The Holy Grail of portable/mobile VO configurations is forever a work in progress.
Over the years, hardware I’ve tried (and sometimes still use):
- Zoom H6n
- Centrance R4
- Tascam DR-100 MKIII
- Yamaha AGO3
- Apple or Android tablet
- iPhone
There’s a certain fun challenge in mixing and matching hardware and software to get the best results, although, I recognize that not everyone feels this way. And let’s keep in mind the basic challenge here: being able to produce the most professional sound possible, using the most minimum (travel-worthy) audio components.
Some of my previous blogs about mobile recording:
The Best Mobile Recording Studio EVARR
Voiceover Mobile | VocalBooth ToGo
Audio Evolution Mobile and USB Audio Recorder PRO for Android
Tula Mic | There’s always room for one more new player in the field of mics, right?
Of course, stories of how to construct a pillow-fort in a hotel room are legendary. However you do that, the point is that the ENVIRONMENT you record in, is more important than the hardware/software you use.
I’m sold on the VocalBooth ToGo. I’ve said so for years. I have two of them. I know the inventor/founder, and I stand by a solid endorsement of this product. It’s not perfect, but darn close. There are others, but that’s beyond the scope of this blog today.
Then, there’s the mic. I’m not sure why I grabbed my Lauten for this trip. I’ve used the TLM103, and the Senny 416 on previous trips, and that’s all good. The LA220 is reliable, rugged, and has a good overall sound for my voice.
I really like the gooseneck, table-clamp mic stand…’works anywhere.
A standard XLR cable brings my mic to the pre-amp for this configuration: the iRig Pre (also called the iRig Pro). ‘Lovely little gizmo. Good sound. 48v-equipped, gain, head-phone jack, and accepts XLR. The Centrance MicPort Pro would work well here, too.
The mini-USB output from the iRig takes a cable to the iPad Pro (using a USB-mini-to-USB3.0-converter plug).
On the iPad, I use WavePad, although Twisted Wave is a solid alternative, too.
Here’s a sample of what I recorded using this set-up on a farm in Illinois.
This could ostensibly record on the iPhone too, I guess, but I like the bigger screen of the iPad to edit on, and that leaves me holding my iPhone to read the copy.
Whatdya think?
Let me know what combination of hardware/software YOU’RE using these days in the comments below.
CourVO
