[Introductions!!!]

Hello all!

I'm Scott and I'm also a voice over talent here on Fiverr since 2017, and I became a Top Rated Seller in 2020. Fiverr has changed a lot in the 5 years I have been here, and I believe most of them have been for the better! I love this work and want to eventually do my voice over and audio media business full time. I'm looking forward to learning and sharing so we all can improve and grow our businesses!

[When recording voiceovers, do you wear headphones?]

1 hour ago, precords1275 said:

Izotope RX9!

You use the Elements, Pro or Standard? I still use the Elements version. The De-click works pretty well for me so I haven't been in a hurry to upgrade to standard. I'm sure I will be blown away when I do upgrade, but I keep waiting for the right upgrade sale! 😂

[When recording voiceovers, do you wear headphones?]

12 hours ago, precords1275 said:

Personally, I used to, but then I realized it's just (for me) one more thing to watch out for, cables, setting levels, possible bleed, etc. It was a bigger problem when I used a condenser because the cable would make noise that my 414 picked up, but now I use my SM7b - I recently got an SE Electronics DM-1 Dynamite, which does the same thing as the Cloudlifter, and it's just so much more useable with the added gain.

Yeah, the SM7b is a gain hog for sure. I also used to wear headphones when I record VO, but now I hardly ever do because of the same reasons you mentioned, but the main reason for me is so my head doesn't get fatigued when voicing for long periods of time. Even the most plush headphone pads will get uncomfortable after a few hours of being continuously on your head. So I usually just use headphones for when I am mixing and producing audio like a radio commercial or a podcast intro and go between my near field monitors and my cans. I usually have my cans hanging on a hook in my booth with the ear cups folded open and if I turn the headphone volume up, I can hear the playback enough to get my VO recorded and edited and it doesn't get picked up at all by my 416. Yeah, the SM7b is a gain hog for sure, but its quite a versatile mic! 

[Fiverr Seller Plus? Worth it?]

I just signed up a couple of weeks ago. My SSR was great but he was a little surprised that I don't get more orders than I do. I have been on Fiverr for almost 4 years and made TRS last June, but after 4 years I only have just over 750 orders with 571 reviews (only 5 reviews are not 5 stars). So I am hoping Seller Success can help me find what is missing. I always joke that I'm probably the lowest earning TRS on Fiverr! 😂 

The first meeting was good and he was able to tell me that my private feedback (without getting into detail about it) was all positive. He gave me some suggestions for my profile that I have yet to put into practice, but I plan on doing it. Maybe I'm not as good as I think I am? 🤣

[Gear talk: what's your favorite microphone?]

Only have one mic right now, a Synco D2 shotgun mic. It doesn’t capture as much on the high end as an MKH 416 from what I see on the frequency graphs, but for 1/4 the price I can’t complain!

I would like to get a Synco D-2 for making up a travel rig. I have heard nothing but good things about that mic and how similar it is to the MKH 416.

[Gear talk: what's your favorite microphone?]

Didn’t even know this subcategory opened in the forum!

I have an MKH 416 myself as well. It is fantastic for that punchy vocal tone for commercials and short videos, but might be a bit tiring to the ears for long form narration and audio books. My only real complaint for the 416 is that it can be fairly sibilant at times, so proper positioning is an absolute must and a decent de-esser DAW plug-in helps as well!

I also have an Electro-Voice RE20, which is perfect for that warm American radio or podcast sound, but isn’t ideal for crisp, clean, super silent background voiceovers due to it’s noise floor without a proper lifter.

I also own a Sennheiser MKH 416 and I love it! It cuts through a music bed mix really well and I really like the presence boost it has in the upper midrange, but I do agree with you on it not being the best mic for long form narration or audiobooks. I also have a Harlan Hogan VO-1A mic (made by MXL) and its actually a really good mic and has a better sound for longer projects.

[Your preferred DAW?]

I use FL Studio, but seems like a lot of people out there are dissing FL. Like, I pick FL Studio because I’m well-experienced with that DAW and even released my three albums and one EP with that.

Tried Ableton Live, not my vibe, even though they support MPE in the 11th version now.

EDIT: I’m also a fan of “buy once for a lifetime” type of people because I don’t like recurring payments.

Don’t worry about what others think of your chosen DAW. If it works for you and helps you put out great sounding music and audio, then go for it! If it sounds good, IT IS GOOD!

[Your preferred DAW?]

I tried to get into reaper, but just couldn’t tbh, I heard it was really popular with Metal Producers, why is that?

I think because it is powerful, very customizable and it’s very inexpensive. I think the price is what is most attractive to the metal producers for some reason. There is a metal producer on YouTube who uses Reaper and talks in many of his videos about why he switched from ProTools. I like the ability to customize the screen layout and you can make up complex programmed commands and assign them to keyboard shortcuts.

[Your preferred DAW?]

I’m a Reaper guy about 3 years in. I am teaching myself audition because that’s what most VO’s are using and even though I really like Reaper, I’m not married to it. Studio One looks nice, and of course there is Logic since I’m a Mac person as well. I just want the one that either already has, or can be made to have the most productive and streamlined workflow.