We love potatoes as fries, chips, and salads. But “potato” has also taken on a disparaging meaning: any technological device that seems low-quality or out-of-place is, wryly, deemed a “potato.” The phone camera that catches a sudden case of 2008 is a “potato.” In voice-over, a “potato” can describe any audio recording chain that lacks professional audition quality.
But, no matter how much money you spend on your audio recording equipment, one universal phenomenon can undermine it: echo.
Echo demotes the most pristine, buttery studio quality to the rank of a potato. Nobody wants to hear your amazing voice-over performance in a parking garage, shower, or even an untreated room with hardwood floors. Next to professional voice-over auditions, these environments instantly scream “potato!”
Fortunately, there are solutions for taming the wild, wild west of echo. But first, we should clarify a few concepts.
In industry terminology, recording environments with a characteristic echo are sometimes called “live.” Environments with non-noticeable echo are sometimes called “dry.” The technical word for environments with zero echo is “anechoic.”
Informally, if you have an undesired echo in a voice-over recording session then the engineer might say they are getting some “room coloration.” Because each sound pitch has its own frequency and that frequency has a physical wavelength, the walls and other surfaces in your environment might amplify certain pitches more than others.
We should also be clear on the distinction between sound isolation and sound absorption. Sound isolation separates your recording environment from environmental sounds like lawnmowers, planes, and barking dogs. This is different from sound absorption, which is material (and, importantly, mass) that does not reflect sound waves when recording in its environment.
Below I’ll quickly run through common solutions for resolving echo when recording voice-over. They may, in some cases, also provide some isolation, but that’s not the primary lens.
It’s also worth noting that some voice-over styles are more demanding of echo-free recording than others. A recording environment that works well for voicing a Human Resources training might echo too much when recording a drill sergeant in a Nickelodeon animation. Because echo is affected by loudness (also known as sound pressure level, or the energy of the sound waves needing to be absorbed), lower volumes will always echo less, all else being equal.
Portable Sound Booths
A wide range of products call themselves “portable booths.” These include suitcase-sized assemblies of sound-absorbing panels, fabric-hanging hardware to create a fabric enclosure, and sound-absorbing material that attaches to or encloses the microphone itself.
In my experience, these can make a modest difference. They usually don’t have enough mass or directional coverage to make a major difference. They are mainly priced for aesthetics. At home, tension poles, clamps, and quilts can produce a comparable (but less aesthetically pleasing) result. In a hotel, being creative with the linens (yes, I’ve recorded voice-over on my laptop beneath hotel quilts) can be just as effective as a portable booth.
Inside A Car
A lot of vehicles make decent voice-over recording environments. They contain some soft material that reduces echo. They offer some sound isolation from surrounding noise. Upholstery tends to reduce echo more than faux leather or vinyl. Sloped sedan windshields tend to be more recording-friendly than more vertical ones (right angles are bad for echo).
Closets
Closets, particularly the walk-in types, often already have clothing and other soft materials hanging. They are often a go-to structural space for a bounded working environment.
Acoustic Foam
For its weight, acoustic foam (which comes in various shapes) can perform well at absorbing sound. On a pound-for-pound basis, it might actually be the most efficient material. It can be a more affordable way to cover larger areas and has an aesthetically pleasing presentation.
In my practical experience, foam almost always lacks the mass that other solutions have. That means that its sound-absorbing performance declines with loudness faster than curtains, dedicated absorbers, and most other environmental options. Studios will often use it as a finishing layer atop other treatments.
Polyester absorbers are a newer foam alternative that can perform similarly, be layered, and take up less space.
Curtains
Curtains (or any less-attractive hanging fabric with mass) can be very effective at absorbing echo. Theaters historically use curtains for a reason. They are easy to add to whatever density your hanging hardware will support.
Purpose-Built Fabric Absorbers
Nothing beats mass when it comes to sound absorption. While purpose-built fabric sound absorbers can be a premium expenditure, they are my personal favorite solution. They are usually built with a wood frame, filled with medium-density, polyester foam, and mounted on walls or ceilings.
Final Thoughts
Carpeting, particularly combined with mass (foam beneath it and/or shag pile), will always reduce environmental echo. The same goes for foam-filled upholstered furniture.
Sound isolation booths can incidentally reduce echo by providing a shorter travel distance for sound waves. However, they often require significant interior treatment to truly absorb echo. Smaller dimensions concentrate energy dissipation, so mass is key to both sound absorption.
There are also dedicated echo-eliminating software plugins: Acon Digital, iZotope, and Waves are well-known options. While I have these, they are generally a last resort that is intended for project post-production. For a voice-over talent, they are not a great long-term solution.
Mechanical diffusers (uneven, hard surfaces designed to break up directional sound reflection) can be a great option aesthetically. They can be a discreet and even artistic addition to some environments. They are essential for echo-reduction of the highest-volume sound sources (rock bands, urban noise). In my experience, they are less effective at voice-over-related volumes.
Creative triage is an option in emergencies. On one occasion, I threw spare bed quilts on top of folding panel dividers to lower the echo in a hardwood-floor living room for a video shoot, and it worked.
Armed with this knowledge, your personal battle against echo should be victorious. Your amazing voice-over audition on good equipment won’t be experienced as coming from a “potato.”
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