Voice Over preamp

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Dannyg2

New member
I have started doing voice overs and I am very new to the industry and recording. I have started my set-up with a MBOX2, ProTools LE 7, and a AKG 451 mic. (The MBOX was a recommendation) All this is connected to my G4 Mac.

Everything works well but I'm not getting the depth to my voice that we get when recording in a commercial studio. Granted, the caliber of the equipment in the commercial studio is far superior to my small set-up (except for the mic, it is the same). Someone told me I should try a quality preamp between the mic and the MBOX. Is it possible to get a good one for under $500?

The good news is that this is strictly for voice over, I don't have to worry about singing vocals or musical instruments.

Does anyone have any suggestions or preamp recommendations?
 
I don't think its going to do much. Might just be a question of playing around with the eq. Maybe its just the mic that isnt cutting it for you, I havent heard that mic so i wouldnt know. By depth, do you mean fullness?
 
It could also be your monitoring source. In a commercial studio they usually pump the monitors and that makes everything sound tight.
 
451 is a small condenser best suited for overheads, ac guit, percussion. Get yourself a medium or large diaphragm (endless list...Cad m179, AT 4040 or better, SP C3, Rode,etc) or an industry standard for voice like a RE 20 or sm7.
 
I think a better preamp probably would help, but a different mic might help as much or more. Just because they use that mic in a voiceover studio doesn't mean it's the right mic *for you*. It might take a different mic to get your voice to sound the way you want it to.

Find music store in your area (if possible) where they have a mic display that you can go from mic to mic and hear how it sounds on your voice.

Another mic commonly used for voiceovers/broadcast is the EV RE-20. Affordable but good mics are also made by Audio Technica, take a look at the AT4040 or AT4030. Or even the AT4050, but that's more costly.

As far as better preamps in the $500 area, I'd suggest the Grace 101.
 
How close are you to the mic? The closer you get, the bigger your voice will sound due to the increase in bottom end. Also, check to see if there are any hi-pass filters set on either your mic or your preamp. If they are, turn them off. Also, your mic has a pad for 10 and 20 db (me thinks). Make sure it's set to 0.
 
Another thing to try is to point the mic downward toward your mouth/chest. This will also give a fuller sound.

If none of those things work well, then you'll probably need to shell out some cash for an LD mic (AT4040, SM7, RE20, ...)
 
I would try compressing the hell out of the voice first.

Most likely, that will be the biggest difference, and most likely the step you didn't do at home that they DID do at the studio.
 
Depth, fullness, richness. My system sounds "thin". I have sound samples from both the studio and home so I am listening to them over the same monitors/headphones. It is a very distinct difference.

My mic is the same as the professional studios and mine has been tested in the professional studio. (The prof. studio is a Voice Over studio. They have other mics but their preference is this AKG 451 - even though it is a small condensor) My voice sounds great on it in the studio but not as good at home. I don't think it is a mic issue, unless, it is a question of matching the mic to the amps.
 
As the other members said try a RE-20 or a sm7.
Or if you have a mic that you would use on a kick drum laying around give that a try.
 
If you want to sound *exactly* like what you do in that studio, you need to duplicate every piece of gear they are using. But that includes the room too. Obviously, they are doing something to the signal that you aren't. If you examine exactly what they are doing differently than you, you will probably come up with the solution. I really do think a different mic would be advantageous though.
 
Could you post links to some samples so people can give you some thoughts on why they might sound different?
 
The difference you are hearing could also be due to monitoring. What you might want to do is record your voice at home, then take the CD to the studio for playback and see if your voice still sounds that different.
 
He said he has the same monitors at home.

Compression settings? $20 says that he hasn't used a compressor on the voice. I KNOW the voice over studio did. That accounts for most of the "radio sound" on the voice. Big, Huge, Fat, Booming voice! You gotta compress the hell out of it with preferably a softknee compressor. 2:1 Ratio. Fast attack. Fairly fast release. Set the threshold so that you get around 12dB of gain reduction, maybe a tad more. Use make up gain to get the volume back up.

Presto, radio voice.
 
Frankly, I'm a little miffed by the responses. Almost everyone is talking about the mic yet it is the ONLY consistant piece of equipment between the two setups. (I'm not using any compression or filters) I understand that I would have to duplicate the professional studio EXACTLY to get the exact sound. That was not my issue. I am just saying that the professional recording has a richer sound, more fullness and depth. (the forum won't allow a mp3 file upload - how do you get a sound file uploaded?)
 
Ford Van, thanks for the suggestion. I agree that the studio is doing "something" with the voice. I'm new at this and have played with the compressor a little bit, but I will work with it some more along your guidelines and will see what happens.
 
Dannyg2 said:
I'm not using any compression or filters
Click to expand...

You probably should. As Ford pointed out, it will probably help a lot.

Dannyg2 said:
I am just saying that the professional recording has a richer sound, more fullness and depth.
Click to expand...

I guess you could say the consensus is your preamp is not the weak link in the chain. :)

How's your recording space? Treated?
 
The Safe Sound P1 is the shit for VO work! All-in-one channel strip, the best! Combine with an SM7b or RE20 or ld condenser.
 
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