again, there are reasons to do it, and again, if you're doing more audiobook type work, if that's what you're looking into doing, or even more, just forget audiobooks, more long form, you know, narrative work, it, it's probably going to make sense sooner rather than later.
So look into it. And again, if you have questions on that, do not hesitate to reach out to, uh, to either of us. To any of us. That's why we're here. We're here. We're in your corner. That's right. Forever and ever. Oh, that's that's a lovely sentiment. Yeah, it's a really long time to feel like we should probably finish up on that note.
Okay. I don't know how we can go anywhere from now. Where are you? I mean, there's only going down and I don't want to. So Marissa is here for you forever and ever. Forever and ever. Um, you know, probably a few more years, but we'll see. We'll see. We'll see what happens. He is getting old. So when I make it, when I know when I make it big, it's pretty much, Oh, okay.
Deuces at that point. I'm gonna forget about all you guys. Uh, no, I can never forget about you guys. Um, But yeah, so like I said, don't hesitate to reach out for those kind of questions or any kind of questions. JoshuaVoxCoaches. com, quickest and easiest way to get in touch with us. Um, and uh, and yeah, we uh, like I said, we'll probably talk about you on the air, but that's alright.
That's alright, we'll go gentle. Um, and I won't use your last name, so no one will know who you are. But, um... Yeah, any, uh, any, anything you want to add, Marisa? See ya! Anything else? Cool, I like it. I like it. Thanks so much for tuning in each week. Everyone glad to hear from you, uh, enjoy the, the fall weather as it begins to descend upon us even more.
Winter is, winter is coming. Oh god. Winter is coming. I never watched Game of Thrones so I, I, but I know that's a lie. Cause I, I binged three seasons and I still couldn't get into it. Oh, fair enough. I was like, ugh. I, I started reading the book. Um, and, it got very complicated, and... It is! I, dude, I binged three seasons, I didn't know anybody's name.
Well, fun story! So, I said, you know what, so what I used when I was training for the marathon, I would listen to audiobooks. Cause it was a good distraction, and I was like, yo, if I could listen to Game of Thrones, if I could get into that, that's like 45 hours worth of audio right there. I mean, that's, that's basically my entire training season.
Awesome start to the first one. There were so many different characters and it jumped around so I was so lost Yeah, I was like I'd listen for like an hour and I was like, I literally have no idea what's happening. Who's who? Where are we going? It's jumping. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. There's a dragon somewhere couldn't handle it.
It's all I got Yeah, there are there are But yeah, so but again, apparently it's pretty popular. People seem to like it Cool well, thanks again for tuning in Marissa. Thanks as always for joining us and until next week so long everyone Visit voice coaches.com for more voiceover news and information.
This week, Josh and Marissa discuss home recording. In response to a question from a listener and student, they talk about the costs of home recording. They also look at the costs of recording at a studio.
