This week, the crew takes a hard look at reflection filters — those curved bits of foam and metal you often see sitting behind microphones.

Do they really make your recordings sound better, or are they just clever marketing?

George “The Tech” Whittam, Robbo, Robert Marshall, and Andrew Peters break down what reflection filters actually do (and don’t do), why they often make voiceovers sound worse, and what to invest in instead if you want to improve your room sound.

From the SE Electronics RF-X to the Aston Halo, the team compares designs, materials, and real-world results — and offers smarter, more effective alternatives for both travelling and home setups.

🎧 Recorded using Source Connect 🎚️ Edited by Andrew Peters. Mixed by Robbo.

This episode is brought to you by: 🎙️ Tri-Booth — the portable vocal booth used by the pros. 💰 Use code TRIPAP200 for $200 off your Tri-Booth at tribooth.com.

🎧 Austrian Audio — Making Passion Heard. Check out their full range of professional mics and headphones at austrian.audio.

🌐 theproaudiosuite.com 💬 Join the conversation: Pro Audio Suite Facebook Group 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music

Ever wondered what those strange wooden grids on studio walls actually do? In this week’s episode, the guys dive into diffusers — how they work, when to use them, and why your small booth might not be the best place for one.

We also chat about the brand-new Austrian Audio CC8 Supercardioid — the latest addition to their small-diaphragm condenser range — and how it performs in real-world sessions.

From quadratic and skyline diffusers to the mysterious Fresnel-style designs, we break down what each type does to your sound, and why diffusion is often misunderstood.

George shares insights from a beautifully treated garden-shed studio (yes, really), Robbo recalls diffusers hanging as ceiling “clouds” at Foxtel, and the crew even take a detour into restaurant acoustics — because if you can’t hear your dining partner, maybe they need better room treatment too!

Whether you’re building a home studio or just want your booth to sound a little bigger, this one’s packed with real-world advice (and a few laughs along the way).

• Austrian Audio CC8 Supercardioid (and upcoming release)

• Quadratic, skyline, and Fresnel diffusers

• Tube traps and hybrid panels

• Auralex and GIK Acoustics products

• RPG diffusers

• Blackbird Studios Nashville

• Soundprint App (for measuring restaurant noise levels)

Tri-Booth — Get $200 off your Tri-Booth with the code TRIPAP200 at tribooth.com Austrian Audio — Makers of the OC818, OC18, and the brand-new CC8 Supercardioid. Making passion heard.

🎧 www.proaudiosuite.com 🎥 YouTube: @proaudiosuitepodcast 💬 Join the discussion: Pro Audio Suite Facebook Group

Levels mysteriously rising and falling with no changes in your setup? In this episode of The Pro Audio Suite, we go hunting for those dreaded signal-chain gremlins.

From flaky TRS connections that drop a balanced leg and cause sudden 6 dB losses, to patchbay switches that “moved themselves,” to the quirks of send/return jacks on interfaces like the Audient iD series—we unpack the common culprits behind random level swings.

We also share a practical, step-by-step troubleshooting method called binary reduction: change one thing at a time, ideally from the middle of the chain, and halve your suspect list with every move.

What you’ll learn:

• Why XLR usually outperforms TRS for reliable, balanced connections

• How to “exercise” or clean jacks to stop intermittent dropouts

• How the Return jack on the Audient iD bypasses the preamp (and why the Send is half-normalled)

• Why patchbays and inserts can be both lifesavers and headaches

• The simple logic of binary reduction for solving audio mysteries fast

Mentioned: Grace m101, Audient iD22/iD44, Mackie inserts, Apogee Duet, phantom power quirks, Behringer patchbay switches.

Sponsors:

• TriBooth — use code TRIPAP200 for USD $200 off your TriBooth

• Austrian Audio — Making passion heard.

Credits: Recorded via Source-Connect. Edited by Andrew Peters. Mixed by Robbo. Tech support by George “The Tech” Whittam. theproaudiosuite.com

This week the guys take a quick dive into one of the biggest factors that can make or break your booth sound: the room itself. From walk-in wardrobes to DIY blanket forts and even apartments in Rome, we talk about what really matters when it comes to room size, shape, reflections, and treatment.

Spoiler alert: bigger isn’t always better, but dead is definitely good.

Thanks to our sponsors TriBooth (use code TRIPAP200 for $200 off) and Austrian Audio – making passion heard.

Edited by Andrew Peters. Mixed by Robbo. Recorded via Source Connect with tech support from George “The Tech” Whittam.

Got your own audio issues? JustAskRobbo.com. Join the conversation in our Facebook group or drop us a note at theproaudiosuite.com.

voiceover booth, recording booth, room acoustics, voice acting tips, home studio setup, soundproofing, Pro Audio Suite, George the Tech, TriBooth, Austrian Audio

#ProAudioSuite #VoiceOver #HomeStudio #RecordingBooth #TriBooth #AustrianAudio #SourceConnect

This week on The Pro Audio Suite, the team dives into a question every engineer, producer, and voice actor has wrestled with: is outboard gear still worth the space and the spend?

From vintage LA-2As and Neve compressors to Avalons, VariMus, and the rise of clones and plug-ins, we break down:

• Whether classic hardware really goes up in value

• Why collectors, commercial studios, and voice actors see things differently

• The surprising role of AI in modeling old gear

• When plug-ins are “close enough”… and when they’re not

• Tales of gear that doubled in value (and some that didn’t keep up with inflation)

Join Robbo, AP, George the Tech, and Robert Marshall as they debate if that rack of gear is an investment or just taking up space.

Recorded with Source-Connect, edited by Andrew Peters, and mixed by Robbo.

🔗 Find us online at proaudiosuite.com

Thanks to our sponsors: 🎤 Tribooth — use code TRIPAP200 for $200 off 🎙 Austrian Audio — Making Passion Heard

We’re busting some of the biggest myths still floating around VO and podcast studios. From noise gates that wreck your takes to USB mics that promise “pro quality” but rarely deliver, we cut through the nonsense and share what actually works.

In this episode:

• Noise gates: why they usually cause more harm than good

• Noise reduction: AI vs old-school fingerprint NR

• USB mics: when they fail and why they’re limiting

• Expensive mics: shiny gear doesn’t fix a bad room

• Coaching: how much do you really need once you’re working?

• Booths & acoustics: why treatment matters more than a box, and why high ceilings aren’t the enemy

Hosts: Andrew Peters, George Whittam, Robert Marshall, and Robbo Sponsors: Proudly supported by Tri-Booth and Austrian Audio

George heads out on a time-sensitive PSA to capture wild VO lines at an actor’s house — and rebuilds a lean, one-case kit on the fly. We dig into what made the rig work, why he chose an onboard recorder for redundancy, mic choices (NTG-4 vs NTG-5), and a stack of road-tested tips from our early days hauling DA-88s, DATs and Franken-booms.

What we cover:

• Packing everything into a Pelican 1510 (laptop, interface, mic, stand, boom)

• Primary vs backup: PortCaster with onboard record + laptop DAW

• Why the NTG-4 worked (once the low-cut was off) and when the NTG-5 is nicer

• Quiet-room scouting at talent’s home (carpet, bookshelves, sofa placement)

• Redundancy paranoia that saves the day (and the gig)

• Old-school sync and remote workflows: clapper slates, Boom Recorder, Reaper, DA-88s, DAT, Ramza/Fostex rigs

Gear & software mentioned: Pelican 1510, Sentrance MicPort Pro, PortCaster, RØDE NTG-4/NTG-5, Grace Lunatec V2, Sony & Tascam DAT, Boom Recorder, Reaper, DA-88, Fostex 9624, Ramza 8-bus.

Sponsors: TRI-BOOTH — use code TRIPAP200 for $200 off your Tri-Booth. Austrian Audio — Making Passion Heard.

Credits: Recorded via Source-Connect. Edited by Andrew Peters. Mixed by Robbo. Tech support from George “The Tech” Whittam. Got an audio issue? JustAskRobbo.com

Ever been caught in a panic when Source-Connect 3 won’t talk to Source-Connect 4? You’re not alone. In this week’s Pro Audio Suite, the team dives into the Source-Connect Bridge—what it is, why it exists, and how it can save your session.

Robbo shares a real-world case of a talent stuck between versions, Robert explains how the Bridge works behind the scenes, and George breaks down when it’s the best option (hint: travelling VO talent on Windows, we’re looking at you).

We also get sidetracked on long VO sessions, Apple’s memo banning typewriters in 1980, and why agencies sometimes make a 10-second tag take two and a half hours.

Whether you’re a studio, talent, or just someone who’s had “version hell” ruin your morning, this episode is a must-listen.

🔗 Find out more at www.proaudiosuite.com

Sponsors:

• 🎙️ Tri-Booth – Get $200 off with code TRIPAP200 at tribooth.com

• 🎤 Austrian Audio – Making passion heard

This week on The Pro Audio Suite, the team open up their plug-in folders and share their favourites — from free finds to trusty old processors and some surprising new AI tools.

Robbo kicks things off with TDR Nova, a free dynamic EQ/multiband compressor that’s perfect for VO artists working in home studios. Robert digs back into his bag of tricks with Waves C4/C6, still unbeatable for multiband control after all these years. George brings Acon Extract Dialog to the table, showing how modern AI can pull voices cleanly from noisy recordings. Along the way, we debate noise reduction chains, “less is more” processing, and why not every AI fix is the magic bullet people think it is.

If you’re looking for plug-ins that actually help (without emptying your wallet), this one’s for you.

voiceover, plugins, audio plugins, vst plugins, audio production, pro tools, audition, twisted wave, waves audio, izotope, acon digital, tokyo dawn records, tdr nova, waves c4, multiband compressor, de esser, noise reduction, clarity vx, source connect, home studio, podcast editing, pro audio suite

The Pro Audio Suite is proudly sponsored by TriBooth (use code TRIPAP200 for $200 off) and Austrian Audio — Making Passion Heard. Recorded via Source Connect. Edited by Andrew Peters. Mixed by Robbo. Tech support from George the Tech Whittam.

Got your own audio issues? 👉 JustAskRobbo.com

Latency, it’s that tiny, annoying delay between what you say and what you hear back. In the studio, online, or even in your own headphones, it can trip you up, wreck your timing, and make you feel like you’re talking to yourself in slow motion.

In this episode of The Pro Audio Suite, Robbo, AP, George, and Robert dig into:

• What latency really is (and why it’s not just a tech buzzword)

• How it sneaks into your recording chain

• The difference between “good” latency and “bad” latency

• Fixes you can do right now without buying a new rig

• When hardware or interface upgrades actually make sense

Whether you’re a VO artist fighting through a remote session, a podcaster dealing with talkback lag, or a studio pro chasing perfect sync, this is your guide to killing the delay and getting back in the groove.

Proudly supported by Tri-Booth and Austrian Audio, we only partner with brands we believe in, and these two deliver the goods for pro audio pros like you.

🎙 Listen now and get ahead of the delay. Proudly supported by our mates at Tri-Booth and Austrian Audio. Tri-Booth gives you a world-class recording space that fits in your spare room (or your suitcase), while Austrian Audio mics deliver the clarity and detail that make every take shine. We use them, we trust them, and we think you’ll love them too.