by Kenny Faircloth
Quick Glossary
XLR Microphone: A microphone that hooks up by a 3-point XLR male to female cable; requires an interface and phantom power
USB Microphone: A microphone that hooks directly up to a computer via USB; uses computer as interface, does not require phantom power
Frequency Response Chart: By reading a frequency response chart, you can determine how applicable a certain model of microphone is for your intended uses by seeing how the microphone favors which frequencies at which decibel ranges. For more information:
For any seasoned voice actor, this is a pretty tired topic; and by now, there is a general consensus that there’s no such thing as a miracle microphone everyone should get. Rather, we constantly reinforce the vague blanket statement “get a mic that suits your voice.” That’s all fine and good! However, it leaves a lot of the newcomers to the industry in a state of confusion because they haven’t browsed the shelves at Guitar Center like we have. They have not put the hours into watching booth junkie like we have, and they probably have little to no personal incentive to do that. Instead of this vague arbitrary guideline to just get what “fits” your voice and your needs, I think a little bit of structure might be nice for the curious rookies out there; so here we go - your first recording setup.