If you’re a voiceover artist or podcaster looking to take your recordings to the next level, setting up a solid voiceover studio is essential. In this guide, we’ll walk you through a professional plugin chain designed to give your voiceovers a polished, studio-quality sound—using the Universal Audio Apollo Twin X audio interface and three iconic plugins: the SSL 4000 E Channel Strip, the Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ, and the Teletronix LA-2A Leveling Amplifier.
These tools are digital emulations of legendary analog gear, trusted by top engineers. We’ll walk you through the exact settings used in a real-world voiceover studio to help you get crisp, clean results—without the complicated jargon.
Voiceover Studio Essentials: The Gear You’ll Need
To create a pro-quality voiceover studio setup, you’ll need a few key components:
- Universal Audio Apollo Twin X: A high-quality audio interface with onboard DSP (digital signal processing) to power advanced plugins.
- SSL 4000 E Channel Strip: A flexible plugin that handles compression, gating, and EQ—ideal for shaping your voice from the very beginning.
- Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ: Known for its rich analog tone, it adds warmth and clarity.
- Teletronix LA-2A Leveling Amplifier: A legendary compressor/limiter that smooths out your sound for that final broadcast polish.
These plugins run on Universal Audio’s UAD-2 platform and work seamlessly in DAWs like Adobe Audition, making them perfect for your voiceover studio workflow.
Using the Apollo Twin X can significantly enhance your voiceover studio’s capabilities.
Step 1: Set Up the SSL 4000 E Channel Strip in Your Voiceover Studio
What It Does
The SSL 4000 E Channel Strip is your all-in-one plugin to start shaping your voice. Based on the legendary SSL 4000 console, it provides:
- Compression: Keeps your voice consistent in volume.
- Gating: Reduces background noise in your recording space.
- EQ: Helps you shape the tonal character of your voice.
Recommended Settings for Voiceover Work
Input Section
- Line/Mic Gain: Set to 0 dB (adjust as needed)
- Phantom Power: On (48V) for condenser mics like the Neumann U87
- XFMR Button: On (adds analog warmth)
Dynamics Section
- Compressor Ratio: 2:1
- Threshold: –15 dB
- Attack: Fast (~10 ms)
- Release: ~0.2 seconds
- Gate Threshold: –12 to –20 dB
- Gate Range: 25 dB
EQ Section
- HF: Slight boost at 7.5 kHz
- HMF: Slight cut below 6 kHz
- LMF: Cut around 200 Hz
- LF: Boost at 100 Hz
- Filters: High-pass at 70 Hz, Low-pass at 12 kHz
Why It Works
This plugin is crucial to achieving a clear, professional voiceover studio sound. It reduces unwanted noise, controls dynamics, and enhances vocal clarity—laying the foundation for everything that follows.
Step 2: Add Character with the Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ
Why It’s a Studio Favorite
The Neve 1073 is known for adding warmth and depth—ideal for making voiceovers sound full and engaging. In a voiceover studio, it helps shape the personality of your voice. This is one of my favourite additions to my Apollo Twin X.
Settings for Best Results
EQ Section
- High Frequencies: Slight cut at 7.2 kHz
- Mid Frequencies: Slight boost at 0.7 kHz
- Low Frequencies: Gentle cut below 60 Hz
- Low-Frequency Selector: 160 Hz (acts as high-pass)
Output
- Output Slider/Knob: 0 dB
- Pad: Set to HI
Why It’s Essential
In any voiceover studio environment, the Neve 1073 helps refine vocal tone—removing low-end muddiness and bringing out midrange clarity. The result is a voice that cuts through cleanly and warmly.
Step 3: Final Polish with the Teletronix LA-2A
What It Does
The Teletronix LA-2A is a smooth, vintage-style compressor that adds that final layer of polish to your voice. In a professional voiceover studio, this plugin helps maintain even dynamics and give your voice that “radio-ready” finish.
Suggested Settings
The rich sound produced by the Apollo Twin X is hard to replicate.
- Mode: Limit
- Gain: Slight boost (~30)
- Peak Reduction: 25
- Meter: Gain Reduction
Why You Need It
This step smooths out remaining volume spikes and adds a subtle, analog finish—perfect for a voiceover studio with your Apollo Twin X where consistency is key.
Vocal Chain Summary: Your Voiceover Studio Plugin Flow
Here’s how everything flows in your voiceover studio chain:
- SSL 4000 E Channel Strip – Clean and shape your voice
- Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ – Add warmth and tone
- Teletronix LA-2A – Final dynamic polish
Voiceover Studio Tips for Customization
- Match Your Mic: Settings here were optimized for a Neumann U87, but they’ll work with most studio mics like the Shure SM7B.
- Tweak to Fit Your Space: If your voiceover studio has some background noise, adjust the gate settings on the SSL.
- Use Your Ears: These settings are a great starting point, but fine-tune them to suit your unique voice and recording environment.
Final Thoughts
With the Apollo Twin X and this carefully designed plugin chain, you have everything you need to create a high-quality voiceover studio setup. Whether you’re recording audiobooks, narration, or podcasts, this workflow will help you deliver consistent, professional-grade results. You can spice up your sound with carefully prepared presets. Our team helps voice over artists achieve the best sound.
With the Apollo Twin X, you can elevate your voiceover work to a new level.
