Room Echo, what am I doing wrong?
Hi all!
My second audition was rejected for "Room Echo".
I am just a voice artist so I’m not an expert onsound engineering and I really can’t hear what is wrong with the audio.
I would really like to have a feedback that helps me understand what’s wrong, so I can improve and get rid of the problem.
I use a Focuserite Scarlett gen 3, a RODE NT1A and the soundproof shield suggested in the "how to solve boxiness" page.
The lenguage this file is recorded is italian, I hope this isn’t a problem.
File 1 (this one was rejected as room echo): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hu8zzDUqcfQWPhqkhXvfXhCx4aXA3dYa/view?usp=sharing
I recorded an extra audio in the same setting to give more examples:
File 2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17cJCOpTAmdLswloxC1gex1JkF7CdbEbt/view?usp=sharing
Could you please tell me what are the problems within these two files? And which one sounds better?
Thanks!
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Hi Luca, this is Julian from the QC Team.
First of all, I'm going to start to explain what is "room echo". "Room echo" is what we call sound Reverberation, which is an acoustical phenomenon caused when a source of sound propagates through a closed space. This causes reflections on the different surfaces of the room/enclosure that end up sounding as if the source were located in a specific acoustical space.
However, how can we address that issue in order to have voice-over recordings without this problem?:
1. You shall record in an acoustically treated space. If you already have acoustic treatment, it may not be adequate.
You'll find tips on acoustic treatment on our community page: https://bit.ly/2MrNsSV
2. I leave here some youtube videos where you can address the issue at a low cost:
3. I leave here some products that also can help to correct the issue.
Lastly, I sincerely hope that my help was useful. If you have other questions or comments, feel free to ask them on this same thread, we are happy to help every pro of our platform.
Best regards,
Julian Cubillos
Hi Julian,
thanks a lot for your fast reply, and for all the useful links.
The setting I’m using is mostly based on what is suggested in the page you linked me (https://bit.ly/2MrNsSV)
I’m also using the same reflection filter mentioned in that page.
I’m recording with Pop filter and Reflection shield, the mic is placed on a desk covered by a blanket, and the reflection shield itself it’s covered with another blanket. What could be the problem? Is there any part of the recording where the echo room is most consistent?
Also, I am a bit confused tho... in that page it’s suggested to record in small places... but my first audicion was rejected because it was recorded in a small place. That confused me a lot.
Hi Luca.
In order to assist you better and solve the issue, could you take a photo of your recording space to see what are the surrounding materials of your room?.
On the other hand, when you record in a small space without proper acoustic treatment, it occurs an issue called "Boxiness", it is not more than a small reverb sounding room. Thus issue affects some mid-low frequencies on your recording making it sound "muddy", "boxy" and even "boomy".
I'll wait for your answer Luca, and I hope you could take the picture of your space as soon as possible in order to beat that "room echo"!.
Best regards,
Julian
Hi Julian,
thanks for your time and efforts assisting me.
I took some photos of the set up I use to record:
Hi Luca, thanks for taking the time to post the photos, this facilitates the work a lot.
From what I can see you did a great job covering the back and the sides of the microphone. On the other hand, what's possibly causing that "boxy, roomy" sensation might be the reflection coming from your back and sides when you record, so I'd suggest covering the surface with heavy blankets in front of the microphone, and the laterals of your vocal booth. Also, the floor should be covered in order to eliminate all the reflections that come from that surface, I suggest covering the floor with a big heavy carpet.
I left a draw that could (I hope) explain how these heavy blankets should be placed.
To hang the blankets on the surfaces you can DIY a cheap light wooden frame, or improvise a frame with some PVC tubes you can find at your local depot ( https://youtu.be/Pz2YFZgeyjU?t=87 ), note that this should work if you make a bigger frame than the one that appears in the video. If that does not fix the problem at 100%, I'd suggest placing one last blanket on the ceiling, that surface also causes reflections that sound like room echo.
I hope this was helpful, and like always, do not hesitate to contact me if you have any doubts or questions.
Best regards,
Julian.
Hi Julian,
thanks a lot, I will try placing blankets as suggested.
Best regards,
Luca.