Headphones…Where to Start?
HEADPHONES…A rather critical element for a voice actor. I had no idea when I first started in VO how important these babies are. Here are my first pair of CANS, as the jargon goes, and they were freebies. Here are a few considerations when choosing your first pair:
Comfort - You’ll be wearing them a lot…for your reads and for playback and for editing and for when you fall asleep with them on…and the list goes on. Comfort is a key consideration. Try them on and see what you think.
Open Back, Closed Back, or In-Between - Who knew there were so many different types? The open/closed refers to the outside part of the cans that sits over or on (more on over/on coming up next) your ear. Basically open is open to outside sounds and closed is closed to outside sounds. Closed is going to keep out a lot of outside sound but not all. In VO we need to hear ourselves when we’re recording and when we’re editing. Extraneous outside sounds would be distracting and make it difficult to determine what’s being recorded. Pros often prefer closed back, but there are advantages and disadvantages to open, closed, and in-between. So know the basics going in and do your research.
Over-ear, In-Ear, or On-Ear - For me this really relates back to comfort. Personally, I have never liked things in my ears. So for my comfort, I rule out in-ear no matter what I’m using them for. But, many people like this type especially for listening to music or podcasts on their phone. Newer and better versions for all these types of cans are regularly showing up on the market. Again, try out different types and find what you like best.
Price Point - Of course, free is always good, but the old adage of “you get what you pay for” can certainly apply. Don’t think you have to start with the most expensive pair out there, either. You do have to start somewhere, and remember you can upgrade as soon as you are able.
Happy VO-ing!
-MG
