Well… what came first? The chicken or the egg?
There are those who will say the egg. After all, you can’t have a chicken without first having an egg.
Then there are those who will say the chicken. Obviously you can’t have an egg without a chicken.
What Comes First?
A similar debate rages on in the wonderful world of voice over. It’s a question I get asked often, particularly by new talent. It goes like this…
Where do I spend my money first? Coaching or equipment?
Without equipment, it can be hard to get practice and record voice overs.
Without coaching, it’s can be hard to book voice overs and thereby pay for equipment.
So, if you’ve got some money to spend, where do you spend it?
Coaching
If you’ve got no experience or very little experience, I think most would agree that you need to spend some money on coaching. For the record, that show you hosted on the college radio station back in the day, that’s not really going to count much towards experience.
Get a couple hours with a coach. Determine if voice over is even right for you. That way, when the time comes to do some work you’ll be ready.
Equipment
When you’re starting out I know it’s tempting to spend the big bucks on the fancy equipment. Let’s be honest. Who doesn’t want a Neumann microphone? Pro Tools is the industry standard, right? So of course that’s where you need to invest your funds. While you’re at it, why not renovate an entire room in the house to build a studio?
The Neumann needs a good home, after all.
However, consider this. All the best, fanciest and most expensive equipment in the world isn’t going to make up for lack of skill, ability or talent.
The Debate Rages On
If you’re starting out and you’ve got some money to spend, be smart. You can get a really good quality mic for a couple hundred bucks. There’s plenty of digital audio editing software that’s free or relatively inexpensive. A closet can be turned into a makeshift studio.
Don’t put the cart before the horse. Or is that the chicken before the egg? I don’t want to mix my metaphors.
Make sure you’re ready to play the game before you start spending too much money on equipment. The best way to do that? Spend a little time with a reputable coach.
QUESTION: What comes first? Where did you invest your money?
