Please help! Submission rejected due to compression....but I don't use a compressor!
Pleeeeeeease help me! I've had 2 submissions of the same (BIG) project rejected due to...
[Sibilance] - Harshness prevalent in most sibilant sounds (mostly SH which do reach harmful levels) throughout your audio files is likely the result of the next listed issue.
[Excessive Compression] - Evident from spectral analysis, compression has been applied to this recording. That paired with the natural sibilance in your diction results in a recording that doesn't meet the standards in those regards.
I never use compression and don't want to for the reason listed above, so i'm really upset as to why my submission has been rejected. I'm using a Rode-NT mic with pop shield in a acoustic treated vocal booth. It's particularly frustrating as I've had other lots of other work approved by the QC team in the exact same environment.
Here is one of the files that was rejected:
https://soundcloud.com/tombennett/vb-1
Very upset indeed :( Please shed some light on this Mr.Bunny
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Hi Thomas!
I'm the ogre who has rejected your submission a couple of times (I'm sorry bro).
As far as that project goes, please just use spectral editing or a de-esser to take care of the offending frequencies as I pointed them out.
Now onto the compression issue:
I have the very same microphone which can be super sibilant and poppy if spoken at very directly and in short distance, for its proximity effect is very well documented. Could you please let me know:
What are you using to record: preamp/processor/interface (those that apply) and software/plugins? Which headphones/monitors do you use (and if you use Sonarworks or any other correction software too)? Pictures and/or screenshots are greatly appreciated!
That microphone you use can be rotated 45º on its axis (from the washer that attaches it to the Rycote Lyre stand) which greatly helps with the sibilance and popping since air coming from your mouth does not hit the mic's capsule dead on, as an extra measure to help with those undesirable qualities in your recordings.
Thanks for reaching out!
Héctor Adolfo Ituarte (VoiceBunny QC Agent)
Thanks for getting in touch so quick Hector...I'm sure you're no ogre ;)
My gear is not flashy, but I've had little or no problem in the past (perhaps this is a wake up call for me to be more clued up!). I literally just use my NT USB into my PC and use audacity. I've always kept editing to a minimum and so use noise removal if necessary, silence all gaps between speaking to get rid of any noise then normalise to -3db.
I used a de-esser on my 2nd revision as you suggested but i'm guessing it didn't work?! XD I'm going to watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbQzLKMmk5M&t=43s to see if I can get more clued up before resubmitting.
"That microphone you use can be rotated 45º on its axis (from the washer that attaches it to the Rycote Lyre stand) which greatly helps with the sibilance and popping since air coming from your mouth does not hit the mic's capsule dead on, as an extra measure to help with those undesirable qualities in your recordings"
Do you mean it's better to record with the mic tilted down a little so you're not hitting the mic head on?
Thanks so much for getting back to me, i'm a noob when it comes to editing, but keen to learn! Really appreciate your help
Any better? Thanks in advance
https://soundcloud.com/tombennett/de-esser-version
This is great, Tommy!
First of all: kudos about your recording space! Your sound reflects a very conscious sound-proofing has gone down!
Now, instead of tilting it down try to speak indirectly into the mic's capsule (otherwise known as 'side-address'). This blog has a very comprehensive post on mic technique: https://voiceathome.com/your-mic-technique-stinks-and-what-you-can-do-about-it
As for spectral editing in Audacity, you can check out this post: https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/spectral_selection.html
Now, I personally LOVE how Audition does the spectral selection/editing and use it almost exclusively for that. I couldn't begin to tell you how many headaches and how much time in re-recording that thing has saved me, so it might be worth looking at. As for de-essing, I swear by Eiosis De-Esser (part of the Slate suite): it's subscription service I have been using for a year and I can't sing higher praise for any other plugin suite.
AND YES! Much better sample. Be mindful of those hotspots on the 2-6Khz range, where your SH sounds live, for they're a bit higher than desirable.
L-E-G-E-N-D This is all super helpful! Thank you thank you Héctor! I'll read up and get back to you if I need to! By the way, I can't see a time limit for when I need to resubmit by, can you enlighten me on this? It's just it's getting late here in the UK but obviously I'd rather get this job done within the time limit! :D
I despair, I've done everything QC have asked of me and all you've listed above and, I've read countless articles and watched endless YouTube tutorial videos, it's nearly 2am! You even said my last sample was much better! But I've been rejected again!
You said "As far as that project goes, please just use spectral editing or a de-esser to take care of the offending frequencies as I pointed them out." That's exactly what I've done! But still it's not good enough to pass QC? Sadly, I don't think I can work with you guys anymore, I've never had this problem with other clients through other online agencies before. I think it's time to say goodbye to Mr. Bunny :( :( :( :(
Hey Tommy!
Don’t despair, man. I’m not on shift right now but was able to check on the last revision you sent, finding some words still have really hot sibilants.
Go rest and we’ll work on this after you’ve slept.
Nothing’s lost, you’re still on time 😉
- Héctor.
Hi Héctor,
Here is the same track with the top one edited with de-essing and spectral editing for anything the de-esser didn't pick up on (mainly 3-7khz). Better? The recording is here: https://soundcloud.com/tombennett/de-esser-and-spectral-analysis
Thanks,
Tom
Hey Tom!
This sounds much better, now what needs to be done before re-submitting, is to carefully check your files.
It's a hassle, I know... so why do it?
Well, I've noticed instances of words with "-tion" spelling that make for trouble for the way they were recorded. So please go through every file and search mindfully for those words and others that could become a troublesome sibilant, so you can process them individually with spectral edits. After a while, you'll be able to "see" the offending frequencies and identify by how much they should be lowered so it becomes less gruesome.
The advantage of de-essers is that they "analyze" a whole sound wave and reduce the energy of the hot sibilant sounds by at a certain threshold, by a certain level (e.g. anything over 1dB gets reduced by 3dB). The problem with this is that if the frequency range is too broad (like a 2 to 10Khz range), some valuable energy gets destroyed too, hence, a pro's choice falls back on spectral editing (at least in my book).
Also, check your diction in future recordings. The best editing is done before the audio is printed: we sometimes are oblivious to how strong our sibilants, plosives, mouth noises and such are, then rely on editing to fix this. It's easier and faster to just rid our speech of these undesirable qualities from the start.
Another tip for the future: try upgrading to a better setup. A proper condenser mic, a decent preamp/processor and a decent interface can help LOTS with all of these issues. I personally use a vintage processor that tames my wild sibilants, does downward expansion (which helps reduce the noise floor, mouth clicks and breaths) and could even do a bit of Comp/EQ should I need it. Before using that piece of hardware, I wasted so much time doing editing on the computer, so investing in such equipment was a huge time saver (and time IS money).
So, let me know how it goes! Hopefully I'll get to QC your revision!
Cheers!
Hi Héctor,
Thanks for all your support and comments. I decided to fix the problem at the source and so have therefore altered my mic angle (thanks for that article you suggested, very helpful) and rehearsed with less sibilance. I re-recorded the entire project for consistency and I'm much more convinced this sound is better than the last, what do you think? ready to resubmit?
https://soundcloud.com/tombennett/betterangle
Cheers bro,
Tom
Awesome, Tom!
The only thing I'd do now is to apply a high-pass filter at around 60-75Hz, to rid your audio of some boominess that another QC Agent pointed out. Try for that and a sliiiight boost (.7dB) at around 13.5Khz to bring out some of your voice's natural shine up.
Upload that sample, we'll take a listen and see if the job is ready for primetime!
Thanks man for your quick response. Do you think my mic technique and angle was better than before? Here's the edit:
https://soundcloud.com/tombennett/135khz
Cheers,
Tom
Totally, Tom!
You do have an acoustics issue that causes a type of reverberation commonly referred to as "boxiness". It's usually found in the 250-500Hz range and may be masked by deep bass deriving from proximity effect (like in your first recordings).
The last file you uploaded, you can try fiddling with those frequencies and see what can be done, and also, adding a slight boost (of around 1dB) at 125Hz to even out your bass/highs.
Thanks again for your solutions. I've done as you suggested, hopefully this has fixed the boxiness:
https://soundcloud.com/tombennett/boxiness-fix
Sounds good, Tom!
Don't forget to normalize before submitting. I'm looking forward to reviewing the whole thing =)
-------Submission Accepted-------
This day will no longer be called the 29th of August, but St Héctor's day.
Couldn't have done it without you! Thanks so much for all you have done to support and help me complete this submission.
Peace,
Tom
Hey Tommy!
I'm glad to have helped out, man! Anytime you require assistance, we're here for you.
I still have some pointers I'd like to share with you, so stay in touch and let's get your sound up to the quality your amazing voice deserves ;)
Cheers, mate!