What to get/upgrade next for my home 'studio' for voice-over work?

[ecc83]

Just had a listen to your clip Jim and, not that I am ANY judge(!) sounded fine to me.
You have a voice similar to a guy on Radio 3 and he sound as if he sings bass! You are both however VERY clear and understandable.

The clip as played into Samplitude was almost hitting 0dBFS on peaks and at that level into my K92s it WAS bass heavy. Pulling it down to an average of -18dB cleaned it up nicely. That said, the k92s are very sensitive at 113dB/mW and so other cans might not need the reduction.

The noise floor was a VERY impressive better than -80dBFS.

Dave.

 

[Bobbsy]

A few thoughts...

First, for your voice over work, be prepared for different clients to want a different sound from you. Some will like the warm, smooth sound of a large dynamic but others will want you to have something a bit brighter and more detailed--like your AKG212 or one of the other condensers mentioned. You should be prepared to offer a small variety of mics.

You're quite right to say that for voice over work, you want your space to be as dead as possible. The trouble you may be having is that most "casual" acoustic treatment is that it absorbs high frequencies but leaves lows. It might be a bit crowded by you should look into putting some bass traps in your closet--the HR forum on acoustic treatment has details on how to make home made ones.

Finally, in terms of your DAW, you might wish to consider Adobe Audition. It's only available on a subscription ($20 per month in the US, other rates in other countries). It's a good DAW for all sound mixing but doesn't do any MIDI. However, the strength is that it's designed specifically for audio editing and is used by many radio stations and networks. One major strength for you is that, if you start getting VO work you also start getting tech specs for things like the relationship between RMS and peak levels. You'll be given specs like "ITU-R BS.1770-3" or something impenetrable. Audition has presets and displays to let you get all the most common specs.

 

[big jilm]

Just had a listen to your clip Jim and, not that I am ANY judge(!) sounded fine to me.
You have a voice similar to a guy on Radio 3 and he sound as if he sings bass! You are both however VERY clear and understandable.

The clip as played into Samplitude was almost hitting 0dBFS on peaks and at that level into my K92s it WAS bass heavy. Pulling it down to an average of -18dB cleaned it up nicely. That said, the k92s are very sensitive at 113dB/mW and so other cans might not need the reduction.

The noise floor was a VERY impressive better than -80dBFS.

Dave.

Thanks very much for the reply! I am definitely a bass when I sing... in my natural register, I can do a pretty convincing Leonard Cohen when I try - which sucks as a coverband singer.

By noise floor - do you mean that there was very little background noise? That's what I am shooting for, and it's tough because I live in a high rise (22nd floor) next to a freeway. It was basically a blanket tent in a closet.

Also - when you say I was almost hitting 0dBFS, is that something I would do on the main EQ - drop the gain down -18dB?

Thanks for all the answers - I am new to this. I'm going to do more research!

 

[Steenamaroo]

Thanks very much for the reply! I am definitely a bass when I sing... in my natural register, I can do a pretty convincing Leonard Cohen when I try

Can you hit that low C at the end of 'Always'? I can only get it early in the morning if I've been drinking the night before.

 

[big jilm]

A few thoughts...

First, for your voice over work, be prepared for different clients to want a different sound from you. Some will like the warm, smooth sound of a large dynamic but others will want you to have something a bit brighter and more detailed--like your AKG212 or one of the other condensers mentioned. You should be prepared to offer a small variety of mics.

You're quite right to say that for voice over work, you want your space to be as dead as possible. The trouble you may be having is that most "casual" acoustic treatment is that it absorbs high frequencies but leaves lows. It might be a bit crowded by you should look into putting some bass traps in your closet--the HR forum on acoustic treatment has details on how to make home made ones.

Finally, in terms of your DAW, you might wish to consider Adobe Audition. It's only available on a subscription ($20 per month in the US, other rates in other countries). It's a good DAW for all sound mixing but doesn't do any MIDI. However, the strength is that it's designed specifically for audio editing and is used by many radio stations and networks. One major strength for you is that, if you start getting VO work you also start getting tech specs for things like the relationship between RMS and peak levels. You'll be given specs like "ITU-R BS.1770-3" or something impenetrable. Audition has presets and displays to let you get all the most common specs.

Thanks for taking the time with me! If I turn into a pest, just let me know.

It makes sense to have a couple different mics, for sure. Would you recommend the Shure sm7b for a dynamic for work like this? Seems really popular in the industry.

I will definitely look into more acoustic treatment! I am seeing more and more that it will be incredibly important. I have a space problem, though... whatever I use will have to be able to be torn down (for the most part). My closet (which has to be used for my clothes as well) is a walk-in, but it has hardwood floors and 10' ceilings. Like a dope, I ordered a few things before I did much research. Coming in this week is a 4-fold 72" x 72" room divider and a 12 pack of 12"x12"x1" acoustic foam panels with spray adhesive. I planned to use this as a part of a makeshift vocal booth that would fit in the closet and kinda fold up when not in use, with maybe a blanket as the last wall behind the mic. I am planning to put a rug on the floor under everything as well. I do wish I had dome more research before I ordered this stuff - but we'll see how it does.

Thanks also for the DAW recommendation as well. I think I am going to go with Logic Pro X, as I am familiar with Garageband - and I also plan to record songs using the DAW as well - though your warning about a request for "ITU-R BS.1770-3" has me crapping my drawers!

 

[big jilm]

Can you hit that low C at the end of 'Always'? I can only get it early in the morning if I've been drinking the night before.

Lol yep - it's towards the end of my range, but I can get it loud and clear. I am finally embracing my range after years of trying to sing higher, and any new stuff i am writing is down there, as well as older stuff I wrote years ago going down an octave into my comfort zone.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Fair play, Sir!

 

[ecc83]

Thanks very much for the reply! I am definitely a bass when I sing... in my natural register, I can do a pretty convincing Leonard Cohen when I try - which sucks as a coverband singer.

By noise floor - do you mean that there was very little background noise? That's what I am shooting for, and it's tough because I live in a high rise (22nd floor) next to a freeway. It was basically a blanket tent in a closet.

Also - when you say I was almost hitting 0dBFS, is that something I would do on the main EQ - drop the gain down -18dB?

Thanks for all the answers - I am new to this. I'm going to do more research!

I cannot tell from an MP3 Jim where you are peaking to in the original recording. 18dB would be too big a drop. You need your voice to average around -18dBFS,( or even -20dB given your excellent noise floor, which will improve by a few dB if you back off the gain on the 2i2) Peaks should be -12dB ish and very rarely -6dBFS.

Not my area of exp' but I think the various people you do work for will have a level standard they wish you to adhere to. Starting low gives you room to 'normalize' if required.

"Learning to use my lower registers"? Did not do Jim Reeves any harm but avoid light aircraft!

Dave.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Also - when you say I was almost hitting 0dBFS, is that something I would do on the main EQ - drop the gain down -18dB?

I didn't really pay attention to your levels but if you're coming in hot at the interface, reduce the gain on the interface.
If you distort the preamp or clip the converters, turning your recording down in the software afterwards won't help, so always make sure that the meters on your interface stay clear of clipping by some comfortable margin.

The less hiss gear self noise is an issue, the greater that margin can afford to be.

 

[radi0j0hn]

I have been doing radio/voicework/audiobook work for a lotta years. Some time ago, I did the audio for a training video at a mental institution (!) in Texas...in the basketball court/stage area. To kill room noise they had three panels about the size of screen doors, covered with carpet. They put one on each side of me and one behind me, like being in a phone booth. It worked.

Also, I do a weekly prerecorded radio show that has to be recorded on location in a room. In my experience, "studio" mics in spider mounts, etc. didn't do well because they were not in a sound-controlled studio! Performance mics on stands rejected room noise a lot better. My opinion only.

 

[Bobbsy]

Thanks for taking the time with me! If I turn into a pest, just let me know.

It makes sense to have a couple different mics, for sure. Would you recommend the Shure sm7b for a dynamic for work like this? Seems really popular in the industry.

I will definitely look into more acoustic treatment! I am seeing more and more that it will be incredibly important. I have a space problem, though... whatever I use will have to be able to be torn down (for the most part). My closet (which has to be used for my clothes as well) is a walk-in, but it has hardwood floors and 10' ceilings. Like a dope, I ordered a few things before I did much research. Coming in this week is a 4-fold 72" x 72" room divider and a 12 pack of 12"x12"x1" acoustic foam panels with spray adhesive. I planned to use this as a part of a makeshift vocal booth that would fit in the closet and kinda fold up when not in use, with maybe a blanket as the last wall behind the mic. I am planning to put a rug on the floor under everything as well. I do wish I had dome more research before I ordered this stuff - but we'll see how it does.

Thanks also for the DAW recommendation as well. I think I am going to go with Logic Pro X, as I am familiar with Garageband - and I also plan to record songs using the DAW as well - though your warning about a request for "ITU-R BS.1770-3" has me crapping my drawers!

The SM7B is certainly a popular mic for a lot of voiceovers. It'll deliver what I can the "American Radio" sound. I personally have a slight preference for the RE20 for V/O work but that preference is razor thin and depends a lot on your voice anyway.

With the acoustic treatment, the wall behind the mic is one of the most important areas to treat. All the mics recommended are cardioid (uni directional) so to pick up the hollow room-type sound it'll be reflections. Since you're facing the wall behind the mic, if you can stop reflections there you're 80% of the way to a dead room. As for the bass traps I mentioned, you can build simple ones that can stand in corners but be moved for storage when not in use.

I can't comment on Logic Pro--it's not one of the DAWs I've tried.

 

[big jilm]

Well, here's an update for anybody who is interested. Thanks to everyone for their recommendations and advice!

I upgraded my headphones from a really old pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs that sounded really harsh and hollow to a set of Sennheiser HD6 Mix, and I am hearing a big difference in sound quality. Next, I downloaded Logic Pro X and I like it a lot so far - it's like GarageBand on steroids. I think I am going to need to get the 'Logic Pro X For Dummies' or something - there sure are a lot more features than GarageBand has! The GUI is pretty familiar, though. The 2012 MacBook Pro I am going to use for recording got a new solid-state hard drive and has a RAM upgrade coming in.

As far as mics go, I think I am going to work with the AKG c214 for awhile - I think I am getting some pretty nice sounding vocals through it, both with voice over and singing. My makeshift vocal booth is a work in progress, but it's pretty dead sounding for voice over stuff. For some reason the picture is sideways here, but it will give you the idea. I felt like a kid building a fort out of the couch cushions and blankets!


Next up is an interface upgrade, I think. I like the my Scarlett 2i2, so I will probably go up to a bigger version as I want to use my keyboard as a MIDI controller - the B3 sounds really cool in Logic. The 2i4 has MIDI, but the 6i6 or even 18i8 might be a better buy that gives me room to record multiple sources in the future.

Well, gear is a lot of fun, but it's time to do some recording with it! Thanks again to everybody who chimed in to help.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Is that tent of blankets really making any audible difference?
I wouldn't have considered ambience an issue on the clips you posted.

Now that you have headphones that you can work with, spend time listening to V/O work that you know and trust.
If you get very familiar with solid reference points, then you'll be able to trust your judgement of your own work and make better decisions.
Good luck!

 

[big jilm]

Is that tent of blankets really making any audible difference?
I wouldn't have considered ambience an issue on the clips you posted.

Now that you have headphones that you can work with, spend time listening to V/O work that you know and trust.
If you get very familiar with solid reference points, then you'll be able to trust your judgement of your own work and make better decisions.
Good luck!

Thanks, man! In the clip I posted, I was in a blanket tent - this one is just the evolution of that one. The room I have to record in is not ideal, so I think this is going to make a difference, but we will see.

Thanks for the advice about listening to some professional voice over stuff to get a reference - that is what I am going to do next. I appreciate the input!

 

[Steenamaroo]

Oh, I see! I didn't realise that!
It would be interesting to hear what your room sounds like with no attempt to treat it. If what you have is working for you that's great.

In the long run you might find some wall panels more effective (maybe not?) and more aesthetically pleasing, giving you room to work etc but yeah..Like I said. If it works it works.