August 4th, 2011
I just got back from a much-needed vacation. While on vacation I enjoy doing as close to nothing work related as possible. It’s not that I hate my job. In fact, I love this job! But to me, vacation is a time for family, friends, and fun… unless I’m invited to audition — and then it’s time to do a little work!
Now, recording on the road is its own special beast: you don’t have your normal studio, 
you most likely don’t have your normal equipment (microphones, etc.), and you may not even have your usual computer and software.
This happened to me recently. I had to “commandeer” an old closet in my parents house, fill it full of clothes and blankets, and get everyone in the house to be quite for about 10 minutes while I recorded. (Click on the image above to see my make-shift solution.)
My set up
I normally record on my iMac desktop at home, but the laptop I carry with me when I travel is old, which means that I can’t run my favorite Adobe Audition CS5.5 on it. Instead I use Twisted Wave (it’s Mac only, sorry), which in many ways can do just as good a job as Audition at a fraction of the price. If you’re a beginner (or even a veteran) to voice acting, then this little gem of software magic is an excellent choice.
Now, that little blue light you see in the photo is my AT2020 USB condenser mic. It is an excellent little USB mic with a surprisingly good sound. (And the price is sweet as well!)
Wanna learn more?
As luck would have it, there just happens to be another webinar coming up by VoiceOverXtra. Recording expert Dan Lenard will talk all about the dos and don’ts of recording on the road. If you’re interested, you can learn more here.
Working while on vacation?
Voice talent Paul Strikwerda wrote an excellent article (well, he always writes excellent articles) about should a voice actor work or not work during vacation. You can read it here.