Subject:VO/VA settings

Posted by: paul14227

Date:7/11/2006 11:12:07 AM

I use my SF8 to produce VO (Voice over/acting) samples for auditions and, with practice, would like to be able to produce finished quality productions to expand my services.

Any suggestions/help on setting things like noise gates and other tools that will filter out hissing/hums and such would be appreciated.

Any suggestions on how to clean up a tenor/bari range male voice for best 'professional' results would be helpful too.

Thanks in advance

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: garrigus

Date:7/11/2006 1:56:40 PM

Hi Paul,

Check out the Articles section over at DigiFreq:
http://www.digifreq.com/digifreq/articles.asp

There are some articles there on dealing with vocals as well as many others that may be helpful.

And while you're there, be sure to sign up for the FREE newsletter:
http://www.digifreq.com/digifreq/

Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - Author of Cakewalk, Sound Forge and Sound Forge 6, SONAR, SONAR 2, SONAR 3, SONAR 4, and Sound Forge 8 Power! books.
** Sonar 5 Power The Comprehensive Guide - Now Available! ** Books up to 37% off at:
http://www.garrigus.com/

Publisher of DigiFreq. Win free iZotope music software and learn cool music technology tips and techniques by getting a FREE subscription to DigiFreq... over 19,000 readers can't be wrong! Go to:
http://www.digifreq.com/digifreq/

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: Vocalpoint

Date:7/12/2006 6:11:39 AM

I do VO for a living and while I was a SF user for a few years, I have since moved on to Wavelab for my day-to-day chores. My workflow is still the same tho.

Setting up gates is one thing but getting a quality recording in the first place is paramount before getting into gating. What sort of issues are you facing right now. As in - why/where is the hissing/hum etc coming from? Maybe if you expand on that a bit more - (and your current equipment...like mikes...audio interface etc etc) I could offer some suggestions on taking your recording to the next level.

Cheers!

VP

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: paul14227

Date:7/13/2006 9:19:03 AM

I think the hissing/humming - when it is there - is because I don't have the volumes/mhz/Khz settings to filter them out.

My next major expense is a portable booth of some kind. I have a hung ceiling in the basement where my computer is located. I was considering hanging the soundproofing foam like drapes so I can set it up and take it down quickly.

Thanks for the quick feedback;

Equiptment:
Co1U USB Studio Condenser Mic,
Audigy Sound Card
SF
I also have WaveStudio (came with the Creative Sound Blaster stuff)

All running on a standard PC.

I could send a sample of what I have recorded if anyone is willing to listen - NOT for performance please :-) (that is still improving) but for the technology side of skills. I was admittedly lazy and just recorded something so I could practice the engineering side.

I have a copy of the FIsher/Hogan VOICE ACTOR'S GUIDE TO HOME RECORDING and have been working with it. Very helpful, but my lack of experience in the technical stuff is slowing down my comprehension of some of the jargon.

Thanks again for the help

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: Vocalpoint

Date:7/13/2006 12:28:01 PM

Paul,

My studio uses no vocal booth perse but features some beauty homemade rigid fiberglass panels placed at just the right reflection points. Haven't had one client ever complain about my work not being clean and quiet.

If you are serious about this - I would suggest that you ditch that Soundblaster as soon as possible and invest in a higher quality audio card. Also - from a microphone prospective - consider a high grade mic with standard XLR connectors using a small but pro/semi pro mixer or a decent quality microphone preamp. VO is of course about having a voice that works....but a professional mic chain is paramount to having the slightest chance at recording a good quality product.

A decent mic into decent audio card with decent damping in and around the voicing area should clean things up nicely. Any hissing or humming are external issues that I would guess are coming from both your audio card and maybe even possibly a grounding issue with the USB mic. Your raw audio files should be listenable and hiss/ hum free without having to resort to filtering/gating in any way. That is post processing treatment for final delivery.


VP

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: paul14227

Date:7/14/2006 10:55:38 PM

Any recommendations on the audio card? Some people in music recording were recommending a higher grade Sound blaster Audigy version. If there are other brands, I would definitely be interested.

Thanks for the tip on mics too.

Paul

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: drbam

Date:7/15/2006 6:00:50 AM

"Any recommendations on the audio card? Some people in music recording were recommending a higher grade Sound blaster Audigy version. If there are other brands, I would definitely be interested."

If you're even the least bit serious about producing a quality, professionally sounding product, dump the SB/Audigy stuff. You can get into a basic but excellent soundcard for about $100 or so (stereo in/out). Check out the cards by Maudio and Echo Audio. They have a long track record of working great with Sony apps.

drbam

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: Vocalpoint

Date:7/15/2006 6:06:48 AM

Paul,

"Any recommendations on the audio card? Some people in music recording were recommending a higher grade Sound blaster Audigy version. If there are other brands, I would definitely be interested."

Yes - anything BUT a Soundblaster is generally a huge step in the right direction. Soundblaster products are designed for gaming and general music listening. They are not suited for pro audio...whoever you are talking to has no idea about pro level recording if the subject of Soundblaster comes up....

Remember that the field is wide and so is the price...but anything from M-Audio...RME...Lynx...Echo...should give you plenty of choice...make sure to search these and other forums as well on which card to consider.

For what it's worth - I am an M-Audio fan over here...I started out with a Delta 66 and now have being using a Delta 1010 for three years now....outstanding quality for the price point.

Cheers!

VP

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: paul14227

Date:7/16/2006 9:28:15 PM

Thanks for the info, being knew means mistakes I guess. Comes with the territory.

What about using an interface instead of an actualy sound card that would require cracking open the computer?

They are mentioned in the Hogan/Fisher book.

Here is a list around that $100 mark that was mentioned.
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MobilePreUSB-main.html
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MIDISPORT2x2-main.html
M-audio fast track USB and M Audio Duo USB Laptop Sound Card / Mic Preamp looked interesting too.

Advantages/disadvantages?

I also found some Delta 66 info and the price doesn't look that bad.

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: Vocalpoint

Date:7/17/2006 12:20:59 PM

Paul,

It really comes down to design and quality. Like the Soundblaster nightmare - you will certainly get what you pay for if the item is a 100 bucks. As far as USB goes - I am still not convinced. Seems to work fine for some folks but I need a hard connection like a PCI card for my work.

Kinda like the difference between Internet Phone service and a dedicated hard line....I know my hard line is going to work.

Ultimately it's your call as to how much you want to spend and the quality you want to attain. But I can guarantee you that there are no shortcuts to a great sounding audio chain. You gotta spend some decent bucks to get things really cooking.

VP

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: paul14227

Date:7/18/2006 7:42:42 AM

Not trying to be 'cheap' and, therefore reduce the quality of the technology side.

I'm trying to be realistic about what I need right now:

1. Single voice script material for the most part.
2. One/Two mics to be connected.
3. "Clean" sound.

From the little research I have done based on this thread, it looks like the price factor when your talking sound cards (on board/external) above the $150 price range is the number of input/output points you have.

The external looks like my best bet for a home pc that has to wear many hats for many users.

Eventually, I do want to have one computer (Possibly MAC?) devoted to VO work alone.

My short term plans are to have the 'hobby' pay for itself (classes, equiptment, upgrades...).

Thank you so much for the comments. It's good to talk to people in the know who are serious and force you to think about VO/Tech. seriously.

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: JeffreyPFisher

Date:8/19/2006 9:05:25 PM

I noticed you were using the CO1u ... a usb-based mic, so technically, the soundcard doesn't really come into play with recordings ... your mic does. If you are getting noise, that mic may be to blame. Are you sure the hum isn't playback only?

JPF

BTW: thanks for the kinds words about the book

Subject:RE: VO/VA settings

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:8/21/2006 4:24:40 AM

If this is on a laptop, chances are that it is noise from the laptops SMPS power supply, USB power can be terrible - does it go away if running on batteries ?

If not a laptop, then it could be simply a demonstration of how crappy some USB(powered) devices can be.


geoff