There are many positives and negatives with trusting the talent to record from home. Cost, for instance; with their little home studio setup it reduces the need and cost of bringing everyone into a hired studio however, in some cases quality is sacrificed.
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There are many positives and negatives with trusting the talent to record from home. Cost, for instance; with their little home studio setup it reduces the need and cost of bringing everyone into a hired studio however, in some cases quality is sacrificed.
In a professional recording studio, the voice talent will have a producer to make sure the script is read correctly and help keep things on track, even if it’s just the sound engineer doubling up. Having another set of ears can be extremely helpful and even just having someone else control the technical aspects of recording can allow the voice over artist to focus on the vocal delivery. Having more than one person watching over the session that has a copy of the script is helpful because they can let you know when mistakes are made that you might not notice. They could help push you a little more than if you were alone.
Secondly the quality of the audio. In a professionally treated studio environment you’re not going to get the sound of cars passing outside or the kids playing downstairs bleeding into your all-important VO. Any possible acoustics from the recording space are reduced in a studio so it doesn’t sound like the voice has been recorded in a church.
Receiving a recording from a talents home can be cost effective and great quality, but sometimes you don’t know how good it’ll be until it’s too late and the job’s done. To ensure quality control, using a professional recording studio can’t be beaten, and is all-important for that big promotional voiceover.
FAQs
Why record in a studio instead of remotely?
Because problems get solved while everyone is still in the room. A line that is not working, a pronunciation nobody agreed, a change of emphasis: in a session those take seconds, and over email they take a day and a re-record. You also get a consistent, controlled acoustic instead of whatever the artist's room sounds like that week.
Can I attend, or direct from somewhere else?
Both. Clients sit in the control room with the engineer, or join from anywhere via Source Connect and direct in real time as if they were there. Remote direction has become the norm for international projects, and it works well precisely because the recording end is still a proper studio.
What does an engineer do that a home setup does not?
Run the session so the artist can act instead of operating equipment, catch problems while they are still fixable, and deliver files that meet broadcast spec. Home recordings usually fail on the things nobody hears until later — room tone, noise floor, inconsistent levels between takes.
How do I book studio time?
Tell us the date, the language and roughly how long the script is, and we will confirm availability and cost. Both studios are in Central London with in-house engineers. Book a session, or see the recording studios.
Need a professional voice over?
Cast, directed and recorded in our own London studios in 100+ languages — most projects delivered in 24–48 hours.
