The Studio

We start our tour with the Double Walled, acoustically treated vocal booth from Session Booth, made right here in the UK! Sure, it's not the prettiest thing to look at, but with great sound insulation from outside disturbances, low noise floor and a proper ventilation system it's a great sounding, comfortable and practical space to record. This means quiet, broadcast-ready audio for clients but also a consistent sounding space. This is essential for long form projects, you don't want your audio to sound different on different days!

For Voice Overs the Neumann U87 really needs no introduction. It's the crème de la crème of studio microphones used in top studios around the world. Joining it is the Sennheiser MKH-416, another popular shotgun mic, great for promos, animation and ADR. (Check out Jenna's Ode to Neumann here!). Both microphones capture the richness and texture of the voice with exceptional clarity, and you deserve the best!

Whilst it's difficult to get too excited about foam and noise absorption panels, they do perform a very important function preventing unwanted reflections and frequencies in recordings, as well as achieving that neutral, broadcast quality sound. Jenna's booth features Acoustic Tiles from EQ Acoustics, Clearsonic Sorber panels and Bass traps from Auralex.

The interface is what gets your microphone talking  to your computer. There's many available but Jenna has found the SSL2 the most user friendly and reliable. Also available is the popular Audient ID14

The unsung hero of any working voice actor's set up is the pop screen or pop filter. Jenna uses the Stedman Proscreen that eliminates pops and plosives more effectively than fabric filters whilst allowing unobstructed passage of high frequencies. This minimizes the need for redoes and retakes and saves time when editing, allowing Jenna to get smooth, clear audio to clients quicker.

When you spend most of your time listening to your voice you appreciate the importance of good quality headphones. Jenna uses the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro. Comfortable, crystal clear and providing a neutral, uncoloured sound for editing. 

Jenna's secret weapon is a DAW (digital audio workstation) that few have heard of - Acoustica Mixcraft Pro Studio. She's tried other software and always comes back to Mixcraft for its stability and ease of use. It supports a wide array of plugins and tools to enhance audio, whilst preserving the original should you ever want to rollback any changes. Jenna's proficiency as a producer is an added bonus for clients wanting more post production services.

At your disposal are a wide range of plugins including Izotope RX8, Nectar, Ozone, Waves Vocal Rider, Renaissance VOX, L2 Maximiser and many other compressors, limiters and de-essers. Don't know what a plug in is or does? Don't worry, Jenna does. When used correctly they can be the difference between an amateur and professional quality sound

A superfast and stable, wired broadband connection allows remote direction from anywhere in the world using programs such as Source Connect, IPDTL, Cleanfeed or good old fashioned Skype or Zoom. Jenna even does time sync and dubbing remotely where it is obviously imperative to have minimal time lag or latency.