Well, once again I’m on a deadline. The fifth podbook has been posted, and while the seventh episode is ready to go, I’ve run into snags with the sixth. This is mainly due to a combination problem of a poor VA recording and the fact that I’m using Audacity to do the mixing, which is well-known for its poor noise-reduction capabilities.
For those of you who are VAs out there and are looking to get parts in upcoming productions and such, a strong word of advice: take the time to get quality equipment to record with. Yes, you may be tempted to just use the mic that came with your computer, or find a simple $5 set at RadioShack. Granted, that may be all you can afford at the moment, but from there take the time to save up your money and purchase a quality mic. As a producer/sound editor, it gets frustrating when one is trying to put an audio drama or podcast together and, because of someone’s laziness, spend 10 hours attempting to remove ambiance noise and audio distortion from a vocal track.
No money for a new mic (like me)? Find other outlets. One simple fix is to improve your audio software. While Microsoft Creative Recorder is simple and easy-to-use, the quality of recording is low no matter what equipment to use. Audio editing programs like Audacity, Nuendo, Pro Tools and the classic CoolEdit (now Adobe Audition) will have much better recording capabilities, and even manage to make that out-of-the-box computer mic sound decent.* Again, if you don’t have the funds, Audacity wins out over the rest of these because the software is free. You may also be able to find an old copy of CoolEdit 95 or 96 floating around the internet to use; just make sure to save your work often, as it tends to crash with big mixing projects. A professional software package should be purchased eventually though, as I’m starting to learn with all of this audio editing.
A great resource to use is your local radio station, especially if you have a community or NPR station in the area. Unlike the more popular music stations owned by the radio moguls, community programs will be more likely to allow you use of the studio for unpaid productions (so, anything you won’t be receiving a paycheck for, which is what most of your beginning experience will take part in). If it is a project you are getting paid for, radio stations will allow you to rent a studio for a nominal fee. At WCBE, an hour in Studio B costs about $30 while Studio A (with audio engineer) runs about $70 an hour. Granted, these prices are slightly skewed because I have been interning with the station for so long, but the fact remains that community radio stations will charge you far less for the same quality equipment and recording that you could acheive at a professional recording studio.
(And while you’re there, don’t hesitate to ask if they need volunteers to help around the station. It will take some time and effort, but once you become a ‘regular’ around the station, producers will be more likely to ask you to do VO work for promotions and on-air spots, boosting your experience and resume in the process.)
Bottom line: the better your recording quality, the more likely you’ll be asked to participate in future projects. That is, assuming your voice makes the cut. But as a producer, if I have to decide between two VAs with similar abilities, guess who gets cut?
*sigh* In any case, that’s enough on the VA rant space. A more enlightening ‘Dispatches’ project post will be up later this week…for now, Dispatch 6 awaits….
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*If you find yourself using a Mac, I would also suggest Wiretap Studio and Logic Studio, the former having a freeware version on their website for download. I don’t personally own a mac, but have heard promising things about both programs.
