Why should I use fades?
"There are editing issues in your recording."
What are fades?
Crossfades are transitional Regions that span the end of one Region and the beginning of another. They can be used to smooth the sudden transition between two adjacent Regions, and help to prevent pops and clicks at Region boundaries. Fades are similar to crossfades, but apply where there is no overlap between Regions, for fading up the volume of a Region from nothing (fade-in) or fading down to nothing (fade-out).
So basically, fades exist to prevent editing pops and clicks between audio regions.
Why should I use fades?
But sometimes in the process, you forget to use fades, resulting in some distracting editing pops between the phrases, so when you submit that to us, our QC team will let you know... yeah, you guessed it: "There are editing issues in your recording."
To avoid that, please be mindful of this fantastic tool in your arsenal, it comes in three variations:
- Fade In
- Fade Out
- Crossfade
Fade In, Fade Out, Crossfade, which one should I use?
Fade In
This one is used at the beginning of the audio region.
Fade Out
This one goes at the end of the region
Crossfade
This one goes between two adjacent phrases.
Here's an example:
Let's take our auditioning script, and let's pretend you did a lot of takes for each phrase, and you came up with the absolute best one. The use of fades would go as follows:
[Fade In] In a world where voice-overs were hard to get. [Crossfade] In a world where it was cumbersome and expensive to pursue a career in voice acting, we decided to start a revolution! [Fade Out]
What kind of fades should I use?
This one is very simple; for Fade In and Fade Out, you could go with Linear fade or Sine Curve fade, whereas for Crossfades, you could go with Equal Power Fade.
Mastering the fades
That's it! Now it's all about practice, never forget to use fades, some DAWs will create them automatically, others won't, so please, make sure you're using them, I assure you, that it will make your recordings sound more professional and will save you extra time from revisions issued by the Quality Control team.
If you happen yo use Pro Tools, or want to read that post I was talking about at the beginning, click here!
How to create fades
Logic Pro X
1. Select the 'Fade Tool'
2. Select the start or the end of the region to apply a fade in or fade out.
3. If you want a crossfade just do the same, with two adjacent regions.
If you want a more detailed guide you can check this article by the guys at Apple: Logic Pro X: Create fades
See you around and have a fantastic week.
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Great article Johnatan!
I use all of the fades, but 95% of them are fade-outs and fade-ins. Of the time it takes me to prepare a track for a VB project, about 25% is spent in the recording phase, 70% in editing, and 5% in mastering and submitting files.
For me, editing is my most critical time. It can make or break a track. How smoothly the performance flows from one section to another - while not everything - is certainly huge in making the track sing... or just lay there, flat.
Personally, while I am recording, my primary role is that of performer, with director sitting on my shoulder.
When editing, the role changes to director, with the editor as my assistant to make make the performance everything it can be.
That's my approach - just one of many pros might try - but seems to work pretty well.
Best regards for great production,
Joe
Hi Joe,
Thank you so much! I hope many pros get to read this, and I don't mean just the article but your comment, your process and insights, I'm sure they could really benefit from your experience.
That 'changing-hats' situation you got going on is something very useful, that could bring more perspective to any voice actor and help them step up their game.
BTW... It's always great to see you around the posts, giving your advice and sharing your experiences, that's what a community is all about, please keep up the good work and the great advice.