Quality Control review for reinstating profile
Hi there,
My account was disabled due to QC issues. I've done some tweaking and am hoping you can give a listen and provide feedback.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15KZohG2C9ByMh9m7GhVRRh3x-fbVTQ82/view?usp=sharing
Thank you!
Kathy Fetterolf
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Hi Kathy,
Thanks for reaching out, unfortunately, we can reactivate your account at the moment, there are acoustics issues that we must take care of before the reactivation.
I'm sure this article will help you:
https://help.bunnystudio.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/203461624-Tip-5-Basic-acoustic-treatment-is-not-rocket-science
Please give that a read, and try with a new sample for us.
I hope this helps.
Hi, Johnathan,
Thanks for your response. Inserted is a new test -- please let me know if there's sufficient improvement.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KilGonex2vqNUVoKUl_mKMN-dm0nv2Mo/view?usp=sharing
Thanks!
Kathy
Hi Kathy,
Unfortunately, there is not enough improvement in your audio.
There are still some acoustics issues, and also I'm picking up some hiss on your recording.
Would you mind sharing with me your equipment and acoustic environment, pictures would be ideal, that way we can give you more accurate advice suited to your recording space.
Cheers
Hi, Johnathan,
Thanks for your response.
It is a small room (about 6x10) which I have treated with DIY roxul panels. The mic is an Audio Technica AT835b, and I also have a Behringer Xenyx 802. I have tried to get the mic to the center of the room and try to be a few feet from it.
Appreciate any advice you may have. Thank you!
Kathy
Any chance you can share pictures of your space with me?
To have a context on how your panels are positioned, the mic placement and your equipment.
Let me know what you think
Hi Johnathan! I can't figure out how to attach photos here but maybe you could email me? kathyfetterolf@gmail.com
Thanks!
Hi again, Johnathan,
Here's a link to a pic
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CSVN6jC5X3IjiemhHxdOkTlLwmcyJfr7/view?usp=drivesdk
For the more recent test, I moved the desk more to the center of the room and the mic to the center back of the desk. I sat a few feet from the mic.
Thanks,
Kathy
Thanks for figuring out a way to send the picture!
I can see that you've tried to control the reflections with blankets and that's a good approach, the problem is, your room might be bigger than what's suggested to achieve a better recording, regarding acoustics. Ceiling too high, too much space between you and the walls, even the computer screen may act a flat surface which reflects the sound, all of this is causing all the acoustics issues noticed on your recording.
Is there a way you could improve your recording space having all of this in mind?
Let me know what you think.
Hi, Johnatan! I made some improvements to the studio as far as mic placement and additional acoustic treatment. Please let me know if there has been sufficient (or even any?) improvement. Thank you!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lx44SAe8zMQsltDHgpsXPPSSvfH3u4Cj/view?usp=sharing
Kathy
Hi, Kathy (and Johnny)!
Thank you for reaching out and trusting us to help you figure out a solution to take care of that pesky room echo. First of all, let me say that Johnny's observations are on point.
The particular kind of microphone you're using has a capsule that resides almost at the back end of its body. That's the first thing we need to know about its lobe of sensitivity, which has a directional spot right there at the back of it, meaning that sounds close to this spot will be picked up invariably. In your case, this means all of the sounds, reflections, and echoes that live way up there on the corner where it currently lives. Click here if you're interested in learning more on this subject (spoiler alert: it's geeky stuff but highly illuminating).
As for mic placement and treatment suggestions, I'd suggest leaving the Roxul panels where they are now. Let's begin with a simple attempt to improve your quality: bring that mic close to you! Try to position it over the table right on top of the orange 'B' of the blanket. The tip of the mic should be at around 4 inches from your mouth, preferably pointing at a spot between your chin and your chest. Try to record something with this kind of mic placement and we'll take it from there =)
Cheers!
- Héctor Adolfo Ituarte (BunnyStudio QC Agent)
Hi, Hector! Thanks for your feedback. Please take a listen:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nh6ZLkDDLlCXPkrUX9Q8vxXyiUYwHAZC/view?usp=sharing
Thanks again!
Kathy
Well Hello, Kathy!
As you can gather, this audio shows vast improvement over the previous attempts. There's a bit of a noise audible along with your voice, but I'm struggling to identify the source. At first, I'm inclined to say that it may be coming from a noise reduction type of process. If you did process your audio with any sort of plugin, please upload a clean take that's only been normalized to -3 dBFS Peak Level and a new picture of your working space, so that I can see how the mic is positioned now.
Additionally, make sure to be recording at the highest possible sample rate/bit depth attainable by your system and equipment, so that when you export/save/bounce to our preferred 44.1K/16-b standard, the quality is preserved. Don't forget to enable dithering (triangular shape, no noise shaping) in the export options of your DAW.
We're very close to resolving your issue, so stay positive! =)
Cheers and Happy Recording!
- Héctor.
Hi, Hector! Thanks again for all of your help. Inserted below are a photo and a new take following your instructions (there was noise reduction applied to the previous takes). Please let me know what you think.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1En58Cq-LqSnWGSTX2nmXBg6SsP6ewHFK/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yQIJtkW28ajBiaBXa55YZi6PUgAU2V2I/view?usp=sharing
Thank you!
Kathy
Amazing, Kathy!
I think you have some Sennheiser cans over there which may not be the best option for VO monitoring, but they may be able to tell you that you're getting some white noise (for which you might've used the NR I'm guessing.) If you can invest, get a pair of inexpensive and amazing Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitors. They're our standard-issue headphones, a staple in the recording industry and a self-produced artist's best friend.
White noise may be a natural function of the self-noise level of your microphone or preamp, mixer or interface. I read you're using a Xenyx mixer but I also see some other piece of gear there... a Behringer Multigate XR4400 perhaps? If so, combining both pieces of gear shouldn't be hard and we can take care of that pesky white noise through simple steps.
Please let me know which DAW you're using, so that I can prepare a B plan with plugin suggestions and a guide so that you can achieve a quality similar or better to this example. Listen (and look at it in your DAW), comparing it to your original and in your next post tell me what differences were you able to make out. Training our ears is just as important as having the pipes, the gear, and the correct setup.
Happy weekend and congrats on the great improvement!
- Héctor.
Hi, Hector! I'm glad we are making such good progress. It is a kind of relief. Your version definitely has less noise and sounds... richer... You'll forgive me but I (obviously) have 0 technical knowledge!
I do indeed have a Behringer Multigate XR4400. I took it out of the chain some time ago as it seemed like it wasn't doing anything. Possibly I was doing something wrong -- I would be happy to take your advice on that piece of equipment.
I am using Adobe Audition 1.5. I realize it's sort of old but I was hoping it has sufficient capability. If not, I do also have Audacity downloaded but have never really used it.
Thanks again for all of your help -- it is very much appreciated.
Kathy
Alright, Kathy!
Working with that version of Audition may pose a challenge, but we'll get there, it'll just take a little more time/effort, perhaps.
I'll come back with a connection diagram for you so that we can get that Multigate up and running as it should. 😉
Stay positive!
- Héctor.
Hi, Kathy!
I'm working on the connection guide for your gear, but first I'd like some clarification on how your Xenyx is currently setup. I'm assuming you're using the USB connection to send the audio to your PC and capture that on Audition. Correct?
Could you please tell me (or even better: show me) the Gain, Volume and EQ settings of the channel where you've connected the microphone? A good pic of how the mixer looks can give me a lot of insight before we delve into the cable runs you'd have to use to put that good ol' Multigate to use.
Thanks in advance!
- Héctor.
Hi, Hector! Below are a couple of pics. The main out is going to the PC's mic jack.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fYtFsZknok5qy196A
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kPX16GaxobhuNdb48
Thanks as always for your help. Please let me know if I can give you any more info.
Thanks!
Kathy
Right on, Kathy!
Very illuminating indeed. So, let's do a couple of tests, shall we?
The first thing I'd suggest for you to do is to lower that gain knob in CH1 which is where your mic is connected, why? Well, gain drives the microphone and an excess in this setting on any preamp/interface or mixer like yours is going to give us a raised noise floor and increase the sensitivity of the mic's capsule. This often results in the hiss/white noise situation we're trying to resolve and can also aid in reducing a 'pseudo-echo' that stems from an overly sensitive microphone, being able to pick up even the little reflections around its sensitivity lobe.
Remember that you should ideally get a signal in Audition (or any DAW) of about -9 to -6 dB. This will leave the needed headroom for the normalization and manipulation that will follow. So once you attain these signal values, normalize the audio to -3 dBFS peak level. No audible hiss or white noise or any other kind of noises should be audible at this point. This is when you can use mutes and fades to edit out mouth clicks, salivations, breaths and such so that a final version of your audio can be exported.
Ideally, your volume levels in the channel and the master output should stay at unity (0 dB), but you could raise them carefully if the signal you're getting is way too quiet. Caveat here is that raising either of those levels should not increase your noise floor (e.g. you shouldn't hear any hiss when doing so).
The second test is to try and use the USB connection instead of the line out that you're using right now, once you've attained the best settings in the previous stage. If they work, keep that instead at the highest sample rate/resolution the Xenyx can deliver. If not, just use the line out and again, use the highest values your PC can handle.
Let me know how this goes and upload a sample, I'm eager to hear the results! Happy recording =)
- Héctor
Hi, Hector! Inserted below is the latest test. It's basically raw. Also below is a photo of the current settings.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BqdWReE6TlFkHprjV2v5CbgC_AHroFX6/view?usp=sharing
https://photos.app.goo.gl/dFR6eXpqqnH9iPia9
I did turn down the gain but had trouble getting the signal to the level recommended, so I did move the microphone closer.
I don't think this Xenyx has a USB port so don't have a test for you on that score.
Thanks again for all of your help. I am happy that we are getting closer!
Have a great weekend!
Kathy
Hi, Hector! Just wanted to check in and see if you had any feedback on the last test. Thank you!
Hi, Kathy!
First of all, let me apologize with all my heart for taking so long. Amid the research I was conducting to try and come up with presets to help you out, I realized that the difference between our software versions was not going to allow us to do it that way. I also had some complications with the amount of work coming my way and not being able to find a better, more succinct manner of communicating all of the technical stuff I had for you. Please excuse me for all of this!
The good news is that your audio requires very little to make it almost perfect, at least so that you can have a promising start with BunnyStudio (and in the VO business in general.) Please stay with me in this lengthy post, I promise it's worth it.
My assessment of your file (as I would qualify an actual deliverable in the platform) is:
1) White Noise - You have a bit of hiss, as your noise floor lingers around -75 dB. In the past, our guidelines would've taken it this as an acceptable level, but we have recently changed and toughened our standards, so it must now be -90 dB (or completely silent both in the analog and digital sense.) This can be achieved through noise gates (either physical or digital) or in a worst-case scenario, through noise reduction processing, which is an option I'd leave as a very last resort.
2) Background Noise, Mouth Noises, and Breaths - Your deliverable presents a mouse click at ~00:01 and the 'wind-up' mouth noises previous to the start of reading at ~00:02. The mouth noises are also apparent in most ligature between sentences. This is something best dealt with in our diction: being mindful of how dehydrated or hyper hydrated our mouth is during the read, preparing our mouth to enunciate the words and actively trying to reduce the incidence of these noises take time and practice, but it's not impossible. Once the audio has been printed with these sounds, we can easily manage them with careful editing: searching for them to delete or mute them from the waveform as if plucking them out.
3) Plosives - By moving the mic a bit closer to attain the levels, your enunciation of hard consonants produced a pop (plosive) at ~00:36 - "... no Questions asked!", this could also be a question of pure diction, but it is the sort of thing we must listen for after recording, so that we may repeat the phrase if needed. These things can often be solved in the DAW, but it takes just as long if not longer to do so, so re-recording might just save you time and help with the delivery either way =)
4) Levels - Your deliverable shows that the gain used to track (record) the waveform is still a bit hot. How can we tell?! Well: your noise floor is still audible as pointed out in (1), the waveform peaks at -2.18 dB @ ~00:49 and the other large peaks come in at around -4.2 & -2.8 dB. This all means that you didn't normalize the audio and judging from the picture, we could reduce the gain a bit more. This will produce audio that may seem to low, but remember: we're still to normalize and even out the levels!
O.K., Héctor, so what to do?
1) Bring the Gain down! - I reckon that knob would be best at an 11 o'clock position. This will result in quiet audio, which will leave tons of room for us to work with after tracking. Try recording at that gain setting and normalize your waveform to -3 dBFS. Your hiss shouldn't be present anymore.
2) Let's get ready to edit - It might sound difficult, but I promise it's not. It's as simple as listening to your normalized waveform once over and finding the pesky noises. Go back to the start and begin to select them carefully (zoom in on the waveform 'cause that helps). Once you have them selected, just mute them! In some cases, you'll be able to delete the little noise altogether, but in most scenarios simply muting the buggers is the best approach (because this touches into ripple edits which is another bag o' cats.)
3) Even out the speech levels - Just as you selected the noises and sounds to delete them, the parts of your recording that are still quiet after normalizing can be brought up to par with ease. The technique is the same: you select those audio regions that may not be loud enough and amplify them so that their levels are closer to that of the peaks. A process called compression does this automatically, so to speak, but it is also a process that can cause you a world of pain if you're not familiar with its working logic, the types of compressors and their applications, etc. It is also not recommended if you have any issues with hiss or echoes, as it will magnify them; additionally, we do not encourage its use, as engineers or producers down the line will most likely apply compression and we shouldn't compromise the available dynamic range in our recordings.
4) Listen Back - The devil is in the details! Hence, being very critical of our work is sometimes necessary. Listen to your recording as much as needed to nit-pick these kinds of details and solve them before submitting a project. It's the best way to avoid a revision request or rejection.
5) Practice! - Voiceover work (as a self-produced talent) is equal parts: talent (which you have in heaps), voice, reading, editing, and production. Try to record at least an hour a day and to edit at least two hours a day while you acquire the muscle memory needed to all of this in a very fluid manner.
Bonus - Cheats and Shortcuts
Here you'll find a preset file that you can use with Reaper. It's a great piece of software, my DAW of choice and it offers a 60 day trial with a super affordable option if you decide you like how it works so that having a very professional setup will not break your bank down the line. Check out this tutorial I wrote for a fellow Pro on how to apply the preset and other Reaper basics. If you decide to stay with Audition, it's also an amazing option and my second go-to in everyday work, but you should consider updating it to the newest version, as it also offers a free trial and a very affordable monthly subscription service. They both have their pros and cons and I'll be happy to answer any questions you could have about their ins and outs =)
ASSIGNMENT
Listen to this version of your test. What are the differences between this file and yours?
You'd be surprised that the preset I attached before did about 50% of the job. The other half of the work to get a great sounding deliverable came from editing. I used tricks as copying the Qh- sound from 'quality' to replace the popping sound previously audible in 'questions' (admittedly a more advanced editing trick), along with simple cuts and fades to take care of the breaths and mouth noises between words/sentences. The levels were evened out manually selecting the loudest peaks and bringing them down to better suit the quieter levels of the valleys in your speech, then normalizing everything to the -3 dBFS Peak Level as per Bunny Guidelines.
Take your time to try and replicate the result! You have the preset and I've shared the how-to as well. This may seem like a futile effort, but as I said before: your biggest area of improvement is in mastering the editing of your files because recording-wise you're 90% there.
So: come back to this thread with the result for that exercise and also to best of the best of your recordings! Try to apply all of these pointers and figure out the logic behind a great audio file. I know I've said a lot but you have the potential, the reading skills, voice, and the gear to produce amazing voice work! Feel free to hit me up again if you need more help, advice or guidance.
Happy weekend and happy producing!
Hi, Hector! Thanks so much for all of the information. I really appreciate it. Would it be possible to see that video you have linked for the other Pro? I think I have all the steps right but want to be sure.
Thanks so much, and I'll be back with more as soon as I learn all the new goodies. You're the best, Hector!
Kathy
Hi, Hector -- One more thing. I hope this isn't a dumb question, but every thing I've tried results in an echo when I record in Reaper? I don't hear it listening to other files but in new recordings -- hoping the video clears up some step I've missed but I thought I'd mention it.
Thanks again for everything.
Kathy
Hi, Kathy!
I can't think of a reason for the echo to be present in your recordings if nothing has changed physically with your setup. If you have an echoey sample and a screenshot of your settings in Reaper it might help us figure this out!
As for the video, of course! I forgot the link might've expired in the original post. Click here to download. =)
Please let me know if you continue to have that strange issue so that I can try to come up with a solution!
Cheers!
Hi, Hector! Thanks for the video, that was very helpful.
I made you a test file and uploaded it into Google drive as I usually do -- and when I listened back to it from Google drive, there is no echo. There is, however, an echo when I play it back it Reaper. Not sure what I am doing wrong?!
Here is the file, in case it helps:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SGXwV73MJELGwlkQ4wFVc5JHfuQYdAoY/view?usp=sharing
It is raw, no FX chain or normalizing. I'm assuming you will hear no echo. Maybe I am just playing it back wrong in Reaper? Other that this, I think I am on my way to figuring things out, so I thank you for all of your help!
Kathy
Hi again, Hector! I closed out Reaper and reopened the saved file, and it played just fine. I might be able to figure things out from here, but if you have any thoughts, I'm all ears. In the meantime, I will go ahead with learning the rest. Thank you!
Kathy
OK, Hector, one more try -- with the FX chain and normalizing.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10C9R12kreNnbPm9CUX8_DF-oYBrTschu/view?usp=sharing
Will go back and try to find mouth noises, plosives, etc., but wanted to share this initially.
Thanks!
Hey, Kathy!
As far as echoes go, these samples are great! No audible reflections but the hiss is still there. Also, the samples seem to be mixed up, that last one wasn't normalized.
I'll wait on the next batch of samples to try and figure a couple of things out. If possible, try to set the gain at 12 o'clock but raise the volume (the knob at the bottom of the channel) and try to find a good level to put it at. Ideally, this should be at 0 dB (center position or unity) but some units may require more experimentation than others. This is one of the problems with mixers, which are not really the most suitable devices for VO recording, but I think we can make it work =)
Happy recording, happy weekend and happy Valentine's Day from everyone at BunnyStudio!
Hi, Hector! Am inserting a new test for you below. Please let me know your thoughts. I did add the FX chain and normalized, but am still trying to learn the finer points of editing (I haven't the slightest idea how to use Reaper but will learn!). Meantime, I figured you could at least hear whether or not the sound quality is OK.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16irDUr0fBTqW7Cnzvy-SFbFriph3x4t9/view?usp=sharing
Thank you!
Kathy