What kind of microphone do I need for voice over?
No, you don’t need a U87.
I talk to a lot of new voice over talent, and there’s a question that comes up with almost every one of them: what kind of gear am I going to need for a career in voice over? The answer can be as simple or as complex as you like; there are an insane number of microphones out there, along with other pieces of gear that some prefer over others. In this blog post I’m going to go over some microphones that are good for different budgets.
As i mentioned above, there’s a multitude of options out there. With so many different microphones, how does one choose the right mic? Well, that depends. If you’re setting up your voice over studio at home, you’re going to need to set a budget first.
For the purposes of this post, I’m going to present three different pricing options for mics: Bare Minimum, Acceptable, and Professional. For those of you with tighter budgets, I’d advise the “Bare Minimum” or “Acceptable” option for now. If you’ve got the funds to invest in higher end equipment, then the Professional tier is for you. My philosophy on gear is this; I think you should buy the best gear you can possibly afford at the onset, because you’ll be less likely to spend a bunch of money upgrading your gear later on. Buy it once, buy it for life, if you can.
So, for a microphone, what are some good options? Let’s dive in:
Bare Minimum - Rode NT-USB ($169)
If you already have a microphone and the ability to record your voice, you’re way ahead of the pack. Nice job! For the rest of us, we probably need to purchase some gear to get things going. At the bare minimum level, we’re looking at USB microphones . While most working professionals don’t use USB mics for recording, instead opting for XLR microphones, USB mics offer a nice balance between price and features. The biggest advantage is, you can keep your gear expenses down in the beginning. by eliminating the need for other gear like an audio interface. USB mics can plug straight into your computer and allow you to start recording your voice. No fuss.
As a nice bonus, this mic comes with other accessories that are useful if you’re just getting started, like a pop filter, tripod, microphone case, stand mount, and USB cable.
Acceptable - Shure SM7b ($399)
For a long time, this is the microphone I used to make thousands of dollars on Fiverr as an up and coming voice over artist. The Shure SM7b is a highly revered microphone used for voice over, podcasting, and other environments where outside noise might be a factor. That’s because this is a Dynamic microphone, and because of the way it’s designed… it helps to reduce sounds from the environment from getting into your signal. It’s not a cure all for a badly treated room, but it can help somewhat.
The main caveat to getting a mic like this is the need of additional hardware. The UPSIDE, however, is improved sound quality over the Bare Minimum option. You’ll want to buy the following items if you get this mic:
A signal booster like a Cloudlifter CL-1, or a Fethead. These devices help amplify the signal from your microphone and make it louder. You need this because the SM7b is a very quiet mic and it’s hard to get a good signal unless you have broadcast/radio quality gear in your studio already.
an audio interface. You will need a device that can accept the input from your microphone and convert the analog audio signal to the digital 1’s and 0’s that your computer can understand. This is where an interface comes in. I’ll have recommendations for those in another blog post. For this tier of spending, consider the Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen, which is about $100.
XLR cables. These allow you to plug the SM7b into the signal booster, and then into your interface.
Professional - Sennheiser MKH416 ($999)
If you want to buy one microphone and call it a day, this is easily the microphone I would recommend. Many, many voice actors swear by this microphone for its superior clarity and overall sound. The only rub is that it’s not cheap, at all. A thousand bucks is a lot of money to spend.
But, if you already have a nicely treated home studio space, and your other gear is pretty good, you will be pleasantly surprised by the MKH416. When I purchased mine, I noticed an immediate improvement in all aspects of my sound when compared to my SM7b. Don’t get me wrong; I was proud of my recordings before I bought this mic. It’s just that now, my recordings are of much higher quality and clarity than before.
Final thoughts
So, those are the three recommendations I have for microphones for voice over. While this is certainly not an exhaustive list by any means, I hope it helps you on your journey to becoming a successful voice actor. For more tips on gear, voice acting, selling on Fiverr, or other topics, come back to my blog or find me on social media below. Talk to you soon!
