DIY Booth
Audio has always been a staple of how we consume media. With the revolution of broadcast popularity through podcasting, social media, and web based content, creators finding a professional space to record industry leading audio is more important than ever.
Our DIY Self Service Recording Booth is perfect for recording your Voiceover auditions or jobs, and producing your own content for Podcasts, YouTube Videos, Audiobooks, Music, and more. We have everything you need to walk in and get to work, plus a rock solid high speed internet connection for reliable, great sounding audio connections using skype or similar streaming audio program!
The 4 x 6 studio is ready for professional grade recording, and is equipped with a modular standing desk for your comfort. All controls can be operated from inside or outside the sound booth for any coaching or monitoring situations you may need.
The studio includes industry leading Digital Audio Workstations, including Pro Tools, Twisted Wave, Adobe Audition, and Audacity. Source-Connect Pro and a dedicated Telos Zephyr ISDN is available on request for connecting to other studios. If you don't know what that is don't worry, we are available to help you decide what you need.
Also included is Microsoft Office for opening documents, and skype for connecting to other people while you record. Source-Connect Now or ipDTL are also available via the chrome browser as additional voip services. ( requires that you or the remote party has an account with SC Now or ipDTL )
All Voice Trax West self recording booths are provided to you as a place to record without an audio engineer, or for 1-on-1 coaching sessions. The following disclaimers describe the
scope of services offered and booth expectations. A short amount of instruction can be provided for first time users to instruct basic recording
aspects, booth equipment, and booth controls. That said, a fundamental understanding of recording and use of software is expected. Additional assistance or training by Voice Trax
West staff is available for an additional cost and advanced scheduling.
All computer software, hardware, pre-amp, microphones, and routing presets are already provided and are kept up to date to the best of our ability. If additional help is needed we’re happy to provide it based on staff availability. If you have any questions or need assistance please let us know, and we’ll do so as soon as available.
Pre Sets
Various mixer presets are provided with modified functionality based on what each booth is being used for. Default presets provide baseline gain settings on the microphone pre-amp
with a light amount of audio compression and make-up gain with a targeted recording level of -8 to -12 decibels. This is our attempt to meet the needs for most of our users, however
further adjustment of gain levels and actual recording levels will depend on your own voice print and mic technique.
Noise
Unwanted noise is a constant battle in audio recording. We understand this struggle, so all of our booths and equipment is provided to do a reasonable job of reducing any unwanted
noise. However we leave it up to our users to be vigilant and aware of any noise from external sources, from equipment, and to be familiar with how to accommodate for acceptable levels
of noise for your application. If you are unsure if your recording meets an acceptable level of noise, please reach out to us and we’ll be happy to consult with you!
External Noise includes things like shutting doors, music bleeding through walls, deliveries outside, or other unwanted sound from within the Voice Trax West facility.
Some of this is to be expected, and can be mitigated through brief pauses in your recording. If any external noise is persistent please come find one of our staff and we’ll
assist you to get the noise under control.
Equipment Noise is much less common, but can occur if something isn’t set correctly. This type of noise tends to be constant and in the form of hum or static within the headphones. If you hear such noise and it’s louder than it should be, or suddenly different from previous operation, please contact us and our staff will work to ensure all equipment is set correctly.
Editing
Editing and post production is not provided by Voice Trax West. It is assumed that all users will contact any editing and required post production themselves, or through a third party.
Because of this, recording levels and noise thresholds are designed with an experienced editor or audio engineer in mind. Recordings from our booths are not intended to be a
finished product, and will most often require additional editing or post processing by an audio professional. The estimated amount of editing or post processing required will vary
based on what exactly is being recorded. Please consult with us if you have any questions!
Engineering Assistance
We offer professional engineering assistance to our users at a rate of $40 per half hour; where a thirty-minute session is the minimum session period. Each of our booths and presets
should be fully ready for recording, however we understand certain scenarios where additional assistance may be necessary. Below are examples of tasks we can help with, and if
you have any questions on further engineering aid please let us know if we can help.
Setting mic & mixer gain settings, including custom compression and EQ
Creating Twisted Wave effects stacks
File management, organization, importing & exporting
Pro Tools or Twisted Wave training
Correcting audio mistakes, file exports, bulk renaming, noise reduction, light editing, preparing a Pro Tools session to insert pickups.