Updated recording
I'm trying to recover from a blocked account and rejected-samples situation.
Here is a recent recording. Please review it? All comments are welcome.thanks!
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I'm trying to recover from a blocked account and rejected-samples situation.
Here is a recent recording. Please review it? All comments are welcome.thanks!
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Hi James!
I find the following problems in the file:
1. The recording sounds quite processed. The high frequencies are very boosted causing sibilance and your voice sounds quite too loud. Did you use any processing? It's not quite distorting but it does sound very compressed.
2. The recording has some hiss noise in the background. I believe this is being made more noticeable due to the excessive gain.
3. The edits are a bit harsh in some areas. For example, the first edit sound quite harsh as the 's' sound ends abruptly.
Can you let us know how you're recording? As in which equipment you're using? Also, I suggest you lower your preamp's gain. I suggest you start over and add the gain little by little until you have a healthy level in your meters. I'm very graphic, so I always try to keep the peak within the yellow area of my meter and the majority of my voice in the green area. If I feel it's too low, you can always put more volume in your DAW or normalize it.
Hi Angela. Thank you so much for your notes. This is educational.
Yes I used EQ (low cut), and Waves RVox plugin for dynamic compression and gate.
I guess I overdid it.
Here is the sample with no processing ...
https://voicebunny.com/samples/136640#
I use Audacity to normalize to -3db and insert 0.5s of silence at the start.
I'm recording with an AKG C414 XLS Large-diaphragm Condenser Microphone, Focusrite Red1 pre-amp, RME HDSP 9632 audio interface into Cubase Pro 9.5.
Hi James
Thanks for sharing!
The volume is still too high to the point it adds a lot of hiss. I'd definitely record it again with much less gain on your preamplifier and interface. Can we try that?
Also, can you try bypassing the preamp and going straight to the RME? RME has great preamplifiers so it even may not be necessary to use an external one! Especially with a C414 which is one of my favorite microphones ever.
Last but not least your acoustics are STELLAR! Really!
Hi Angela
Thanks for your follow-up comments.
New sample here with lower gain on the pre-amp:
https://voicebunny.com/samples/136734
notes below.
thanks
J
1) I can't go direct into the RME 9632 audio interface because it doesn't supply phantom power.
2) Usually I edit gaps between words to remove breathes etc. This time, I left them in, to hear the noise-floor.
3) I used to process the delivery file in Audacity, as a final step, to bounce stereo to mono and normalise to -3b. Now I suspect this was adding "hiss" or other artifacts. So this time I did everything in Cubase. Recorded in 24bit, adjusted gain for target level and did a mono downmix from Cubase to get the sample file to Voicebunny delivery spec.
4) Just in case the microphone has a fault causing low level or hiss, I tried other sample recordings with the same signal path but different mics.
Rode NT2 ...
https://voicebunny.com/samples/136732
And Studio Projects B1 ...
https://voicebunny.com/samples/136731
Hello James!
Let me introduce myself. My name is Oscar Peña. I am the Bunny Pro Associate at Bunny Inc. Here to help in any way I can!
First of all, thank you for taking the time to share the file with us.
Now, let me share some thoughts with you. I agree with Angela (Definitely listen to her advice because she is amazing at what she does). Be careful with how much gain you're giving it. Remember that the idea behind it is to increase the level of your microphone's output signal. Setting your preamp/interface gain is a "game" that depends on multiple factors (Mic, interface, room, source, etc.). You can even try to record your voice at around -9dB level to give you a bit of headroom, so you are able to truly showcase your performance without the recording reaching the 0dB level, where it might have started clipping.
Also, please be careful when editing. Some cuts are way too harsh. In the first file (the processed one), around the 0:12 area, you can notice what I'm talking about.
hi Oscar. Thanks for your help. Can you see my post with new samples?
https://voicebunny.com/samples/136734
https://voicebunny.com/samples/136732
The post says “pending approval” on my screen.
Hi James!
I just approved the post but I believe it would be better to keep the recordings in this thread. Are these samples the ones you want us to see? If you have more, share them here!
Yes, please review this sample and tell me what I need to do to unblock my account?
https://voicebunny.com/samples/136732
Thank you.
(You said keep samples in this thread, but the post awaiting approving was in this thread. I am confused.)
Hi James
I am checking and I see the post is actually approved and public. Can you let me know where you see the pending approval?
Now, this new file also has hiss noise. It's more noticeable on the silent areas, but the noise is still present while you speak right on top of your voice. If you've already tried reducing the gain of your preamplifier considerably (the knob being no higher than 12 o clock) then it would be important to review other areas where it could be coming from.
Another culprit could be your space. Maybe the computer is generating the noise and it's being picked up by the mic or a fan that could be nearby. It's quite challenging as the noise is very present and there are many sources that could be causing it. I'd try again resetting the gain and ensuring there are no pads or filters enabled on either piece of equipment as the noise really is strong.
The previous post (October 03, 2018 14:05) in this thread is published now. thanks.
Here is a new sample . . .
https://voicebunny.com/samples/137129
Here's what i did different:
1) lowered pre-amp gain and spoke closer to the microphone
2) enclosed computer (in other room) in rack unit, to reduce fan noise
3) moved iPad (script) away from mic cable, to reduce interference.
How does it sound?
thanks
Thanks for your help with quality control.
Here's is another sample from a (non-Voicebunny) project I completed today. The client said it was perfect.
https://voicebunny.com/samples/137200
Please unblock my account so I can submit auditions and be available for projects on Voicebunny again?
thank you.
Hi James
It sounds as if you're recording too near to the mic and the gain is still a bit too high. Can you record a bit farther and with less gain?
We will reactivate your account only when the issues mentioned have been sorted out.
Thanks!
Hi Angela
Thanks for your suggestion.
Here is a new recording ...
https://voicebunny.com/samples/137276
thanks
Here is a new test using an external interface (Apogee Ensemble).
https://voicebunny.com/samples/137301
How does it sound?
Hi James
Definitely, the sound from the Ensemble sounds much better. There is some hiss there and a hum. Maybe there's a faulty cable that is adding some electrical noise! May I suggest you try changing the mic's cable?
Also, listening to just the ambiance is not really representative as there will always be some noise when you record the space alone. Would you mind making a normal voice over recording and edit it as you would normally do?
Hi James,
I agree with Angela, I took a closer look with an EQ anlayzer and in the silent area there's definitely a bump in 60hz (hum), which is often an indicator of an electrical problem. It could be a bad cable/connection or it could even be that the power connection you're using for your computer is not grounded.
Thanks Angela and Sebastian. I have ordered a new mic cable and a power conditioner, and I will post a new recording.
Awesome, James! Which mic did you get?
Still using the Rode NT2 microphone. But with new mic CABLE, as suggested. And a power conditioner (Furman M-8X2). Also reduced pre-amp gain to 30db This reduces hiss but maybe the general level is too quiet. What do you think?
https://voicebunny.com/samples/137605
Sorry! I read wrong where you said you were changing the cable! Oops.
The volume is indeed too low. I would recommend you use more gain and also normalize the file to -3dB peak. The normalization shouldn't add any noises as it's just adding more volume to a recording.
When I add gain to my mic, I usually try not to go over 12-o-clock on my knob while ensuring the visual representation of the volume doesn't surpass the yellow area. What DAW do you use?
Thanks Angela. New recording is here ...
https://voicebunny.com/samples/137743
I added gain on the pre-amp so level meter was peaking around -7db,
Then normalized to -3db in Cubase Pro 9.5.
I also turned off my refrigerator, which was maybe generating hum?
Hi James
This recording is much better! There's some sibilance in it so I'd recommend you record off-axis and a few inches away from the mic. This will definitely help make the frequency response to be more balanced.
I have reactivated your account now! Just keep in mind the sibilance situation and the comments shared here to avoid a similar situation from happening in the future. Your profile is up and running as of now! If you don't see it open yet, please allow around 24 hours for the changes to be fully loaded.
Thanks for all your help Angela!
I will use the techniques you suggest and record some new samples.
Awesome, James! Thanks.