The Gypsy’s Guide to Professional Home Recording is a great place to start when setting up a home studio for Voice Over Artists. The best thing is that with this guide you can have your own semipro recording facility for about $355. And, Like the other teaching material that Pat Fraley produces, The Gypsy’s Guide gives you the info that you need to get going in a hurry. If you are not real big in playing with recording equipment or using audio software you will have to ““Embrace your inner Geek” as Pat says to get the most from the Gypsy Guide.
One thing I found interesting is that
VO folks in LA actually get turned down for jobs because they do not have the ability to record at home. It is the way of the future. Like Europe, most
VO work is performed from
VO artist from their private homes. Not having the ability to produce a good quality audition from your home already puts you at a competitive disadvantage. And considering the popularity of online sites like Voices.com and Voice123.com, if you lack the ability to record an audition at a moments notice means you will miss out an a wealth of potential jobs
The banter between Pat and Hillary Huber was very funny and kept my attention while listening to the CD. I like how Pat would set up the jokes and Hillary played the straight person. She seemed keep him in line when he went astray.
The mic comparison between the MXL 990, Studio Projects C1 (The mic i use), Samson C01U and the Sennneiser 421 was particularly interesting to me. Based on the info the Gypsy Guide, I decided to buy a Studio Projects C! for myself. If its good enough for Disney, then it must be more than good enough for me.
As far as what recording software to use, I liked the analogy that Pat Fraley used with regards to using Pro Tools. “Using Pro Tools for
VO recording is like operating a Jet Airplane to go to the grocery store.” Pat uses BIAS Peak LE on his Mac since as he states he is “Light Weight”. This is good news for folks who can not afford the big ticket software packages like CuBase or Pro Tools or for those who would rather keep it simple. BIAS Peak LE goes for less than $100 online and is very easy to use.
A great aspect of the Gypsy guide workbook and CD combo is that they not only address how to setup your own home recording studio, but they also cover Self Direction. Since there are no producers or recording engineers to help direct you during a recording session in your home, you have to have the ability and skills to read the copy as well as direct yourself in order to produce great auditions or final recordings. This is the basic Text Analysis that needs to be addressed for any type of recording involving the 3 basic questions; What, Who and Where. This was a brief coverage of what is included in Pat’s “The 9 Critical Skills to
VO Excellence” workbook, which is also a must have for any
VO talent.
As I stated at the beginning of the review, “The Gypsy’s Guide to Professional Home Recording” is a great starting place. It will get you up and running and recording in no time for small chunk of change. However, to move on to the next level or for more details with regards to recording in your own home studio, Pat suggests getting Harlan Hogan and Jeffery Fisher’s book “The Voice Actor’s Guide to Home Recording.” I have this book as well and it is a tremendous resource for getting to the nitty-gritty of home recording. Plus, it is written in a manner so anyone, regardless of their technical background, can follow. But that’s for another review.
If you are just starting or planning to start recording auditions in your own home, then Pat Fraley and Hillary Huber’s “The Gypsy’s Guide to Professional Home Recording” is the prefect place to start. This book and CD combo will get you on your
VO recording feet in a short period of time . I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to recording at home.
Jon Morss