Which Microphone Do Voice Actors Actually Need? (Only 4 Options)

Short answer: If it is your first microphone, buy a Rode NT1 and stop looking. If you are upgrading to your forever mic and have $1,000 or more to spend, pick one of three: the Sennheiser MKH 416, the Neumann TLM 103, or the Neumann U87. Those are the mics in every professional studio, which is exactly why you want one. Nothing else on the market needs to be on your list.

I have over 2,000 voiceover credits and have made over a million dollars in voiceover, most of it recorded at home. Here is the whole microphone conversation, and why it is shorter than the internet wants it to be.

Why do voice actors buy the wrong microphone?

Because someone online told them there is a special mic for their special voice. There is not. A microphone is a tool that records your voice. Sure, one might flatter your midrange a little more than another, but the end client does not care about that, and the client is who you are recording for.

What clients, studios and casting directors do care about is that your audio sounds like it came from a professional studio. The simplest way to guarantee that is to use the same microphone the professional studios use. That is the entire logic behind this list.

What is the best first microphone for voiceover?

The Rode NT1. Around $250, sometimes less on sale. It will last you a year at minimum and you can record national spots on it. I have. When you are starting out there are a lot of expenses, and this is the one place you can save without it costing you work.

Two rules. First, do not buy a USB microphone. They are not competitive on pay to play sites and you will be replacing it within months. Second, the NT1 has a USB mode built in. Do not use it. Plug it in with an XLR cable through an audio interface, the way every studio does. If you need the rest of the starter gear list, it is in my post on how to get started in voiceover.

What microphone should you upgrade to?

When you are booking and you have $1,000 or more to spend on a mic you will keep for the rest of your career, there are three options. Two of them matter for most people.

Sennheiser MKH 416. This is what I use. It is a shotgun microphone, which means it is very good at rejecting background noise. If you have an air conditioner you cannot turn off, traffic in the distance, or a room that is not perfectly quiet, the 416 forgives more than anything else on this list. It is bright, it sounds great in a home studio, and I have never needed to replace it. It will still pick up a loud truck right outside your window, but for a typical home setup it keeps things very clean.

Neumann TLM 103. A little more expensive than the 416, and the other mic you will find in nearly every studio. It is very sensitive, so it picks up more of the room than the 416 does. If your space is well treated and quiet, it is fantastic. Some people will tell you to save money and get the TLM 102 instead. I tried it. I did not like it. Get the 103.

Neumann U87. The TLM 103 is essentially the budget version of this. The U87 is around $3,500 and it is one of the best voiceover microphones ever made. If you have that money sitting around, buy it and enjoy it. Most people do not, and the 416 or the 103 will get you the same bookings.

Why not a C414, or the mic your favorite YouTuber uses?

Because you are creating a problem you do not have. Every mic outside those three is a debate. Those three are a standard. When you walk into a real studio, that is what will be in front of you, so learn to sound great on it now.

There is a practical reason too. If you want to work in video games and animation, studios regularly ask what your home setup is before they let you record remotely. They want you on the same microphone they use for the actors in the booth. Having a 416 or a TLM 103 makes that a yes. Having something exotic makes it a conversation.

Will a better microphone make you book more?

No. Not one of these mics will change your life. Think about a basketball player with a signature shoe. The shoe responds a little better than a beat-up pair of sneakers, but the shoe is not why they can play. The skill is.

The people not booking on a $250 NT1 will not book on a $3,500 U87 either. Get the starter mic, treat your room, and spend the money you saved on getting good. When you are good, the microphone is a detail.

The list

• Starting out: Rode NT1, XLR only, around $250. Do not look at anything else.
• Upgrading with a noisy room: Sennheiser MKH 416
• Upgrading with a quiet, treated room: Neumann TLM 103
• Upgrading with money to burn: Neumann U87
• Never: a USB microphone

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