Recording my voice only? How?

chaoshead

Member
Im trying to record my onscreen stuff as im making some tutorials. i would LIKE to have the mic to capture my VOICE only and not the stuff coming out of my speakers aka the music i want to use for the tutorials. i see a lot of streamers who are managing to have the sound coming from a different device and not the same device as the mic. like, the music is very clear and it doesn't sound like it comes from the "background", if you understand what im talking about, but i cannot get it so my voice comes from my mic and my music to come from a separate device. so, HOW do i do this?!

i have tried to set the primary device to be only the windows sound (aka the music), but obviously, my mic is then disabled. the music is clear and good, because i cannot hear it in the background, as i will when i enable my microphone.

how do i fix this so i can hear my voice clear and the music clear as well??

im using a røde studio mic + a preamp, as you can see.

here is my setup:
sound2.jpgsound1.jpg
 
yes, but i was trying to avoid using headset, but i guess i do not have a choice but to do so... i still don't understand how those streamers manage to play songs WHILE they are talking with NO headsets....

im not sure im following you... i have my music playing from my music player, which i believe is my DAW, and then then im talking into the mic...

sorry for being a newbie here with this..

another thing, HOW do i enhance my voice in the mic? like, if you take a look a this guys voice, it's so clear that half of it would've been great. is there a way for me to get my voice clearer, or is he using a 100 times better microphone than i am?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVo8wB-pmEY

my microphone is Rode NT1, connected to a behringer umc202hd preamp.
 
i have tried to set the primary device to be only the windows sound (aka the music), but obviously, my mic is then disabled. the music is clear and good, because i cannot hear it in the background, as i will when i enable my microphone.

It sounds like you have it set up properly but, as Mark says, it's better to use headphones than speakers.
The vast majority of podcasters, gamers, streamers etc wear headphones and the ones who don't get hated on massively in chat. :p

Looking at the video you posted, I wouldn't say his mic is substantially better than yours. Both will do the job well, although his is an electrovoice, directly related to the re20, and the re20 is probably the mic you grew up listening to on radio.
It's not necessarily better or worse, but it has that sound.

On top of that, dude has a great radio voice! He speaks clearly and confidently and knows where to be in relation to the mic.
His room doesn't look great but he has made some effort to dampen reflections. I guess that's helping.
 
Steenamaroooooo! you're here to help me once again with some proper advice!!

yes, you're absolutely right about those things. and as mark said, im using my headset now. it works better that way, plus i can stream during night hours too heh.

i also didn't notice this until now, but my default format was set to 44.1k hz/16-bit, but putting it to 24/96k and above, made my file much bigger. so now, im settling down with 24bit/48k hz studio quality default format.

i have also downloaded an app that gives me possibilities to give my voice some "bass" and depth.

i also managed to remove some of the background noise by adjusting the gain on my preamp.

1 more question... i tried googling direct monitor, but i couldn't get a proper meaning to it.. but is this something i should have enabled (pressed down) when im using headphones and im streaming/making tutorials, or??
 
Steenamaroooooo! you're here to help me once again with some proper advice!!

yes, you're absolutely right about those things. and as mark said, im using my headset now. it works better that way, plus i can stream during night hours too heh.

i also didn't notice this until now, but my default format was set to 44.1k hz/16-bit, but putting it to 24/96k and above, made my file much bigger. so now, im settling down with 24bit/48k hz studio quality default format.

i have also downloaded an app that gives me possibilities to give my voice some "bass" and depth.

i also managed to remove some of the background noise by adjusting the gain on my preamp.

1 more question... i tried googling direct monitor, but i couldn't get a proper meaning to it.. but is this something i should have enabled (pressed down) when im using headphones and im streaming/making tutorials, or??

Hey,
That's good. Headphones or headset = good! :)

About the noise thing..If there's background noise the best approach is to kill it.
Whether that's closing doors/windows, turning off the AC, moving the computer further away..whatever. That's always the place to start.

That said, distance to the mic is very important too, and can help minimise background noise that you can't otherwise fix.
You'll notice that guy in your video sticks very close to his EV mic.
Those microphones are particularly forgiving in terms of pops and plosives. There's an inch of foam in there, plus he has a mesh filter.
Your mic won't be quite so forgiving but as long as you're careful about how you speak, and you move back for anything OTT, you should see a signal to noise ratio benefit from sticking pretty close.

That will also benefit the overall tone and 'broadcast quality' sound. When you're closer to the mic (your mic) the bass is emphasised by what's known as the proximity effect.
Generally, for voice over, that sounds good.
Also the reflections in the room are quieter compared to your voice which is all pushing closer to the sound he gets.
You'll notice in his other videos, where he uses a lapel mic, his voice is nowhere near as full and solid sounding.
For all those reasons, close to mic = good.

I don't know what processing options are available to you after the fact but fairly heavy compression would be part of the radio sound and I'd guess most of the slick sounding podcasters are hitting their voice quite hard.
It's not essential but if the option's there you might want to play with it. :)
 
thank you for those pointers. i have taken them into consideration and currently, im trying to soundproof my room so the sound does not pick up so many...noises.

another question i've been wondering on... if you listen to the voices in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaJ8vyM0adk - do you hear how "deep" chris' and the hosts voices are? why is that? i understand they are using top quality mics, but is there no way for me to get that kind of a...hmm...i dont even know how to explain, but that "deep" voice/sound quality somehow, or? just wondering. and yep, i am aware that it's mostly the voice itself that does it, but how to get that extre depth to the voice so it sounds even more deep, like they have it?

EDIT: Or maybe on this video you can probably hear the voice with normal talking and yet be so clear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdDqhn43ZYQ

or is it the "sock" over the mic what does it..? it can't be... right?
 
Last edited:
It is part "Proximity Effect" when using cardioid mics and maybe part engineer using the Little Labs Voice of God processor.
Little Labs

Oh, and maybe the guy has a deep voice. Not sure I know who Chris Hemsworth is. movie actor or something.
 
Hey again,
The foam over the mic won't affect the sound in that way. It just helps to minimise air blasts from when he pronounce hard Ps and Bs.
You probably need one of those, or a flat pop filter, with your NT1a. As I said, the electrvoice EV mics need it less because they have foam built-in.

Really, it's just all the stuff that's already been said.
Good sounding voice, dead environment, close proximity to the mic, decent mic...That should be all you need.
Compress and eq to taste but, honestly, if you're having to salvage it with eq something is wrong.


Could you post a voice clip recorded at your current setup? It would definitely be easier to guide from there.
 
Back
Top