In the current circumstances, a lot of voice talent who don’t have the luxury of a home recording studio, have suddenly had to quickly setup a temporary studio, to continue earning a living.
Some have setup a recording studio in a closet or a wardrobe with clothes draped around them for sound absorption. Others have utilised room dividers which they have draped thick lined duvets over then moved closer to the microphone to deaden the sound. Some have even sat under a duvet in their bedroom to stop the sound bouncing around.
However, I have a solution to all your soundproof problems, believe it or not, if you need to a temporary recording facility, probably one of the best places to record in is . . . in your car.
Many modern cars have got great soundproofing, and as a temporary measure, you could sit and record in your car.
One of our talented voice over artists, Simon Barnes was asked to voice an ad but was not at his professional home studio but luckily had his studio quality microphone with him, so what could he do in an emergency?
He used a technique that an old school journalist reporter would do in times gone by, he used the backseat of his Citroen Picasso. He used a Sennheiser 416 shotgun mic (handheld) plugged into his audio interface, and then into his laptop.
He recorded a paragraph drop in for a TV ad and mixed it with his previously recorded material seamlessly, not even the client could spot the difference.
Obviously, there are a few times that this will not be the answer. Don’t’ try to record in your car if it’s raining, you’re in the middle of a thunderstorm or you are in a noisy area (I have a neighbour constantly cutting a hedge) but as a temporary measure it could be the answer.
Take a listen to what he recorded, and you’ll find that this recording is perfectly acceptable for use whether it be an AV, radio or a TV soundtrack.
Any questions about help with sound production or recording from home contact Karl on any of our social channels.
