It’s Not The Equipment. It’s How You Use It.
Hey there, hero!
One of the most commonly asked questions I get these days is, “What camera do you use to shoot these videos? They look great!”
(Which recently supplanted, “What’s your microphone?”.)
And it’s a great reminder about the importance of what or which, but the much more important how and why we use the tools we use.
Hope this helps!
David
Raw YouTube Captioning
well hey there hero it’s David H
Lawrence the 17th and I just got
finished watching a session online where
all of the questions regarding this
course I was being introduced to was
about what kind of equipment should I
get and it wasn’t about what will I
learn it wasn’t about how will this
change my life it wasn’t about what can
I use with the information that I get
from this this was about sports so it
was you know what’s the bad I should use
you know for all intents and purposes
what’s the ball I should use what you
know as if knowing that information
would somehow make you a better player
I’m not saying that it wouldn’t you know
there are little incremental changes
when you use better gloves or bats or
you know sticks or or balls or whatever
but it’s what you do with the equipment
that is so important and that’s what
this session was all about how learning
this learning how to use the the better
equipment that you’d get or the
equipment that you have was going to
make the difference and this kind of
reminded me that the you know number one
you know sort of math problem question
that I get as a performance coach is
what kind of mic do you use and what
kind of camera do you use and I can tell
you that I love telling you that I love
telling you about the at2020 USB plus I
love telling you about the the c90 2x
webcam that I use the the g7 lumix that
that I use for the the new look and feel
but it’s how you set those things up and
then how you take advantage of sitting
in front of the microphone addressing
the microphone sitting in front of the
camera using the rule of thirds so that
you’re framed in a particular way using
the ability to just look at the camera
every so often or address the microphone
in a part
killer way to get a particular type of
performance you know usually the
equipment doesn’t make that much
difference there are plenty of on-camera
talent that can make even not so good
production sing because they know how to
act or people that are doing voiceover
that can take a microphone that isn’t in
the in the league of you know annoy Minh
or a sennheiser some really expensive
microphone and really make it awesome
make the performance awesome so that you
don’t even notice that they’re not using
the best equipment in the world so when
you’re hell-bent to find out what the
tool is that somebody is using remember
that once you find that out it’s okay
that’s awesome if you want to get that
tool it might not serve you though
because you don’t know how the tool
should be used in a way that really up
levels your game so I know when when
people when people look at equipment
lists and they look at kits and they
look at you know for example the stuff
that we send out sometimes people like
oh you’re not getting it you’re not
getting nearly as good enough of a
microphone or a camera as you need you
need a much more expensive well you know
I just disagree I think it’s much more
important to learn how to use whatever
equipment you have how to get the right
equipment for sure if you need that
information but then there’s this big
huge ball of information around how to
use what equipment has been specified
whether it’s for sports or for business
or for performance it really matters
most what you do with the equipment not
just the equipment itself so I hope that
helps have you ever been in that
situation before ever had somebody tell
you about the equipment and then have
you go oh but now what do I do with it
let me know in the comments below I’d
love to know what you have to say about
this and if you have any suggestions for
people who immediately like just tell me
what mic you have just tell me how to
you know what equipment I need and
that’ll be it I’m good I’m done I’d love
to know what your comments are on that
also if you want to be on my list I’d
love to have you
on the list go down to the bottom of
this if you’re on vo heroes calm the
bottom of this page is a little form you
can fill out called get on the list will
get you on the list that’s what we do
with again on the list form I’m David H
Lawrence the seventeenth I thank you so
much for watching and I will talk to you
tomorrow.
Yeah, playing a 1910 Steinway Model B doesn’t make me a concert pianist if I’m just banging out “Chopsticks”! I think the number one eye-opener to voiceover newbies is telling them that VO is about *acting*. And if that’s a turn-off to someone, then he probably should seek creative expression elsewhere, and I consider that I have done him a service in opening his eyes.
I used to sell guitars for a living, and I can’t tell you how many folks were searching for the Holy Grail as far gear was concerned so they could sound like their idols. The theory was, if I get an X Guitar, a Y amp, I’ll sound like Whoever. It doesn’t work that way. I’ve got the same basses Paul McCartney used in the Beatles, but I still sound like me when I play them (I resisted buying them when they were in stock, but they sat so perfectly in my hands, I couldn’t say no. I still use them, and they still sit perfectly in my hands). Once I got comfortable with that reality, I really got cooking. THAT’S the hard part: being comfortable sounding like yourself. There are other examples I could site, but this is the most personal one.
“…being comfortable sounding like yourself.”
Bingo!
I love the Holy Grail analogy!
Bob, I’m glad that you liked that. It’s truer than you think.
Great advice. I’d like to get a ukelele in 2020 and I keep looking for the “best” one but there is a lower-cost one that feels really nice to me. It sounds good too. My mic isn’t the most expensive in the world but it is a really good one and it sounds good with my voice. I just upgraded to an Apollo and I’m excited to make it work for me in my space. In the end, it will be all about how I use and work with these tools.
My first voiceover coach taught me a lot of good techniques and some of the VO basics, and I thank him for that. However, he was something of a gear-head, and pushed hard to get me into the “right” equipment. That included Pro Tools (yuk!), a Digidesign MBox 2 Pro, a set of Waves plug-ins, and (yep) one of those mic brands you mentioned in your video. It wasn’t a situation of his being an affiliate for the products; I purchased everything locally, mostly through Craigslist. I struggled with Pro Tools for quite awhile before finally getting straightened out by George Whittam about how Twisted Wave might be a much better choice. And I never did understand what half of the Waves plug-ins were for.
Sadly, I followed in my coach’s footsteps, and have slowly acquired more equipment. But it all gets used, and I’m learning new stuff every day. Pro-Tools, the Mbox, and most of the other early setup are gone…but at least the mic still works well.
Hey, and speaking of working well, your new videos look great! Um…what camera and lights are you using for those? ;>)
Ha!! Did I not mention that in the video itself? The lights are inexpensive LED panels (lots of brands to choose from, all just fine), and the camera is a Panasonic Lumix G7. But…more importantly…the lens is a 20mm prime lens that achieves a flatter plane and smaller depth of field, putting me in focus while putting the rest of the elements out of focus, for a more cinematic look.
But…again…it’s not the equipment, it’s how you use it.
Excellent topic. I ‘used to be’ an equipment snob, always thinking more expensive is better. I’m doing moderately well in audiobooks with a total of about $350 in equipment – mic, headphones, daw, etc.