Plugins - Yes or No?
Hi,
TL,DR: Can I use plugins sparingly to address issues in my audio?
When I applied to become a Pro, my interpretation of the instructions was that I was to use absolutely no plug-ins when recording my application project. I didn't, and my first submission was rejected.
Using the constructive criticism in my rejection message, I was able to make the necessary improvements to my recording space and performance which lead to my resubmission being accepted. Again, without any plugins.
I still have what I feel is a problem with mouth clicks, and hunting them down in my recording is tedious and in some cases beyond my current abilities. I created an effects chain based on recommendations by an audio technician in a live webinar for voice over artists, which is as follows:
- Waves NS-1: Set to 1 out of 100, which merely turns the plugin on and still has a dramatic effect on appliance hum coming from within the house.
- ReaEQ: Set in such a way to cut down bass tones, boxiness, and reverb by just a bit.
- ReaComp: Not super comfortable with this one, but did my best to match the technicians instructions. 3:1 Ratio, -0.2 db Threshold
- Waves Sibilance: Came with a Voiceover preset that seems to have a light touch, but still works well.
- Izotope RX8 Mouth De-click: Sensitivity 4.9, 0 click widening.
I understand that a flat EQ curve and no compression is a requirement for submissions, but I was hoping that I could still apply the Mouth De-click plugin.
What is Bunny Studio's stance on plugins? If absolutely no plugins are allowed, that's fine, and I will just keep working harder to improve my performance.
Thank you for reading.
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Hello Anders,
Thank you for reaching out.
We do recommend not using any plugins due to the fact that there are some pros and talents that over-process their recordings.
As much as possible we recommend fixing reverberation, mouth noise, sibilance, and background noise issues during the recording process.
This is due to the possibility that your recording will go through post-production and it would be a lot easier to work on that way.
However, if you feel like there is no other choice but to use plugins, it should be fine as long as it is not over-processed/used sparingly.
I personally use the Izotope Mouth De-click too. It's pretty subtle and I do approve of the use of this plugin because it's really subtle. However, I'm not quite sure about the other plugins you're using.
To better assess this, could you send us a clip of your recording where you use those plugins? :)
Best,
Hiro
Thank you for responding.
Here is the successful sample from my application project.
https://bunnystudio.com/voice/samples/197173
Here is the same sample with my effects chain in place.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14kpO9_EvupKM9Adxz3fA1Nwh2NCm12vR/view?usp=sharing
Thank you for reviewing these samples.
Hang on. I realized that Izotope Mouth De-click was disabled on accident for the sample.
Here's the sample with Mouth De-click.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gmnlCxPppDukOhBHqj9B01EvwjkSBfKM/view?usp=sharing
Hi Anders,
Always happy to help! :)
After comparing the two recordings, I did notice that your fx chain lessened the mouth clicks without compromising the quality of the recording. So I do feel like using the fx chain wouldn't be a problem.
The remaining mouth clicks however are pretty audible even through my speakers. This could be an issue with some of our clients. I'd like to suggest trying to address it through recording instead.
Drinking lots of water or sippin' some hot tea before recording usually helps me eliminate mouth noises in my recordings.
You can also find more tips here if you haven't seen them yet: https://bit.ly/2NjTyUK.
Another thing I noticed is the slight boost in low frequencies in your recording which can be better heard at 0:08, during the line "to know more". It's possible that the boosted low-frequencies are caused by the proximity effect of the mic. Giving a little more distance between you and the microphone may help.
Feel free to send us an improved version of your recording anytime!
Thank you for your help! Hot Tea works wonders on my mouth noise.
Was the boost present in both recordings or just the second one?
Hello Anders,
Awesome! Glad it helped! :)
The low-end boost (proximity effect) seems to be a bit more noticeable in your unprocessed sample than the processed sample but it is noticeable in both recordings.