DIY Booth
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 Zoom or similar teleconferencing software!
The 4 foot x 6 foot 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, Logic Pro and Audacity. Source-Connect Pro is available upon request for connecting to other studios. We are available to help you decide what you need.
Also included is Microsoft Office for opening documents, and audio can automatically be heard on software like Zoom for connecting to other people while you record. Source-Nexus, Clean Feed, ipDTL or other web-based audio applications are also available via the chrome browser as additional audio services (requires that you or the remote party has an account with these services).
RATES
(Rates are a 1 hour minimum, then half hour increments)
Audiobook recording - Please Inquire
10 hour minimum for audiobook rate
Invoice can be sent once book is finished and billed on a Net-60 basis
Engineering assistance available for $50 per half hour
General Self-Recording (self-scheduled) - $25/hr
Engineered, Coaching, or booking on behalf of an actor who will use the space - $50/hr (inquire for details. Bring your own engineer or coach)
Source-Connect available on request - Additional $25/hr
Other uses - Please Inquire
**This recording space is mostly used by performers directly and rates are designed for this use. More specifically, the $25 rate is given when the performer is handling their own scheduling and payment. Productions or other clients are welcome to schedule time on behalf of a performer they are working with, however the rate will be higher depending on the specifics of the project. Please reach out to discuss.
DIY BOOTH POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS
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 scheduling in advance.
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 we are available.
MICROPHONE
While we guarantee we will make available a professional condenser mic appropriate for voiceover recording, we are not able to guarantee that we will have a specific mic available for your use. We do however make every effort to keep microphones and other equipment consistent, particularly if you are working on a multi-day project.
CONTROLLING MIC LEVEL
Adjustment of gain level/recording level is required and may change during your session, depending on how loud or soft the content is, as well as on your own voice print and mic technique. We have made it easy to control the mic level with a single knob and are happy to show you when you arrive.
NOISE
Unwanted noise is a constant battle in audio recording. We understand this struggle, so all of our booths and equipment are 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 included with our DIY rate. It is assumed that all users will provide 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 for an additional fee and at a thirty-minute minimum duration. Please see the Rates section above for the current fee.
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 gain settings
Creating Twisted Wave effects stacks
File management, transfers, organization, importing & exporting
Pro Tools or Twisted Wave training (we have additional DAWs available for your use, but our engineers may not be experienced in them)
Correcting audio mistakes, file exports, bulk renaming, noise reduction, light editing, preparing a Pro Tools session to insert pickups.