Scott's home studio is his on-demand production facility with industry standards throughout its delivery chain, plus a couple special twists for a calculated mix of new and old school technology. When not booked to work as voice over talent elsewhere, he works from here which like anything has both pros and cons.
Control room:
- 175 sq. foot control room
- Wood composite flooring
- Privacy-sealed/tempered glass window
- Apple Mac Pro Quad Core 2.66 GHz, 3GB RAM
- Digidesign Pro Tools LE 8 on Mac OS X Snow Leopard
- Digi002R Rev H audio interface; BLA modified
- Phone patch: Telos ONE-R with SAA
- Internet connxn: mbps 4.3 up / 31 down (wired, wireless)
- VOIP/ISDN: Certified Source-Connect Pro 3.6, Skype
- Plugins (compression/limiting/gating, de-essing/de-breathing)
- Various outboard effects, EQ modules and more
- Apple LED Cinema Display, 24"
- Near-field monitors: Yamaha NS-10m, Roland MA-8
- Headsets: Sony MDR-7506
- Backup DAW: Pro Tools LE 6.4, Digi001, G4 QuickSilver
- Lenovo T-61 2 GHz, 3GB RAM
- External QuietDrive arrays on both Mac and PC
The "jewel" of Scott's studio is his diamond-shaped isolation booth. Custom-built to detailed specifications as a room within a room, this chamber is where ambient noise goes to die.
- Walls: non-parallel, 6" thick, staggered studs (est. STC 52)
- Double-layered MDF/gypsum on walls, ceiling
- Rubber/fiber neopreme within ceiling, under carpeted floor
- Industrial grade insulation: Roxul Safe n' Sound, 4" thickness
- Floor construction: Resonant cavities wood framework
- Subterranean anchoring: 2' concrete reinforced pit
- Acoustic caulk (Green Glue) throughout construction
- Interior: Auralex 2" StudioFoam, LENRD bass traps
- Blast door: 300 lbs., air-tight seal, double-paned window
Audiophiles are invited to check out additional details on the vocal booth construction process, for a detailed look at what went into the design, oriented specifically to the needs of working voice talent.
Within, and during sessions, Scott uses a Neumann U87AI kondenser, one of a limited number of microphones universally recognized as de-facto for broadcast-quality voice capture per high operational headroom and transparency and low self-noise. It's ITA retrofitted with a Telefunken NOS tube for a sound with depth and presence akin to vintage mics of decades past. As options for in unusual circumstances only. He mounts mics on Revelation 600 series hardware to minimize unwanted vibrations.
To run a clean and efficient workflow, he works as digitally as possible via iOS apps.
Want to learn more about the technical aspects of voice over production, or test your knowledge thereof? Try the quiz available on this site, which covers that and more.