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Ed Victor Voice
Studio – West Palm Beach, Florida
As a
relatively successful voice over artist, I’ve been fortunate
enough, until recently, to have a voice career that has
paralleled a very successful career in advertising. The
later ended three months ago due to budget cuts.
For the
last 18 years, I’ve done stints as a Creative Director at J.
Walter Thompson, McCann Erickson, Young and Rubicam, and
owned my own $25 million agency, Victor Associates
Advertising, for 12 years.
The reason
I note my ad agency career is quite simple. The agency
experience not only taught me how to understand and deal
with clients, agency producers, talent agents and casting
agents, but moreover, has given me the benefit of working in
some of the very best recording studios in the country!
From L.A.,New York, Detroit and Toronto to Miami and
Chicago.
All along
the way, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with and
befriend studio owners, engineers and the occasional techno
geeks. To this day, I still call on them for technical
advice, what equipment I need to have and what I shouldn’t
waste my money on.
My studio
is located in an upper bedroom in my home in W. Palm Beach,
Florida.
I have put
Aurolex sound proofing on all the interior walls, but
because the landscapers do all the grass cutting and “weed
whacking” every Tuesday and Thursday, and I mean every
Tuesday and Thursday, even in the rain, I most recently
invested in a 4 x 4 WhisperRoom Audio Booth. A real life
saver! |
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At the core
of my studio is a new 26” IMac computer with an Intel Core 2
Duo processor. The Mac runs dead silent. There are no
running fans to deal with. Incredibly important!!!
The Mac
runs a Pro-Tools Digidesign 002 with a 7.4 OS system. I have
also invested in a Source Connect license, to do sessions
via internet.
As far as
microphones go, I switch between two different ones: A
Sennheiser Shotgun, for my movie trailer stuff and Neuman
TLM microphone for everything else. Both are equipped with
windscreens.
Both
microphones are linked into an Avalon 737 Vacuum Tube
Pre-amp and then into a CDQ Prima 220 ISDN box to send out a
very clean signal. |
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I also run
5 sets of studio monitors through a Mackie Big Knob studio
command system, to hear how the finished sound will come out
in a variety of settings. Speakers include: Event, JBL,
Roland, Polk Subwoofer and M-Audio Monitors, which are
specifically for near-field monitoring.
Everything
funs off three Furman line conditioners to eliminate
electrical hum and protect the gear.
All tolled
I have invested just over $26,000 on the entire set-up.
And the
set-up seems to be working just fine, as I am currently
doing on-going work for: AARP, Audi, Bosch, Coors Lite,
Chevrolet, DHL, DreamWorks, Ford, Florida Lottery,
University of Miami Hospital, Luxottica Optical, The Room
Place-Chicago, Verizon Wireless, Xerox and several clients
and radio stations overseas.
If I have
any advice for others looking to build a home studio it
would be this: The most important thing to remember is to
achieve getting the cleanest, quitest signal out! That’s
it. Do you have to spend a ton to do it? Absolutely not. It
all depends on what you expect to achieve in your career,
and what your clients expect you to deliver.
If you have
any questions, I’m not an engineer, but I could offer some
advice.
You can
reach me at
edvictor@victorassociates.com or visit my website at
http://www.edvictor.net |