Every Breath You Take (Out): Should You De-Breath Your Audio?
The Pro Audio Suite
Breaths — they’re natural, emotional, and sometimes downright necessary. But should they always stay in your voice tracks? This week, the crew dives into the great de-breathing debate, inspired by a post from voice actor on how breaths act as “unseen punctuation.” Robbo, AP, George the Tech, and Robert Marshall discuss when removing them improves clarity and when it strips away the performance. Along the way, they touch on AI voices, happy accidents, and the fine art of keeping things human — from Sting’s laugh on Roxanne to Chad Smith breaking a drumstick mid-take. They also chat...
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iPhone Update: You Can Now Pick Your Mic!
The Pro Audio Suite
Finally! Apple’s latest iOS 26 update gives users control over which mic their iPhone or iPad apps use. Whether you’re recording with AirPods, a PASport VO, or your favourite external mic, you can now select your input per app — a massive leap for voice actors, podcasters, and mobile content creators. The team also unpacks the new AirPods Pro 3 and their surprisingly usable mic quality, adaptive noise reduction, and hearing-aid features. As always, the conversation goes off the rails (in the best way) with plenty of laughs and gear talk. 🎙️ In this episode: Choosing your mic per...
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Reflection Filters – Help or Hype?
The Pro Audio Suite
This week, the crew takes a hard look at reflection filters — those curved bits of foam and metal you often see sitting behind microphones. Do they really make your recordings sound better, or are they just clever marketing? George “The Tech” Whittam, Robbo, Robert Marshall, and Andrew Peters break down what reflection filters actually do (and don’t do), why they often make voiceovers sound worse, and what to invest in instead if you want to improve your room sound. From the SE Electronics RF-X to the Aston Halo, the team compares designs, materials, and real-world results — and...
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Diffusers — What They Actually Do (and Why They Matter)
The Pro Audio Suite
Ever wondered what those strange wooden grids on studio walls actually do? In this week’s episode, the guys dive into diffusers — how they work, when to use them, and why your small booth might not be the best place for one. We also chat about the brand-new Austrian Audio CC8 Supercardioid — the latest addition to their small-diaphragm condenser range — and how it performs in real-world sessions. From quadratic and skyline diffusers to the mysterious Fresnel-style designs, we break down what each type does to your sound, and why diffusion is often misunderstood. George shares insights...
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Hunting Down Gremlins in Your Signal Chain
The Pro Audio Suite
Levels mysteriously rising and falling with no changes in your setup? In this episode of The Pro Audio Suite, we go hunting for those dreaded signal-chain gremlins. From flaky TRS connections that drop a balanced leg and cause sudden 6 dB losses, to patchbay switches that “moved themselves,” to the quirks of send/return jacks on interfaces like the Audient iD series—we unpack the common culprits behind random level swings. We also share a practical, step-by-step troubleshooting method called binary reduction: change one thing at a time, ideally from the middle of the chain, and halve...
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The Pro Audio Suite – Rooms: Why Size (and Shape) Matters
The Pro Audio Suite
This week the guys take a quick dive into one of the biggest factors that can make or break your booth sound: the room itself. From walk-in wardrobes to DIY blanket forts and even apartments in Rome, we talk about what really matters when it comes to room size, shape, reflections, and treatment. Spoiler alert: bigger isn’t always better, but dead is definitely good. Thanks to our sponsors TriBooth (use code TRIPAP200 for $200 off) and Austrian Audio – making passion heard. Edited by Andrew Peters. Mixed by Robbo. Recorded via Source Connect with tech support from George “The Tech”...
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Outboard Gear: Investment or Indulgence?
The Pro Audio Suite
This week on The Pro Audio Suite, the team dives into a question every engineer, producer, and voice actor has wrestled with: is outboard gear still worth the space and the spend? From vintage LA-2As and Neve compressors to Avalons, VariMus, and the rise of clones and plug-ins, we break down: Whether classic hardware really goes up in value Why collectors, commercial studios, and voice actors see things differently The surprising role of AI in modeling old gear When plug-ins are “close enough”… and when they’re not Tales of gear that doubled in value (and some that didn’t...
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Audio Mythbusters: 6 Studio Myths That Need Bin-ning
The Pro Audio Suite
We’re busting some of the biggest myths still floating around VO and podcast studios. From noise gates that wreck your takes to USB mics that promise “pro quality” but rarely deliver, we cut through the nonsense and share what actually works. In this episode: Noise gates: why they usually cause more harm than good Noise reduction: AI vs old-school fingerprint NR USB mics: when they fail and why they’re limiting Expensive mics: shiny gear doesn’t fix a bad room Coaching: how much do you really need once you’re working? Booths & acoustics: why treatment matters more...
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Back to His Roots: George’s One-Case Location VO Rig
The Pro Audio Suite
George heads out on a time-sensitive PSA to capture wild VO lines at an actor’s house — and rebuilds a lean, one-case kit on the fly. We dig into what made the rig work, why he chose an onboard recorder for redundancy, mic choices (NTG-4 vs NTG-5), and a stack of road-tested tips from our early days hauling DA-88s, DATs and Franken-booms. What we cover: Packing everything into a Pelican 1510 (laptop, interface, mic, stand, boom) Primary vs backup: PortCaster with onboard record + laptop DAW Why the NTG-4 worked (once the low-cut was off) and when the NTG-5 is nicer Quiet-room...
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Source-Connect Bridge Explained
The Pro Audio Suite
Ever been caught in a panic when Source-Connect 3 won’t talk to Source-Connect 4? You’re not alone. In this week’s Pro Audio Suite, the team dives into the Source-Connect Bridge—what it is, why it exists, and how it can save your session. Robbo shares a real-world case of a talent stuck between versions, Robert explains how the Bridge works behind the scenes, and George breaks down when it’s the best option (hint: travelling VO talent on Windows, we’re looking at you). We also get sidetracked on long VO sessions, Apple’s memo banning typewriters in 1980, and why agencies...
info_outlineThe Sennheiser 416 has become an industry-standard tool. Being a “shotgun” mic (or in tech terms a super-cardioid) the microphone is really sensitive in a very narrow space, in a line extending straight out from the tip. For this reason, it is often used on film sets where the mic needs to be a little farther away from the actor’s mouth (so it’s not in the frame), and the production team wants to capture the actor’s voice without capturing background noise in the room. These qualities also make it extremely versatile for use in home voiceover studios!
But who first decided a Shotgun would be great for Voice Over, and why is it now an industry standard?
Find out on next week's episode of the Pro Audio Suite.
A big shout out to our sponsors, Austrian Audio and Tri Booth. Both these companies are providers of QUALITY Audio Gear (we wouldn't partner with them unless they were), so please, if you're in the market for some new kit, do us a solid and check out their products, and be sure to tell em "Robbo, George, Robert, and AP sent you"... As a part of their generous support of our show, Tri Booth is offering $200 off a brand-new booth when you use the code TRIPAP200. So get onto their website now and secure your new booth...
And if you're in the market for a new Mic or killer pair of headphones, check out Austrian Audio. They've got a great range of top-shelf gear..
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“When the going gets weird, the weird turn professional.”
Hunter S Thompson
Summary
In this episode of Pro Audio Suite, we delve into an intriguing story about a paranoid voiceover artist who disliked using the booth, even in a professional setting. His preference to sit in the control area led to an unconventional solution - using a 41 six instead of the customary large diaphragm U87 microphones. This switch, made by one of the floor guys, not only satisfied the artist but also resulted in a unique sound that rapidly became the benchmark for what a voiceover should sound like. Don't miss this intriguing tale about breaking norms and setting new standards in the audio world, only on Pro Audio Suite.
#ProAudioSuite #VoiceoverEvolution #BenchmarkSound
Timestamps
- [00:00:00] Sneak Peek into the Pro Audio Suite
- [00:00:11] Innovative idea from the Brainstorming Floor
- [00:00:22] Emergence of 416 Sound
- [00:00:33] The Character of Voiceover Sound Revealed
Transcript
Speaker A: It's coming up. Coming up next, the Pro Audio Suite sneak peek. The story I heard was not like, I think he was a bit paranoid and he didn't like being in the booth because he thought people were talking about him. Right. And so he wanted to sit out in the control area. That's right. And he couldn't use a normal large diaphragm. Couldn't use a U 87 out there. Yeah. Every damn thing. So one of the guys on on the floor came up with the idea of using the 41 six. That's what I heard. Why don't you use this razor blade to record your voiceover? Yeah, it was probably a 415 or whatever they had at the time. Yeah, probably a T powered 415 at the time. Yeah. So that sound, for whatever reason, better, for worse, it's become the character of what a voiceover sounds like. It's become the word used. Robo, it's a benchmark. Benchmark, yeah. The Pro audio suite. Thanks to Triboos and Austrian audio. Listen now on your favorite podcast provider.