Computers

How Should Voice Over Audio Sound?

By Dan Lenard

“The Home Studio Master”

One of the things to consider when hiring a voice talent is “How is their sound?” Does it sound like its on the radio? Is the size of the room they recorded it in apparent from the echo you hear? Are their mic plosives or “popping “P’s? All of these things are evidence of overthinking or not understanding proper audio processing, a less than ideal recording space and poor mic technique. When it comes to you for your production, you don’t want to spend the time to clean it up or ask the talent to record it again.

Having a home or “personal“ voice over recording studio is a relatively new phenomenon. It used to be the pride of a few technically adept audio engineers and experienced radio talents. That all changed with the simplification of the digital recording process about 15 years ago. Equipment to record quality audio to one’s computer became cheap and in the reach of anyone wanting to hang out a VO shingle.

Unfortunately, having the proper equipment and knowing how to use it are two different things.

I’ve spent the last ten years as a private consultant to voice talents, helping them create their recording spaces, teaching them how to use the equipment and software and troubleshooting issues with it. My clients include the horde of new talents vying for your attention and experienced pros who’ve spent their careers in professional recording studios, who now have to have a home studio and have to learn these skills in order to compete.

The most experienced pros have mastered these skills. Its what allowed them to succeed in todays marketplace. While the recording process is physically easier to do now, not understanding some basic rules will render some audio unusable. Over-modulation causing distorted audio, or under-modulated audio that requires a great deal of amplification, which adds additional noise to the audio file. Poor mic technique that lends to the plosives I mentioned earlier, and having a room that is not properly acoustically treated that is not ideal to record audio.

Listen to auditions you get. Aside form a talents ability to take your copy and bring it to life, and make it sound like they’re not reading it, does it sound like they recorded it in a tube?

Here’s what it should sound like: Like your having a conversation with that person in the same room. We don’t talk to each other 1/2” from each others eardrums. They shouldn’t sound like they are right on top of the microphone. You should only hear the talents voice, no background noise and no room reflection, or small echoes.

So when listening to talent for your next production, watch for these signs of inexperience that will eventually cost you time and money. Hire the ones that know how its done.

If you want to know more about how to properly record voice overs or want the talents you use to improve their sounds, I’m available for consultations. Go to homevoiceoverstudio.com and read up on what I do.

Whats the best Equipment For Voice Over?

by Dan Lenard

Whats the best Equipment For Voice Over?

Part 1

By Dan Lenard. “The Home Studio Master”

If you’re starting out in voice over, or voice acting, or are experienced but only worked in other people’s studios, here’s a reality check. Today, in order to compete in this rapidly growing, freelance field, you’re are going to need to create a home or “personal” voice over recording space. Notice I say “space” and not a “studio” per-say. Yes, it is a studio so to speak, but like just like if you are a visual artist or a photographer, the space you set up is a personal one that works in the confines of your home. When people think of a recording studio, the image of big windows to a booth, a big mixing board, a couch. and usually guitars hanging on a wall comes to mind. Such is not the case for your “personal” recording space. Every house is different. Every voice is different. There is no single solution to your needs. However there are some rules to consider.

In 12 years as a professional home studio consultant, I’ve helped 100’s of voice actors create their home voice over studios. My philosophy is “keep it simple.” There is a great deal of mythology out there as to what equipment you need and how to actually use it. Many websites that sell equipment want you to buy the most, and most expensive of their stock. Much of that is based on the mythology we find everywhere on the internet. Things like “Tube” enhanced pre-amps, or processing “channel strips” that are not really designed for recording voice over. Yet we see them proliferated in the marketplace and touted by many to really enhance your voice. Only problem is, those seeking talent don’t care and actually do not want you over processing your audio.

I know it may seem overwhelming. However, my advice is to not over-think this process. Finding the right equipment for doing voiceover, at home, is like deciding what mints to buy in the checkout line a the supermarket.

So, lets simplify things:

Here are 7 things to consider as you build your “personal” home voiceover studio.

90-95% of the quality of your voice over audio is dependent on the acoustical nature of the room you record in and how you use your microphone.
You need to find or create a space that is quiet from outside noise and will not reflect your voice back to your mic. You could spend thousands of dollars on a professional “booth” to control those factors, or you could find a closet that can be used effectively.
“Its not the mic,” “its not the equipment” as long as you don’t buy “cheap” equipment. Many “experts” say “they” sound great on this or that mic or this or that processor. You aren’t them, and you aren’t in their studio. We’ll discuss what type of mic you need and how to limit your choices to save you money and not sound unprofessional. However, consider this: The idea of a home voice over studio is not to make you sound great. Its to make you sound like YOU. YOU as you exist in the environment you record yourself in. Despite what gear heads will boast about in online forums, no enhancement is necessary if you set up your space properly in the first place. And, all of the engineers I talk to don’t want you messing with it!
Software should make things easier and have a good workflow for creating single track, mono recordings. Knowing how to use that software is far more important. You don’t need bells and whistles. You need a way to simply record your voice.

Digital interfaces. 1’s and zeros are one’s and zero’s. The job of your interface is to take the analog signal your microphone produces and convert it to the 1’s and zero’s your computer can understand and process in the software. Economy interfaces under $100 need to be avoided. However, just above that price point are some marvelous choices that will serve you well.

If you own PC, I understand your loyalty. You can effectively use a PC system to record. Still, for professional quality audio, Apple computers are far superior for a number of reasons.
Know what its supposed to sound like. Have an expert listen

SO, What equipment do I need to record voice-overs?

The essential components of a voice-over studio are:

Acoustic Treatment:

Auralex Foam is the industry standard for sound diffusion in a home studio. It comes in a variety of styles and colors and functionalities, like Bass traps to eliminate that “sounding like you are in a tube” sound.

ATS panels

Vocal Booth2go – Producers choice blankets.

Harbor Freight Moving Blankets 80” X 72”. Less than 8 dollars each. Or good moving blankets from some place that sells non-felt- cotton or fiberfill, “quilted” moving blankets

Sound Proofing:

Soundproofing is an exact science that requires one thing. Mass. Heavy walls. Very difficult to do on your own. Use an interior closet, Kits or Vocalbooth .com or whisperroom.com.

Microphone:

Three types:

Dynamic mic: not ideal for voice over. avoid if you can.
Large Diaphragm Condenser mic- What you should use. Anything between $200 and $500 will do the job.: Audio Technica 2035, 4040, CAD E100s, AKG Perception series 220-240, Harlan Hogan VO-1A.
USB Mics. Not generally recommended due to poor digital conversion in many models. They make things easy to set-up, but that simplicity will cost you in sound quality.

4. Headphones. You need a pair of Flat response, studio headphones. The Direct

Sound EX 29’s or the Harlan Hogan Signature series Headphones.

5. Microphone Stand: a “Boom” Microphone stand. Preferably one with a round metal

base. A tripod is ok if you have room in your booth to keep the legs out of the way.

6. Shock Mount: Usually your mic will come with one.

7. Pop filters?: Not really necessary if you address the mic properly, using proper mic technique.

Audio Interface:

Some times called a DAC, An ATD and a few other names.

Keep it simple here. There are many great products out there that will do the job for you.

FocusRite Scarett 2i2 or Solo.

Steinberg UR 12

Yamaha AG03 or 06

There are lots of choices. These units are reliable and sound the same as some very expensive models that really don’t offer you anything as far as usable features for VO are concerned.

Stay tuned for Part II!

For more information and help on setting up a home voice over studio, contact Dan Lenard at http://homevoiceoverstudio.com

Voice Over Recording Terminology

by Dan Lenard

Voice Over Recording Terminology

By Dan Lenard
The Home Studio Master

And now,.. more confusing terminology- Whats the difference between Sound Proofing and Sound dampening. And is Acoustical treatment the same as those two things.

I get a lot of e-mail from people who still don’t get this.

With a home voice over studio, from an acoustical perspective, you have two big challenges.

Keeping outside noise out, and keeping the noise you make reading all those commercials and audio books from bouncing all over the room and back to your mic.

Lets start with the harder and more expensive “sound Proofing.”
The term ‘soundproofing’ is rather misleading, because truth be told, especially with a home voice over studio, you can cut down on sound leakage but without expensive and specific building techniques, you can’t get rid of it altogether. Soundproofing, is specifically designed to increase the degree of acoustic isolation between the studio and the world outside — cutting down on noise that leaks into or out of the studio. Sound isolation works the same both ways, so there’s no difference in approach to keeping sound in or out.

So lets change some terminology in reference to you, at home. Lets start using the term “Sound isolation” instead of sound proofing. That means finding a place to record that is farthest from outside noises and the noise caused by the mechanicals in your house. Thats why interior closets, if they’re big enough make the most sense. If you have no walk in closets, you may have to improvise. The simplest way to block sound is to put a solid wall in its way — the more solid, the better the isolation you’ll get. As a rule, if you double the mass of a wall, you halve the amount of sound transmitted through it. But you have to be surrounded on 6 sides in a square room. And that includes a door.

Acoustic treatment, in the context of a recording studio, generally deals with the acoustic quality of the room from a listener’s point of view. In other words, if you monitor in a control room that has been designed using the correct acoustic treatment, what you hear is likely to be more accurate than the same recording played back over the same speakers in an untreated room.
Soundproofing, on the other hand, is specifically designed to increase the degree of acoustic isolation between the studio and the world outside — cutting down on noise that leaks into or out of the studio. Sound isolation works the same both ways, so there’s no difference in approach to keeping sound in or out.

Q: I’ve heard that sticking egg boxes or acoustic foam to walls will help soundproof a room. Is this true?
Egg boxes can make a marginal improvement to some aspects of a room’s acoustics by breakingup reflections from hard surfaces, but they are virtually useless for soundproofing. The same is true of lightweight suspended ceilings, acoustic foam and even Rockwool (Rockwool tends to be used for acoustic treatment or for damping out resonances inside partition walls. All these materials have their uses, but they’re mainly for acoustic treatment, not for soundproofing).

For more information on how to set up a a home studio, contact Dan Lenard at http://homevoiceoverstudio.com