This is an experimental hobby, so I'm not trying to break the bank. Current hardware is a laptop with built-in microphone running linux.
The four steps it mentions are pretty good advice though: 1. Invest in a good quality microphone
You get what you pay for here. Don't go crazy with it. I might suggest just an SM58 because it's a quality all purpose microphone that will capture your voice nicely and not so much the ambient sounds from two rooms over 2. Maintain a consistent environment.
Don't start recording in one room and then the next day in another. Rooms have character and you'll be able to hear it in the recording. Be consistent 3. Get rid of as much of the ambient noise as you can
Now that you have a nice mic, you're going to pick up more sound. Turn off the air conditioning, the TV in the other room, make sure the dog's not barking, shut the window etc. 4. Dampen the sound
You don't want a bunch of echo or reverb on your voice over, so find a space and dampen the walls with a blanket or something like that. This should help Hope this was at least a bit helpful. Good luck! btw, this is most definitely territory. Any suggestions kb?
From the theoretical into the practical: 1) go to guitar center and see if they have any USB microphones you can try out. Don't spend more than $150. Spend more than $50. 2) Audacity will probably work. If you've got a mac, GarageBand excels at podcasty stuff. If you're on a PC, I'm not sure what they're doing these days. 3) Sit up straight and be comfortable. You might actually find that you like your performance better standing. Either way, if it sounds good to you, it sounds great to everybody else. 4) The perfect room to record in is one with a carpet on the floor, bookcases behind you and enough furniture that it doesn't sound empty. Bonus points for curtains. 5) The more effort you throw at it the more disappointed you will be at the results. Hit the basics, recognize that perfection is not the goal, and that the voiceover spots you're attempting to emulate are run by people like me with gear like mine and I've got years and tens of thousands of dollars into it and you don't want it that badly. That said, most of the guides you can find on the internet will get you there. It amazes me that none of them talk about headphones; you want to monitor what you're recording, as you're recording it, through CLOSED CELL HEADPHONES. No earbuds, no open baskets. If you put them on your head and you can't hear the outside world as well, they're closed-cell. Again, go to guitar center and give 'em a listen. Good luck.