Recording Quality
Hi VoiceBunny Community,
I have gotten a few rejections now for the quality of my recordings and would like to get some feedback...Please let me know your thoughts and any helpful tips.
This first file is an actual submission that was rejected. The only treatment it has is normalization.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AstVPpOnJbHYkT8GVmQ-3biOu_wU
This second file has no treatment at all.
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Hi Winston
I listened to both files, and the first file definitely has a denoiser/noise reduction or filtering of some sort. The second recording, which is completely raw, has a high level of hiss noise and background noise which is not present in the first one. However, the first one sounds filtered and the level of hiss, even though it's present, it's less strong. You can pick up the filtering easier on the breath areas as they sound as if they were digital and metallic.
Did you do anything besides the normalization? The recording does sound very different from the raw file.
I hear the same thing.
Ok, I did some tweeking to my recording space, more padding and I lowered the input gain. Please let me know your thoughts on the attached fiile. It has normalization only.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AstVPpOnJbHYkU-Hy9nqejPkUrPq
There is a lot going on here Winston. I downloaded the sample and gave it a look after hearing what I thought was considerable background noise. There is little noise in the very beginning but it is definitely present throughout the rest of the project and peaks at -59db at the end during what should be relative silence (after normalizing you should see something near 75-80db room noise in a good space)
You have an interesting voice and I think you could easily do this kind of work but you want to avoid wearing your headphones while you record shorter works or you will come off as "announcery". Long work, you need to hear you own voice and it must stay consistent so headphones become a must.
Your room sounds large. Try a closet and make sure there are almost no hard surfaces. Cover everything with blankets, clothing, etc. Even the wall behind where you sit or stand.
I cut ALL of the end noise out of your recording and gave it another listen. There is some static in the latter half. What kind of mic are you using?
If you send me your email address, I will send you back your own file, cleaned up. It sounds a little compressed even after I worked my magic and deleted some mouth noises, but this will give you some idea of what YOUR voice can sound like.
FYI, I also cutout the static and sent this through some my personal mastering settings in Adobe Audition. Frankly, if it wasn't a bit hollow sounding, it is a good file. I did two versions, one with a breath at the end and one with no breaths (which is what most short stuff should have). The breath sounds natural and unedited. I can't share how I do some of the things I do on an open forum but have been known to fix long audiobook files when they aren't good enough.
Hi Percy,
Thanks for the feedback! I have a very low budget setup. I am using a M-Audio Producer usb mic and Audacity. I typically don't record with headphones on, only when listening back. I guess my ear is still not trained to hear some of the things you say you hear. I can tell that my recording sounds a little boxy. I am recording in a walk-in closet with clothes lining each side. I have a box lined with foam surrounding my mic and workstation on my desk. I have put some foam on the walls but there are still bare spots. I will definately get more to fill in the gaps.
With the few projects that i have done with ACX a noise floor of 60 or higher was acceptable. Based on what you're saying, I need to get it even quieter. I think much of the noise is internal to my mic and cable. Eventually I will replace, can't do it now. So, any tips on how I can get it the best I possibly can, would be most appreciated.
I would love to hear what you were able to do to the file...email: wfdouglas28@gmail.com
Thanks.
Hi Winston!
Checking your setup, I personally believe you need an upgrade there. Keep in mind that USB microphones are not ideal for professional voiceover recording so I definitely suggest you acquire more professional equipment. USB mics have many components inside which downgrade the quality of the overall sound massively. Usually, the AD/DA conversos of these microphones are very hissy which won't work for professional voice overs.
I also don't suggest you to add any processing. Processing actually can damage your recording more than helping when you're not very familiarized with professional audio engineering. Also, at VoiceBunny, we don't encourage processing so I would definitely ask you not to attempt to fix the quality of your file via processing.
We have several guides on choosing a good interface, microphone and other pieces of equipment that may be useful for your studio. You can check them out in our Tips and Advice topic. There are very good affordable options that are good to start!