Susan Berkley is a very talented voice artist in New York, and is a marketing powerhouse. She offers classes and email tips for newbies and skilled voice talents alike.

I signed up to receive her  “Inside Voice Over” weekly newsletter. Some weeks’ topics are more relevant to me than others, and there s a lot of push to take classes in (or tele-classes from) various parts of the country and world. ( Since I am not inclined to take out a second mortgage to finance my career aspirations, I enjoy and learn from email too.) Susan’s is one of many newslletter tools I like to receive to stay in touch with what’s happening in her part of the v-o world.

This week’s topic is rather pertinent for me, beacuse it is about “Home Studio Light vs. Home Studio Deluxe”.
If you’ve been following my blog, you may have noticed we are in the throes of building an isolation booth. I already have all the studio components I need for the moment. (Although I have an insatiable desire to upgrade with new electronic toys, mics and software all the time.) Yes, it’s easy to go gear crazy.

But the practical side of my brain tells me, I really need a better sound proofing situation. I live directly in the path of Marine helicopter route between Miramar and Camp Pendleton.  The fly-bys  rattle the windows and vibrate the walls several times a day. I also have neighbors  with yapping dogs, lawn mowers, loud mufflers, and then there are airplanes, sirens, etc., all competing with a full day of recording “acceptable, clean takes”.

We had to get some furniture moved and donated and generally de-clutter the home and office space where my new 5′ x 5′ x 8′ free-standing isolation booth will be installed. We’re ready to move it into the house, this weekend, apply the foam to the interior walls, then on to wiring, setting up shop, and moving some existing gear into the booth.

Looks like we’ll be spending about $800 in all, plus the time, almost half of Susan’s estimate of $1500, by building it ourselves. It’ll be substantially less than the pre-built Whisper Rooms that start around $3,500 the last time I looked.  I’ll post pictures when I can. Have a Happy Mother’s Day Weekend, One & All!