Reactivating account after hiatus
So, I'm looking to reactivate the account now that I have time to do VO stuff again, but they've since changed the verification process and I've got to go through the community site now.
How would I go about this? Just... upload a new sample?
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Hi Eric!
Yes, please share a sample from your current recordings conditions so we can review the quality. Once we consider it to be up to our standards, I'll make sure to let you know and activate your account!
Thanks!
Alright, I've uploaded a new sample to my directory. Unfortunately, your system doesn't provide a way for me to link to the sample while my profile is out of commission. It's listed as "Reentry Demo".
Hi Eric!
Please share the file in a Dropbox, Google Drive, Soundcloud or similar service so we can review it here. Keep in mind that we also don't have access to check your samples in our system while your account is deactivated.
Thanks!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18iTUcWY4SQVFIZKjCp3ToPuxdcTd1ZOc/view?usp=sharing
Sorry that took so long, I had given up hope of getting back in when I realized I had forgotten to do something....whoops!
HI Eric
The recording has a high level of hiss noise. The edits are also quite harsh and it sounds overprocessed with a noise reduction. Can you please share your recording equipment? I believe the hiss could be caused by a piece of equipment you're using. Also, can you please share a 100% raw recording?
I know what I've done wrong. I realize I forgot a setup step when adjusting to my natural noise floor and wound up overcompressing stuff in hardware to compensate. This should sound much better. You may hear a faint 'click' at the end of a few sentences. This is the sound of me forgetting to keep my damn mouth open.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j-dpHCywHdjoHXIOB2epavzdaW3fo5iy/view?usp=sharing
Oh, and my audio chain is as follows: Audio-Technica AT2035 > PYLE PRO Phantom Power>ART Tube MP Studio>dbx 266xs>Focusrite Scarlet Solo Gen 2 >(via USB) PC
Hi Eric
The file sounds over compressed and loud. There are distorted areas. Can you please bypass any compressor, hardware and software, and lower the volume on you preamp and Focusrite?
There are also several pops and the voice sounds quite nasal so I hint you're recording too near to the mic's capsule. I also suggest you record much farther and adjust the mic's angle towards your mouth. Keep in mind your mic should always be directed towards your mouth. The nose should be outside of the main area of it to reduce the nasalness.
Let's try that and see how it goes!
After tinkering with my settings a bit I managed to isolate this strange noise. It seems to be ever present, but it can be reduced to near inaudibility with certain settings. Can you pass this to your engineers and let me know what they think? It almost sounds like an issue with my interface, if I didn't know any better. To test this I'm going to try using different USB ports and see if they all have this noise. Thanks!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XRuFwCa2vlNOYlYli8vG2twZxyxGi6GL/view?usp=sharing
Hi Eric
I do believe the noise is coming from your interface and from a connection problem from the device as it is 100% electrical. I suggest you try a different interface as I don't believe the port is generating the noise. Do you have someone that can lend you one or is it possible to acquire a new device?
Well, I've finally found the source of the noise. My ART TubeAmp Studio was found to be introducing the noise. I also noted that it's onboard VU meter did not respond to noise of any volume. A recording made after confirming this has a much, much lower noise level and should be acceptable. I'll worry about replacing it with something later, more than anything I just want to get back to doing what I love.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_p975cYFF8XfUfIvWiWAUvW949JKWI_g/view?usp=sharing
Hi Eric!
This sounds so much better, I didn't feel any hiss at all!
There's some room echo and the file sounds a bit processed and compressed. Can you tone down the gain and share a 100% raw file?
Looking forward to it!
I uhh, thought the email system still worked. Here's the new raw recording. I moved my equipment around and now it's pretty much perfect. I'm rather happy about it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Tzta3mu0jUvSMx8eFj0YNSpJZIlvobH0/view?usp=sharing
If you didn't want me working for you anymore, simply telling me would have sufficed.
Hi Eric
I apologize for my delayed reply. I was on vacation when you shared the last file and last week we were on a company retreat. This delayed our review and response. I apologize for the inconveniences. Let me go ahead and review the file now.
The recording still has a lot of room echo and hiss noise in the back. You can pick up the noise very clearly at the end when you stop speaking and there's a space of silence. I also believe you're recording way too near as there are several plosives and the breath noises are very strong. Did you make any extra changes to your setup? If you didn't, more like the noise is also coming from your space.
Alright, I can't keep doing this to myself. Going from hope to disappointment over and over again is proving to be a drain on my health. This is as good as my recording gets. If this is somehow inferior to my old recordings that you previously approved, then I'm done. There's no noise, way fewer breaths, no plosives. I am physically incapable of improving on that without bankrupting myself on thousands of dollars in equipment. VoiceBunny used to be the highlight of my life, and to be pushed out of that and repeatedly denied reentry has left me in a deep depression. I thought I had what it took to be a VO artist but if I can't even get work here anymore then I have nothing left.
Here is the file. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1esO4dKDfQeEiQ3HP8Q_7LXk6teoYhCNU/view?usp=sharing
I'm placing the last of my hope and strength into this. I pray it's worth it.
Hi Eric,
I don't think you have to break the bank to have approvable quality, some of our pros make it with just a couple hundred dollars in equipment and recording in a closet. It's all about testing and tinkering with settings, mic placement and editing to get the best out of what you already have.
This latest sample has room echo, which some of our clients don't want (and have even rejected projects for that reason) so that's why we ask pros to have as little as possible. I'd suggest trying to find a smaller place to record and playing around with mic placement.
In terms of hiss, it's still audible in between words. I'd suggest connecting the mic straight to the interface and checking if the hiss is still present.
I hope you don't get discouraged, audio is tricky and it takes some trial and error to get it right, especially if you're not an engineer. The good thing is once you get approvable quality you almost don't have to think about that aspect ever again.
Hope that helps,
-Seb
I’m in a small space surrounded by acoustic foam. I have set everything as best as possible to eliminate hiss (which I cannot detect, I don’t really know what you’re hearing at this point). How were my previous recordings acceptable but these are not? I have had much of this peer reviewed and they have not found evidence of the errors you say you have found. I am unsure if my sound can be made any better.
Hi Eric
I have to agree with Seb. The room echo and hiss noise are quite present. Keep in mind that microphone placement is also very important to achieve a good recording. Positioning yourself as well as the mic in the space in a way that maximizes the acoustic treatment you've added to the room. It's also important to see which areas are not covered and what materials they're made of as not all materials reflect in the same way as others.
For example, if you have a plywood as your floor it may reflect more than, say, brick. For this reason, it's important to experiment with how you're treating your space and adjust it. I'd also suggest you to try to use different materials like carpet and fabric to adjust the current surfaces you have open as this will also give you more control of how the sound behaves in the space.
I'd also like to mention that we've updated our quality control requirements a lot since we started. For this reason, what may have been approved before, may not be of approvable quality now. As Seb mentioned, our clients have become more and more strict with the quality we offer and we have also determined to pursue bigger and more ambitious clients. For this reason, we are constantly improving and our quality standards make part of this change.
We love working with the users we've approved, however, we also need them to be up to date with our standards and to improve as we go. We always provide comments and do our best to help you elevate your craft and we hope you can see we're not just trying to damage you, but the other way around.
Hope you can see it that way!
Alright, I'll scrounge up the last of my acoustic foam and do some more strategic re-arrangement, maybe throw that room pad switch on my mic and see if that helps. Get back to you soon.
Looking forward to that, Eric!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CJ-vn5bfWXaZ5t5fNRG84xiYzJ4ajy9B/view?usp=sharing
How's that guys
Hi Eric,
Unfortunately, this sample still suffers from room reflections. You can hear it clearly on louder parts.
I'd suggest continuing to play around with acoustic treatment and mic positioning to achieve a better result.
In terms of hiss, it's much better than some of the previous samples so you're good on that front.
-Seb
Okay, so I covered a corner in acoustic foam and shoved my mic into it. Used the low-cut switch on my mic. I'm not sure what I could do after this point. All of this has depressed the hell out of me, not being able to do the one thing I truly enjoyed anymore. Please tell me this one is okay.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dQQDqDSCyyef8agbPuWo7FIRvqqNtctU/view?usp=sharing
Hi Eric,
I'm afraid there are still some room reflections audible in this recording. You can hear it in louder parts like "choose the blue option". Also, it sounds a tad nasal, this is probably due to mic positioning, or recording too close to the mic.
But don't dispair! This is super close to what we require. Just a bit more acoustic treatment and you should be there.
Hi Eric!
I agree with Seb. You're really near here. I suggest you review your room's acoustics as there's really some areas that are very reflective. I wouldn't say it's a matter of adding a lot of extra padding, but to add it to specific areas where the audio is bouncing too much. Check for desks, windows, metallic frames, computer/TV screens, plywood floors, doors or ceilings etc.
If you want to share a pic of your space it would be helpful! We may be able to pinpoint where you could try to cover.