Please advise on audio quality.
Hello all! So my first submission got kicked back for the following reasons:
-Your recording sounds undesirably over-processed, which is impacting the quality of the deliverable. It may be due to a noise reduction plugin, an EQ, or a noise gate, for example.
Problem is, I had no processing or plugins or any of the other mentioned. Here's a new sample.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qkcx5l7x12zvq1x/voice%20bunny%20audio%20sample.wav?dl=0
Suggestions, thoughts and help all appreciated!
Danny
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Hi Daniel
I listened to the recording and it does sound quite imbalanced. However, I do believe it's due to processing but because of your room's acoustics. There is some room echo and the recording sounds quite boxy which is more likely caused by an inappropriate treatment of the room you're recording in. This, combined with your mic technique, can make the sound be imbalanced and sound as if it was being filtered.
Which gear are you using to record? Also, how are you treating your room? It could be a good idea to review the treatment you're giving the space.
Thanks Angela! I appreciate your time and feedback.
For gear I'm using an Arrow uad interface, a Senheiserk mk-416 mic and Ableton live for my DAW.
For room treatment I'm in a very small walk in closet draped with heavy comforters on walls and floor and ceiling and the mic is mounted on a sound shield. It's a very small space!
I just realized that I had a utility plug in activated on Ableton. Here's the same copy without the plug in. Recorded in mono and exported in mono with requested settings. Can you hear a difference?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2t5n1aq34fij876/voice%20bunny%20no%20audio%20efx.wav?dl=0
Ok, I'm guessing that last sample isn't any different? I'm going to have a sound professional come and review my recording space and my settings that I'm using for Ableton 10 Live and then I'll resubmit a new sample. I live in Costa Rica and the typical construction of a home is all CONCRETE! Suggestions for treating my space? Space is approximately 3 feet deep by 3 feet wide and 6 1/2 foot high. It's just big enough to stand in. The walls and ceiling are covered in King Sized Comforters and pillows are on the floor. The mic is attached to a sound shield. Your thoughts and comments are appreciated! I'm dedicated to getting this right.
-Danny Blanco
Hi Daniel!
The recording does sound quite boxy, more likely because the small space is absorbing too much. Also, the gain is a bit too high, so I'd suggest you lower it down a couple of dBs.
In regards to treatment, I say it's trial and error as all spaces can bounce very differently. Boxiness is quite tricky to fix, however, you don't have room reflections right now which is really good! I'd start by removing the sound shield and see how the sound is by just using the comforters and pillows. You can add it later but it's also good to know if you have any reflections that could need some extra review. I'd also try to put a carpet or a blanket on the floor instead of pillows + using the sound shield to see how that turns out! It's all about experimenting with different setups and materials.
You can also play with mic positioning! Positioning a mic in the middle of a squared space is usually not the best, so maybe angle it and position yourself off-axis from the capsule could help you as well.