Recording Pro VO While Traveling

It’s kind of scary, isn’t it? Or is that just me? We get very comfortable and confident in our home set-up and we know that we can rely on a high-quality, consistently great sound.

But life happens. And sometimes (not very often in my case) we have to leave our studios. I stalled for years before buckling down and getting my travel rig in place. I was nervous! I was worried that my sound would not be good enough and that I would not be able to relax if I brought my work with me.

Both concerns proved to be unfounded in most cases.

What I use for Voice Over when I travel

Well, my travel equipment has changed a bit over the past couple years. At first, I chose a smaller, shotgun style mic to take with me because it was compact, light, and the shotgun setup helps reduce any noise that isn’t directly in front of the mic.

I chose the Mic Hero DSP as my interface (highly recommend) and I bring my 13-inch Macbook pro with me that is a duplicate (content-wise) of my work computer.

Recently, however, I decided to start using a replica of the condenser mic I use at home. It’s heavier and more expensive but (this way) I am much closer to replicating my sound at home if I use the same mic. I have also begin experimenting with what I use to hold the mic–switching from the clamp-style mount to a desktop mic stand with a pop filter.

I also purchased a Travel-Booth-To-Go to take with me on trips where I either drive or I’m going away longer and checking a bag (the booth fits in a larger suitcase but not a carry-on).

Book a Trip? Book a Job.

There’s a running joke in the voice over world that the secret to booking voice over work is to book a trip away. There does seem like an uncanny truth to this.

A couple of weeks ago, I made the trip to Indiana to drop my oldest child off for his freshman year at Purdue University. I brought my travel rig along so I could tackle any important auditions or work.

Well, surprise surprise! I received a text Sunday night (!) that I had booked a political spot and the cliented wanted a few more reads of the :30 and a few reads of an additional :15 by the next morning!

Gulp.

The Finished Product

I had heard really good things about recording audio inside a car (a vehicle is already well-treated for sound) so I decided to experiment with that.

I drove our rental car to a quieter area (our hotel was next to a busy highway) and tried to find a good set-up. Two things were very challenging. It was night and it was DARK! The interior light would not stay on with the car off so it was very hard to see what I was doing!

Then? It started raining. Loudly.

I did manage to get decent takes and audio that night so I delivered the files and went to bed. The next night I tackled some more work and auditions but I decided to create a pillow fort in the hotel room. I found this a lot more comfortable.

Tip: Turn off the A/C, unplug the mini-fridge, and the suitcase holder works great as a structure!

Today, I located a copy of the :15 ad that I recorded in the car that first night and…It sounds pretty darn good! You would never know that I was twisted up in a rental car, sweating, and JUST a little close to tears when I recorded it.

Here it is:

Practice Makes Perfect-ish

I suspect that this will get easier and easier and I do it more often. Hearing the final product that went straight from my rental car to air is also pretty affirming that it IS possible.

In the meantime, I very much appreciate my comfy home studio with plenty of light and no rain.