Rejected for multiple issues that I can't seem to fix
This is my third time applying for and getting rejected by BunnyStudio for sound quality issues. The first rejection was due to my mic, plosives, and ambient noise. I upgraded from a Blue Snowball to a Shure MV7, bought a SE Pro reflection filter and a pop filter, and got some acoustic foam for my closet setup which already has all of the walls covered in blankets. The second rejection was due to mic and mouth noise so I bought a Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen interface and worked on different techniques to reduce my sticky mouth. This third time it was the same thing and I don't know what else to do. I read the blog about eating green apples before recording and I speak at an angle to my mic to reduce my plosives. That did seem to help a lot until I had to use the automation and normalizing which was what I was instructed to do by BunnyStudio for my revisions. The link has my revised file raw and with the automation and normalizing added and I would love some feedback. My equipment and recording space can't be upgraded further at this point so this is what I have. Do I need to wait until I can upgrade my gear and space more to be up to their standards?
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uysGxu3ftN9oi85K4kp5OtCihgdYJwad?usp=sharing
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Hello Phaedra,
Thank you so much for reaching out here!
First of all, congratulations on removing the ambient noise and plosives! Those tend to be the most common issues for new applicants and they are completely gone now, which means that your recording space is good to go and doesn't need any other changes or improvements.
Now, regarding the mouth noises, they are a bit audible but I think that the normalization is definitely bringing them higher which is detrimental for the final recording, but this is something that should be fixed without any changes in equipment or gear!
To begin, could you please increase the gain on your interface a bit and record a tiny bit closer to the mic as well? Sometimes, projecting the voice more can help with issues like mouth clicks since you are creating a higher dynamic range between your actual voice and those small sounds. Also, increasing the gain on the interface and recording a bit closer to the mic can help you have a higher initial gain, so the normalizing doesn't need to bring things so high and in turn, the noises remain at a lower volume as well.
Let's try that and let me know how it goes!
Kind regards,
Daniel
Thanks! I will try that the next time!
Okay so I did that and now they're saying my equipment sounds unprofessional. Didn't even give me a chance to redo it this time. Here's what I sent
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N3Nt5bEQIHmfiNerfKRngpmV0RZ2uOve/view?usp=sharing
Hi Phaedra!
Thanks for sharing the new file, and I am sorry about that last application. I was checking the new file and I believe the reason for those comments is that there is slight distortion happening there as well as some plosives too, actually, the last couple of files you sent before do have a better sound than this one, so the best would be to try and find a middle ground between this last file (where I can hear that you did record closer to the mic and upped the gain a bit) and the previous one, the one named BunnyStudio3 in the drive folder you shared before. If you have the settings noted or remember them, let's try something, lets put the gain on a middle point between that BunnyStudio3 file and the new one, so we avoid distortion, and you can be close to the mic, but not excessively so you avoid those "wind hits" on the mic, you can also record a bit angled towards the mic, which can help with plosives as well.
Please give that a go and share it with me here first, and after we have the quality and settings tuned, I can personally help you apply again through our support email!
Kind regards,
Daniel
Thank you so much for your feedback and your offer to help me with this! I turned my mic a little more to the side, found what I believe to be a happy middle ground for the gain on my interface (there are no indicators around the dial so I have to eyeball it), and got as close to the mic as I could without swallowing it. Maybe this will be better?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kcenSzW1Hiw7tpHMb7KCI53iyVBGI4Ej/view?usp=sharing
Hi Phaedra,
Thanks for the new file!
And sorry for the delay on this answer, we've had quite a crazy week.
I just checked the file but there is still that distinctive sound of distortion happening there, I wonder if you can hear it? It sits on top of the voice and sounds like a soft crackling (even like a campfire for example? that is the closest I can imagine to something tangible) I want you to find it first since it will allow you to then work around it, if you can notice that sound, the next step would be to dial back the gain slowly while you talk until you find that the sound is not there anymore. Also, if you are using a recording software that has visual gain meters, you can make sure that the sound is not peaking on the "red" section, your audio interface might have visual indicators as well so those could help too, but honestly, your ears are the best way to check if that is happening or not.
Let me know if you can hear that sound and if you manage to get rid of it, please share another file with me so we can keep checking it out!
Kind regards,
Daniel