QC Opinions on this please
I would love some feedback on this. Can you tell which one was recorded in my home studio vs an expensive professional studio? https://www.dropbox.com/s/8u2bt7e2zdktzhf/Bigfoot-F.wav?dl=0 or http://voicebunny.com/samples/71243? How do these sound to you?
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Hi There, I'm one of the QC's. I think I liked the one on dropbox better, the breathing is less noticeable. The other one sounds pretty good though except maybe for the breath in the end.
Thank you Jose. That is exactly the feedback I am looking for.
Hi Jeff!
Another member from the QC Team. I agree with Jose. The one from DropBox sounds much better. In addition to the breathing, I would like to add the following: The sample 71243 has a considerable amount of hiss, and the voice doesn't sound clear. Perhaps the mic is not the best, so there is a boost in the lower frequencies, which makes it sound opaque and could use some EQing. Additionally, the space where it was recorded has reflections so the audio has some sort of frequency cancellations, while the one from dropbox you can feel the voice in the center image more clearly and its intelligibility is crisp and clear.
I hope these other guides may be useful as well Jeff!
May the carrots be with you! ;)
Thank you so much. Could distance to the Mic be a causative factor? You are correct. The Dropbox audio was recorded on a customized U87...probably a $5000 mic, in a perfect studio.
Hi Jeff!
Well distance is a very important factor. If you are too close to the mic, you may cause what's known as Proximity effect, which boosts the low frequencies. Also, the capsule may saturate and that will give a sense of distortion. Additionally if you don't have a proper pop filter, you may have plosive issues.
On the other hand, if you leave too much distance between the speaker and the mic, you might get a "distant" sound and the mic will pick more of the room/ space sound with all of it's reflections.
So you should try to find a sweet spot, but that's why everything is important in the sound chain. Everything from recording in a good place where there are not many reflections, to having a good mic, mic preamp, cables, etc.
Hope this helps!
Kind regards,
Juan
I'll chime in, too... I'm another VB talent, but always looking to learn how to QA my own work before submitting it. So thanks to Jeff for submitting the great question and to both Juan and Jose for answering, with specifics!
I listened to the VB sample first. My initial listen, at regular volume, sounded pretty good, except for a couple of pops (or clicks?) that I would have edited out (like in "creature","sasquatch", "threatening", and right at the end). I had to boost the volume to hear the breathiness that the others mentioned. I would add (correct me, if I'm wrong, VB!) that you may not always want to edit breaths out, depending on the type of read. For example a gasp of horror or delight may be appropriate. Also in longer form narration, the absence of breath can be unnatural.
Next, I listened to the dropbox read at regular and boosted volume. Both volumes sounded good and breaths were gone, but there were even more clicks in this recording.
As for mic proximity, from what I've learned, this is a technique you choose to use for certain effects, such as intimacy, or thinking to oneself. It will bring out the base frequencies in your voice and increase the volume, so you may want to actually speak softer when using this technique.
One final thought (again from my own research), if you have limited funds, spend it on your recording space before dropping $5000 on a mic. A decent quality mic for less than $1000 can get super sound in a top quality recording space (and a top notch mic may not sound that great in a so-so studio). The studio doesn't have to be sound-proof, but you absolutely need to limit the sound reflection with acoustic foam, moving blankets, or the like. You may also need a base trap or two, since you do have the deep thing going on :) (Just fyi, i'm in the processing of adding a bit more foam to my own studio to get rid of some undesirable boxiness in the 500 hz frequency range!) There are folks out there who can listen to your recordings and recommend physical changes to your studio to improve the sound (for a reasonable fee - worth the investment imho). Let us know what you end up doing, and send a new recording for comparison! -- cat
Hi Cat! Thanks for your valuable insights.
Regarding the breathing, you are right. It all depends on the context.
The thing is that after recording, most people tend to add a limiter or compressor so the breaths sound at the same volume of the speech, so it clearly is not natural and becomes distracting. Some breathing is good as long as it sounds natural! Unless it's a horror role where the character is having difficulty breathing! ;) The most important thing about VO is getting that natural performance and sound quality so that the audience won't be distracted and the message that is carried can be delivered successfully.
Great topics here!
Cheers,
Juan