Recording Software

If you are going to get serious about Voice Acting, you are going to have to be able to record your voice, and sooner or later you are going to have to be able to send it to people, probably as an MP3 file. That means you are going to have to get up to speed on some computer audio software.

If you are a Mac type, then you can just stop reading right now, because chances are you have Garage Band already loaded on your computer and that is a great recording program which will do all you need and a lot more. The biggest problem you are going to have is learning how to use it – so start practicing now, it takes a while.

If you are a PC user, then you are probably going to have to find some software to do what you need. The biggest problem in this case is not finding software that will do it, it is in finding something that you won’t have to spend the next year and a half in learning how to operate. It is literally possible for a rank amateur (me) to pop right out and buy the same program that the latest blockbuster movie was edited with. What is a lot less possible is for me to figure out how in the heck to use that thing!

There is some great news here though! Keeping in mind that we are still amateurs and performing only the most basic operations, there are quite a few free programs available that fill our needs beautifully.

The one that most people prefer is called Audacity
You can download it at the link above. There are also quite a few plug-ins (basically extensions and additions to the software) that are available. I would recommend taking the time to download the program and all the extensions the first time around. If you do that then all those functions are present from the start and you can learn and play with them as you develop your skill. At the minimum you will need to ensure that you have the MP3 creation software because that is what you will use to send sound clips to people.

Next topic along this line will be mics, and if you think the software market is confusing – just wait til you see what’s around in the Microphone world!