This is a perfect example of why you have become one of my favorite sources of information on voice over. The acceptance of multiple voices and opinions while giving a great explanation of why your methods work for you.
I never like using headphones unless I had to. Problem is I tend to have a louder delivery (damn experience as a corporate trainer). This video made me go back and try the headphones again, but this time I turned the volume up on the monitor and what a difference it made. Hearing myself more clearly helped me pull back a bit, gave my voice more depth and improved my performance! Love the channel!
Very interesting debate! I usually almost always wear headphones when in my studio, where I do most of the advertising work. However, when working on movie and TV show dubbings (on other studios) I prefer not to use them. It does translate to VO work though: when the text requires a bit of interpretation - when a script gets emotional (be it advertising, corporation, whatever), headphones distract me heavily from the acting. I've found that to get a proper interpretation I can't have headphones on. I just want to feel and express emotions, anything that interferes will distract me from properly achieving that. Great video, as always!
I agree with you Mike. I’ve tried both ways, with cans and without. I prefer using headphones. Especially to catch clicks, pops, and plosives. Sometimes my glasses hit the mic when I get excited and I wouldn’t know it if I didn’t use headphones.
Mike you make four very valid points to use headphones, and I agree with all of them. From my radio news days to audiobook narration and voice over, I always use headphones. Using headphones allows you to fix things like mouth noise at the source rather than in the editing process. It's a huge time saver. Thanks for the very reasoned approach to this topic.
I was on-air radio talent for years and I’ve done breaks both with cans and without. Everything Mike said is right. Working in an audio environment like this without headphones is like walking down the street wearing a blindfold and with no help. Even when playing live in a band, I wore in-ear monitors. I just don’t like working without being able to hear the product I’m creating. It’s no secret that your voice sounds different to you than it does to others. I want to hear what others are going to hear. In my experience, “Mic on, cans on. Mic off, cans off” I admit, I have played silly games on the air before, though. Sometimes, I would know how long a ramp was and try to post it without headphones. Then go back and listen to my air check to see if I pulled it off or if I walked over the vocals of the song. Things jocks do then they’re bored. Of course, if you got caught, you’d get a talking to from the program director. 😁
I hadn't thought about the "others hear your voice differently", but I agree. I'm also a gigging musician (acoustic solo) and use in-ears so I can hear my voice and get a good "picture" of what I sound like.
The sound booth prep makes HUGE difference. My youngest had ear problems and had to see an audiologist for several years. Their hearing test chamber is DEAD silent. In a hospital with everything else beeping and blowing and rattling. They shut the door and all I could hear was the sound of our breathing and, surprise, tinnitus.
As a guitar player that plays mostly lIVE, the only mic I ever used on my guitar cabinet was the old standby…a Shure SM57. My wife has been wanting to get into podcasting for her business. So, knowing nothing about mics for voice work, I started researching different mics and watching RUclips videos. That’s how I came across your channel. Man! I gotta say….you give out so much great information which educates “newbies” like myself. And for free! I’ve learned so much from watching your channel. I started from the most recent and watched videos like this from 3 years ago. Thank you so much for all the info you give out! Now I’m so intrigued by voice over work.
I would absolutely agree in favour of headphones in the booth. I recorded an audiobook a few months that I never wore headphones for and I usually work on two - three chapters at a time, have a break and edit and hen go back in. But during one of the chapters I didn’t realise that my partner had put the washing machine one. It was so quiet in my booth that I couldn’t hear it with my ears but of course, my mic picked it up and it wasn’t until I was listening back to it in my control room that I noticed a high pitched whine throughout an entire chapter and I had to go back and re record. Also, every now and again my dog will bark/whine and I need to be able to hear exactly what is going into Reaper as it’s recorded.
I always use headphones when doing recordings, mostly for the reasons you mentioned at the end, to hear yourself and to know if there is any clicks, plosives or anything else unwanted. I normally use either a Sennheiser MKh-416 or a ME66 and both are quite sensitive so have to be able to hear myself to avoid picking up unwanted sounds and to playback the recording to know if it sounds fine. I also sometimes use cardioid microphones and need to hear myself to make sure I am the same distance from the mic each time so one part of the audio doesn't have any noticeable proximity effect of being slightly farther away or closer to the mic than I was during the rest of the recording which has happened to me a few times.
I started having to do a bunch of V.O. for work stuff (our department was no longer hiring a pro every time we need narration). One of the first tips I received: not wearing headphones while recording is the equivalent to not looking through the viewfinder when taking a photo. It's exactly what you said. Technically, you don't NEED it. I shoot photos blind all the time (thank goodness for the large live-view screens on cameras nowadays). But in terms of improving overall workflow and efficiency, they are extremely helpful.
Your comment on newcomers in the booth weirded out by the sound dampening reminded me of when my sister stayed with me and tried to sleep in my office on the couch. She quickly realized she couldn't because it was too quiet for her. I just took it as a compliment. My preference for headphones has changed as I've slowly dialed in my room and settings. With my old gain settings, I preferred to keep them on so I could hear any additional noises bleeding into my recordings. Now I've dialed back my gain, and I actually can't hear myself anymore during recording. I tend to keep them just half on so I can hear my natural speaking volume and don't over-project into the mic. The half-on is just so I don't have to pick them up as often. I still fully wear them during post-processing. I think wearing the headphones is best practice, but you can likely go without them once your ear is trained for what kind of unwanted noises to expect in the environment you're used to. I still pick up on the clicks and glottal noises without fully wearing them and instantly throw retakes in when they pop up. The headphone booster is a great idea though, I'll have to try one out.
You have the same headphones I'm listening on. I somehow just never thought to wear headphones while recording myself until I watched a video where someone explained the importance of it. Tried it out and my recordings sounded much better. Allows you to use the mic as an instrument in a way, because varying your position to it has a significant effect on the sound.
I just found your videos today in a search I did on the sennheiser 416 and I have binge watched at least a dozen of them! Thank you for all the great information you are sharing, it is soooo helpful for a non technical person like me who never touched a piece of sound equipment in my life before home studios became the norm. I have have bought and use everyday equipment that I still have very little understanding of. It can be pretty overwhelming but your comparisons ans explanations really help narrow down options for me. I’ve been doing VO for years and got into the habit of going canless in the booth when not being directed because I found wearing them and hearing my own voice while I’m recording to be distracting and even effects my performance. but as you say I do often end up speaking too loudly and wearing out my voice, and I also miss mouth noise that I end up having to edit out later. So you have made me rethink my method and Im gonna try using headphones again. I watched your video on headphone comparisons and I know the pair you use in the booth are discontinued so which would you recommend that are most comfortable? many I have tried give me a headache after while and squeeze my head
As a Twitch Live streamer, this video is very relatable to me. When I live stream, I wear headphones for 4 main reasons. 1. To hear the people I am talking too on Discord, a voice over IP service. 2. To hear my video game, 3. to hear my music I am playing on stream, and 4. (the most important) to hear my own voice. I found that it is very important I can hear myself because I find I don't talk as loud which means I can go for 6 to 8 hour live streams to be able to save my voice. Now granted I have trouble mixing all the levels right because of people's voices, music volume, and game volume, but still, my reasons still stand. Good video discussion for sure! Thanks!
I prefer headphones as well but moreso from the standpoint that I can hear and see my audio in realtime. The only area I definitely disagree with other voiceactors is when they say that any headphones are fine as long as they're comfortable. Having the wrong headphones will give you an incorrect read on your recordings. Those headphones are lying to you. If you have the wrong headphones you'll think that your voice is bassier (when it's not), you'll think it's tinnier (when it's not), you'll think there's a lot of self-noise from the mic (when it's not), you''ll think there is no self-noise (when it's not). So it's baffling to see voiceactors that spend hundreds of dollars on microphones, audio interfaces and preamps but are freaking about sound quality - only to later discover that the cheap headphones they were using weren't adequate. Yes - you can use any headphones - in the booth --- to an extent -- but what's the point of studying everything about Reaper and everything needed to get good sound - when your own headphones are telling you a lie? It's baffling to see people still using earbuds - when they could actually improve their sound so much more by getting a proper set of cans.
I prefer to use headphones. I allows me to maintain the levels, helps me listen more closely so I can pick up my own mispronunciations or short-pronunciations and re-do them right away, instead of waiting for when I'm in the middle of the editing process. I don't crank the levels so high that I can hear every single imperfection. I use them with fairly low gain, but enough to detect my mistakes.
I think the biggest thing is your point about things like proximity effect. You can't hear that without monitoring your mic. Another thing on the same topic as that, is that when you hear your own voice normally, you're not hearing what you sound like in the 3rd person. You're only hearing your voice in your head and the reflections. You don't naturally hear what you sound like in front of yourself. You're not hearing what everyone else hears coming straight from your mouth.
I don't do voice work but I do record a lot of ambient noise. in the "field" I use IEM's (in ear monitors) and when editing I use Sennheiser HD 600 headphones. I like to use IEM's with a good seal as they block 80% of the noise from the outside world. Chinese IEM's are much more cheaper than super expensive name brand stdio monitor headphones. I recommend Tin-T2 IEM's.
.......also, as a voice teacher of many many years, I can categorically assert your ears cannot be trusted to know what you sound like to your target audience (other human ears). This has nothing to do with the room: though your reasons are valid as it relates to monitoring what’s going to “tape”. The simple fact is the talent’s ears are coupled to the jaw (which cupping the ears will not eliminate by the way) so what sounds good to them is often what sounds bad to the uncoupled ear. Best way to illustrate it is to listen to a recording (made without the aid of headphones) of your voice. Almost always the reaction is, “that doesn’t sound like me”. Now, the trained vocalist knows how to decouple the jaw when speaking or singing and to monitor by feeling rather than hearing because when their voice sounds best to their audience their ears perceive it as dull or muffled. I’ve proven this to a host of students by recording both methods of production. Without exception they would claim I swapped the recordings until I used discrete recorders for each method. Even then it took them a while to reconcile what their ears heard in the room versus what the microphone “heard”.
I was trained for un-miked stages. Think street performer, or churches without sound systems and a lot of small humans. I have got to use headphones. I can support my voice to be heard in the back of a theater. I must be careful not to be too loud when I flip on my “public”voice.
I agree with both. I really think it comes down to what you are used to. When I am trying to find my character or am rehearsing to find the right voice, I have the cans on. When I am happy with where I am going, I takes the cans off and perform. One less distraction for me. I have never done long form and I have a background in theater so that also colors my opinion.
I think it depends on both what you're doing in the studio and personal preference. When I'm live on radio (and for much of my VO) I like to wear my cans with one ear flipped off to the back. I find that sometimes when wearing cans on both ears, I can get tripped up listening to a line or a couple words as I'm talking, especially when just ad libbing. In addition, I think it's easier (for me) to keep a more normal speaking rhythm with one ear off. I also feel I work harder with both sides on - almost as if I tend to work against the headphone sound. It's kind of hard to explain. And, with just one ear, I can monitor what's on-air quite well, although I'm pretty good at quickly flipping on the other side when more precision is necessary like over the intro of a song.
I very much appreciate your style ( I like your casual style), information, and opinions. I have no interest in doing voiceovers (if I need voiceovers, I'll hire you :) ), but your information is excellent for anyone who needs to record audio, period. We all know audio is more important than the video quality, when doing videos. Thanks for sharing your knowledge
I'm a newb, but when I first started I did not use headphones mostly because I couldn't solve latency issue, but once I solved that, I started using headphones with my recording, it was a major noticeable difference in perfecting my recordings. Thanks for another amazing video!
Eh not great for podcasts and voice work too bright in the highs and depending on the version of impedance 32 80 etc they can be quite expensive for budget users there quite good for movies and other content just a tad too bright for monitoring audio
Sweet! I've learned so much and progressed through your videos. Thanks for your concern. Because this is exactly what you're doing. You are concern that we "Voiceover Artist" are doing a good job. So thanks for your time and fundalmental suggestions.
For what its worth, where I interned we basically forced everyone to wear headphones because people misjudge themselves by a lot. People think that they are talking directly into the mic but they go off axis enough to be annoying. Also plosives are tough to judge even for the best of them. In some situation they hear something in another language in one ear and their own voice in the other for translated kid shows. Any cons of headphones aren't really cons. As long as you use good and tight headphones on normal levels (so don't blast them like musicians always do on recordings) you wont hear anything. When in a studio with a director the most annoying thing ever is when a talkback speaker is used because it will feedback when the engineer forgets to turn down the mic depending on the studio. Just having a simple headphone fixes more issues than it causes it.
Those are all good reasons TO wear them, especially for inexperienced people. Mike's reasons are all good too. On the other hand, coming from radio like I do, I haven't worn them for voicing things in years. Like many people, I was getting too caught up in how I sounded to myself in my headphones, rather than focusing on my performance. Radio people tend to have that issue :)
It's pretty simple for me. When recording an audio book or a commercial, I wear headphones. It is more precise and doesn't get in the way. While doing voice acting, we don't wear them, because of gestures and movement.
Hi Mark, I have no director, I have a sound booth rigged in my bedroom. I need/prefer headphones!!!!! Mainly because I can hear how animated I want to be in various voice over projects. Wearing cans doesn't mean you don't trust your voice, wearing cans means you want to hear what you need to do to refine what you hear. Otherwise, we'd be doing re-takes ALL DAY!
I like to use cans because I’m from South East Texas and can slip into my drawl if I don’t keep myself in check and continuously monitor myself. I can do quite a few accents(American and others) but I tend to dip back to the drawl without noticing. So, until I feel like I can really get that under control, I’ll just be a can head and I’m okay with that. Plus, when I put them on I just kinda switch into this “This is what I’m doing right now” mode. It’s kind of ritualistic, I suppose. Place cans on head. Focus. Learn. Get better. Take them off and it’s time to do other stuff. Also, have you ever tried any Sterling Audio mics? I tried one out at guitar center (ST159) and went ahead and picked it up for a particular project that was sidelined and has recently evolved into something quite different. I am really happy with it for voice over but was wondering if you had any opinions on that series of microphones or just the brand in general.
Really depends on what I'm recording as to whether I use headphones or not. Sometimes I want it to feel very natural and without headphones works, but I definitely get you with the longer format work and saving the voice. I'll also wear headphones if I feel like I've got some mouth noises or smacking I'm picking up when I listen back to my first take or when doing some quick edits.
I couldn't agree with this video more. It saves me a lot of time and I feel I do better work with headphones on. Plus, it's essential for live direction, so you may as well get used to it if you're a career voice actor. I definitely wouldn't want to go back and forth.
Hey, I saw you on Bill's video. If you are doing long form (like Mike), do as he suggests, and use a clicker, or even click a pen. It will show up in the wave form, and is an easy way to search for errors without having to listen to the whole thing. It will definitely shorten your editing time.
The one thing I personally don't like about closed-back headphones that create a tight seal or earbuds is the way they make my voice sound boomy through my head. Other than they I find monitoring myself through headphones very necessary.
I always wear headphones because I’m a naturally quiet speaker, so being able to monitor myself helps me know when I should be projecting more, but not so much that I yell or cause clipping. Plus I like being a member to make sure I’m creating the sound/voice that I want.
Awesome things to think about for us newbs. In the end, maybe best for each person to experiment for their self. For me in my (amateur) book recordings, I definitely do both, often without cans helps my performance and fatigues less quickly but cans necessary for punch in and doing effects for sure.
How about a video on breathing? Pre-Covid I was a busker who sang 6 hours a day, 5 days a week in the subway system in Toronto, so I really needed volume. If you breathe correctly and push the air out from the diaphragm you will never strain your voice and your voice will never get tired. I started long form narration during Covid and applied the breathing techniques. My voice never gets tired, though the brain is another story - audiobook narration requires mental strength. TTFN
Thank you so much for your videos, Mike! I’m trying to become more knowledgeable about audio recording and production, and you are a very helpful educator. I hope to entertain people with podcasts and voice acting productions in the future. I will refer other audio production enthusiasts that I meet to your high quality and easy to watch videos.
You're now using a Neumann U87 and I also see the Beyerdynamic DT 770 80 Ohm cans on your head. Next you'll be telling how the Avalon M5 PreAmp is the best Amp for VO. Geez! Are you looking at my home studio? Way to move up to the good stuff! :) Always watching, always enjoying your stuff. Thank you! I wonder if you'll get a UA Apollo Twin interface and all that comes with it to work in the world of Voice. Your thoughts on EQ though that creature and all it has would be interesting.
Thanks a million for covering this! I come from theatre, and started doing voice over two years ago (with oddles of help from your channel). I have never been comfortable wearing heaphones in the booth when I'm not being live directed. I can't even process what's going on in my ears while performing (getting a headphone amp with a phase switch might help, though, haha), so I find the headphones to just be a distraction. I can hear when I'm clicky, or raspy, or getting nasal sounds without headphones, so the main thing I have to be wary of is popping and staying on mic. But again, I can't hear clipping, popping, and volume fluctuation in my cans while performing. Just ain't got the brain power, haha! I do always keeps a pair plugged in and on hand, though, in case I ever do want to listen to myself. I'm not doing long form narration, though, haha, and I don't yet have a setup where I can edit anything from the booth. If I ever do put together such a setup, I'd definitely use headphones more!
I certainly agree with you my friend. Of course for long form work comfortable cans are vital. I can personally recommend Beyer DT 770 Pro. It looks like you have something very similar.
Great stuff Mike as always! I agree on every point you made and I would add a few of my own. Wearing headphones helps me project. When I'm in the booth I find that without the headphones I don't project as well, I think it's a natural reaction that everyone has when speaking with headphones on. Also, I sometimes listen to the music that the client will use for the video so that I have a sense of the mood, tone or pace that I need to hit to go with the music. It's all good!
Do you have any specific tips for how to talk into the mic? I'm using an LDC and I notice that you usually talk at kind of an angle? I don't know if that's just for the video, or if it helps avoid sibilance/plosives.. just wondering your thoughts on this. Thanks!
I stopped wearing headphones about nine years ago, and it really improved my overall sound and delivery. The only time I wear them now, is when I'm at a studio with a client on the other side of the window, and then only when I've finished a read do I put them on. To each his or her own, but "no headphones" works great for me.
Another great video Mike. Any chance you could compare some small, affordable headphone amps? Might be good for those with headphones with different ohms.
I loved this video. I do simultaneous interpretation, because of the pandemic I am doing remote interpretation lately, I am learning about how to deal with sound, microphones and such us! since you were talking about ways to protect your voice, I was wondering if you have already a video on the subject. For example, do you eat of drink frozen stuff at all? I just found my self having to have frozen smoothies and grapes, since we are in lock down in Colombia, and we are not allowed to go out that often for veggies and fruits.
All of the professional voice actors I worked with want to wear headphones; some want ridiculously loud levels, especially of their own voice. I encountered a couple who prefer to wear only one can and have the other ear free. Only a couple of non-professionals didn't want to wear them. That's my experience as a sound engineer. 11:20 Exactly. That's the most important point, whether you work with a director or not: how can you "trust your ears" when they don't hear what the mic is recording?
So, I have this crappy habit of drinking a giant coffee in the morning before hitting the booth. I know, I know... bad. And before my water intake kicks in, for many of my early morning takes, I have a lot of mouth noise to dodge. Totally with you on point 4, Mike. However, there are some times when doing a "performance" recording that I like the cans off. There's a certain freedom in not hearing your own voice when you got to give it a little oomph.
When I was learning radio broadcasting it was drilled into my head that we Had to have our headphones on. That was the worst thing to get used to. When I'm in my little studio, I need my headphones so I can be sure I'm saying things right or not missing a word. It's interseting.
This is quite intelligent, I will give this a serious shot! Thanks for not talking all about microphones! You have so much more to talk about! Thank you! Thumbnail? Whats wrong with it? :)
Yeah, when I'm the voice on the mic AND the producer, cans are 100% mandatory. When the mix is set and forget for a stream I still am the producer and knowing what is going out over the mix is a must. I suppose if you had perfect mic technique and a producer/engineer listening for you, it would be a different story.
The only time I don't wear headphones is when I'm doing a directed session via conference call, and it's just too uncomfortable to hold the phone up to my ear while wearing headphones. When I'm recording on my own, though, I always wear them.
11:35 I’m working on it! That will be my next big purchase I think, that or spent to g else for my channel but I think I need a mic more then anything. Phone is not cutting it sadly, at least I think I sound bad, I can’t really tell.
Hi! I love your videos ☺️ I was wondering if you’d be interested in making a video for the best mics to use for quieter sounds! Popular mics in the ASMR community include rode nt1/nt1A, zooms, tascams, and of course the blue yeti. A comparison video for how these add up technically with each other (and maybe some alternatives!) would be amazing to watch. Not much info out there regarding how mics sound for “trigger sounds” or whispering/soft speaking rather than full volume voice work :)
Recording VO's without cans, you hav a greater chance of not realizing that you wandered off the mic or too close to it. They are ur only way to hear what u will sound like in the "world" that ur voice will be heard.
Hey Mike love your insights. Do you have a video on how to minimize mouth clickiness. On my podcast (the moe and o photo show) shameless... I am always clicky and can't seem to find a good place /distance from the mic. Would love to see any videos of yours that could help b thank you for the improvement you have already provided me
Use a pop filter (metal is best and keep your face thumb to pinky finger distance from the mic. Drink a lot of water before you go on . (I'm not Mark, but that helps me a lot)
only 994 likes before I got here ?! sad, it was a really nice video and ur voice is so nice and warm. I love the way you explain things . They are clear and concise . Thank you very much for your work ! All I could give you is a like and I`m already subscribed so ... :) thank you once more !
I seem to be the only person with this question (I’m a total newbie and not that great with technology), but how do you listen to yourself while recording without getting distracted? Is there a slight delay between when you speak and when the headphones plays back what you say? Or does it just go through the headphones in real-time and you have to learn to not get distracted by it?
Starting with voice over headphones were super distracting as I heared the breathing and stressing about it to the point where I stopped breathing. Didn't have a booth though, only a quiet room so didn't have the problem of not hearing my voice. Easier to use headphones when one gets used to voice overs.
I've been playing with my booth, mostly mic placement for volume and such, and I don't have cans. At that moment, I wish I did, because I kept having to stop, listen, adjust, unplug earbuds, and on and on. It would have saved myself a lot of time. I'll probably invest in some cans soon. I just hate to do it when I don't know if I'm going to like using them since I've been going commando for so long. lol
GREAT VID! I know you've probably been questioned on this before, but does it really matter that you have a DT 770 Pro 250 Ohm (closed back) OVER the DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm (open back) for voice over recordings? I've watched other vids saying that using an open back headset transfers sound to the mic, but since I'm using my pre-adjusted DBX 286s > 215s > 166xs > Cloudlifter CL-1 > MOTU M2 > MacPro, to compress the sound (so I don't hear anything in the background), I not picking up any transference of sound from my open back headset to my Shure SM7B mic AT ALL. What's your thoughts about this? I look forward to your input. Thank you. Again, GREAT VID !!!
I have VERY sensitive hearing and.... cheep soundproofing. I can hear myself very eaisily For now the only headphones I can afford don't work for recording (squeeky cord). I'll budget for some headphones when I manage to upgrade my booth.
I'm curious, I've watched a few of your videos lately (loving the content, thank you so much!) but I still find myself being surprised when ANOTHER microphone turns up. Do you just the keep the ones you've accrued to use them for context? or do you have specific use cases in your career that different mic's are used in a different way? (so, why would you need multiple condensers/Shotguns/Dynamics etc?). if so, do varying brands offer different flavours for the variety of 'colour' you need from the sound for a different effect? The answer may as simple as "hey buddy, the channel is called "booth JUNKIE"!", but I've been curious. Thanks for all the hard work you put in.
Thanks for the video. Interesting topic. I wonder, have you ever had any feedback issues in your headphones because you were to close to the mic? I have the Sennheiser 380s and a pair of headphones that came with an older Focusrite kit. I kept getting some kind of electrical feedback issue in my headphones with the 380s but I don't have that same problem with the Focusrite headphones. I ended up taking the Sennheiser 380s out of the Whisper Room and putting the Focusrite headphone in. I don't edit on the fly in the Whisper Room, I do all my editing just outside at my desk so I don't need headphones for that. I found that for me I can be more natural (myself) and get into character so much easier without using headphones. For me no headphones = more acting ability. Have you ever dealt with those feedback issues? Thanks in Advance, Anthony
This is a perfect example of why you have become one of my favorite sources of information on voice over. The acceptance of multiple voices and opinions while giving a great explanation of why your methods work for you.
I never like using headphones unless I had to. Problem is I tend to have a louder delivery (damn experience as a corporate trainer). This video made me go back and try the headphones again, but this time I turned the volume up on the monitor and what a difference it made. Hearing myself more clearly helped me pull back a bit, gave my voice more depth and improved my performance! Love the channel!
Very interesting debate! I usually almost always wear headphones when in my studio, where I do most of the advertising work. However, when working on movie and TV show dubbings (on other studios) I prefer not to use them. It does translate to VO work though: when the text requires a bit of interpretation - when a script gets emotional (be it advertising, corporation, whatever), headphones distract me heavily from the acting. I've found that to get a proper interpretation I can't have headphones on. I just want to feel and express emotions, anything that interferes will distract me from properly achieving that.
Great video, as always!
I agree with you Mike. I’ve tried both ways, with cans and without. I prefer using headphones. Especially to catch clicks, pops, and plosives. Sometimes my glasses hit the mic when I get excited and I wouldn’t know it if I didn’t use headphones.
Mike you make four very valid points to use headphones, and I agree with all of them. From my radio news days to audiobook narration and voice over, I always use headphones. Using headphones allows you to fix things like mouth noise at the source rather than in the editing process. It's a huge time saver. Thanks for the very reasoned approach to this topic.
This thing with the second mic, facing the wall was really impressive :).
Since you're working for long hours in your booth - how do you handle ventilation?
P.S. The THUMBNAIL almost took my entire life away. LOL DUDE I literally choked on my bottled water.
@@renat_CIA Ok bud
Renat ok that’s enough
I was on-air radio talent for years and I’ve done breaks both with cans and without. Everything Mike said is right. Working in an audio environment like this without headphones is like walking down the street wearing a blindfold and with no help. Even when playing live in a band, I wore in-ear monitors. I just don’t like working without being able to hear the product I’m creating. It’s no secret that your voice sounds different to you than it does to others. I want to hear what others are going to hear. In my experience, “Mic on, cans on. Mic off, cans off”
I admit, I have played silly games on the air before, though. Sometimes, I would know how long a ramp was and try to post it without headphones. Then go back and listen to my air check to see if I pulled it off or if I walked over the vocals of the song. Things jocks do then they’re bored. Of course, if you got caught, you’d get a talking to from the program director. 😁
I hadn't thought about the "others hear your voice differently", but I agree. I'm also a gigging musician (acoustic solo) and use in-ears so I can hear my voice and get a good "picture" of what I sound like.
The sound booth prep makes HUGE difference. My youngest had ear problems and had to see an audiologist for several years. Their hearing test chamber is DEAD silent. In a hospital with everything else beeping and blowing and rattling. They shut the door and all I could hear was the sound of our breathing and, surprise, tinnitus.
As a guitar player that plays mostly lIVE, the only mic I ever used on my guitar cabinet was the old standby…a Shure SM57. My wife has been wanting to get into podcasting for her business. So, knowing nothing about mics for voice work, I started researching different mics and watching RUclips videos. That’s how I came across your channel. Man! I gotta say….you give out so much great information which educates “newbies” like myself. And for free! I’ve learned so much from watching your channel. I started from the most recent and watched videos like this from 3 years ago. Thank you so much for all the info you give out! Now I’m so intrigued by voice over work.
I would absolutely agree in favour of headphones in the booth. I recorded an audiobook a few months that I never wore headphones for and I usually work on two - three chapters at a time, have a break and edit and hen go back in. But during one of the chapters I didn’t realise that my partner had put the washing machine one. It was so quiet in my booth that I couldn’t hear it with my ears but of course, my mic picked it up and it wasn’t until I was listening back to it in my control room that I noticed a high pitched whine throughout an entire chapter and I had to go back and re record. Also, every now and again my dog will bark/whine and I need to be able to hear exactly what is going into Reaper as it’s recorded.
I always use headphones when doing recordings, mostly for the reasons you mentioned at the end, to hear yourself and to know if there is any clicks, plosives or anything else unwanted. I normally use either a Sennheiser MKh-416 or a ME66 and both are quite sensitive so have to be able to hear myself to avoid picking up unwanted sounds and to playback the recording to know if it sounds fine. I also sometimes use cardioid microphones and need to hear myself to make sure I am the same distance from the mic each time so one part of the audio doesn't have any noticeable proximity effect of being slightly farther away or closer to the mic than I was during the rest of the recording which has happened to me a few times.
I started having to do a bunch of V.O. for work stuff (our department was no longer hiring a pro every time we need narration). One of the first tips I received: not wearing headphones while recording is the equivalent to not looking through the viewfinder when taking a photo.
It's exactly what you said. Technically, you don't NEED it. I shoot photos blind all the time (thank goodness for the large live-view screens on cameras nowadays). But in terms of improving overall workflow and efficiency, they are extremely helpful.
I really don't know why but I could just listen to this guy all day. Your voice just takes out my anxieties.
Your comment on newcomers in the booth weirded out by the sound dampening reminded me of when my sister stayed with me and tried to sleep in my office on the couch. She quickly realized she couldn't because it was too quiet for her. I just took it as a compliment.
My preference for headphones has changed as I've slowly dialed in my room and settings. With my old gain settings, I preferred to keep them on so I could hear any additional noises bleeding into my recordings. Now I've dialed back my gain, and I actually can't hear myself anymore during recording. I tend to keep them just half on so I can hear my natural speaking volume and don't over-project into the mic. The half-on is just so I don't have to pick them up as often. I still fully wear them during post-processing.
I think wearing the headphones is best practice, but you can likely go without them once your ear is trained for what kind of unwanted noises to expect in the environment you're used to. I still pick up on the clicks and glottal noises without fully wearing them and instantly throw retakes in when they pop up.
The headphone booster is a great idea though, I'll have to try one out.
You have the same headphones I'm listening on.
I somehow just never thought to wear headphones while recording myself until I watched a video where someone explained the importance of it. Tried it out and my recordings sounded much better. Allows you to use the mic as an instrument in a way, because varying your position to it has a significant effect on the sound.
I just found your videos today in a search I did on the sennheiser 416 and I have binge watched at least a dozen of them! Thank you for all the great information you are sharing, it is soooo helpful for a non technical person like me who never touched a piece of sound equipment in my life before home studios became the norm. I have have bought and use everyday equipment that I still have very little understanding of. It can be pretty overwhelming but your comparisons ans explanations really help narrow down options for me. I’ve been doing VO for years and got into the habit of going canless in the booth when not being directed because I found wearing them and hearing my own voice while I’m recording to be distracting and even effects my performance. but as you say I do often end up speaking too loudly and wearing out my voice, and I also miss mouth noise that I end up having to edit out later. So you have made me rethink my method and Im gonna try using headphones again. I watched your video on headphone comparisons and I know the pair you use in the booth are discontinued so which would you recommend that are most comfortable? many I have tried give me a headache after while and squeeze my head
As a Twitch Live streamer, this video is very relatable to me. When I live stream, I wear headphones for 4 main reasons. 1. To hear the people I am talking too on Discord, a voice over IP service. 2. To hear my video game, 3. to hear my music I am playing on stream, and 4. (the most important) to hear my own voice. I found that it is very important I can hear myself because I find I don't talk as loud which means I can go for 6 to 8 hour live streams to be able to save my voice. Now granted I have trouble mixing all the levels right because of people's voices, music volume, and game volume, but still, my reasons still stand. Good video discussion for sure! Thanks!
I prefer headphones as well but moreso from the standpoint that I can hear and see my audio in realtime. The only area I definitely disagree with other voiceactors is when they say that any headphones are fine as long as they're comfortable. Having the wrong headphones will give you an incorrect read on your recordings. Those headphones are lying to you. If you have the wrong headphones you'll think that your voice is bassier (when it's not), you'll think it's tinnier (when it's not), you'll think there's a lot of self-noise from the mic (when it's not), you''ll think there is no self-noise (when it's not). So it's baffling to see voiceactors that spend hundreds of dollars on microphones, audio interfaces and preamps but are freaking about sound quality - only to later discover that the cheap headphones they were using weren't adequate. Yes - you can use any headphones - in the booth --- to an extent -- but what's the point of studying everything about Reaper and everything needed to get good sound - when your own headphones are telling you a lie? It's baffling to see people still using earbuds - when they could actually improve their sound so much more by getting a proper set of cans.
It's actually best to have *multiple* sets of headphones, for playback, anyway. I personally don't care about quality until playback.
I have a question, sir. Don't you feel stuffed and short of breath being in that windowless room/booth for 2 hours??
I prefer to use headphones. I allows me to maintain the levels, helps me listen more closely so I can pick up my own mispronunciations or short-pronunciations and re-do them right away, instead of waiting for when I'm in the middle of the editing process. I don't crank the levels so high that I can hear every single imperfection. I use them with fairly low gain, but enough to detect my mistakes.
I think the biggest thing is your point about things like proximity effect. You can't hear that without monitoring your mic. Another thing on the same topic as that, is that when you hear your own voice normally, you're not hearing what you sound like in the 3rd person. You're only hearing your voice in your head and the reflections. You don't naturally hear what you sound like in front of yourself. You're not hearing what everyone else hears coming straight from your mouth.
I don't do voice work but I do record a lot of ambient noise. in the "field" I use IEM's (in ear monitors) and when editing I use Sennheiser HD 600 headphones. I like to use IEM's with a good seal as they block 80% of the noise from the outside world. Chinese IEM's are much more cheaper than super expensive name brand stdio monitor headphones. I recommend Tin-T2 IEM's.
.......also, as a voice teacher of many many years, I can categorically assert your ears cannot be trusted to know what you sound like to your target audience (other human ears). This has nothing to do with the room: though your reasons are valid as it relates to monitoring what’s going to “tape”. The simple fact is the talent’s ears are coupled to the jaw (which cupping the ears will not eliminate by the way) so what sounds good to them is often what sounds bad to the uncoupled ear. Best way to illustrate it is to listen to a recording (made without the aid of headphones) of your voice. Almost always the reaction is, “that doesn’t sound like me”. Now, the trained vocalist knows how to decouple the jaw when speaking or singing and to monitor by feeling rather than hearing because when their voice sounds best to their audience their ears perceive it as dull or muffled. I’ve proven this to a host of students by recording both methods of production. Without exception they would claim I swapped the recordings until I used discrete recorders for each method. Even then it took them a while to reconcile what their ears heard in the room versus what the microphone “heard”.
I was trained for un-miked stages. Think street performer, or churches without sound systems and a lot of small humans. I have got to use headphones. I can support my voice to be heard in the back of a theater. I must be careful not to be too loud when I flip on my “public”voice.
I agree with both. I really think it comes down to what you are used to. When I am trying to find my character or am rehearsing to find the right voice, I have the cans on. When I am happy with where I am going, I takes the cans off and perform. One less distraction for me. I have never done long form and I have a background in theater so that also colors my opinion.
I think you make a valid point. Our brains are built for high stimulation, we automatically turn up the gain
I think it depends on both what you're doing in the studio and personal preference. When I'm live on radio (and for much of my VO) I like to wear my cans with one ear flipped off to the back. I find that sometimes when wearing cans on both ears, I can get tripped up listening to a line or a couple words as I'm talking, especially when just ad libbing. In addition, I think it's easier (for me) to keep a more normal speaking rhythm with one ear off. I also feel I work harder with both sides on - almost as if I tend to work against the headphone sound. It's kind of hard to explain. And, with just one ear, I can monitor what's on-air quite well, although I'm pretty good at quickly flipping on the other side when more precision is necessary like over the intro of a song.
I very much appreciate your style ( I like your casual style), information, and opinions. I have no interest in doing voiceovers (if I need voiceovers, I'll hire you :) ), but your information is excellent for anyone who needs to record audio, period. We all know audio is more important than the video quality, when doing videos. Thanks for sharing your knowledge
Good to see you around Mike
I'm a newb, but when I first started I did not use headphones mostly because I couldn't solve latency issue, but once I solved that, I started using headphones with my recording, it was a major noticeable difference in perfecting my recordings. Thanks for another amazing video!
I've started using some DT770s and they are wonderfully comfy and great!
Eh not great for podcasts and voice work too bright in the highs and depending on the version of impedance 32 80 etc they can be quite expensive for budget users there quite good for movies and other content just a tad too bright for monitoring audio
I also use the 770's.. superb for VO!
I prefer to wear headphones in my booth cause it helps me zone in to the voice over work I'm currently doing... BTW the thumbnail is totally epic!
Sweet! I've learned so much and progressed through your videos. Thanks for your concern. Because this is exactly what you're doing. You are concern that we "Voiceover Artist" are doing a good job. So thanks for your time and fundalmental suggestions.
For what its worth, where I interned we basically forced everyone to wear headphones because people misjudge themselves by a lot.
People think that they are talking directly into the mic but they go off axis enough to be annoying.
Also plosives are tough to judge even for the best of them.
In some situation they hear something in another language in one ear and their own voice in the other for translated kid shows.
Any cons of headphones aren't really cons.
As long as you use good and tight headphones on normal levels (so don't blast them like musicians always do on recordings) you wont hear anything.
When in a studio with a director the most annoying thing ever is when a talkback speaker is used because it will feedback when the engineer forgets to turn down the mic depending on the studio.
Just having a simple headphone fixes more issues than it causes it.
Those are all good reasons TO wear them, especially for inexperienced people. Mike's reasons are all good too. On the other hand, coming from radio like I do, I haven't worn them for voicing things in years. Like many people, I was getting too caught up in how I sounded to myself in my headphones, rather than focusing on my performance. Radio people tend to have that issue :)
It's pretty simple for me.
When recording an audio book or a commercial, I wear headphones. It is more precise and doesn't get in the way.
While doing voice acting, we don't wear them, because of gestures and movement.
Hi Mark, I have no director, I have a sound booth rigged in my bedroom. I need/prefer headphones!!!!! Mainly because I can hear how animated I want to be in various voice over projects. Wearing cans doesn't mean you don't trust your voice, wearing cans means you want to hear what you need to do to refine what you hear. Otherwise, we'd be doing re-takes ALL DAY!
I like to use cans because I’m from South East Texas and can slip into my drawl if I don’t keep myself in check and continuously monitor myself. I can do quite a few accents(American and others) but I tend to dip back to the drawl without noticing.
So, until I feel like I can really get that under control, I’ll just be a can head and I’m okay with that.
Plus, when I put them on I just kinda switch into this “This is what I’m doing right now” mode. It’s kind of ritualistic, I suppose.
Place cans on head.
Focus.
Learn.
Get better.
Take them off and it’s time to do other stuff.
Also, have you ever tried any Sterling Audio mics?
I tried one out at guitar center (ST159) and went ahead and picked it up for a particular project that was sidelined and has recently evolved into something quite different.
I am really happy with it for voice over but was wondering if you had any opinions on that series of microphones or just the brand in general.
Really depends on what I'm recording as to whether I use headphones or not. Sometimes I want it to feel very natural and without headphones works, but I definitely get you with the longer format work and saving the voice. I'll also wear headphones if I feel like I've got some mouth noises or smacking I'm picking up when I listen back to my first take or when doing some quick edits.
I couldn't agree with this video more. It saves me a lot of time and I feel I do better work with headphones on. Plus, it's essential for live direction, so you may as well get used to it if you're a career voice actor. I definitely wouldn't want to go back and forth.
Hi mate! Just a topic suggestion: how much editing is enough, how much is a waste of time?
Thanks!
Hey, I saw you on Bill's video. If you are doing long form (like Mike), do as he suggests, and use a clicker, or even click a pen. It will show up in the wave form, and is an easy way to search for errors without having to listen to the whole thing. It will definitely shorten your editing time.
YUP No.1 was the first thing that came to mind...I tend to overstress words I shouldn't without cans.
The one thing I personally don't like about closed-back headphones that create a tight seal or earbuds is the way they make my voice sound boomy through my head. Other than they I find monitoring myself through headphones very necessary.
I am listening to the Z Morning Zoo podcasts and I heard the Barnes and Noble advertisement around 60 times.. It stucked in my head so bad
I always wear headphones because I’m a naturally quiet speaker, so being able to monitor myself helps me know when I should be projecting more, but not so much that I yell or cause clipping. Plus I like being a member to make sure I’m creating the sound/voice that I want.
Awesome things to think about for us newbs. In the end, maybe best for each person to experiment for their self. For me in my (amateur) book recordings, I definitely do both, often without cans helps my performance and fatigues less quickly but cans necessary for punch in and doing effects for sure.
How about a video on breathing? Pre-Covid I was a busker who sang 6 hours a day, 5 days a week in the subway system in Toronto, so I really needed volume. If you breathe correctly and push the air out from the diaphragm you will never strain your voice and your voice will never get tired. I started long form narration during Covid and applied the breathing techniques. My voice never gets tired, though the brain is another story - audiobook narration requires mental strength. TTFN
Thank you so much for your videos, Mike! I’m trying to become more knowledgeable about audio recording and production, and you are a very helpful educator. I hope to entertain people with podcasts and voice acting productions in the future. I will refer other audio production enthusiasts that I meet to your high quality and easy to watch videos.
You're now using a Neumann U87 and I also see the Beyerdynamic DT 770 80 Ohm cans on your head. Next you'll be telling how the Avalon M5 PreAmp is the best Amp for VO. Geez! Are you looking at my home studio? Way to move up to the good stuff! :) Always watching, always enjoying your stuff. Thank you! I wonder if you'll get a UA Apollo Twin interface and all that comes with it to work in the world of Voice. Your thoughts on EQ though that creature and all it has would be interesting.
Thanks a million for covering this! I come from theatre, and started doing voice over two years ago (with oddles of help from your channel). I have never been comfortable wearing heaphones in the booth when I'm not being live directed. I can't even process what's going on in my ears while performing (getting a headphone amp with a phase switch might help, though, haha), so I find the headphones to just be a distraction. I can hear when I'm clicky, or raspy, or getting nasal sounds without headphones, so the main thing I have to be wary of is popping and staying on mic. But again, I can't hear clipping, popping, and volume fluctuation in my cans while performing. Just ain't got the brain power, haha! I do always keeps a pair plugged in and on hand, though, in case I ever do want to listen to myself.
I'm not doing long form narration, though, haha, and I don't yet have a setup where I can edit anything from the booth. If I ever do put together such a setup, I'd definitely use headphones more!
I certainly agree with you my friend. Of course for long form work comfortable cans are vital. I can personally recommend Beyer DT 770 Pro. It looks like you have something very similar.
Totally! I would rather re voice a line than try and edit a mouth click in post. Thanks Mike! Great video!
Great stuff Mike as always! I agree on every point you made and I would add a few of my own. Wearing headphones helps me project. When I'm in the booth I find that without the headphones I don't project as well, I think it's a natural reaction that everyone has when speaking with headphones on. Also, I sometimes listen to the music that the client will use for the video so that I have a sense of the mood, tone or pace that I need to hit to go with the music. It's all good!
Do you have any specific tips for how to talk into the mic? I'm using an LDC and I notice that you usually talk at kind of an angle? I don't know if that's just for the video, or if it helps avoid sibilance/plosives.. just wondering your thoughts on this. Thanks!
I stopped wearing headphones about nine years ago, and it really improved my overall sound and delivery. The only time I wear them now, is when I'm at a studio with a client on the other side of the window, and then only when I've finished a read do I put them on. To each his or her own, but "no headphones" works great for me.
Another great video Mike. Any chance you could compare some small, affordable headphone amps? Might be good for those with headphones with different ohms.
I loved this video. I do simultaneous interpretation, because of the pandemic I am doing remote interpretation lately, I am learning about how to deal with sound, microphones and such us! since you were talking about ways to protect your voice, I was wondering if you have already a video on the subject. For example, do you eat of drink frozen stuff at all? I just found my self having to have frozen smoothies and grapes, since we are in lock down in Colombia, and we are not allowed to go out that often for veggies and fruits.
Your communication skills are amazing
Your review are amazing keep the good work
All of the professional voice actors I worked with want to wear headphones; some want ridiculously loud levels, especially of their own voice. I encountered a couple who prefer to wear only one can and have the other ear free. Only a couple of non-professionals didn't want to wear them. That's my experience as a sound engineer.
11:20 Exactly. That's the most important point, whether you work with a director or not: how can you "trust your ears" when they don't hear what the mic is recording?
I can't record without headphones; too hard to monitor my voice
So, I have this crappy habit of drinking a giant coffee in the morning before hitting the booth. I know, I know... bad. And before my water intake kicks in, for many of my early morning takes, I have a lot of mouth noise to dodge. Totally with you on point 4, Mike. However, there are some times when doing a "performance" recording that I like the cans off. There's a certain freedom in not hearing your own voice when you got to give it a little oomph.
When I was learning radio broadcasting it was drilled into my head that we Had to have our headphones on. That was the worst thing to get used to. When I'm in my little studio, I need my headphones so I can be sure I'm saying things right or not missing a word. It's interseting.
This is quite intelligent, I will give this a serious shot! Thanks for not talking all about microphones! You have so much more to talk about! Thank you! Thumbnail? Whats wrong with it? :)
You are so charming! I laughed every time you said "tape." Old habits! You pointed out a lot of things I never considered. Thanks Mike.
From one Booth Junkie to another..... Cans all the way!!
I'm a fan sir. Thank you for your guidance. Us newbies can use all the help we can get.
Very interesting and informative answer to that email, that was a excellent production of explaining your reasons why you wear the cans...
“... You put... an abnormal brain... in my MONSTER?!?!”
I would reeeeally like to try out your booth. Would be awesome!
Thank you for the advice!
Yeah, when I'm the voice on the mic AND the producer, cans are 100% mandatory. When the mix is set and forget for a stream I still am the producer and knowing what is going out over the mix is a must. I suppose if you had perfect mic technique and a producer/engineer listening for you, it would be a different story.
Excellent points as always! Thank you Mike!
The only time I don't wear headphones is when I'm doing a directed session via conference call, and it's just too uncomfortable to hold the phone up to my ear while wearing headphones. When I'm recording on my own, though, I always wear them.
I feel like having headphones on is better, because you can hear, what the recording sounds like and do adjustments to your voice if necessary.
Is following your ears like “use the force”?
😂
The "pops" and the "mouth clicks"
11:35 I’m working on it! That will be my next big purchase I think, that or spent to g else for my channel but I think I need a mic more then anything. Phone is not cutting it sadly, at least I think I sound bad, I can’t really tell.
Hi! I love your videos ☺️
I was wondering if you’d be interested in making a video for the best mics to use for quieter sounds! Popular mics in the ASMR community include rode nt1/nt1A, zooms, tascams, and of course the blue yeti.
A comparison video for how these add up technically with each other (and maybe some alternatives!) would be amazing to watch. Not much info out there regarding how mics sound for “trigger sounds” or whispering/soft speaking rather than full volume voice work :)
I totally get this. I can't wear headphones while I'm recording because the headphone chord doesn't reach to my both. 😢
Great video, but what happen to the Senn MKH 416?
Recording VO's without cans, you hav a greater chance of not realizing that you wandered off the mic or too close to it.
They are ur only way to hear what u will sound like in the "world" that ur voice will be heard.
Hey Mike love your insights. Do you have a video on how to minimize mouth clickiness. On my podcast (the moe and o photo show) shameless... I am always clicky and can't seem to find a good place /distance from the mic. Would love to see any videos of yours that could help b thank you for the improvement you have already provided me
Use a pop filter (metal is best and keep your face thumb to pinky finger distance from the mic. Drink a lot of water before you go on . (I'm not Mark, but that helps me a lot)
How is this guy so amazing
Excellent guidance. Thanks!
only 994 likes before I got here ?! sad, it was a really nice video and ur voice is so nice and warm. I love the way you explain things . They are clear and concise . Thank you very much for your work ! All I could give you is a like and I`m already subscribed so ... :) thank you once more !
Opinion? Nope, you proved that headphones are absolutely necessary, at last to me.
I seem to be the only person with this question (I’m a total newbie and not that great with technology), but how do you listen to yourself while recording without getting distracted? Is there a slight delay between when you speak and when the headphones plays back what you say? Or does it just go through the headphones in real-time and you have to learn to not get distracted by it?
Starting with voice over headphones were super distracting as I heared the breathing and stressing about it to the point where I stopped breathing. Didn't have a booth though, only a quiet room so didn't have the problem of not hearing my voice. Easier to use headphones when one gets used to voice overs.
I've been playing with my booth, mostly mic placement for volume and such, and I don't have cans. At that moment, I wish I did, because I kept having to stop, listen, adjust, unplug earbuds, and on and on. It would have saved myself a lot of time. I'll probably invest in some cans soon. I just hate to do it when I don't know if I'm going to like using them since I've been going commando for so long. lol
Would love to learn a bit more about recording screaming!
Alex Kahl It's not professional, but Lanipator did a video on screaming for TFS (Dragon Ball Z Abridged parody).
GREAT VID! I know you've probably been questioned on this before, but does it really matter that you have a DT 770 Pro 250 Ohm (closed back) OVER the DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm (open back) for voice over recordings? I've watched other vids saying that using an open back headset transfers sound to the mic, but since I'm using my pre-adjusted DBX 286s > 215s > 166xs > Cloudlifter CL-1 > MOTU M2 > MacPro, to compress the sound (so I don't hear anything in the background), I not picking up any transference of sound from my open back headset to my Shure SM7B mic AT ALL. What's your thoughts about this? I look forward to your input. Thank you. Again, GREAT VID !!!
I have VERY sensitive hearing and.... cheep soundproofing. I can hear myself very eaisily For now the only headphones I can afford don't work for recording (squeeky cord). I'll budget for some headphones when I manage to upgrade my booth.
Great video, like that channel very much! Thumbnail is clickbait, but fine.
Very good: like that: thank you.
I'm curious, I've watched a few of your videos lately (loving the content, thank you so much!) but I still find myself being surprised when ANOTHER microphone turns up.
Do you just the keep the ones you've accrued to use them for context? or do you have specific use cases in your career that different mic's are used in a different way? (so, why would you need multiple condensers/Shotguns/Dynamics etc?). if so, do varying brands offer different flavours for the variety of 'colour' you need from the sound for a different effect?
The answer may as simple as "hey buddy, the channel is called "booth JUNKIE"!", but I've been curious.
Thanks for all the hard work you put in.
Hey Mike, what watch are you wearing? Looks great!
BTW, I like the Beyer DT880's.
Thanks for the video. Interesting topic. I wonder, have you ever had any feedback issues in your headphones because you were to close to the mic? I have the Sennheiser 380s and a pair of headphones that came with an older Focusrite kit. I kept getting some kind of electrical feedback issue in my headphones with the 380s but I don't have that same problem with the Focusrite headphones. I ended up taking the Sennheiser 380s out of the Whisper Room and putting the Focusrite headphone in. I don't edit on the fly in the Whisper Room, I do all my editing just outside at my desk so I don't need headphones for that. I found that for me I can be more natural (myself) and get into character so much easier without using headphones. For me no headphones = more acting ability. Have you ever dealt with those feedback issues?
Thanks in Advance,
Anthony
thanks for all the excellent videos
Not wearing cans in the booth is like painting blindfolded.