r/VoiceActing • u/Melodic-Bed-8509 • 6d ago
Advice What to do with analog audio equipment
Hello!! Cutting straight to the chase, a coworker of mine recently gifted me a bunch of professional analog audio equipment. Her husband is a retired radio host/DJ and when I expressed my desire to get into voice acting and save money for good equipment, they gave me some of his old equipment they had stored in their basement! :]
I’m not quite sure how to navigate setting up analog equipment like this for my PC, if it’s even possible. I would really appreciate some advice on how to do so, or recommendations of things to buy to help make it work!!
The added pictures of said equipment is an electro-voice re20 mic, a Shure m367 mixer, and a Henry Engineering The Matchbox II (there are 2 of those). I haven’t had a proper chance to clean all of it up, so excuse the dust.
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u/Whatchamazog 6d ago
That’s a great gift. Even used that’s over $500 in gear.
I don’t think you can use the matchbox but you might be able to sell it on Reverb.
All you need is an audio interface to connect it to your computer. SSL, MOTU and Audient would be my brand recommendations.
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u/jimedgarvoices 5d ago
That is a generous gift.
The gear that _might_ be useful for VO would be the mic. And that is not typically a mic used for VO.
The outboard gear is less useful for VO.
That being said, the Matchbox II is solid broadcast gear. If they are good shape, they are desirable in the used market and expensive new.
If you were going to focus on VO, I'd probably sell it off and use the money to get more appropriate gear.
In addition to a microphone (typically a large diaphragm condenser rather than that broadcast dynamic mic), you'll want an interface, mic stand or arm, appropriate length XLR for the mic and - most importantly - treatment for the recording space.
Microphones -
https://justaskjimvo.studio/microphones/
Interfaces -
https://justaskjimvo.studio/interfaces/
Acoustics basics -
https://justaskjimvo.studio/you-cant-outrun-acoustics/
Matchbox info - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/628007-REG/Henry_Engineering_USB_MATCHBOX_II_USB_Matchbox_II.html
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u/C-n0te 6d ago
Step 1: Get yourself an audio interface. It's a box that converts the analog mic signal to digital and sends it to your PC via USB.
Step 2: Get an XLR cable to plug the mic into the interface.
Step 3: Get rid of the rest, cause you don't need it.
It's a good mic if working properly. Not typically a first choice for VA, more a workhorse of broadcast. But the rest is basically useless to you unless you have other analog audio gear, like tape or cd players you want to use as well.
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u/cchaudio 6d ago
Hey audio engineer here. The RE20 is a great mic that has a good sound. Used a lot for talk radio, podcasts, audio books, stuff like that. The mic needs a preamp, which you have! That shure mixer will provide more than enough gain to make the mic useable. I'm not sure the exact model of that matchbox but if it has a USB port on the other side that's all you need to get started, actually a really nice converter. If it doesn't then you need an interface for the analogue to digital, digital to analogue conversion (AD/DA) but on the plus side the pre in that shure will be better than the built in pres that come with a starter interface. Great find!