Audition Rejected due to Room Eco
I submitted an audition and got rejected due to "room eco". I have spent $200+ installing floor to ceiling audio foam, carpet, shock mount for mic, etc. I am also using a pro grade WA47 Jr. ($350) microphone with pop filter. From the research I have done it should be 100% pro grade sound proofing. I cant think of anything else that I can do to make this issue better. Can anyone help me?
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Hi Mason,
I am surprised nobody has replied yet. I'm another VO guy, not Bunny Studio staff, but been with Bunny Studio as talent for several years. It might be helpful if you could post a link to the audio file here so other folks could hear and comment.
Best regards,
Joe Brown
Hello Mason!
Apologies for the late reply! And thanks a lot for your input Joe. We really appreciate it :).
Joe is totally right Mason, please make sure to upload your audio so we can discuss it over here and give you detailed feedback in regards this. Also, if you want, you can post some pictures of your recording environment on this thread so we can check how are you acoustically treating your recording space. Let me know your thoughts about it and I'm looking forward to listening your audio!
Again, we are sorry for the late reply! Hope you guys have an amazing year :)!
Kindest regards,
Gabriel
Thank you so much for responding! here are some photos of my current studio. I have also attached the original audio recording. please let me know what notes you may have. If there is an issue with the file please let me know and ill upload another file. I would love to correct any issues that I have. I hope to be able to work with Bunny Studio in the future. Thank you again
Hi Mason,
One would think that should do the job. Not sure how dense the foam is - the only problem I might anticipate with that setup and room treatment might be some low end reflections. I did not notice if you had any bass traps in there.
Out of curiosity, what computer interface are you using ?
One more quick thought: you might be getting some reflections off the desk top and/or computer screen. Might put a towel under the laptop and angle the screen so that it doesn't reflect back toward the mic. Speaking of mic, I am not familiar with that one. Is it cardioid pickup pattern only? Or does it feature multiple patterns? Another possible issue: is that a hard floor or carpeted? If hard surface, a throw rug may help reduce close-order reflections. Just some thoughts, but it sure looks like it should be a quiet room.
Best,
Joe B.
Hello Mason and Joe,
Hope you guys are having an amazing week so far.
Joe, thank you very much for your input :). We really appreciate it.
Thanks a lot for posting the pictures of your recording environment Mason :). I agree with Joe's feedback, in looks like a quiet room. Would you mind attaching a couple of audios so we can give them a listen and check how are they sounding??
Have a nice weekend guys,
Gabriel
yes my apologies, here is the audio file that was originally rejected.
https://soundcloud.com/mason-beyermann/mason-beyermann-bunny-studio-audition/s-hdvrNh484sR?si=8d8385a36c2d4220a0db5916c3f49257&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Hello Mason! Thanks a lot for uploading the audio.
I was listening to your sample and I can note there is boxiness in your recording. Boxiness is a kind of reflection that makes it sound as if it was recorded in a very small space.
My suggestions here will be to cover any surfaces (i.e: the desk) as Joe is mentioning in order to avoid any reflections being caught up by the mic. Also, please try to record at the center of the room, so the distance in between the walls and ceiling and the mic is the longest it can be in that space. If your floor is a hard surface, it might be worth to cover it also with a carpet that absorbs those reflections.
Please let me know your thoughts about it and looking forward to listen to your audios with the new improvements. Hope you guys have an amazing week.
All the best,
Gabriel!
Thank you so much for your thoughts! I will follow your suggestions right away. Would it be possible for me to post a new recording into this chat for your review or do I need to go through the previous application and approval process? Thank you
Hello Mason!
Of course! Please make sure to submit the audios to this thread so we can review them before doing the application process again.
Have a nice day!
Gabriel
Excellent! is there a script available that I can re record and submit here? I do not seem to be able to find the previous script they sent me. If I should just use a generic sprit from elsewhere I can also do that. Thank you again!
Hello Mason!
No worries, you can use a generic script. The main point here is to test and be able to improve the quality of the recording. After achieving this, you can go and re-apply through the formal application process through the platform :).
My pleasure :)!
Gabriel
I appreciate your help very much! I followed your advice and made the necessary adjustments to my studio. Here is a quick script reading, please let me know if this was enough to resolve the environment issues. Thank you again https://soundcloud.com/mason-beyermann/bunny-test-track/s-Jfh1wQKkP9n?si=f00de3e8bb2047fb8a68ce71edfa58ff&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Hello Mason!
Thanks a lot for sending your recordings.
I was listening to your audio but unfortunately there are still some issues to work on.
First, there is a lot of background noise in your audio. That's the main issue that is affecting the quality of the recording right now. It would be a good idea to leave all recording setup/ machines etc. outside from your recording space as the mic might be catching all of these undesired noises.
In regards of the boxiness, the audio is still sounding a bit boxy. Although the main issue is the background noise right now that is really present and noticeable. I think it is a good idea to tackle one issue at a time. So let's get rid of that background noise first and then we can assess any other things that might be compromising the quality of your audio!
Please let me know your thoughts about it, looking forward to hearing from you :) !
Best regards,
Gabriel
Hello! I very much Appreciate your input and advice. I made a couple adjustments to my recording environment and have recorded a short example of the corrected audio. if there is anything further I can do please let me know. Thank you again!
https://soundcloud.com/mason-beyermann/bunny-studio-environment-test/s-jVGuzHVUgsQ?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Hi Mason,
Joe here again. I've listened to all three demos to refresh my memory and one by one you are eliminating the issues. The background noise in the 2nd recording (traffic I think) seems to be gone, but that boxiness Gabriel mentioned is still there. There is at least one hard surface - perhaps your computer screen itself, or something else - which is reflecting your voice back into the microphone and causing the boxy sound. If it's the screen, try angling the screen away from reflecting sound back toward your mic - angle it to one side or another, up or down - that could help.
Questions: 1] How close are you working the mic? 2] What other surfaces in the booth are uncovered? Ceiling? Desk? Window in booth door? 3] Are you sure you are facing the correct side of the microphone? (A friend of mic used my equipment to record himself, but he faced the wrong side of the mic and got similar results.) 4] How dense is that foam on the booth walls? Some foam is so light that it doesn't do enough to absorb a full range of frequencies.
I'm just trying to think of anything that might be causing the boxy sound. Do you have an extra thick blanket around that could hang on one or more of the booth walls in front or behind you? Just try hanging one or more - over top of the foam, and try another recording. I'd be curious to see if that helps solve the problem. I suggest this because in my studio my walls have 2' thick rock wool batts on the walls and sound blankets in front of that. I also have carpet on the floor, 2" thick rock wool ceiling panels and 4" thick 2'X4' bass traps in two corners. The more sound absorption - the fewer reflections you'll get in your recordings
Let's see what Gabriel has to say. You ARE making progress - don't give up :)
Regards,
Joe Cullen Brown
Hey Joe, thank you very much for your professional input and your encouragement. To answer your questions:
1( I am about 6-10 inches away from my mic
2( the desk, floor and walls/ceiling are completely covered with blankets and foam. but my computer is not covered. That could possibly be reflecting the audio back.
3( I am almost positive that I am facing the front of the mic. I have read through the manual and watched videos multiple times and everything points to the way I have it facing being the front.
4( The panels that cover the walls in my closet studio are 1 inch thick.
I normally record sitting down. my studio has 8 foot ceilings. I am wondering if the Audio might be reflecting up because there is so much space between me and the ceiling. do you think that if I reorganized the environment to record standing up that that may resolve my ongoing issue? Thank you again for all of your help!
Hi Mason,
I don't think the issue is the ceiling since you have it covered in acoustic foam, but if you're working the mic at 10" I think that's too far away for your environment. Even 6" might be too far. The Bunny Studio staff may take issue with my advice, but I think for your situation, 6" is a maximum.
UNLESS.... you actually are facing the wrong side of the mic. Suggestion: wearing headphones, turn your mic as you speak (not recording) and just listen carefully. Swivel the mic all the way around. It will become obvious in your headphones which is the "live" side. The sound will become more present, more direct.
Also, I looked at your pictures again and noticed the desk (or counter) was not covered with any sound absorbent materials. Since you said you had taken all of the suggestions we offered, I assume you covered the counter with towels or something similar.
If these actions don't solve the problem, then I'm a bit stumped. One other consideration: The microphone.
What is the brand and model? Does it have different pickup patterns? If it has multiple patterns, which one do you have it set on? It should be set to cardioid, NOT omni-directional, or figure 8 (bi-directional). This comment applies only to microphones that have switchable patterns.
Best regards,
Joe Cullen Brown
Hello and thank you again Joe for your messages. I did do a couple of tests with the Mic and it looks like I do have it facing the correct direction. As for the floor and desk top, I have since covered them with blankets. The brand is 'Warm Audio 47jr' and I also have the mic set to Cardioid mode now. If you have any other thoughts of what I may be able to do please don't hesitate to send them my way. Thank you again!
Hello Mason and Joe!!
First of all I want to give Joe a super big KUDOS for being super proactive and being an active part of our community. We really appreciate it :).
I also agree that you are doing improvements Jason :) so Kudos as well for this.
I was listening to your audios and I have to agree on the comments that Joe was doing in regards boxiness. It seems there is still something that might be creating this boxy effect on your audio. Although it sounds much much better, there is still some room from improvement. Also, I noticed there are some slight plosives (0:10) that can be improved.
I think the best thing to do here is a bit of experimentation in order to yield the best results. You could try submitting different audios recording at different distances and positions from the mouth to the mics capsule, so we can identify which position works best for your environment.
If you want to upload new pictures of your setup and how you improved it you are very welcome to do this. That way we can see what might help in order to finish improving the quality of your rec.
Looking forward to hearing from you and apologize me for this late response!
Kind regards,
Gabriel
Thank you so much for getting back to me on this. I do believe I am very close to getting it just right. I will also take your suggestion and do some experimenting with moving around to see if that helps any. After this message I will attach some updated photos of the covered environment (blanket covering desk and Blanket covering the floor).
Your help to me is very much appreciated and I hope to work with Bunny Studio at some point soon:)
Mason Beyermann
Hello, I have been doing some recording in different areas of my studio, as instructed, and I have another recording I need some help with. I have been struggling to get this audio just right, but I think with a little bit more work I will get there. I did minimal editing to the file and left in breaths and such to get as raw of audio as possible to test the environment. If anyone has any further advice or critique for me I will happily accept it! Thank you again in advance
here is the audio in question, thank you! I am eager to get started recording professionally and think with a little more help I will get there:)
Hi Mason,
I don't see the link for audio..... it looks like you've added extra materials for absorption, so that ought to help.
https://soundcloud.com/mason-beyermann/bunny-aud-1/s-FRqLJx8uEDL?si=4ad2e8e3e6af47b5b8854f5af2c6344f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Hey Joe, sorry about that. It is saying pending approval on it. I'll upload again and see if that works. Thank you
Got it, Mason! (Bunny & I, correct?)
First of all, great acting skills you're demonstrating here. I really appreciate your performance.
Secondly, and I hate to say it, but there seems to be some sort of automatic level control in your signal chain. You can hear the gain increasing during and after the breaths, then drop back when you begin the next phrase. You can hear it particularly at the end as the gain increases and reveals a low end rumble.
Can you tell us what computer interface you are using? And the settings on it?
I assume the speakers we see in the photo are not on during recording, correct?
Also, how firm is the acoustic foam on your walls? Is it easily squish-able, or does it have some firmness to it? I am beginning to suspect it may not be doing a good enough job cancelling reflections.
I admit I'm reaching for straws here trying to figure out what's causing the issues - let's see what Bunny QC team has to say.
Best,
Joe B.
Hello Joe, Thank you for following up about this so much, and for your compliments.
I do hear the automatic adjustment. What could that be? I was at the time using 'Audacity' but I have since moved to using 'Adobe Audition' as my primary interface.
The Speakers where are not connected during recording and I have since then removed them from the space.
As for the foam, most of it is standard issue 1/2 inch, but I have slightly thicker 1 inch foam randomly placed throughout. I would calculate about 20% of the foam is this thicker foam.
Thanks again for your assistance. I would love to hear what Bunny's team has to say about.