AUDIOBOOK SAMPLE FOR FEEDBACK
Hello,
I have been encountering voice quality problems for some time and having updated my system, would be extremely grateful to know if the attached sample meets VoiceBunny requirements. If not, what extra could be done to get it there?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sdy5MV35-7drY2AXj94TVHAe5An_ZIZn/view?usp=sharing
Regards,
Peter Batchelor
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I have since discovered that I had Phantom Power switched on on my Audio Interface. I have now switched it off and done another sample which is linked below. Would be most interested in your reaction to this sample:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17wd74pD7vO0UbISRlR7vcGY1ESNbDvzK/view?usp=sharing
Hi Peter, thanks for your submission.
Tho you have a great voice, there is a problem with white noise on your recording.
An effective way to reduce white noise/self-noise or lower the noise floor in one’s recordings is to lower the gain used in the preamp/interface. Depending on what kind of microphone and recording gear you’re using, your mileage may vary.
Please try to do this and then come back to us, so we can review a new sample.
Cheers
Thanks for your feedback Johnatan,
I have turned gain down to 75% and hope that will eradicate any white noise in future recordings.
I look forward to further feedback from after reviewing the 4th Sample below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10lqPwO92CogHyPb1iYTml1ZIb0jelYhf/view?usp=sharing
Regards,
Peter
Hi, thanks for the new submission.
At 0:09 after 'team' you can hear an abrupt change on the audio, and that wouldn't be bad, but since underneath your voice there's white noise, it's very noticeable.
Do you mind sending us pictures of your setup? That way we could see what's happening and have a more clear idea of what might be causing this for you.
Hi Johnatan - thanks for your response. I will send you pictures tomorrow.
Hello Again Johnatan,
Since your last message I have been trying a large variety of things in an attempt to eradicate the "white noise" you have been picking up. The latest attempt is shown on the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tiikwLfuQSe2EPmBEBjH6NWr2zlPjKmQ/view?usp=sharing
I am also attaching pictures of my setup. You might be able to discern my Shure SM58 microphone.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dJCRJ4Ydq4lCxfNOFCJiuU2E7g1c7IzT/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pSTjVqFQtaPDw1zU4ggWFK2rXOLnB-F0/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17N5l_o6m40eZ24W-re5tEApl3ZXzn7WS/view?usp=sharing
I hope the pictures give you some idea of my setup an look forward to your further comments.
Regards,
Peter
Hi Peter,
Just a Bunny Pro here throwing in my two cents. First of all the performance, I very much enjoy your voice. To my ears clearly a senior tone which sounds refined and erudite. Remember to be careful about your plosives and breath, neither of which is desirable.
On a technical level the white noise is far too high and is damaging the listening experience. The character of the hiss makes it sound like a war-time announcement when mixed with your delivery. VB would find issue as it stands.
Without eliminating the hiss edits will be nearly impossible to do cleanly. You could definitely explore a lightly used noise gate, but that helps more with empty spaces than the noise present across the whole recording.
It could be an electrical grounding issue within the room or the signal chain causing interference. External possibilities could be your laptop fan (if it is loud and audible)
• Do you hear the noise when self monitoring in real-time?
• How hard are you pushing the preamp gain of your interface?
• Have you tried a different USB port?
• Is there recorded noise when you bypass the interface completely and go directly into the laptop?
• Do you have anything in the room which is producing noise?
• Have you tried a different XLR cable?
• Do you get the noise when the laptop runs on just the battery and not the mains?
• Does the noise persist when moving the mic further away from the laptop?
Do you possibly have other mics, cables, interfaces to test? Personally I'm a fan of the Audient iD4, which is inexpensive and with a quality preamp or for slightly better A/D conversion the iD14 if your budget allows. Even something like the AT2020 isn't a bad low-cost mic to try or if your budget allows the AT2035. Assuming you live the UK here is a fantastic bundle https://www.andertons.co.uk/audio-technica-at2035-studio-bundle-w-at2035-ath-m40x-audio-technica-exclusive-audient-id4-%28black%29
This includes the iD4 interface and 2035 mic with m40x headphones for £280! Naturally you don't need to spend a penny, but this is something to consider.
• Ultimately we need as much info as possible, cables, environment, interface. Your pictures were okay but not crisp.
There are so many little things which could be the cause. With that said dynamic microphones in general are a bit dull and flat by nature which is good for acoustically untreated spaces, but we are losing so much detail and character of your voice which a condenser mic would provide. The downside is your environment needs to be acoustically pristine, no reflections from any surface. I see that you do have some treatment in your space but ideally the mic would not be placed on a solid desk at least not without some foam below it.
Food for thought, all the best.
James
Hello James,
Your two cents was worth at 20000 cents! Thanks very much for your valuable comments. You have given me lots to think about and try.
My main problem is that being a little hard of hearing, I cannot hear the white noise everyone else seems to hear. I am attaching a screenshot of Adobe Audition CC Spectral Display of the clip I published. Does the white noise show up in that? If so, where?
Regards,
Peter
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B8gADZfy417SsDE-MREG1Gx0SSEcLgU4/view?usp=sharing
Hey Peter,
Using visual eq isn't really the answer here. The noise we refer to is prevalent throughout, so simply record silence, don't speak. Then, given your hearing impairment simply amplify that silence until the noise is audible (albeit exaggerated) to your ears.
Naturally any signal will produce noise when pushed enough but yours should be identifiable fairly quickly and easily. As I said think of the hiss from a war-time radio, as you need to hear what we hear.
Good luck!
Hi, Peter!
Thank you for relying on the community, as it is a great tool to help us all solve our audio quandaries. Just as James I'm jumping in to collaborate in these efforts.
I couldn't find/see what kind of interface you're working with, but I can assure you that unless it is a U-Phoria 404 HD, almost any dynamic mic (like the venerable SM58 you're rocking there) will end up printing a high degree of white noise, as their electronics almost always demand a signal booster to attain a clean sound with most preamps/interfaces.
Now in my opinion, just recommending that you go out and buy something like a CloudLifter or a FetHead would be a disservice to your amazing vocal quality.
Just as James has pointed out, you'd be better off upgrading to a condenser microphone that could work well with your current setup. The one he recommended is great value! If you'd like more recommendations, just say the word. Also, tell us what kind of interface you're using, as this would help us greatly in delivering proper advice on the subject.
As for hearing the white noise, it would be very tough for you to do that indeed being a bit hard of hearing and without proper monitoring tools. We could all pitch in and help you achieve a working setup, settings and presets for Audition once you've upgraded your microphone, so consider that as an option: using our collective ears so to speak, to fine-tune a rig that you'd just have to keep steady and consistent!
Hope to hear from you soon!
Héctor Adolfo Ituarte (VoiceBunny QC Agent)
Hello James and Hector,
Using amplified silence, I have worked through your list James and as will be seen in the link below, come up with the following results:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19Nkzhr0hQve4BQeUE1DXVqyWkgE9up1a/view?usp=sharing
1st Segment – with M-AUDIO INTERFACE CONNECTED;
2ND Segment - with M-AUDIO INTERFACE DISCONNECTED;
3rd Segment - with M-AUDIO INTERFACE CONNECTED;
4th Segment - with M-AUDIO INTERFACE DISCONNECTED;
5th Segment - with M-AUDIO INTERFACE CONNECTED and PHANTOM POWER OFF;
6th Segment - with M-AUDIO INTERFACE CONNECTED and PHANTOM POWER ON;
7th Segment - with M-AUDIO INTERFACE CONNECTED and LAPTOP AWAY FROM MIC;
I would be most interested in your conclusions as to what those results mean. In the meantime, I have ordered the AT2035 and depending upon that result may well order the ID4 so as to stagger the purchases in budget-friendly chunks.
Best regards,
Peter
Hi Pete,
Well!..... haha that was terrifying, I was expecting to hear your voice. So the noise persists throughout every example, with 13-15 seconds being the quietest.
Initially I thought that it wouldn't be your mic, but Hector as the sound engineer did point to the SM58 as the guilty party here. So with that said, let's wait on the 2035 (which by the way is a fantastic purchase). You're about to experience your own voice like never before, just remember the condenser mic is very sensitive to the acoustics of its environment so potentially be prepared for a different challenge!
Could you record your voice using the 7th segment method?
Hi James - the 2035 will arrive tomorrow so I'll record two samples - an SM58 7th segment and a 2045 to see if we have sorted the problem. Lets cross fingers and hope we have.
Hello James & Hector,
My new AT 2035 has arrived and you will find below the link to two clips I have recorded; the first is with the AT 2035 and the second is with the SHURE SM 58. Both were normalized and Phantom Power was switched on on the M-AUDIO Interface.
What is still a bit puzzling is the extent of noise showing up in the silent recordings in both microphones. I will be most interested in your comments - hopefully confirming that the AT 2035 has solved my sound quality problem.
Regards,
Peterhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/19Nkzhr0hQve4BQeUE1DXVqyWkgE9up1a/view?usp=sharing
Pete you need to edit your post with the correct links. And let's hear the voice now!
Sorry Guys . Hopefully this is it:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_zj8gg3EWJVO8ZzGIRKeOzcq_g62-eq0/view?usp=sharing
Much, much, much better Peter with the 2035! The noise has gone or is at least non-intrusive to my ears. Congratulations!
Few technique pointers...
• Careful not to overload the sensitive condenser capsule with plosives. To do this either talk off-axis or split the air with a finger or pencil directly in front of your lips.
• When using a noise gate, use it lightly. There are sudden and jarring cuts in the audio suggesting that your gate is a bit too aggressive. Find a sweet spot with your threshold dB (for me -40 works), attack can be 0 and release 300.
• Become very picky when self-monitoring, never compromise.
With the 2035 you now have a more professional sound on par with what is expected of voice talent.
Your environment sounds adequately treated, perhaps the slightest reflections are heard but barely.
In my opinion the equipment issue is now out of the way. Now go practice, practice, practice, and have fun : )
All the best,
James
Way to go, Peter!
Just as James has stated before me, this is the kind of quality that one would expect from a pro like you.
The slightest amount of reflections and that super quiet white noise audible still are easily removed in post, so say the word and I'm sure we can come up with presets that can aid you in that pursuit.
Congratulations!
- Héctor.
Hello Héctor,
Do you have any of those presets you mentioned?
Looking forward to achieving a fully professional sound quality.
Regards,
Peter
Hello Héctor,
Do you have any of those presets you mentioned?
Looking forward to achieving a fully professional sound quality.
Regards,
Peter
Hi, Pete!
Yes, I'll be attaching them to this post, so that you can give them a whirl. It would be very important to use them as a last resort, however.
I would recommend you find the source/cause of the reflections/white noise first, as it's best when we deal with such artifacts from the root, not exposing our final recordings to lots of processing. Regarding the presets, I'll also include a small video of my screen so that you can see how to apply it. It should work pretty flawlessly but, your mileage may vary. Keep in mind that listening is still due, as these processes can also introduce other kinds of digital noise, degrade your voice and wreak havoc with our quality if not applied carefully.
In my opinion, what you should do is to record using the AT2035 at a lower gain setting. This will reduce the pseudo-echo produced by an overdriven mic capsule, eliminate the tiny bit of white noise audible in your recording and reduce the heat from your hard consonants, which are not plosive yet but could easily pop in some reads, effectively ruining potentially stellar takes. If you can, go ahead and give us a sample recorded in the following fashion: set your gear to deliver a signal of -6 dB peak level. While this may seem very quiet at first, this is an ideal level for spoken word. It may even be set to -12 dB if you're doing high energy readings, such as shouting out words and the like; take that recording and normalize it to -3 dBFS Peak Level, which can easily be done by using the preset already present in the 'Favorites' menu in Audition; listen back for mouth noises, breaths, etc. and clean them up; save the file.
I'm working the presets based upon the last sample you uploaded in the meantime, so don't despair. A full guide with the download links is to be expected in the next post of mine.
Cheers!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jq1KXX1hGolPihyX9_X05Fl2ndzOH0D5/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KM0APC1yNSsNng1GZ4KLRskI6f52apZ8/view?usp=sharing
Hello Héctor,
Thanks again for all you are doing to enable me to get the kind of sound quality that is acceptable to VoiceBunny.
The first link is a new clip recorded with gain set lower (see second link which is a photo of my new gain setting) and the gear set at -6 dB.
Would the new clip pass a VB sound quality test?
Regards,
Peter
Pete, we're home, mate!
Gosh, those reads gave me chills, honestly!
Please do me a final favor: upload that same read or any other in the highest sample rate your system can produce and in a WAV file of equal quality.
This is so that I can work the presets I'm gifting you. The tutorial is ready and all that will come next =)
Cheers!
- Héctor.
Hello Héctor,
Here is the link to the same sample now at Sample Rate 192000.
Bye for now
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Kg-0q2nfHLp5awjCBmuDzO1qi9LEfNH/view?usp=sharing