Feedback desired as I seriously want to learn to be better at VOs
Hello,
I am new to VB and had my application demo rejected BUT I am good with it as I received feedback which will make me better. Here is the VB feedback and my sample. ALL thoughts are appreciated. As per the instructions, I was to read, edit, and send unprocessed.
Make me smarter question: When they say "edit only" is that to mean just reduce the spaces in the recording to make sentences flow and such? Basically nothing more/nothing less
1. Background hiss, you can hear it clearly throughout your recording. What is the BEST way to remove background hiss during preproduction? I know how to do it in post production with software.
2. As a VoiceBunny Pro, you must record using professional equipment in an acoustically treated space. Your performance needs to sound engaging and conversational. We also expect the recording to be properly edited, unprocessed, and ready-to-use. My booth has acoustic foam sound panels You can never have enough!!!! I use an Electro-Voice RE20 broadcast announcer microphone. Pre-amp: ART Tube MP project series, Steinberg UR 22 audio interface, and Furman PL-8C Power Conditioner
https://soundcloud.com/user-761864733/application-project
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Hi Chris, it may be something with your equipment, but I wouldn't be able to tell. I am here working with Angela Serrano, and she is taking the time to look at what you are looking. She will follow up with better insights! Thanks for taking the time to becoming a great Bunny Pro!
Hi Chris!
Thank you for sharing your recording and for being so open to feedback. We're glad you reached out! We love helping people get better and join our website :)
So, now, feedback! I can pick up the following problems:
1. Hiss noise: As our team mentioned, the recording has a huge amount of hiss noise. It's quite critical to be honest :( I'd suggest you take a look at your equipment as I'm almost 100% positive It's coming from either your preamp or your interface. More likely, it could be your interface but let's try recording a sample without the preamp and share it with us. If the noise is still that present, I would suggest you look into changing it. However, let's take a listen to the separate files and see how it goes.
I would also consider lowering the gain from both pieces of equipment. I know the RE-20 needs a lot of gain to work as it's a dynamic mic, but maybe you're pushing it too far.
I personally use the MOTU Track 16 and I love it. You may want to look into different options just in case.
2. Harsh edits: I can pick several harsh edits throughout the recording. Some breaths are cutout and some areas of the file have different tones which makes it sound unnatural. For this case, it's important to be very mindful of when and how you edit and fade your files. If you're going to be adding another separate take it's important to make sure you're not adding it in a place that will cut with the flow.
3. Sibilance: The voice sounds very sibilant and bright at times. I suggest you record off-axis from the mic's capsule to avoid the high frequencies to be so harsh on the mic's capsule. The RE-20 can be a bit bright so I would suggest you take a look at that, too.
In the meantime, this is what I feel is the most critical issue is the hiss noise so I would fix things from there!
Sorry for the delay. Thank you VERY much for the AWESOME feedback as it was what I have been looking to receive. I took your advice and unplugged the pre-amp and OMG... there was still a hiss with the interface. I have since purchased an Apollo Twin and am installing it right now. I am pretty stoked about the purchase and frankly should have stepped up my game earlier BUT I still was feeling a little green and wanted to read more, hear more podcasts, watch videos, practice, and be critiqued by kind folks like you. I am watching many videos on YouTube University about the Apollo Twin. It totally smokes the Steinberg UR22 but it served a purpose at the price. The new equipment opens a new chapter and new level. I am reading about sibilance and appreciate you providing a great overview. I do not have a sample track right now but will upload one VERY soon.
Hi Chris!
Thanks for letting me know! I'm glad it worked out and that my feedback helped :) I'd be glad to give you much more feedback anytime you need. The Apollo Twin is such an AMAZING piece of equipment. I've tried it and you definitely made the perfect choice there!