Actor, comedian and voice over artist, Lewis Macleod sings the praises of the new EVO 4 audio interface he now uses in his home voice over booth, where he has found himself working since the latest social distancing restrictions came into force.
Lewis has had a wide range of acting roles from Postman Pat to impressions of Donald Trump, voicing many characters in video games and even in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Accustomed to going into studios, he has always been able to rely on engineers to take care of everything for him.
“It is very easy to use – and quite stunning in its simplicity”
Indeed, he admits to being not the least bit technical: “I can just about operate a fridge door and heat a pie in the microwave,” he quips. With that in mind, his entire home studio setup needed to be very straightforward. Happily, it is. Based in “an unused spare corner upstairs” his studio tech is centred around the EVO 4 designed by Audient. “It is very easy to use – and quite stunning in its simplicity,” he says of the audio interface launched in January and designed with exactly that in mind: to make recording easy.
He’s been relying on the Smartgain feature in particular, which automatically sets the gain levels as soon as he starts speaking. “It feels like a three stage, simple action to get the levels right,” he says. “I particularly like the ability to toggle between monitoring and gain on the same wheel. It really is tremendous.”
Although the plan to build a small voice over suite at home was hatched at the end of last year, it was the outbreak of Covid-19 that really got things moving. Whilst a local carpenter measured up the frame and provided the shape & soundproofing for the walls, Lewis enlisted the help of his technical friend and sound specialist, Steve Hills to take care of the cabling, mics and acoustic panelling.
“EVO 4 sounds great,” confirms Steve, who sourced the 2 in/2 out audio interface. He’s been getting Lewis set up for some of his voice over work and really appreciated its versatility. “I love the loop-back feature. We are using Final Cut Pro X to work to picture and do sound editing with it, and everything is flying. EVO 4 is a great idea – and a great box.”
Having worked in entertainment and marketing over the last 30 years, Lewis is pleased with the simplicity of the studio, as it has meant he’s been able to continue working during the UK lockdown. “We’ve been preparing for a link up with Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2 for some voice overs and impressions on the show, this week,” he says.
“EVO 4 is a great idea – and a great box”
As to how Lewis will be working in the future: “I reckon once lockdown finishes I’ll be happy to go back into studios but I’ll definitely be spending more time at home as long as there are projects to work on.”
EVO – and Audient – are pleased to hear it.
