Device Strategies: Is a Multi-Tool Helpful? – Tuesday VO Studio Tech Tip

I’ve never been a huge fan of multi-tools. Those devices that change from pliers to can openers, saws, screwdrivers, or wire cutters by sliding bits out and folding them around. Ignoring the that fact I manage to pinch my palm or finger any time I use one, those all-in-one “solutions” never seem to provide precisely the correct tool. It’s easy to end up rounding off a bolt head by using the pliers, or gouging a screw slot with a slightly mismatched driver fit. Eventually, any multi-tools I own have ended up in the bottom of a go bag or hiking daypack as an emergency resource, rather than the preferred tool reached for when there’s a specific task. 

I’ll admit this bias carries over into the studio. Over the years, I’ve become less enamored by things that “do it all.” Instead, I reach for something that does precisely what I’m asking of it at the time I need it done. It’s one of the reasons that multitrack recording applications don’t really resonate for me when I’m working on most types of VO work. There are times when I reach for Studio One, Pro Tools, or Adobe Audition’s multi track mode, but not when I just need to get a single vocal track recorded and ready for a client or audition. Those are pretty specific needs. I don’t need something that does “everything.”

When you have cool tools, it’s tempting to try to use all of them all the time. That’s one way to get into trouble. Even though there might be a compressor in our recording software, if there’s no clear reason to reach for it, then leaving it out is a good idea. It’s always fair to ask “why am I using this?”

When applying a specific tool, then we can evaluate whether it is doing what we want. For example, I have a few different good quality noise removal options available. Recently, I was trying to address kind of a knotty problem in another person’s raw recordings. Only one option did exactly what I’d hoped to achieve. In addition to solving the problem, it helped me gain a deeper understanding of where the tools worked well and where they fell short. 

Each week, we might hear about a flashy new software plug-in that someone used to make things sound amazing. That makes it very tempting to keep chasing the next shiny tool, instead of learning a bit more about the craft of using what we have more effectively. 

The same seems true for the hardware in our voiceover studio. Just considering the microphone, we can identify a significant number of variables to be found just in placement, distance, and position. A gloriously expensive microphone placed poorly will not work in our favor. 

It’s never a bad idea to gather up those things that are supposed to “do everything” and evaluate whether they are just distracting us from going beyond the surface. Dig down a little and see how things are meshing under the hood. 

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